President of Venezuela's RCTV Network: "The Rule of Law is Disappearing in Venezuela" (Translation)

El Mercurio ( Santiago, Chile ) ^ | February 5, 2007 | Marcel Granier ( translated by self )

[StJacques]

For those of you who may not know, Marcel Granier is forced to circulate his statement outside of the Venezuelan media, which is being seriously intimidated at the moment. Chavez's is closing Radio Caracas TV (RCTV), Venezuela's largest network by far, because he intends to take over the station himself so that he can command their audience and, much more importantly for Chavez, silence the criticism of his tenure that has surfaced within the news and news analysis programming on RCTV. Garnier's inability to release this statement in Venezuela is why you are finding it on the Chilean El Mercurio newspaper web site.

I have been particularly amazed over time at just how little the leftist spokespersons for Hugo Chavez really do know about the facts on the ground in Venezuela today. I keep hearing that "he was elected in fair elections" (they weren't), "the Venezuelan people love him" (he has supporters but half the country sees Chavez as an authoritarian and fears him), and "Hugo Chavez has supported free speech, you do not see any supression of the news media in Venezuela."

We're dealing with the last of those three lies here today. And this is not the first time. We discussed Chavez's threats against private television stations during the campaign. We also pointed out that the Inter-American Press Association singled out Chavez's Venezuela for its assault on press freedoms, saying Venezuela was "going the way of Cuba." Chavez's assault on the most basic freedom of all has been underway in Venezuela for some time now.

I think Garnier's statement speaks for itself. But the next time you find some leftie out on the web asserting the IndyMedia line that Chavez has permitted a free press, start them off right here.

[StJacques]

A Latin American Left Watch ping for you all.

Anyone wishing to be included on the ping list may either ping me from this thread or contact me via Freepmail.

[jagusafr]

"a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same object" - c'mon, Venezolanos, put your blood where your machismo is! Lots of words by the Venezuelan rabiblancos, but no real action. It's a marvelous country with a great history, which Chavez is stealing.

Colegio Internacional de Caracas Alumnus

[samson1097]

Any chance that we're setting up a very powerful broadcast in Aruba or Internation Waters to give information (and fuel dissent) to the public? I bet the odds are good we already have something similar using radio waves for broadcasts to Venezuela.

[flynmudd]

So sad to see such a promising country be devoured by the same type of people the left love. Has Cindy Sheehan been down there lately?

[AmericanVictory]

How long would Hugo last if the price of oil were to head down steadily for a long time?

[DB]

It is only the beginning...

[StJacques]

I have little doubt that we are able to get both radio and tv broadcasts to everyone with a satellite receiver in Venezuela. According to Alek Boyd at VCrisis.com -- I read this a while back so it's not on the homepage anymore -- Venezuela is covered with satellite dishes and their receipt of international broadcasts is easily enabled. And that is for television broadcasts, for radio the accessibility is far wider.

Of course, I suppose we can expect Hugo to undertake a census of his country soon, especially looking to record who has satellite dishes. Mark my words! If he keeps on going this one is in the cards.

[KarlInOhio]

Just think of it as the Venezuelan version of the Fairness Doctrine.

[FormerACLUmember]

So sad to see such a promising country be devoured by the same type of people the left love. Has Cindy Sheehan been down there lately?

The evil b*tch is down there every few months. I'd post of picture of her and El Presidente for Life lip-lock soul kissing but it is dinner time.

[FormerACLUmember]

Bingo! Chavez is just imposing the "Fairness Doctrine"!

[FormerACLUmember]

[Cheburashka]

I have little doubt that we are able to get both radio and tv broadcasts to everyone with a satellite receiver in Venezuela.
---
It's a simple matter to outlaw satellite dishes. The Iranian mullahs did it recently. There were pictures posted on Free Republic showing scenes of multiple smashed dishes. This will happen soon enough in Venezuela. It's not like the dishes can be hidden.

The Venezuelan people have allowed their freedom to be taken away. Hopefully they will not have to endure this tyrant as long as the Cuban people have had to endure theirs.

Meanwhile in this country the plans to silence conservative radio commentators move forward.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Have you noticed the complete SILENCE OF THE LEFT on what Chavez is doing in Venezuela (other than laudatory articles in ISO Magazine, WWP, etc).?

Also, the silence of most Democrats in Congress is deafening. How about people contacting their representatives and asking them (in writing), whether they are concerned about this Castro-junior.?

[unkus]

Hillary's kind of guy.

[StJacques]

"Have you noticed the complete SILENCE OF THE LEFT on what Chavez is doing in Venezuela . . . ?"

Have you noticed the near complete silence of the media on what Chavez is doing?

I won't bother asking if you're surprised.

[mvpel]

The leftist apologists don't care that he's shutting down RCTV, because they accuse it of sedition against the government, and thus it deserves to be shut down:

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2007/01/venezuelas-rctv-acts-of-sedition.html

[reagan_fanatic]

Taking a rifle and pointing at a television cameraman he warned: "With this rifle, which has a range of a thousand meters, you (the cameraman) stop yourself there above and I, with good aim, give it to the little red light that your camera has."

And this is the dangerous lunatic that the left is fawning over.

[mvpel]

[StJacques]

From that awful blog ...

Did you notice that this guy didn't do anything in the way of citing sources for his story? And I can tell you that the story he presents is woefully-flawed, but I do not think it worth my time to try to answer a guy like that.

And then there's this:

". . . It's also a testimony to Hugo Chavez and how the country has prospered under him benefitting everyone . . ."

The evidence supporting the proposition that Chavez's tenure in government has been a complete disaster for the Venezuelan economy in almost every respect is overwhelming. Their oil industry is in near chaos, the plight of the urban poor has worsened in many areas, there's an outflight of human capital, an outflight of investment capital (disinvestment), violent crime is the worst it's ever been in Venezuela -- their murder rate is the highest in the hemisphere, and public corruption runs amuck. See VCrisis.com for a wealth of information, which cites sources as it is presented, unlike this leftie liar's exposition.