And here in the US OW gas is edging to 3.00 and above and poverty has gone up.
But of course we don't have an 'opposition' media here (unless you would call NPR 'opposition' LOL), so Bush is being trotted out after huriccane Katrina as some sort of Cowboy hero. He's 'there for us', being strong.
Bush ended his long vacation in Texas early, claiming that he needed to be in Washington to deal with the crisis.
Of course a few days ago he claimed that his was a 'working' vacation, that he didn't need to be in Washington anyway.
And with perhaps thousands of people dead in New Orleans your average citizen is livid about the young men of color looting in New Orleans--while attention is not being given to the reason why the masses of poor people were not properly evacated from Big Easy.
Gee, the Venezuelan ruling classes and their upper middle class minions can only wish that they had it so easy!
Yes, I saw the poverty rate is up, the median family income is down, and the number of people with no medical insurance is climbing. Not good news for the US. But Bush has the war in Iraq, or the "war on terror" , to distract people. Complaining is unpatriotic in some quarters these days.
Miguel, you should examin some of your statements: "Populists take advantge of the lack of education and culture, it is the history of the world." This is rather condescending toward the majority of the population that support Chavez. The historically exploited, though they may not have the same 'culture' or expensive 'education' as the lighter-skinned elites, seem to support Chave from their own rational self-interest. You seem to be saying that the majority of the population is too stupid to vote for the politicians and join political
I stand by it, I am not condescending, it is a fact of life that populists do that. That is what they do. It is true that the majority of Venezuelans are unfortunately not well educated. You inserted lighter skinned, I did not. Bad education in Venezuela goes all the way down and all the way up, across colors and social classes. Excellence is barely known in primary schools, secondary, university or graduate. Economics is only studied by economists. Populists sell easy choices, like the State knows it all, the State can give you all. Your work is irrelevant. Those that have something mostly stole it. They appeal to emotions, not to intelligence. They are the ones that treat the less educated like they can not make intelligent choices. Not me. That is why it is so difficult to fight. You have to become a populist to have a chance. They are not sold intelligent choices, they are treated like dumb animals that you can give a carrot to and they will vote for you. They are led to believe that the Government is good because they give you free money or promise you a home. Those are not intelligent things, but that is what they are taught by populists. This is the history of the last fifty years in Venezuela, Chavez did not invent it. Caldera promised 100,000 homes per year in 1968, never delivered it, he was reelected twenty years later! It works! People make political choices with their emotions,when politicians appeal to their emotions. In fact, remember Chavez had more than half of all classes A-E the first time he won and he won with populism and when his popularity went down, he started populists programs that do not a country make. You ask people why they like Chavez today and 65% of those that do, believe in the "expectation" nothing more. That is a very emotional concept.
Miguel Octavio • 8/31/05; 9:36:19 PM #
As for race, look at this excellent post: http://paspalum.blogspot.com/200...-
venezuela.html I have many siblings, one is called "el negro", another "negrita" and yes, we also have a "catira" which can be loosely translated as blondie.
Miguel Octavio • 8/31/05; 9:45:05 PM #
Miguel, your condescension toward the people without formal education, or the education that you believe that you have (a good one) is amazing. Venezuelan people vote on more than just sheer emotions--they make rational choices that differ from your 'educated' choice. And the history of racial politics in
Hey guys, is it censorship that I sense here in your oh-so-impartial, free-discussion site?
I see that Slave Revolt AKA Steve Hunt (did it really hurt that much BTW) quotes a post by Miguel Octavio that disappeared from your 'roster'.
Me, I'm just going to copy this page so that I can show it in my own blog.
Let's see if you can take it as you give it....
Mind explaining what you're talking about? No censorship here. For that you have to go to the opposition blogs.
SR posts here all the time.
Well, I could be under false assumptions, but isn't this Miguel's comment quoted by SR:
Miguel Octavio • 8/31/05; 9:36:19 PM #
As for race, look at this excellent post: http://paspalum.blogspot.com/200...-
venezuela.html
I have many siblings, one is called "el negro", another "negrita" and yes, we also have a "catira" which can be loosely translated as blondie.
Miguel Octavio • 8/31/05; 9:45:05 PM #
Completely gone?. if not, what's up with the weird formatting?
huh, what you quoted is about 4 posts up. no comments here get deleted or changed. Ask Brunilde, she thought the same thing but then found out she was just under the wrong thread.
These are just normal Haloscan comments - I didn't create the format.
Uhh.. now I feel stupid.
Sorry, my bad, I guess I will actually read the comments next time.
---
But I cannot let this opportunity pass, and sorry for my tone. This is not directed to anyone in particular, but to the PSFs in general:
See, that did not hurt at all, and it is what I like to call 'civility.' I expect, no more, no less.
No problem, it happens to me too sometimes.
As far as civility goes, I think this is a pretty civil board despite the deep passions on both sides.
Edgar, my good fellow. Great that you have showed up here at OW's place.
Take notes: here is a blog where comments don't get disappeared, where everone can make vociferous, redundant comments and they don't get banned.
Unlike some other blogs that you comment regularly on.
This is what internet-blog democracy looks like--take notes.
From what I recall, Edgar, more than once you were leading the chorus to ban certian people, like my good friend Pulpo, the Comandante.
More, I have seen already on your blog that you are ready to 'disappear' comments at the drop of a hat.
You don't have to go that route Edgar--look no further than our good OW to show you how it's done.
I could hit my head on the floor tonight and wake up as a rabid rightwing exploiter of the poor, a real nazi--and OW would still allow my outrageous, racist statements.
Because, in the end, one has to have faith the the majority of the population can discern bullshit from da good shit.
Check--you are living in a slave revolt.
Boy, aren't we in the US lucky to have Bush as president. Isn't it amazing what a great job he is doing to help the people in N.O. This is the best organized rescue I've ever seen.
It makes me so glad we don't have some complete incompetant like Hugo Chavez running the country.
And if you believe all that - then you're on another planet.
Let's call it a test of two systems, you carry out your total democracy, while I keep my absolute authoritarianism. I am a very benevolent dictator, the ONLY thing I demand is respect and manners, and is precisely because of that that I put those rules in place. I got tired of being insulted, and see my e-friends get insulted (verbally and with respect to our intelligence) for our points of view.
According to the merging of your point of view on Chavez and mine, I have the winning hand. ;^)
BTW: I have to admit that my previous comment was driven by my absolute conviction that you guys work for the VIO, now you have given me some reason to doubt that conviction. But I have too much work to do to be a 'regular' though.
And of course, now I have to plug it: http://paspalum.blogspot.com/
THANKS For the support!!! Arroz con gandules y Lechon Asao for everyone. HA Bailar!
Venezuela woos Hispanics
Sponsorship of Fiesta Boricua is part of effort to build goodwill for Chavez across the U.S.
By Oscar Avila
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 2, 2005
As Puerto Ricans in Chicago salute baseball great Roberto Clemente and other cultural icons at a festival this weekend, they also will pay homage to some unlikely new heroes: the Venezuelan ambassador to the U.S. and the chief executive of Citgo, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan state-owned oil company.
Without support from Venezuela and $100,000 from Citgo, organizers of this weekend's Fiesta Boricua, between Western and California Avenues along Division Street in Humboldt Park, feared they might have to scrap much of the annual festival.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/ne...lssouthwest-
hed
VIVA EL MOFONGO.
VIVA LAS AREPAS.
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