El Comandante has left the building, Pepe Escobar Asia Times, March 6
El Comandante may have left the building – his body defeated by cancer – but the post-mortem demonization will go on forever. One key reason stands out. Venezuela holds the largest oil reserves in the world. Washington and that crumbling Kafkaesque citadel also known as the European Union sing All You Need is Love non-stop to those ghastly, feudal Persian Gulf petro-monarchs (but not to “the people”) in return for their oil. By contrast, in Venezuela El Comandante came up with the subversive idea of using oil wealth to at least alleviate the problems of most of his people. Western turbo-capitalism, as is well known, does not do redistribution of wealth and empowerment of communitarian values.
A little too fawning for my tastes, but not unexpected from Pepe.
I enjoy his writing generally and a great deal often enough. But this was excellent. Big week for high profile South American stories with this and also Neruda, which is the period that ends the sentence of Pinochet atrocities. The Neruda investigation should be required reading for Meryl Streep, the various minions who enabled Pinochet, and followers of the Chicago School (along with the story of Colonia Dignidad a few weeks ago – both linked here).
Chavez was no angel. When he was good, he was pretty good, but when he was bad, he was like any other politician.
Might be nice if we someday had a leader/politician who tried occasionally to be ‘good.’
Omelets and eggs: I doubt he could have accomplished what he did by just saying, “Please”.
One might contrast Chavez & Pinochet. Both suppressed the opposition, but Pinochet did it to an extreme and to benefit the CIA, American corporations and his plutocrat cronies.
What’s Pinochet’s record and legacy?
Some of Chavez’s people probably crossed whatever line one arbitrarily chooses to draw in these cases, and there are likely some corrupt officials around, but but IMHO, Chavez did what was necessary to benefit the people.
His record reflects that and he had my respect.
Besides, it’s always amusing to watch someone give the bully the one-finger-salute and get away with it. I’ll miss him for that. (Of course, I would have voted for George Carlin for emperor just to give the Powers-That-Be indigestion and heart failure).
Well he had unlimited access to television and radio to campaign while limiting his opponent to three minutes a day, he was full of dirty tricks. I’m not saying he didn’t do some good but he wasn’t all that fair either to those who opposed him. Plus he also led the changing of the constitution to allow unlimited presidential terms.
I love Pepe, but admittedly he can be a bit hyperbolic. But when it comes to Hugo who isn’t?
It’s just the way he was and I love the guy. I really think he did his best to be the antithesis to the U.S.’s hegemonic ploy in the southern hemisphere of the Americas.
And good on him for that!
Chavez had guts, principal, and tenacity in his dealings with the U.S.
Long live Chavez!
So, where are the U.S. citizens willing to do battle? MIA, near as I can tell…
Venezula, South America and the world have been lucky to have Chavez. For years authoritarians have been saying he was a thug and that eventually he would act like one. He kept getting elected. He kept supporting democratic approaches to both politics and economics. I imagine that his support for the likes of Ghadafi and Iran was very much to stick it to the U.S. and push U.S. buttons as anything else.
I have always liked the guy and while wary for disappointment his staying the course kept my faith.
Thank you Hugo. We’ll miss you.
Tariq Ali:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/07/hugo-chavez-and-me/
On the other hand, I was afraid of this:
Hugo Chavez’s body to stay on display in Venezuela
I’ve never understood this for anyone-
there is nothing deader than an embalmed body.
But I guess people get what they need.
I don’t know about that. I never really believed that Mr. Rogers was a sentient being. Same goes for Captain Kangaroo. Real stiffs;)