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I too look forward to some specifics. I have many, many friends from SA (Brasil, Colombia, Chile, elsewhere) with whom I've worked and partied. All of them have great drinking buddy stories about their respective governments. And some had serious fears!
When I visited, myself, I certainly got an eye-ful, but visiting and living anywhere is unique and desparate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhlcomp
My husband is Venezuelan, I have visited a number of times, etc. I am not speaking from media hype or the like. My knowledge is first hand and other reliable means.
Glover can exercise his free speech and disagree without trying to make our country, our President look bad.
I don't think you have to worry about Danny Glover making our country or our President look bad. This isn't a beauty contest. The rest of the world already knows that our country and our President look bad.
If someone thinks this is a bad idea, have THEM front Danny Glover the money. I don't see a line forming for that do I?
Chevez is no friend of the US. He should use this money to rebuild the road from Caracas to the airport - now that would be progress. Or rebuild homes that were destroyed by the floods years ago. Or better yet, since he is a man of the people, start really building housing for the poor so that they don't have to live in cardboard shacks anymore.
I don't mean to turn this into an architecture thread but these are images of what the airport will look like. Thanks to Chavez!
http://media.dwell.com/images/MAG_DWE0905_P110-4.jpg (broken link)
Urban Think Tank’s “City Lifter” project proposes raising the runway of the airport in Caracas so the surrounding property can increase in height and value. The collage also demonstrates the increased train and transport infrastructure the scenario would allow.
The different housing and commercial projects proposed and in the process in Venezuela, and the inexpensive petroleum he is providing to lower-income areas here in America, makes me wonder if this government is telling the whole truth.
Take Castro, for example, that article spunky1 posted from the WP contrasts Castro with Chavez, and paints Chavez poorly. However, I have reached the point, no I have passed the point, of trusting any of the media, including the two Saints-WP & NYT.
History may tell!
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrettyHateMachine
Thanks OTR!
The different housing and commercial projects proposed and in the process in Venezuela, and the inexpensive petroleum he is providing to lower-income areas here in America, makes me wonder if this government is telling the whole truth.
I certainly see it. I just don't think that qualifies him as a traitor. Given our current President, it might even qualify him as a patriot.
In fact, it is the views that you are expressing (Don't criticize our President!) that borders on the treasonous.
No MarkS I was not saying don't criticize our President, in fact, if you had read my earlier posts you would have read that I said it should be handled "internally." Like a family, it is better to keep the squabbles inside the home rather than outside the home. Criticize away, free speech etc. But to take money from Chavez to "stick-it" to the President is IMO being a traitor.
Spunky1 - You certainly have a vastly different definition of traitor than mine. I see a traitor as "someone that gives aid to our enemies in time of war" not someone critical of our government. Besides "keeping it in the family" mere allows problems to be hidden until they really fester and ultimately destroy the family. Such as the domination of our Middle Eastern policy by the aristocrats of the Saudi Royal family. They are the real enemies of secular and free republics in the Arab world.
Now about Chavez - the principal problem Chavez has created is that he is working to develop Venezuela into an industrialized country and not just recycling the oil money into US and British money center banks. This is in total opposition to our actual foreign policy for the last century. This policy has been to keep South and Central America as a colony that supplied raw materials, and recently, people to the United States and provided a market for our manufactured goods.
Chavez realized that Venezuela has the resources of minerals; energy and people to become an industrial nation and to internalize wealth creation derived form these activities. By selling a portion of the wealth created by mining the petroleum and manufacturing the products he has a source of the capital needed for the industrialization without having to go to the money center banks and the World Trade/IMF thieves.
Breaking free of the colonial financial controls has gained Chavez the hate of the monopolists that dominate word trade and development. He has also drawn the wrath of his, and the other aristocrats, principally of European descent, that have been running their countries as feudal estates. They have protected their social and economic privileges with US sponsored armies and oppression and are creating the propaganda for more US intervention.
I support Mr. Chavez in his plan for a free and prosperous Venezuela and sincerely hope the other nations of South and Central America join the show. I am not being altruistic with this hope because a free and prosperous Mexico would go a long way to slowing the flood of people entering this country. If they stayed home they would demand a real democracy and stop being slaves to their own aristocracy.
After watching these people gain their freedom, then the people of the United States of America might develop the political concern and strength needed to free ourselves form the slow tyranny of corporate control of both major political parties and the financialization and deindustrialization of our own country.
PS – Think carefully before you call ME traitor. I spend my time in ‘Nam and I have, thanks to our Constitution, the right to make these arguments and, thanks to this forum, the place to publish them.
Great overview, GregW--your point about Chavez' attempt to industrialize and maintain the country's wealth internally certainly rings true, and I believe Bolivia (one of the top 10 poorest countries, with some of the world's largest natural resources) is attempting to protect their assets these days following Venezuela's lead.
Time will tell how the changes will or will not take place, but your idea of encouraging the growth in SA, and its potential positive affect on immigration to the US is solid, imo.
I support Mr. Chavez in his plan for a free and prosperous Venezuela and sincerely hope the other nations of South and Central America join the show. I am not being altruistic with this hope because a free and prosperous Mexico would go a long way to slowing the flood of people entering this country. If they stayed home they would demand a real democracy and stop being slaves to their own aristocracy.
PS – Think carefully before you call ME traitor. I spend my time in ‘Nam and I have, thanks to our Constitution, the right to make these arguments and, thanks to this forum, the place to publish them.
GregW
GregW I guess that is another benefit of living in the USA. . .I am free to consider someone a traitor if they accept funds from a known enemy of the US, and you are free to disagree. . I do find it disturbing that you caution me to "think carefully before You call ME traitor."
You are free to think your thoughts, and I have no idea if you are a "traitor" or not. BTW my definition of traitor is one who violates allegiance to one's country. . I believe pretty much a textbook definition.
Last edited by spunky1; 05-25-2007 at 07:22 AM..
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