Venezuela's Chavez back on TV, squashes new rumour

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela's Chavez back on TV, squashes new rumour
By Daniel Wallis | Reuters – 3 hours ago

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez appeared on state TV on Tuesday, squashing a report he had secretly flown to Cuba for urgent cancer treatment ahead of a presidential election in October.

Strolling around the site of the proposed Veneminsk truck and tractor factory in his home state of Barinas, the 57-year-old socialist leader chatted with workers and looked to be in reasonable health.

"I came to Barinas last night to rest, to greet the family. I decided to come and make an inspection (of Veneminsk)," he said, wearing a dark blue jacket over a trademark red T-shirt.

His information minister had earlier denounced the rumor that Chavez was back in Havana as part of a "dirty war by scum," launched by the opposition ahead of the October 7 election.

More:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/venezuela-denies-rumors-chavezs-health-180022413.html

[Bacchus4.0]

1. Chavez will undergo a new operation (Spanish - chavista state media)

http://www.rnv.gob.ve/noticias/?act=ST&f=2&t=177406

Presidente Chávez será sometido a una nueva operación

last Saturday Chavez traveled to Cuba for a medical check up and a two centimeter lesion was detected, and will require surgical intervention. (once again - he went to Cuba and is not using Ven physicians).
----------------------------


Barinas.- Durante una inspección realizada este martes en las instalaciones del Complejo Industrial Santa Inés, el presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, desmintió los rumores sobre su salud.

El sábado pasado el jefe de Estado venezolano viajó a La Habana, Cuba, a realizarse un chequeo médico y le fue detectado una lesión de dos centímetros, por lo que será sometido a una intervención quirúrgica.

La afectación fue encontrada en el mismo lugar donde se le detectó el cáncer en junio 2011. "No tengo metástasis en ninguna parte de mi cuerpo, solo una lesión de dos centímetros donde estuvo la lesión anterior", manifestó.

Expresó a la población que las versiones creadas por sectores de oposición "tratan de crear angustia, zozobra en el pueblo y buscan desestabilizar el país por esa vía".

[Judi Lynn]

2. Why didn't you ever chew the curtains over Paraguay's Lugo going to Brazil for treatment? n/t

[COLGATE4]

3. When you can't attack the message

attack the messenger.

[Bacchus4.0]

4. because Chavez is concealing his medical issues by going to Cuba

I don't believe that is the case with Lugo in Brazil, comprendes?

[joshcryer]

5. That is his right to privacy, it's unsual for a President to do that...

...but we all know Bush probably concealed that he was drunk during the pretzel incident. I'm just sayin', if Chavez choose to go to Cuba for privacy, so be it. It'd be nice if they were open about it, but what can you do?

It may not be to the best of his health, though. Venezuela has a malignant neoplasms (PDF) mortality rate of 62.8 per 100,000. Whereas Cuba is 141 per 100,000. I know where I'd rather be treated for cancer. Even Brazil is better than Cuba. This is not to bash the Cuban system, they have the best preventative care on the planet. It's just a factual observation for when that preventative care fails or genetics aren't in your favor (ie, cancer). I think it's clear that the right to privacy trumps the best care (in Venezuela) in this case. They don't want leaks, they don't want speculation. Even in Brazil, which offered free care, they refused, because it's likely the news media would be camped out every time Chavez got a checkup. Cuba assures privacy, guaranteed.

In any event, we now know who has good rumors, this has been floating around twitter over the weekend. It wasn't accurate, as he didn't at the time have surgery, but it was half right. They'd rather no one know what was going on, imo.

[EFerrari]

11. Making your announcements on your schedule and not the opposition's

is not "concealing" anything, comprendes?

[Bacchus4.0]

16. lying is not concealing???

no comprendo.

[txlibdem]

6. Dirty war by scum

That sums up the opposition quite nicely.

Viva Chavez, Viva the Bolivarians

[joshcryer]

7. Twitter rumors that proved half correct = dirty war

OK

For what it's worth the Capriles campaign did not mention it in any way nor did any high profile MUD official.

It was all twitter rumors.

[txlibdem]

10. "Twitter rumors" = your anti-Chavez posts

Both unfounded in truth, logic, nor basic common sense.

