Reply #75: No [View All]

[DemFromMem]

If my ideology is tied to my belief in the preservation of human rights and civil liberties, then yes. I give to the ACLU to defend human rights in this country and I condemn human rights violations in other countries. And I take pro bono cases regularly to help people seeking political asylum. I have no trouble sleeping at night and I don't particularly think questioning my motives is justified.

As for what the vast majority of Venezuelans feel, that's irrelevant in my opinion. I'm not saying Chavez is a dictator - I said the country was drifting in that direction and I was worried about the future of democracy in the country. But lots of dictators are popular with the majority of the people. Some are even worshipped (through the active encouragement of the regime).

The question is how the leader treats the people that DON'T love him (or her).

Not to change the subject, but if you want to read an interesting novel about how a democratic country drifts into fascism, read Philip Roth's Plot Against America. It's an intriguing what if story about how a Republican Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR in 1940 and moves the US slowly and methodically into a police state. It's a chilling book and should serve as a lesson to those who would turn a blind eye to the Patriotic Act of a Bush or to the likes of a Chavez.