Hugo Chavez: "Capitalism Needs to go Down"

TEHRAN, Iran – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ridiculed the G-20 summit's attempts to deal with the global financial meltdown, saying that the "values of capitalism are in crisis" and capitalism "has to end."

Speaking to Venezuelan state television late Thursday, Chavez said the United States and Britain are "the most guilty" for the financial crisis sweeping the globe because of the financial model "they've been imposing for years."

"It's impossible that capitalism can regulate the monster that is the world financial system, it's impossible," Chavez said. "Capitalism needs to go down. It has to end. And we must take a transitional road to a new model that we call socialism."

The Venezuelan leader's comments came during a trip to Iran. In recent years, Chavez and Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — both well-known for their anti-U.S. rhetoric — have boosted economic and political ties.

Source: Yahoo! News

Hat Tip: Drudge Report

Sounds like the leaders of Venezuela and Iran are are lockstep with the lefties in Europe who are protesting the G20 Summit, as demonstrated in this video:



And we need to consider that even if the progressives in America bristle at being called socialist...they have certainly allied themselves with the socialists in Europe:

The Global Progressive Forum (GPF) is a common initiative of the Party of European Socialists along with its political group in the European Parliament, and the Socialists International. The GPF sprang up from the success of the first World Social Forum held in January 2001 in Porto Alegre, in Brazil. The Global Progressive Forum aims to bring together a diversity of peoples from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, India, and Latin America to discuss and propose alternatives to the negative aspects of the current globalization process which specifically affects the developing world.
As the G-20 wraps up in London, another global forum is about to get underway in Brussels. The Global Progressive Forum (GPF) will bring together progressive politicians, trade unionists, NGOs, academics and figures from major international institutions from five continents to develop a new vision of a globalized world which benefits all of humanity not just a select few. The GPF will take place in the European Parliament and will be opened by former US President Bill Clinton.

The Global Progressive Forum will feature debates and discussions on the issues of global governance, trade, financial markets, fair labour markets, migration and climate change, all aimed at coordinating global answers to the multitude of global crises that we face.

Source: MyDD

Related: The Global Progressive Forum

We should be cognizant of who the real enemies of freedom and capitalism are, and it is sad that many of them have been operating within our system for decades with the express goal of bringing it down. Now, many of them have the reigns of power and the damage they will do will make FDR look like a piker...

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Blog Talk Radio 02-16-2009: Fausta's Blog--Chavez, like Cats, “now and forever”?

Today at 11AM Eastern, Fausta's Blog will have a show entitled Chavez, like Cats, “now and forever”? and she will discuss the (predictable) results of yesterday’s constitutional referendum. There is also a chatroom at the above link during the show.

If you cannot listen live, the show will be archived and available on the same player a few minutes after the end of the show. I also have a page for her show at Conservative Thunder, and the player embedded there is a multi-show player. If you have a website or blog, you too can embed it on your website by visiting her show page. Do her a favor, and click on one of the ads.

I also direct your attention to Fausta's Blog, an excellent resource to which I frequently refer.

**12.07pm** Another blogger who focuses on Latin America has also commented on the recent happenings in Venezuela:

Readers might be surprised at reading the following but I am surprisingly at peace tonight. See, the game is all over, the masks have all fallen.

Venezuela has voted for an unacceptable type of politics. As such it has proven that a large majority of its people does not believe in democracy true values. In fact, as Gustavo Coronel points out a little but too bluntly, the productive side of Venezuela has been consistently opposing the non productive part of Venezuela. This blog many electoral analysis have been chock full of examples on how the better educated, more productive areas of the country tend to vote against Chavez while the more backwards and dependent areas vote for Chavez.
There is no novelty on this. The novelty tonight is that as of now this is a permanent chasm, a profound division of the country that cannot be solved through democracy alone. Whoever is refusing to acknowledge this reality is only fooling himself or herself. Chavez is bent on destroying this half of the country that refuses to submit to his ego and as of now that half he so hates will have to fight back if it wants to survive. Or give up and join in which is intellectually and morally repulsive. Better leave for Miami.

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Fausta's Blog Radio: Latin American Carnival and Where's the Beef?

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your posts included in the Carnival, please email me, faustaw2 “at” gmail “dot” com.

While Venezuela remains in the news since this week precedes next Sunday’s constitutional referendum, there are good news from the region. I’ll talk in today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern about how Uruguay’s favorable business environment is attracting foreign investment, and there are other stories – check top story under the Latin America header for more.

LATIN AMERICA
Tables turned: Latin America’s lesson for west

Latin America and the financial crisis

M.E. Times: Hezbollah in Latin America

Source: Fausta's Blog

And that is not all. She has a 30 minute show planned for today that is billed as Where's the beef?: 15 Minutes on Latin America...Fausta compares the business environment in Argentina and Uruguay, and why Uruguay's better poised to weather the world economic crisis:

The show starts at 11 am Eastern and will be available as a podcast on the very same player shortly after the show is over:



Visit the show page and listen (and chat) from there.