[joshcryer]

12. Can you post something substantiative, other than personal attacks?

Capriles is so popular because he doesn't resort to debase attacks on his opponents. You will unable to substantiate your claims that it is a dirty campaign, on the side of Capriles, anyway.

PSUV has immunity to be as nasty and sick and hateful as they wish.

[txlibdem]

13. You've never posted anything substantive in your anti-Chavez rantings

Yet now you want me to substantiate every word I write? Double standard much???

Your posts show an agenda which I disagree with and which you have never provided any concrete proof of. I, on the other hand, have posted links to back up just how slimy, greedy, sick and inhuman the opposition is. Me thinks one needs to take care of ones own front yard before complaining about the neighbor's.

[Zorro]

14. I find Josh's posts to be cogent and sober

Frankly, Chavez is highly unpopular throughout Latin America.

One can check out the annual Latinobarometro polls for the last several years and find Hugo's popularity swirling around the bottom of the bowl with his comrades-in-arms Fidel and Danny.

[txlibdem]

19. "I find Josh's posts to be cogent and sober"

Of course you do!

[naaman fletcher]

20. I am laughing as well

This whole thread, for example, clearly shows you posting useful information.

[txlibdem]

21. "clearly shows you (txlibdem) posting useful information"

I'm glad you've come to your senses.

Any society that twists all the laws and perks so that the rich always benefit is doomed (ahem, America, cough, cough).

Chavez is making an attempt to make a more equitable society where everyone has access to good medical care, has an equal opportunity to succeed or get an education. His governance is far more humane than what we have in the Western World (see Greece for a perfect example of where Capitalism always ends up).

[naaman fletcher]

28. I was kidding.

I have not seen you post anything interesting. You just want everyone to be on your side.

[Zorro]

25. Keep chortling, grasshopper

[txlibdem]

29. You are humorous

Thanks for the laughs.

[joshcryer]

15. That's a rather bold claim, I don't say anything I can't back up.

If I have said anything that you wish to back up, I can do so, with links and quotations.

[ChangoLoa]

22. The rumors didn't come from the opposition. nt

[txlibdem]

24. The post you are responding to said nothing about rumors

Your alter ego came up with that little ditty.

[joshcryer]

26. Yes, you clarified that they were my "anti-Chavez posts." Despite that I posted a pro-Chavez...

...statement initially, saying that he has a right to privacy with regards to his health care.

[ChangoLoa]

30. You're aces, kid, you're a prince.

[txlibdem]

32. I care about freedom and justice for ALL the Venezuelan people

Not just for the rich.

So I'm taking your comment as a heart-felt compliment. Thank you.

[ChangoLoa]

33. What, you don't know about Holden? nt.

[txlibdem]

34. You might as well have just wrote "nt."

[Zorro]

35. If you REALLY cared about freedom and justice for ALL the Venezuelan people

you'd acknowledge Hugo's excesses and abuses of power.

[txlibdem]

36. As opposed to the excesses of

the foreign corporations, the land grabbers (thieves), and other assorted rich a-holes???

Acknowledge "Hugo's" successes: free health care wherever the governors aren't blocking or destroying them (or attempting to kick 25 doctors out on the street so they can use the health clinic as office space). Acknowledge that "Hugo" has improved life for the poor, given them rights that they did not have under any previous Corporatista or Capitalista regime. Acknowledge the attempts to provide education to all. Acknowledge Hugo's rightful and proper returning of Venezuela's natural resources back to the control of the Venezuelan government - not a powerful foreign corporation.

Your ideas are exactly backwards from what they should be if you care about human beings more than worshipping the Almighty Dollar.

[Zorro]

37. Your response belies your assertion that you care about freedom and justice for ALL Venezuelans

Freedom and justice for ALL Venezuelans means not using the power of government to persecute political opponents, or retaliate against common citizens who voice disagreement with government policies.

It is no wonder Chavez cozies up to other repressive authoritarian regimes like Iran, Cuba, and Syria; he is one of them.

Chavez' policies have seriously incapacitated the Venezuelan economy, and despite social reforms his promotion of incompetent political loyalists to key positions has created an environment of rampant crime and inflation.

But naive and muddle-headed Chavistas can't and won't let reality intrude on their adoration of St. Hugo; to do so would acknowledge that their idol has feet of clay.

