[redmenace]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

[Ford Prefect]

A man in a position of power is trying to silence people who criticize him? This must be some kind of new trend, because it definitely has not been the normal state of things since, ehhh, forever.

[redmenace]

I find your sarcasm funny.
But , I don't think people should trust him any more than they trust Bush.

[WMCoolmon]

A man in a position of power is trying to silence people who criticize him? This must be some kind of new trend, because it definitely has not been the normal state of things since, ehhh, forever.

Oh, well that makes it okay then. Right?

[aldo_14]

I find your sarcasm funny.
But , I don't think people should trust him any more than they trust Bush.

I don't think they do, particularly.  It's just that Bush has nuclear weapons and a nasty habit of invading countries without adequate forethought.

[vyper]

Sounds almost like what academia and media in the US do to intellectuals or journalists who dare point out Americas foibles.

[Black Wolf]

Agreed. Chavez has his faults, but this kind of thing is going on everywhere outside of a very small number of western countries. It only gets reported on in Venezuala because Chavez is openly critical of America.

Does that make it right? No. But Chavez is pretty much the best thing to happen to Venezuala in years, so it's kind of in their best interests to keep him in.

[Ford Prefect]

Oh, well that makes it okay then. Right?

Where did you pull that out of what I wrote?

Sounds almost like what academia and media in the US do to intellectuals or journalists who dare point out Americas foibles.

I don't know what it looks like from the outside, but I don't think academia in the US has any problems pointing out the country's foibles. The right wing in this country hates the academic community.

[Rictor]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

I disagree. Something like 80% of the Venezuelan media (newspapers, TV stations, radio etc) is owned by people who are openly anti-Chavez, and militant enough about it to have participated in a coup against the government. I know of few countries where the press is more openly hostile to the government than in Venezuela. And since Chavez has been in power for almost 8 years now, it stands to reason that if he intended to make a move against the media, he would have done so already.

I hear lots of talk about how the evil dictator is censoring the press, limiting free speech etc etc, lots of innuendo and drama, but the one thing I never see is facts. How many newspapers has the government shut down? How many journalists are in jail? How many reporters have been beaten up? As far as I know, the answer to all of the above is zero.

[aldo_14]

Well, this is what AI says;  http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/ven-summary-eng

(change the year to move 'back' in reports, BTW)

[karajorma]

Yeah but you can do that for any country.

[redmenace]

I find your sarcasm funny.
But , I don't think people should trust him any more than they trust Bush.

I don't think they do, particularly.  It's just that Bush has nuclear weapons and a nasty habit of invading countries without adequate forethought.

Ok, but I also think Chavez is paranoid to the point of stupidity as well. I read a while back that he was developing deeper ties with North Korea.

[Kosh]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

But you completly trust bible thumping, gun toting neo-cons?

Ok, but I also think Chavez is paranoid to the point of stupidity as well. I read a while back that he was developing deeper ties with North Korea.

From where?

[redmenace]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

I disagree. Something like 80% of the Venezuelan media (newspapers, TV stations, radio etc) is owned by people who are openly anti-Chavez, and militant enough about it to have participated in a coup against the government. I know of few countries where the press is more openly hostile to the government than in Venezuela. And since Chavez has been in power for almost 8 years now, it stands to reason that if he intended to make a move against the media, he would have done so already.

I hear lots of talk about how the evil dictator is censoring the press, limiting free speech etc etc, lots of innuendo and drama, but the one thing I never see is facts. How many newspapers has the government shut down? How many journalists are in jail? How many reporters have been beaten up? As far as I know, the answer to all of the above is zero.

There is a fundamental right at stake: that of free speach and economic rights. Regaurdless how hostile the press is, they still have a right to print what they please within reason. And Chavez has no right to try and silence or intimidate them just because they are too biased using "legal reform."

[Mefustae]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

I disagree. Something like 80% of the Venezuelan media (newspapers, TV stations, radio etc) is owned by people who are openly anti-Chavez, and militant enough about it to have participated in a coup against the government. I know of few countries where the press is more openly hostile to the government than in Venezuela. And since Chavez has been in power for almost 8 years now, it stands to reason that if he intended to make a move against the media, he would have done so already.

I hear lots of talk about how the evil dictator is censoring the press, limiting free speech etc etc, lots of innuendo and drama, but the one thing I never see is facts. How many newspapers has the government shut down? How many journalists are in jail? How many reporters have been beaten up? As far as I know, the answer to all of the above is zero.

There is a fundamental right at stake: that of free speach and economic rights. Regaurdless how hostile the press is, they still have a right to print what they please within reason. And Chavez has no right to try and silence or intimidate them just because they are too biased using "legal reform."

What the hell has that got to do with Rictor's post?

[redmenace]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

But you completly trust bible thumping, gun toting neo-cons?

No, no, no and for the last time no. How many times are you going to ask that same question or infer such? I will give you the same response.

In response to NK comment http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2064107

[redmenace]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/07/19/D8IVBO100.html

No offense, but sometimes I am very distrustful of beedy eyes socialists. Far be it from me to judge another country, but wow. It seems everytime I turn around Chavez is always doing something. If its not making himself a dictator, its giving the US the finger.

I disagree. Something like 80% of the Venezuelan media (newspapers, TV stations, radio etc) is owned by people who are openly anti-Chavez, and militant enough about it to have participated in a coup against the government. I know of few countries where the press is more openly hostile to the government than in Venezuela. And since Chavez has been in power for almost 8 years now, it stands to reason that if he intended to make a move against the media, he would have done so already.

I hear lots of talk about how the evil dictator is censoring the press, limiting free speech etc etc, lots of innuendo and drama, but the one thing I never see is facts. How many newspapers has the government shut down? How many journalists are in jail? How many reporters have been beaten up? As far as I know, the answer to all of the above is zero.

There is a fundamental right at stake: that of free speach and economic rights. Regaurdless how hostile the press is, they still have a right to print what they please within reason. And Chavez has no right to try and silence or intimidate them just because they are too biased using "legal reform."

What the hell has that got to do with Rictor's post?

I fealt he was trying to make excuses for the governments actions, with all due respect to Rictor.

[Mefustae]

I fealt he was trying to make excuses for the governments actions, with all due respect to Rictor.

Rictor wasn't making excuses for government actions, he was pointing out the government really hasn't made any actions. You may not like it, but what Chavez is [apparently] doing is entirely legal, and anyway, there are more pressing dangers to freedoms and rights a lot closer to home, so I don't see what the problem is here.

[aldo_14]

Yeah but you can do that for any country.

yup.  And they're absolutely bloody right, too.

[redmenace]

I fealt he was trying to make excuses for the governments actions, with all due respect to Rictor.

Rictor wasn't making excuses for government actions, he was pointing out the government really hasn't made any actions. You may not like it, but what Chavez is [apparently] doing is entirely legal, and anyway, there are more pressing dangers to freedoms and rights a lot closer to home, so I don't see what the problem is here.

Believe me, I understand that more than you and others think.