The article criticizes Chavez Einstein. He is not a bloody Socialist. On Sep 13, 6:32 am, Travis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > chavezoshit is doing a wonderful job destroying what once was a fine > country, which is exactly what socialism always does. anyone who advocates > socialism is a traitor to this country and should be taken out and shot > immediately. no exceptions. > > On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 3:23 PM, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Venezuela: the class issues in Chavez's constitutional referendum > > By Bill Van Auken > > 28 November 2007 > > > The approach of the December 2 referendum on the proposed reworking of > > Venezuela's constitution has produced a sharp intensification of the > > country's political crisis. > > > On Monday, the political violence orchestrated by right-wing opponents > > of the left-nationalist government of President Hugo Chavez claimed > > the life of Jose Oliveros, a 19-year-old oil worker, who was shot in > > the back by opponents of the constitutional reform while heading for > > work at a state-owned firm in the central state of Aragua. When he > > attempted to drive down a street blocked by protesters, he was shot > > and killed. > > > The young worker's death comes after nearly a month of demonstrations— > > both for and against the reform, which includes 69 additions or > > amendments to the country's current constitution. > > > Leading the campaign against the reform are the political forces tied > > to Venezuela's wealthy oligarchy, backed by Washington, the same > > forces that sought to overthrow Chavez in the abortive US-supported > > coup April 2002 and which have since staged a series of political > > provocations. > > > Egged on by Venezuela's privately owned right-wing media, the "no" > > campaign has generated an atmosphere of hysteria over the referendum, > > managing to mobilize demonstrations drawn largely from the most > > privileged sections of middle and upper class students. > > > These right-wing and often violent student protests have drawn the > > great bulk of the attention of the international mass media, which has > > cast them as a struggle against authoritarianism and in defense of > > democracy. No section of the mass media has taken note of the > > political irony that these supposed champions of democracy were > > precisely the same elements that backed a military coup aimed at > > overthrowing an elected president. > > > For the most part, demonstrations supporting the reform, consisting of > > more predominantly working class crowds, have been larger, but have > > drawn no comparable media attention. > > > Conflicting opinion polls have either indicated that the reform will > > pass with a clear majority or placed the "yes" and "no" votes in a > > dead heat. > > > By every indication, political tensions in Venezuela are sharper than > > at any time since the attempted coup of 2002. The traditional bastions > > of the ruling elite have sought to foment a confrontation. The > > Catholic bishops, for example, issued a statement Monday describing > > the reforms as "morally unacceptable." Similarly, Fedecamaras, the > > main business association, which was one of the principal supporters > > of the failed coup, called Monday for a no vote, while insisting that > > their position had nothing to do with its members' "lifestyle." > > > "In Fedecamaras we are democrats," the statement read. "We are not nor > > do we want to be communists." > > > More telling in terms of the depth of the political crisis is the > > defection of some political parties—the social democratic Podemos > > being the most significant—and leading figures previously identified > > with "Chavismo." > > > Most important among the latter is retired general Raul Baduel, who > > had been Venezuela's defense minister until July of this year. On > > November 5, Baduel called a press conference for Venezuela's right- > > wing media condemning the proposed reform as a "constitutional coup." > > While urging a "no" vote, he also called upon the military to > > "profoundly analyze" proposals for changes to the structure of the > > armed forces and declared that "the capacity of Venezuelan military > > men to analyze and think" should not be underestimated. > > > The content of such words is unmistakable. Denouncing the referendum > > vote as a "coup" essentially legitimizes the real thing, while the > > appeal to "military men" to "analyze" the political proposals > > presumably implies that once they have done so, action is warranted. > > > The significance of this veiled appeal to the officer corps is all the > > greater in that its author was one of Chavez's oldest political allies > > and long considered his most important supporter within the Venezuelan > > military. > > > Baduel was one of the initial members of the Revolutionary Bolivarian > > Movement (MBR-200), the conspiratorial cell formed within the > > Venezuelan military in the 1980s that ultimately gave rise to the > > abortive 1992 coup led by Chavez, then a paratrooper colonel. While > > Baduel did not participate in the coup and