Chavez Close To Enacting Laws By Decree

(AP)  Venezuela's National Assembly, filled entirely with allies of President Hugo Chavez, gave initial approval Thursday to a measure that would grant the leftist leader sweeping powers — a key moment in what Chavez calls an accelerating push for socialism.

The law is expected to easily win final approval in a second session before the National Assembly next week. It would allow Chavez to enact laws by decree for a period of 1½ years.

The measure was approved unanimously in its first reading after a four-hour discussion by lawmakers, National Assembly President Cilia Flores said.

Earlier this week, Chavez decided that Venezuela's oldest private TV station, Radio Caracas Television, must go off the air for good when its broadcast license expires on May 28.

"Their days are numbered. Squeal, kick, whatever they do: the license of that fascist channel is gone," Chavez said Saturday. "RCTV's signal will be nationalized for Venezuelans."

Emboldened by his sweeping re-election victory, Chavez now seems intent on transforming Venezuela's broadcast media. An expanding web of state-run and state-financed radio and TV stations shapes his image. And almost every Sunday, he preaches socialist ideals on "Hello President," his folksy talk-show program that runs for five hours or more.

RCTV, in contrast, has been a constant irritant to Chavez. Along with a cadre of other private TV channels and newspapers he accuses of spreading disinformation and conspiring against him, he says RCTV produces "poison" through "grotesque shows" that promote consumerism and violence.

Top RCTV executive Marcel Granier insists his channel has done nothing wrong and is being punished for criticizing the government as part of an "autocratic scheme." He argues RCTV has the legal right to keep broadcasting until 2022, and plans to challenge Chavez in court.

RCTV has been one of Venezuela's leading TV networks since 1953, broadcasting a mix of news, talk shows, sports, soap operas and its own version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

The weekly program "Radio Rochela," which like "Saturday Night Live" often lampoons politicians, was a Venezuelan institution long before Chavez was first elected in 1998.

For now, the studios still bustle with giggling teenagers seeking autographs from soap stars and comedians practicing poking fun at Chavez for "Radio Rochela." Another recent skit mocked Chavez's mentor, Fidel Castro, with an impersonator dancing and rapping in olive-green fatigues, saying: "Give me more gasoline!"

But the mood has grown somber among RCTV's 2,500 employees.

The station's supporters call Chavez's threat to deny RCTV a new license an example of how freedom of speech will be sacrificed in the "socialist republic of Venezuela" that Chavez proclaimed as he began his third term. Nearly 100 horn-honking cars snaked through Caracas Sunday in one protest caravan, with "Don't Mess With The Media!" scrawled in white shoe polish across their windows.

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Statement below by John Negroponte

Negroponte further remarked that US policymakers should be %u201Cworried about Mr. Chavez,%u201D considering that %u201Che has literally spent millions and millions of dollars to support his extremist ideas in various parts of the world%u2026despite the fact that there is an enormous amount of poverty in his own country.%u201D

end negroponte statement

Why is Chavez labeled extremist?
Kind of hypocritical coming from an american politician.
Who invaded a country based on lies, and since has killed somewhere around 500,000 people, also killing another million with sanctions, in the ten years prior to the invasion. All to remove a dictator, who the US empowered back in 1959. A dictator they funded to invade Iran, at the same time selling weapons to Iran, fueling both sides of the conflict, for corporate profits.

Chavez challenges the American government, does not bow down to them, and he is labeled an extremist.

this train of thought, is completely void of any form of logic.

[processor2]

Like most leftist-liberals , Chavez doesn't like alternative ideas.

Kind of like how leftist-liberals (aka Democrats) in the USA that want to silence FOX news & Rush Limbaugh......... No wonder the left-wingers in the USA adore Chavez/Castro, etc.

Liberals just do not like alternative ideas for some reason ?!?!?

........

Hello hillaryin08


The WMD where believed to be there by who ?

The American government, and their propagandist mainstream media.
One of the reasons the US government assumed they where there is because America sold biological and chemical agents to Iraq, during the Iran-Iraq war. The US government also sold weapons to Iran during this war, fueling both sides of the conflict, this I is a good way to spread peace and democracy; not really but a good way to make corporate profits rise. Saddam (who was sponsored by the US government) used some of these chemical and biological agents to gas the Kurds, American aircraft also delivered the gas. Scott Ritter head weapons inspector said they where destroyed, but corporate owned media never told us this, just the fixed intelligence the US government gave them.

Did you check out Media Lens I sent links to in earlier post, it shows the slant and bias by what we call our news sources.

Corporate owned media lied about Iraq, but of course that was a one-time event, never happened before or will happen again. Right!

If someone lies to you, how much trust do they get in the future. Probably not much, this should also apply to the corporate owned media.

Did you check out any of the journalist or news sources I listed before ?

peace

[hillaryin08]

resist_now

Why dont you go ask the American Left where the WMD's are at. From 1992 all the way up to the invasion of Iraq in 1993 they sure beleived they where their.

[hillaryin08]

As long as Chavez gives me free heating oil and keeps bad mouthing our President (while he was at a Democrat fundraiser in the US by the way) and jumps in bed with the president of Iran, who cares if the Venezuela people have freedom of speech or any other freedoms!

tibu987

Any form of government ran corruptly will not work, you can call it anything you want; democracy, socialism, communism, whatever. for these are just labels that we refer to them with. It is more important how these governments behave, so far it appears Chavez has done a lot for Venezuela, so we should not be surprised when he receives 63% of the vote.

they do call it 21-century socialism ?

A government that works for the majority of people is something we have never seen. But what about all the socialist governments that the Western democratic governments have toppled, maybe one of them would have produced a more fair system for the masses; we don't know; because they where removed from power.

why - corporate economic interest I suppose
also, if another country runs a more fair, equitable and just system of government for the masses. It might set an example we in the west might want to follow somewhat. The rich not being so rich and powerful, the masses not paying the majority of the taxes, and less corporate welfare.

this would be a threat to the top-heavy trickle down economics of the west. If an example is set of a more fair system, we in the west will surely adopt some of those Ideas'


research Cuba, and you'll be surprised what you find





peace

[feelfree1]

Great going Hugo! The airwaves belong to the people, not to greedy and carcinogenic Corporate prostitutes and their pimps!

You have truly proven to be an admirable and respectable leader for your people!

Thank you for helping us to hem in the illegitimate and mass-muderous Bush regime!

[tibu987]

I am a 71 year old guy that has been around the block a few times. I have lived almost twwnty years in a Latin American country.
I have seen a lot of things come and go and Chavez will be another.
Yes, I know that the U.S. supported Pinochet, Bautista, and the Shah of Iran and no, they were not the answer but niether is socialism ala Castro.
I am well aware of all the trangessions the U.S. has made around the world and U.S. foreign policy leaves a whole lot to be desired.
But again, sociallism is not the answer.
Do I have an answer? No.

scouser691

I wasn't sure who you where referring to by your first post. As it never stated who, and you had stated -
Yeah, just wait till he starts finding Mickey mouse excuses.....

the starts finding was confusing, because the American government has already done the Mickey mouse excuses to invade Iraq.

I like the Mickey mouse excuses concept, that makes places like this the CBS news, and all mainstream corporate owned media - Disneyland



the only thing that will stop what goes on is enough of the population of the West, waking up to the lies.

The American public has just picked up a huge debt, while corporate America is making billions


peace to you

and keep fighting for truth

[scouser691]

I was referring to tin pot fascist Bush. Surprisingly he's an incompetent fascist too.