Venezuela, a Bastion of Democracy?

[naaman fletcher]

http://www.poder360.com/article_detail.php?id_article=3772

According to a new 300-page report released by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Venezuelan government has undermined democracy through the consolidation of power under the executive and through intimidation and punishment of political opponents, human rights defenders, labor leaders and journalists.

Read more: http://www.poder360.com/article_detail.php?id_article=3772#ixzz0ggvqHecF

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This is just an excerpt.. the fascist propaganda continues if you click the link.

[bemildred]

1. Seems good to me:

"The IACHR report acknowledges such advances in Venezuela: The Commission emphasizes that the (Venezuelan) State has succeeded in ensuring the majority of its population is literate, reducing poverty and extreme poverty, expanding health coverage among the most vulnerable sectors, reducing unemployment, reducing the infant mortality rate, and increasing the Venezuelan people’s access to basic public services.

Today Venezuelan income disparity is the lowest in Latin America. It is one of only five countries in the world that moved up more than three slots in the latest United Nations Human Development Index. In last year’s Latinobarometro survey, Latin Americans said that only Uruguay and Costa Rica were more democratic than Venezuela in the region.

This progress adds a new dimension to Washington’s relationship with Venezuela. Prior to President Obama, the powers that be would have seized upon the negative aspects of the report and used it to demonize Chavez and to call on others in the region to stand on the side of freedom. Fortunately, those days of ideological ultimatums are past."

[protocol rv]

2. What's fascist propaganda about it?

Go to their website, they show the videos backing what they say in their report.

[Flatulo]

3. I have yet to see any criticism of Chavez that was not labeled 'fascist propoganda'. nt

[EFerrari]

4. I've criticized Venezuela for corruption, high crime rate

and for not promoting the next generation of leaders enough. It's hard to criticize Chavez alone for those three things because contrary to a widely held opinion, there is more than one center of power in the Ven government.

But, let's see if someone calls me a fascist. It's still only Monday. :)

[protocol rv]

5. He did insult the Commission's chairman

I believe Chavez said the Human Rights Commission chairman was "excrement". That's not going to make him look good with the human rights community or nations which promote human rights, I suppose. And there has been no coherent answer from the Chavista camp regarding the Commission's findings, other than bluster and dirty language. Earlier, there was a serious attack here on Human Rights Watch. I suppose if Greenpeace ever criticizes our oil operations in Venezuela, they'll be called "corpo-fascist goons". :-(