apparently questioned its > > feasibility, he subsequently defended Chavez and backed his > > presidential bid in 1998. > > > More importantly, in 2002, it was Baduel who led the forces within the > > Venezuelan military that ultimately defeated the US-backed April coup. > > In 2004 he was named the army's commander and in 2006 the country's > > defense minister. > > > This turn by Baduel—who had proclaimed himself a firm adherent of > > Chavez's "21st century socialism"—undoubtedly reflects broader > > divisions within the army as a whole, and the threat of another coup > > can by no means be discounted. > > > There is also no doubt that the US State Department and the CIA are > > actively fomenting the opposition to the constitutional reform as a > > vehicle for uniting forces that could potentially overthrow the Chavez > > government. Just as in the Middle East, Washington is determined to > > reassert its hegemonic control over a region that contains some of the > > most important energy reserves on the face of the planet by installing > > a more pliant regime. > > > The mass sentiment in favor of the referendum is founded both on the > > hatred among masses of Venezuelan workers and oppressed for their most > > rabid class enemies, who make up the "no" camp, as well as the > > constitutional reform's promise of various social benefits, which are > > promoted by the Chavez government and its supporters as the > > implementation of "socialism." > > > These reforms include promises to implement a six-hour workday and the > > establishment of a supplementary health insurance program for the > > millions of Venezuelans—up to half the population—who are classified > > as part of the "informal" sector of the economy, without any regular > > employment. Making these programs into articles in the constitution, > > however, does not create them beyond the level of a legal principle. > > > The reality is that the changes advanced for Venezuela's constitution > > have nothing to do with putting an end to capitalism or establishing a > > socialist society, and the dangers that the various amendments > > proposed by the government pose to the working class are far greater > > than any promised benefits. > > > The essential thrust of the reforms is the amassing of greater > > presidential power in the hands of Chavez, furthering the > > consolidation of a personalist bourgeois regime resting on both the > > military and populist appeals to the poorest sections of the > > population, made possible by oil export-funded social programs. > > > The amendments include an extension of presidential terms from six > > years to seven and allow the unlimited reelection of incumbent > > presidents, both of which are designed specifically to keep Chavez in > > Miraflores, the presidential palace. > > > While much has been made about the left and even "socialist" rhetoric > > that suffuses the proposed amendments, the reality is that the > > rewritten constitution includes explicit guarantees for the private > > capitalist ownership of the means of production. It also enshrines the > > status of "mixed" private-state enterprises, which exist most > > prominently in the deals signed between the Venezuelan government and > > the foreign energy conglomerates for the exploitation of Venezuelan > > oil. Other clauses in the existing constitution guaranteeing equal > > treatment for foreign and national capitalist enterprises, patents and > > intellectual property rights remain untouched. > > > To the extent that the document envisions state expropriation of > > capitalist industries, it is within the general framework of its > > defense of private property, to be carried out along the lines of the > > recent nationalization of CANTV, the Verizon-owned Venezuelan > > telephone company, which was accompanied by compensation exceeding its > > value on the stock market. > > > There are also amendments redefining the Venezuelan military as an > > "anti-imperialist popular entity" and renaming the National Guard the > > "Bolivarian Popular Militia," but, these semantic changes > > notwithstanding, these bodies remain under the same structure and > > discipline of the bourgeois armed forces. > > > The most significant change in this regard is, once again, a > > strengthening of presidential power, with the president given the > > authority to determine all promotions within the officer corps. > > > In the political sphere, the reform would give Chavez power to create > > by decree federal provinces, territories and even cities, while naming > > un-elected "vice-presidents" to govern over them, essentially usurping > > the power of elected provincial and municipal governments. > > > Similarly, the entire public treasury—including the central bank and > > the country's currency reserves—will be placed under the direct > > control of the president. Meanwhile, however, Venezuela's financial > > system remains firmly in the control of the international banks and > > their Venezuelan subsidiaries—which are recording the highest rates of > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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