The Chávez media...
The recent violations of human rights, including unjustified emprisonments, excessive repression of peaceful demonstrations, and outright killing of innocent people (some of them shot by national guards in the back, execution style) speak volumes of the reality of the real nature of Chávez who has simply acted on 5 years of a multiplicity of threats against opositors.
Chávez capitalized on an antiestablishment movement through the late eighties and nineties (just like Ross Perrot would), to destroy the existing political parties both through bold political moves and his own rewritting of the Constitution. The lack of an effective opposition up until the days of the Coup, just 2 years ago, forced the media to be more and more critical (imagine that there was no democratic party in the US, all of the sudden, it would appear that 60 min was an anti-goverment media). BUT Chávez was hardly defenseless. Not only does he have control of Venezolana de Televisión, a goverment financed and operated television network that Chávez has transformed in a propaganda machine for the regime, but Chávez has control of the air space, so he can take control of the signal of any TV at any time, and he does. Almost daily, he forces all private network to connect to his propaganda machine in televised events called "Cadena Nacional" or national chain, that may last from 15 minuts to 1-2 hrs. Just this Friday morning, Chávez presented his case for well over 2 hours in a meeting with the diplomatic representation of many countries from Mexico, to Brasil and even Germany, and the Vatican. Not happy with the transmission of the 2 hr event life, he proceeded to transmit it in the afternoon, once again tight up all Televisions and radio stations in the country. Refusing to transmit the event would have resulted in loss of the license to use the airways. Against the law, Chávez transmits political rallies of all sorts, rather than Estate business. It is not for lack of media attention that his message is rejected. Further, Chávez has his oown weekly radio show, which may last up to (GET THIS) up to 5 hours, yes, FIVE hours. Chávez almost has the record for the leader with most hours of public speaking in history. ONLY CASTRO has accumulated more hours, and he has had 45 years to do so.
What Americans do not understand is that Chávez has complete control over the funds of PDVSA, reason why the so called Coup occurred in the first place. Not only is he using the money to control international public opinion (his plan is crumbling now), but Billions of dollars the administration has had in hand, have simply dissapear. Personally, I believe that he and Castro are accumulating the money for the ultimate goal: to expand the communist revolution throughout Latin America. The close association of Chávez with the colombian guerrilla certainly suggests that they are following that plan. So Chávez controls the media like we have never seen in Venezuela before, to an obscene degree.
In April 11, 2002, there was no real Coup d'Etat. People simply rised up and marched against Chávez who had limited, armed snipers around his palace. When he ordered the military to come out and protect him against unarmed civilians, his own trusted General, Manuel Rosendo refused to execute his order. By the way, there is a recording of his voice ordering the execution of the "Plan Avila", which is really designed to protect the city against a military attack. The marching peoples were merely armed with flags and signs (I have the pictures of the day, if you'd like to see them). Feeling cornered, Chávez spontaneously and of his own accord, decided to resign, and surrender to the armed forces. Totally unprepared to such an eventuality, the generals enchargerd, accepted the resignation, and immediately requested that a CIVILIAN, lider of the oposition, and president of the Federation of Chambers of Commers, Mr. Carmona, took over. Rejecting all previous symbols of Chávez's tiranical rule, including his Constitution, his National Assembly and his Supreme Tribunal (see my previous postings). BIG MISTAKE. The soldiers that thought they were restoring Democracy, suddenly had second thoughts.
Since then, Chávez has been using 3 adjectives to qualify ANYONE who dares criticize him: Golpista (coup attempter, conspirator), Terrorista, Fascista. By labeling the oposition in such a way he accomplished 2 things: 1. Gain the support of the international community (the president of the OAS russhed to aid Chávez, which gave him legitimacy), 2. Corner the USA as supporters of the so called Coup. The Movie you are describing, is part of his international campaign designed to paint himself as a victim. Except for 2 details: 1. He did order the shooting of innocent civilians, as he had been threatening to do since he took office. 2. He resigned from the presidency when he found himself alone, abandoned by his camrades.
Today, it is quite clear that he has no intension to leave office, which makes some people believe that the events of April 11, where a huge diabolic plan that permitted him to pain the opposition as antidemocratic, "clean up" the armed forces from those who would have emprisson him, and ultimately to gain the simpathy of his people. BUT his failure in this last point, has made him resort to repression and to use the control of other branches of the goverment (which he controls, of course), to deny Venezuelans of their right to vote.
I have tried to be as objective as I can, using FACT, as much as I can, but many of the observations made here are my own interpretation.
AI