[txlibdem]

38. Awwww. The poor thieves who stole land from peasants at the barrel of a gun

... and now they have to give some of it back.
Awwww. The poor crooked businessmen, bribing officials so they always come out ahead while the poor suffer.
Awwww. The poor international oil companies, paying for the oil they steal from the Venezuelan people.


Let's all have a good cry for the crooks, criminals, psychopaths, and thieves.

[ChangoLoa]

39. Sure. From now on and for decades, any "opponent" will be declared "a crook, a criminal

Last edited Mon Mar 5, 2012, 12:19 PM - Edit history (1)

a psychopath and a thieve".

I see the idea you have made yourself of our country is quite far from the truth. Where did you get so much surety about your knowledge concerning our people, culture and history? Which book did you read?

I'll share one fact with you: the international oil companies have been in conflict with Venezuela for the last 4 decades, discussing the value of their capital since it was expropriated and the entire sector nationalized in.... 1975. After being completely excluded from the local oil industry for 18 years, they benefited from the reopening of the sector to private capital in the 90's. But later on, with Chavez, those companies just kept gaining importance. In 1998, their production amounted for less than 10% of the total. Nowadays, they're extracting almost 1/3 of our oil. So even if their average tax rate was increased by the govt, they're eating a bigger part of the Venezuelan oil pie today than 13 years ago. The fact that they're Russian or Chinese changes nothing to that reality.

On the other hand, I consider this govt has formulated a good policy concerning the diversification of our clients, since we were in a situation of quasi-monopsone vis-à-vis the US before Chavez.

Unfortunately and despite clamorous plans of expansion for our production, our oil industry has had a reemarkably mediocre performance in the last 13 years. We're 5 million more Venezuelans than in 1999, while the country produces/exports 500,000/700,000 less barrels per day. If the oil prices were the same they were in 1999, we'd be completely broke.

[Zorro]

40. It's really not necessary for you to continue demonstrating your naiveté

Everyone gets it.

[naaman fletcher]

8. But he did, in fact, secretly fly to Cuba.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4dm2YalxUpf604mpK801pC_rT-g?docId=d76a037e340c464a8f9dbfe01f63fc03

Chavez told Venezuelans on Tuesday that doctors in Cuba had over the weekend found a two-centimeter (less than an inch) lesion is in the same place where they removed a cancerous tumor last year.

[Bacchus4.0]

9. yeah, I am confused. there is a denial and then subsequently an admission n/t

s

[ChangoLoa]

17. Does "squash" mean "confirm"?

The actual rumor was that he had gone to Cuba because his cancer had reappeared. Was that rumor "squashed"?

[Bacchus4.0]

18. no, it means to deny the rumor in this context. but the "rumor" has been confirmed

as the tumor was detected in Cuba apparently and now he is back getting surgery. after a denial and leveling insults at the opposition, it was in fact confirmed.

[ChangoLoa]

23. Right. The "rumor" started with this journalist, Bocaranda

A prominent opposition-leaning Venezuelan journalist, Nelson Bocaranda, had written on Monday that Chavez, who had surgery in Havana last June to remove a tumor from his pelvis, had returned to Cuba and that some of his relatives were flying there too.

So Chavez confirmed the rumor and squashed the complot theory advanced by his followers, who insisted this information was part of a destabilization plot set up by the "anti-national" opposition... apatridas, enemigos internos, escualidos, disociados que odian a su pais.

[joshcryer]

27. Here is the storified twitter dialog that caused the explosion:

http://storify.com/lapatilla/rumores-van-y-vienen-sobre-la-salud-de-chavez/embed

I use "twitter rumor" because, at the time, it was definitely a rumor, and Bocaranda and a few others appeared to be the originating source. I didn't know much about Bocaranda or I would've posted about it here. It appears he has a fairly decent source at least, but it's undeniable the rumor was half incorrect.

[ChangoLoa]

31. Bocaranda is the guy who announced Chavez had cancer 9 months ago

The rumor is actually about the supposed metastasis, right? The one started by the Brazilian journalist... not by Bocaranda.
I'll wait and see in order to judge if that part was incorrect. But watching the chavista high command here, I'm starting to think it may be true (not especially the metastasis but the projection of Chavez having less than a year to live). They started to talk about changing the elections' schedule, about the traitors within the PSUV who should be unmasked... all in all, it is quite clear there's a big fight inside chavismo right now.