Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President, Dead at 58
Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's fiery and controversial socialist president who came to power on wave of popular sentiment and befriended some of the world's most nefarious dictators, has died at the age of 58, Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro said today.
Chavev had been fighting cancer, recently seeking treatment at a clinic in Cuba.
A self-described champion of the poor who first tried to overturn Venezuela's powerful elites in a failed 1992 coup, Chavez was democratically elected in 1999, with huge support from the country's poor.
During his time in office, he became one of Latin America's most well-known and polarizing figures. A constant thorn in the side of the United States, he commanded headlines in newspapers around the world. A populist who suppressed free speech, he remained immensely popular among his country's poor.
From the time he won election in 1999, Chavez held onto power through tightly controlling the media and through a series of populist elections and referenda, including one that allowed him to seek a limitless number of terms.
Chavez, whose public appearances diminished in months received his first surgery and chemotherapy treatment for cancer in Cuba in 2011.
He returned to Cuba, a guest of that country's ailing socialist leader Fidel Castro, for treatment and surgery in February 2012.
Chavez announced on Dec. 8 on state television that he would travel back to Cuba to undergo surgery since his pelvic cancer had "returned."
Despite his ailing health, Chavez was reelected last year.
Chavez was born in 1954 in the town of Sabenta, Venezuela. Both his parents were schoolteachers. A military academy graduate and a decorated paratrooper, in the 1980s he and a group of officers founded an underground socialist organization named for the 19th century South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar.
In 1992 that group, the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement, led a failed coup that ended with 18 people killed and Chavez imprisoned.
Chavez spent two years in prison before receiving a pardon. After leaving prison, he rebranded his movement into a populist party called the Movement of the Fifth Republic and replaced his military uniform with business attire, or oftentimes a red shirt or red track suit.
Venezuela has one of the longest democratic traditions in Latin America, but by the early 1990s many of the country's working and middle class people were disenchanted with the country's two primary political parties, both of which suffered from endemic corruption.
Chavez, an icon from his prison days, promised to rid the country of corruption and pledged to divert revenue from the country's ample oil sales to projects aimed at helping the poor, including improved education and health care. Unemployment and poverty, however, remain high despite the country's oil wealth.
Always the firebrand, Chavez created a series of bogeymen on which the Venezuelan people could pin their frustrations, firing jabs at traditional spheres of power and influence, including the oil companies, the Catholic Church and the United States.
In a public address he once said of oil executives that they live in "luxury chalets where they perform orgies, drinking whisky."
He accused the church hierarchy of ignoring the plight of the poor, claiming Jesus would have been a socialist and priests "do not walk in ... the path of Christ."
Quoting Sekirei:
Quoting Cubanmom84:
Hallelujah !!! When is Fidel Castro next?!Him and kim jong-un
They talk that way because they want the oil. All they need is the American people behind them and a reason to invade, Iraq comes to mind.
Quoting krysstizzle:You mean like when cops are sent in to disperse protestors in this country, with gas and rubber bullets and billy clubs?
I didn't agree with most of what Chavez did, entirely too dictatorial for my taste. But the media portrayal is not accurate, and considering the known past of US intervention and portayal of Latin America in general, I'm extremely skeptical of what the US government tries to sell me on that front.
Quoting MomOfOneCoolKid:
Quoting krysstizzle:
Anyone seen the documentary South of the Border? It's worth the watch.
The Hugo Chavez the American media portrayed is not necessarily the truth. The man wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the propaganda the media portrayed, either.
There were student protests demonstrating peacefully and he sent his goons with guns and other ammunition after them. This happened many times. Trust me, the portrayal is on the mark...
Quoting krysstizzle:
Quoting MomOfOneCoolKid:
Quoting krysstizzle:
You mean like when cops are sent in to disperse protestors in this country, with gas and rubber bullets and billy clubs?
I didn't agree with most of what Chavez did, entirely too dictatorial for my taste. But the media portrayal is not accurate, and considering the known past of US intervention and portayal of Latin America in general, I'm extremely skeptical of what the US government tries to sell me on that front.
Quoting MomOfOneCoolKid:
Quoting krysstizzle:
Anyone seen the documentary South of the Border? It's worth the watch.
