Brazilian Intellectuals and Artists Declare Support for Venezuela's Chavez

[pescao]

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1317

Brazilian Intellectuals and Artists Declare Support for Venezuela's Chavez
Chomsky, Galeano and Pérez Esquivel also expressed support

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004

By: Claudia Jardim - Alia2.net

A group of 69 renowned writers, intellectuals, musicians and politicians, mostly from Latin America, presented a signed declaration to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in Caracas last Sunday to support the president before the August 15 presidential recall referendum. The declaration—announced last week—was drafted in Brazil and signed by a series of well known Brazilians.

...

The declaration is entitled "If I were a Venezuelan, I would vote for Hugo Chavez," and was handed to Chavez by Brazilian writer, Fernando Morais along with representatives from various Brazilian religious groups.

At a press conference on Monday, Morais noted that the declaration is supported by various international notables such as Noam Chomsky from the U.S.; Uruguayan writer and historian Eduardo Galeano; Manu Chao, the French-Spanish musician;  Nobel Laureate Pérez Esquivel; Pakistani writer Tariq Ali; and British journalist Richard Gott.

The declaration is just one more in a series of solidarity projects for the Venezuelan president and the people of Venezuela that have taken place in Brazil. The week of the referendum, a caravan of Brazilian students will go to Venezuela in support of the president.

...

[bvar22]

1. If given the opportunity,

I would sign too. Go Hugo!

[Ann Arbor Dem]

2. I would be right behind you... n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

3. Grinding neoliberal "globalism" is not inevitable. That's what Chavez

tells the world by example. That's why oligarchs of every flag want him gone. That's why the poor refuse to let them have their way.

South Americans have seen some of globalism's worst atrocities. No wonder they're now raising up some of the world's most progressive leaders.

[MasonJar]

4. How outstanding that the children are going in support. We know

why Bush wants him out so US oil can continue to exploit the people.

[IndianaGreen]

5. Kerry wants Chavez out too... (article)

for the same reasons that Bush does.

Published on Friday, March 26, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Why John Kerry Must Retract his Position on Venezuela
by VenezuelAnalysis.com

Kerry urges President Chavez to allow the recall referendum against his mandate to occur. The reality is that the President has no legal means, to either impede or permit a recall referendum. It can only be achieved if those requesting the referendum collect the number of valid signatures required by the regulations.

The Senator states that, "the international community cannot permit President Chávez to subvert this process, as he has tried to do up until now." Nevertheless, Kerry does not specify how the President has tried to subvert this process. Kerry conveniently omits the fact that it was President Chávez who proposed to include the possibility of these referenda in the new Constitution that was drafted by a Constitutional Assembly elected by popular vote. Chávez has called for a review of signatures collected by the opposition because, as per numerous credible reports, there appears to have been substantial fraud committed during the signature drive. What is so terrible about denouncing fraud and calling for an investigation of hundreds of thousands of petitions filled out by the same handwriting? Kerry surely would expect the same type of investigation to occur if there were evidence of fraud in any electoral process he was a part of.

As it stands, those whose signatures appear on petitions that were filled out by the same handwriting will soon have the chance to confirm their identity and intention to sign the petition requesting a recall referendum. It is the opposition that has opposed this process. Chávez has repeatedly stated that he will respect whatever decision is made by the nation's electoral authorities regarding a referendum.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0326-01.htm

[pescao]

6. Kerry just wants to be elected

Hugo knows that his real enemy is Bush and is apparently campaigning for the referendum along those lines - like the T-shirt i've been printing:



what i can't understand is how carter is letting him get away with saying all this stuff. the piece above could've been headlined "Chomsky comes out in support of Chávez". for anyone UK-side, we're holding a venezuela week of solidarity leading up to the referendum, more info here, pass it on: http://www.thenewagenda.org/venezuela/weekofsolidarity pesc x

[Judi Lynn]

10. It's hard to see his angle, Pescao

Somehow Gustavo Cisneros has gotten very close to predictable rightwingers in the U.S. gummint, and also, inexplicably, to Jimmy Carter.

Carter made a trip to Venezuela not too long after the coup and spoke with Gustavo Cisneros, just as did George H. W. Bush, earlier.
Carter also attended a New York wedding of Cisneros' daughter.

I don't get it. Cisneros is EVERYTHING Democrats have ALWAYS stood against, from the first. There's no excuse for this.

Thanks for reminding us when the referendum is coming. Looks like some outstanding activities in London the week prior.

Oh, yes: also your information on the tremendous people backing Chavez publically was excellent, and the news of how involved some of Brazil has become is very good news. So many eyes are going to be on Venezuela in August, and some of them will be the eyes of people hoping to repudiate the Venezuelan people's choice in leadership: Hugo Chavez.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Fellow DUer Tinoire has compiled a full dossier on Jimmy Carter

which she has posted here and elsewhere. The picture that emerges is not pretty and it shatters the Carter myth as a humanitarian.