Her blog.

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The Russian Fleet To Visit Chavez Fifteen Minutes On Latin America

Fausta will have this and more on her show at 11 PM Eastern Time as she spends 15 minutes discussing Latin America.


Join the chatroom.

Read her blog.


**update** 11.18 AM

It was an excellent 15 minute show (the show is archived and you can listen to it on the player above), and here are a couple of links she dropped in the chatroom:

News About Chavez Space Program (in Spanish, I'll try to put up a translation later of the article)

WaPo article regarding Chavez nationalizing the cement industry.

And here is today's Latin American blog carnival, where Fausta links to all things Latin America.

The article linked above in Spanish translates (courtesy Babelfish) as follows:

President Hugo Chavez today announced the date of the launching of the satellite Simon Bolivar and showed to the new facilities of Aerial Base Captain Manuel Rivers, in the population of the Hat (Guárico), from where he will control himself. Chávez, when initiating Aló President, indicated that the launching of the satellite will be carried out “with the incomparable aid of brother China, soon, 1st of November: that one is the date”.

The Chief of State said that she is a wonderful space program that aims towards the technological independence of the nation, and “it must be the epicenter of a great pole of development in all this region of the Hat”. “Here we are in a process of technological transference, thanks to the generosity of China”, limited president Chávez. Minister of Communication and Información, Andres Izarra, when emphasizing kindness of the system to harness the industry of the television in Venezuela, said that “for all the users of the services of television, to count on this satellite it will be a very important jump”. As example mentioned that the satellite Simon Bolivar will allow to realise the transmission of spaces like Aló President, nowadays transmitted through a Dutch system.

“Also Telesur - that is our international signal is going to be able to harness its reach and we are going to be able to have more control of the distribution of its signal with this service”, added Izarra. These are some images of the “Venezuelan space center”. Later it will be able to see the complete video from the visit the facilities.

Be sure to look at the original article for the photos that accompany the article.

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Chavez Aided Group In Effort To Topple Colombian Government

BOGOTÁ, Colombia -- A cache of controversial computer files closely tying Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez to communist rebels seeking to topple Colombia's government appear to be authentic, U.S. intelligence officials say.

The trove -- found on a dead guerrilla leader's laptops during a military raid in March -- is likely to ratchet up pressure for the U.S. to impose sanctions on one of its most important oil suppliers.

The files that have been made public so far have largely confirmed Mr. Chávez's well-known sympathy for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. But a review by The Wall Street Journal of more than 100 new files from the computers suggests that Venezuela has broader and deeper ties to the FARC than previously known.

These documents indicate Venezuela appears to be making concrete offers to help arm the rebels, possibly with rocket-propelled grenades and ground-to-air missiles. The files suggest that Venezuela offered the FARC the use of one of its ports to receive arms shipments, and that Venezuela raised the prospect of drawing up a joint security plan with the FARC and sought basic training in guerrilla-warfare techniques.

"There is complete agreement in the intelligence community that these documents are what they purport to be," a senior U.S. official said. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has been sharing its assessments with the White House, this official said.

Washington's stance is likely to hurt Venezuela's already deeply strained relationship with the U.S., its biggest trade partner. It could also add pressure for the U.S. to declare Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism, alongside Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, and impose sanctions.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Commentary

Don't look for progressives to complain like they would if our President had been implicated in efforts to overthrow another government like, say the Sandinistas, which I fully supported, and eschewed college in order to participate in that great effort to keep communism limited in this hemisphere. I think it is time we did the same thing to Hugo Chavez, Raul Castro, and Daniel Ortega (Yes, he's back). We need to free their people.

They remain useful idiots for any one they see who could help them bring Socialism to our Republic. And, they will be useful stalking horses that will allow terrorism to become an everyday fact of life in the western hemisphere, even here in America.

I am preparing a series of video ads to drive the point home this fall.

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Chavez Mobilizes Military, Closes Embassy With Colombia

Speaking on his weekly television show, President Chavez also said Venezuela's embassy in Colombia would close.

MHugo Chavez ordered tank battalions to the Colombian border and mobilized warplanes on Sunday after Colombian troops struck inside Ecuador in an attack on the FARC terrorists that for years have been launching attacks against government troops and then hide inside the Venezuelan and Ecuadorian borders.

He also ordered the shutting of Venezuela's embassy in Colombia and the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff in the dispute, warning Colombia's actions could spark a war in South America. "Mr. Defense Minister, move me 10 battalions to the frontier with Colombia immediately, tank battalions," Chavez said on his weekly TV show. "The air force should mobilize. We do not want war."