The Hugo Chavez the American media portrayed is not necessarily the truth. The man wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the propaganda the media portrayed, either.
There were student protests demonstrating peacefully and he sent his goons with guns and other ammunition after them. This happened many times. Trust me, the portrayal is on the mark...
1. I understand. Sometimes exaggeration and some lies can make you doubtful of the what US officials say about another country.
But, all in all, he is very horrific. Living under him is absolutely awful and terrifying. My aunt had a preschool set up and the gov't came and shut it down because it was "dispersing capitalism." If you have an apartment and it was being rented, the renters can just take the apartment and not pay rent. Newspapers, tv stations got shut down. The list goes on and on.
2. The horrifying events in Vzla doesn't mean that there are no horrifying events in the US?
3. US involvement in S.A. --- well, sometimes -- most times -- the US portrayal of SA is accurate but what to do about it sucked.
Cases in point:
- Allende in Chile. Well, this case was totally uncalled for. Secretary of State Colin Powell actual admitted we killed him and that we shouldn't have. That was terrible!
- Ortega in Nicaragua. (Not south america, but sadam hussein in iraq). Its not that these dictators we not AWFUL but how we went about getting involved, THAT was awful.
My point in my reply was that it always stikes me as odd that some americans are so outraged and flabbergasted by (often exaggerated) government actions against its own people in other countries and virtually ignore the same here.
I know that there are reprehensible things happening in Venezuela, but I also know some things are lies and exaggeration. I've heard the good, bad, and ugly of life in Venezuela from a friend that lives (part time) in the San Cristobal area near Colombia.
And no, most of the time US portrayal of Latin America is ludicrously wrong and intentionally misleading. The actions of the federal governement, the CIA..yeah, just sickening: the civil war in Guatemala, the Contras in Nicaragua, Grenada in the 80s. We've tried out damndest to screw up an entire continent and a half for over the last century. It's disgusting.
Here's a (partial) list. I'm sure there is quite a bit we don't know:
**ETA: the majority of this list is verifiable through "vetted" sources (such as declassified US documents, lol); some is conjecture, and a couple or two are not verifiable or just ludicrous. But the jist is the same.***
Location Period Type of Force Comments on U.S. Role Argentina 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected Chile 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels Haiti 1891 Troops Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated Nicaragua 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields Panama 1895 Naval, troops Marines land in Colombian province Nicaragua 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto Cuba 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, U.S. still holds Navy base at Guantanamo Puerto Rico 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues Nicaragua 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur Nicaragua 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields Honduras 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution Dominican Republic 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution Cuba 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election Nicaragua 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up Honduras 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua Panama 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest Nicaragua 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto Honduras 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war Cuba 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in Havana Panama 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election Honduras 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests Nicaragua 1912-33 Troops, bombing 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas Mexico 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution Dominican Republic 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo Mexico 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists Haiti 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts Dominican Republic 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation Cuba 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate Panama 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections Honduras 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign Guatemala 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists Costa Rica 1921 Troops Panama 1921 Troops Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife Panama 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike El Salvador 1932 Naval Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt Uruguay 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength Puerto Rico 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce Guatemala 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered Panama 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation Cuba 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails Cuba 1962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union Panama 1964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return Dominican Republic 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign Guatemala 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels Chile 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president El Salvador 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement Nicaragua 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered Honduras 1982-90 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders Grenada 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution Bolivia 1987 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region Panama 1989 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed Haiti 1994-95 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup Venezuela 2002 Command operation Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez Haiti 2004- Troops Removal of democratically elected President Aristide; troops occupy country Honduras 2009 Command operation Support for coup that removed president Manuel Zelaya
Excellent points, krysstizzle:
And this is just a partial list. How would Americans like to be on the receiving end of all these?
I live in Colombia where the same families of the oligarchy are elected time and time again and the last president had paramilitary ties.
The US only cares about human rights abuses when leaders refuse to kowtow to American interests and speak their mind. Chavez did that. Plus Venezuela has oil wealth.
Those rejoicing at the death of this man just reflect the effectiveness of the MSM propaganda war against him.