For myself, I will only point out that it was Jimmy Carter that brought Frank Carlucci to the Pentagon. Carlucci is the Carlyle Group and he is also former CIA (Lumumba assassination).

[Judi Lynn]

12. Sorry I missed seeing Tinoire's info. on Carter

It has seemed lately that there is far MORE than we have been told about the guy. He's been making statements and doing things which just haven't dovetailed with my earlier belief of who he is.

Thanks for the tip, it'll help encourage those of us who are interested to start looking into it and to back away from swallowing everything he'll be saying from now on. What a shame.

(Had NO idea he had ANY connections to Carlucci. Now that's strange.)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. How's the opposition going to spin this one?

I wonder...

[IndianaGreen]

8. They control the media in Venezuela

and their ruling elite friends in America own the media over here. They can spin it anyway they want, and the sheep will just eat it up.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

9. I know all about it

it ain't pretty!

[DaveSZ]

13. I wouldn't be surprised if Kerry wanted him gone as well

I think the US may indeed be an oligarchy.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. Kerry HAS spoken against Hugo

the US attitude towards Central & South America is the same across the parties. That and Kerry wants as many Florida votes as possible.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Kerry supports Bush's policy towards Venezuela 100-percent

No matter who is elected in November, the US will stage another coup in Venezuela. Our ruling class is in cahoots with the Venezuelan elites.

People will die because of our unwillingness to challenge our own politicians when they engage in imperialism-building.

But then, wasn't it Clinton who gave us Plan Colombia?

Published on Friday, March 26, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Why John Kerry Must Retract his Position on Venezuela
by VenezuelAnalysis.com

It is almost unexplainable that Kerry, as a Democrat, maintains almost the same positions as Bush and his ultra-conservative cabinet. Many in the progressive community had hoped that Kerry could bring a fundamental change to the foreign policies implemented by Bush towards Latin America. Statements such as this lead us to believe that there may be little change in the arrogant US government foreign policy, and unfortunately, mistrust and resentment towards the United States in Latin America would probably continue to grow as a result.

Without offering any evidence, Kerry, follows the line of the Venezuelan opposition, accusing Chavez of aiding the Colombian guerrilla forces, permitting narcotrafficking, undermining democratic institutions, attempting to impede a possible recall referendum on his mandate, and of implementing policies that are detrimental to US interests.

Chavez is a President who has been elected twice by clear majorities in democratic elections, and who, at this time, still enjoys one of the highest levels of popularity amongst Latin American leaders. Chavez's policies have earned him the support of millions of progressive and liberal voices throughout Latin America as well as in North America.

Kerry's recent statement makes it clear that he has taken the side of the Venezuelan opposition, an opposition which is unequivocally responsible for the political instability in Venezuela due to its failure and refusal to accept Chavez as the President of Venezuela, despite his clear support by a majority of Venezuelans proven through numerous electoral victories.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0326-01.htm


Published on Friday, March 26, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Senator Kerry: You Want My Vote? Support My Positions!
by Ann Samuelson

As with many prior Democratic presidential candidates, I fully expect to see Kerry move to the right as we get closer to the election. We can see this kind of movement in a speech Kerry made on March 19th when he condemned Hugh Chavez, the democratically elected President of Venezuela. Candidate Kerry characterized Chavez's policies as "detrimental to our interests" and suggested he was undermining Venezuela's democracy as well as supporting Columbian rebels. Kerry singled out Chavez's friendship with Fidel Castro for special condemnation and accused him of impeding a recall referendum. Prior to this, news reports suggested Chavez was trying to court a friendship with Kerry.

So what are Chavez's real crimes? He's undertaken a land reform in Venezuela, giving idle lands to poor peasants; many of these lands were previously under the jurisdiction of large plantation owners. Also, he's taken on big oil interests by passing laws that doubled the royalty taxes paid by oil operators and he's asserted control over the state owned state oil company, which was previously controlled by foreign oil interests. It's telling that one of the few places you can find the full text of Kerry's speech is on Petroleum World website (http://www.petroleumworld.com/Edit4Mar24.htm).

I would doubt the majority of Americans know who Hugh Chavez is or care about America's relationship with him. If this speech is not earning Kerry points with the voters, why is he making it? It's a wink and a nod at the wealthy and the corporations who have business interests in Venezuela. Through this speech he's implying that while he might take left stances in public, he's really siding with big corporate interests just like Bush. So it's up to you, Senator Kerry. What's it to be? Do you want my vote or do you want to continue courting corporations and the wealthy? Either way the Democratic Party ought to stop blaming Nader for their own failures.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0326-13.htm

[thebigidea]

16. for a second I thought that was the kitsch music Esquivel.

I'll shut up now.