Chavez also said he would send Russian-made fighter jets into U.S. ally Colombia if its troops struck in Venezuela.

Colombia's military said on Saturday troops had killed Raul Reyes, a leader of Marxist FARC rebels, during an attack on a jungle camp in Ecuador in a severe blow to Latin America's oldest guerrilla insurgency. The operation included air strikes and fighting with rebels across the frontier.

Reyes had been accused of drug trafficking and of being involved in at least 57 murders. The United States had offered 5 million dollars for his capture.

On Sunday, Chavez began his TV program wit a minute of silence in honor of the dead narco-terrorist who he considered a "great revolutionary."

Source: Yahoo! News


Upset at the death of FARC terrorist Raul Reyes at the hands of the Colombian army, Hugo Chávez accused the Colombian president of being a "criminal" and promised to "liberate" the neighboring country.

"The Colombian government has become the Israel of Latin America," an agitated Chavez said, mentioning another country that he has criticized for its military strikes. "We aren't going to permit Colombia to become the Israel of these lands."
Chavez accused Colombian president Alvaro Uribe of being a puppet of Washington and acting on behalf of the U.S. government, saying "Dracula's fangs are covered in blood." "Some day Colombia will be freed from the hand of the (U.S.) empire," Chavez said. "We have to liberate Colombia," he added.

Source: USA Today



After Saturday's operation 1.8km (one mile) into Ecuadorean territory, Colombia's defence minister described the death of Reyes as the "biggest blow so far" to Farc.

But Mr Chavez described the strike as "a cowardly murder, all of it coldly calculated".

He said Colombia "invaded Ecuador, flagrantly violated Ecuador's sovereignty".

Mr Chavez addressed his defence minister, asking him to "move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately" - a deployment likely to involve several thousand soldiers.

Source: BBC News
Hat Tip: Babalu Blog
Related: Paul Reyes on Wikipedia
Related: Gateway Pundit
Also: The Legend of Pine Ridge
Also: Wii 60 Forums

**update** 5.46pm Silo Breaker

**update** 6.14pm New York Slimes is reporting Ecuador want some of the action, and are sending troops to their border as well.

Is this merely posturing by Chavez because a fellow thug has been sent to his maker to answer for his crimes, or an attempt to raise the price of oil a little more? Would that Chavez could meet a similar fate.

Web Resources if there is a conflict:

Military Guides


Venezuela

Colombia

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A View to a Kill: The Left Supports the Thug-In-Chief Hugo Chavez

Or, How I Quit Living in Fear of Freedom of Speech, and Learned to Love Neo-Stalinism

I hope the events unfolding in Venezuela has been an awakening for people on how the Hard-Core Lefties think, and the cognitive dissonance they bathe in will lead to the horrors of tyranny every single time it is tried!

Hugo Chavez, who has been given dictatorial powers "only during the current emergency", and an extended term in office, has assumed the worship of the American Communists once only occupied by El Presidente Fidel Castro. And, like him, he will continue to find ways to remain in power far beyond his current term expires. Sort of like Darth Vader for earthlings without the twisted false messiah ending in Episode VI of Star Wars.

The Kids at Daily KKKos support and rationalize the gutting of Free Speech in Venezuela, and I promise you, they wish they could do the same thing here in America to Fox News (a breeding ground for the hated RINOS), Conservative Talk, and the Conservative Blogosphere via "Net Neutrality.'

An excerpt from a Buzzle article:

Radio Caracas Television - the country's "oldest and most popular" private channel - hosted an emotional farewell to viewers and depicted its imminent demise as a political watershed. "This marks a turn toward totalitarianism," said its director, Marcel Granier.

The government ridiculed the notion and said it was exercising its legal right not to renew the concession of a channel which had "polluted" the airwaves with anti-democratic coup-mongering as well as sleazy soap operas.

"anti-democratic coup mongering as well as sleazy soap operas," by those standards, three quarters (or more) of American Television, and virtually all of Hollywood should be at risk of being taken off the air! Most especially on the sleaze. The left have been coup-mongering, and the Democratic Duo of Pelosi & Reid backed off once they realized Americans will not stand for it. (80 million gun owners would soon correct that mistake!)

Here are some more articles on the brave souls fighting against tyranny in Venezuela, much like the Contras we helped two decades ago in Central America:

Washington Post

Venezuelanalysis


BBC

The president says the new channel that took RCTV's place at midnight on Sunday (0400 GMT Monday) will better reflect the socialist revolution he has pledged to lead.

Never forget that socialism cannot survive when there is competition from other ideologies, and must sink to using violence to remove them. That is part of what the Fairness Doctrine is intended to set into play, to force successful conservative programs to loose part of their air-time to the socialists until a way can be found to remove them from the air.

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