Hasta siempre, comandante!
Quoting diospira:
Quoting krysstizzle:
Quoting MomOfOneCoolKid:
Quoting krysstizzle:
You mean like when cops are sent in to disperse protestors in this country, with gas and rubber bullets and billy clubs?
I didn't agree with most of what Chavez did, entirely too dictatorial for my taste. But the media portrayal is not accurate, and considering the known past of US intervention and portayal of Latin America in general, I'm extremely skeptical of what the US government tries to sell me on that front.
Quoting MomOfOneCoolKid:
Quoting krysstizzle:
Anyone seen the documentary South of the Border? It's worth the watch.
The Hugo Chavez the American media portrayed is not necessarily the truth. The man wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the propaganda the media portrayed, either.
There were student protests demonstrating peacefully and he sent his goons with guns and other ammunition after them. This happened many times. Trust me, the portrayal is on the mark...
1. I understand. Sometimes exaggeration and some lies can make you doubtful of the what US officials say about another country.
But, all in all, he is very horrific. Living under him is absolutely awful and terrifying. My aunt had a preschool set up and the gov't came and shut it down because it was "dispersing capitalism." If you have an apartment and it was being rented, the renters can just take the apartment and not pay rent. Newspapers, tv stations got shut down. The list goes on and on.
2. The horrifying events in Vzla doesn't mean that there are no horrifying events in the US?
3. US involvement in S.A. --- well, sometimes -- most times -- the US portrayal of SA is accurate but what to do about it sucked.
Cases in point:
- Allende in Chile. Well, this case was totally uncalled for. Secretary of State Colin Powell actual admitted we killed him and that we shouldn't have. That was terrible!
- Ortega in Nicaragua. (Not south america, but sadam hussein in iraq). Its not that these dictators we not AWFUL but how we went about getting involved, THAT was awful.
My point in my reply was that it always stikes me as odd that some americans are so outraged and flabbergasted by (often exaggerated) government actions against its own people in other countries and virtually ignore the same here.
I know that there are reprehensible things happening in Venezuela, but I also know some things are lies and exaggeration. I've heard the good, bad, and ugly of life in Venezuela from a friend that lives (part time) in the San Cristobal area near Colombia.
And no, most of the time US portrayal of Latin America is ludicrously wrong and intentionally misleading. The actions of the federal governement, the CIA..yeah, just sickening: the civil war in Guatemala, the Contras in Nicaragua, Grenada in the 80s. We've tried out damndest to screw up an entire continent and a half for over the last century. It's disgusting.
Here's a (partial) list. I'm sure there is quite a bit we don't know:
**ETA: the majority of this list is verifiable through "vetted" sources (such as declassified US documents, lol); some is conjecture, and a couple or two are not verifiable or just ludicrous. But the jist is the same.***
Location Period Type of Force Comments on U.S. Role Argentina 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected Chile 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels Haiti 1891 Troops Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated Nicaragua 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields Panama 1895 Naval, troops Marines land in Colombian province Nicaragua 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto Cuba 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, U.S. still holds Navy base at Guantanamo Puerto Rico 1898- Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues Nicaragua 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur Nicaragua 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields Honduras 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution Dominican Republic 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution Cuba 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election Nicaragua 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up Honduras 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua Panama 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest Nicaragua 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto Honduras 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war Cuba 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in Havana Panama 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election Honduras 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests Nicaragua 1912-33 Troops, bombing 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas Mexico 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution Dominican Republic 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo Mexico 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists Haiti 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts Dominican Republic 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation Cuba 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate Panama 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections Honduras 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign Guatemala 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists Costa Rica 1921 Troops Panama 1921 Troops Honduras 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife Panama 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike El Salvador 1932 Naval Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt Uruguay 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength Puerto Rico 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce Guatemala 1954-? Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion and coup d'Etat after newly elected government nationalizes unused U.S.'s United Fruit Company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua; long-term result: 200,000 murdered Panama 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation Cuba 1961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails Cuba 1962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union Panama 1964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return Dominican Republic 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign Guatemala 1966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels Chile 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts democratically elected Marxist president El Salvador 1981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash; long-term result: 75,000 murdered and destruction of popular movement Nicaragua 1981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution; result: 50,000 murdered Honduras 1982-90 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders Grenada 1983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution Bolivia 1987 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region Panama 1989 Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed Haiti 1994-95 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup Venezuela 2002 Command operation Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez Haiti 2004- Troops Removal of democratically elected President Aristide; troops occupy country Honduras 2009 Command operation Support for coup that removed president Manuel Zelaya
Excellent points, krysstizzle:
And this is just a partial list. How would Americans like to be on the receiving end of all these?
I live in Colombia where the same families of the oligarchy are elected time and time again and the last president had paramilitary ties.
The US only cares about human rights abuses when leaders refuse to kowtow to American interests and speak their mind. Chavez did that. Plus Venezuela has oil wealth.
Those rejoicing at the death of this man just reflect the effectiveness of the MSM propaganda war against him.
Hasta siempre, comandante!
Prior to 2001, we didn't hear much about Chavez or Venezuela, because they were actually getting a 1% royalty for oil sucked out of their own ground. When Chavez changed that royalty to 16%? That's when he became evil personnified.
In 2002, there was a two day coup. The new president had ties to Exxon, lol. And Bush's press secretary said "legitimacy is not something that is conferred just by the majority of voters"- which, ironically, Bush should know about, haha.. When people started marching towards the capitol, suddenly Chavez was let loose and everything was kinda fine. Except that he started giving land away- something Vzla politicians had been promising forEVER. Since Kennedy suggested it. Our Kennedy. The one that was assassinated.
We get a very skewed side of the story here.
I haven't seen that documentry, thanks for mentioning it. I can deffinitely tell you that I would never make up my mind about any one based on their portrayal in American media. I don't know much about him, so I don't judge him, especially not based on what I've heard on American media.
Quoting krysstizzle:Anyone seen the documentary South of the Border? It's worth the watch.
The Hugo Chavez the American media portrayed is not necessarily the truth. The man wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the propaganda the media portrayed, either.
Quoting Raintree:
snip
Prior to 2001, we didn't hear much about Chavez or Venezuela, because they were actually getting a 1% royalty for oil sucked out of their own ground. When Chavez changed that royalty to 16%? That's when he became evil personnified.
In 2002, there was a two day coup. The new president had ties to Exxon, lol. And Bush's press secretary said "legitimacy is not something that is conferred just by the majority of voters"- which, ironically, Bush should know about, haha.. When people started marching towards the capitol, suddenly Chavez was let loose and came everything was kinda fine. Except that he started giving land away- something Vzla politicians had been promising forEVER. Since Kennedy suggested it. Our Kennedy. The one that was assassinated.
We get a very skewed side of the story here.
That coup? I remember a lot of the news stories here, with lines like "Chavez alleges that..." or "Chavez, the eccentric socialist president of Venezuela, has now made the claim that...", all insinuating that he's just such a crackpot and making it all up. I get very paranoid about happenings in latin america and the shenanigans our government is up to down there. The federal government/CIA/extremely powerful corporate interests are full of flaming bags of shit, as far as I'm concerned.
I really recommend it. I think it's on Netflix.
It covers a lot of politics and history in Latin America overall, not just Venezuela. It is illuminating when it talks about the American media coverage of Chavez.
Quoting nb34:I haven't seen that documentry, thanks for mentioning it. I can deffinitely tell you that I would never make up my mind about any one based on their portrayal in American media. I don't know much about him, so I don't judge him, especially not based on what I've heard on American media.
Quoting krysstizzle:Anyone seen the documentary South of the Border? It's worth the watch.
The Hugo Chavez the American media portrayed is not necessarily the truth. The man wasn't a saint, but he wasn't the propaganda the media portrayed, either.
Quoting nb34:I don't know much about the man besides the popular American media's portrayal of him and that is not enough for me to form an educated opinion about him in any way. So I guess until I find a time to read a couple of academic books about him, I say RIP.
ditto
Vocal anti gay marriage, award winning far right historian kills himself inside Notre-Dame Cathedral
- smalltowngal
on Mar. 5, 2013 at 5:00 PM