http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hugochavez/ en-us Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:59:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2472758/posts A revolution is brewing in Vladimir Putin's Russia. The chickens of his incompetence and shameless artifice are finally coming home to roost. Now, he has only neo-Soviet brutality to fall back upon. How long that will maintain him, only the likes of Barack Obama can say. The Bruce Springsteen of Russia, Yuri Shevchuk of the seminal rock band DDT, recently launched into an unprecedented, lengthy, and biting critique of the Putin regime from the stage of one of Russia's most prestigious arenas. A video of the speech went viral and has already been viewed nearly 200,000 times and received over... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2472758/posts#comment Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:59:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2470468/posts Venezuela has been suffering through its worst energy crisis in the last 50 years. President Hugo Chavez’s solution? Change all the light bulbs! Well, that might not be the only action the country is taking (they’ve also put electricity rationing into effect) but an army of Venezuelan soldiers has been given direct orders from the president to distribute thousands of Firefly energy-efficient CFL bulbs. In terms of slashing electricity use, it doesn’t help that Venezuelans are the highest energy consumers per capita in Latin America. In fact, state run electricity company Corpoelec says Venezuelans use more than 1,000 kilowatt hours... Inhabitat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2470468/posts#comment Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:17:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2469011/posts CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is grateful that actor Sean Penn has defended him against his critics within the U.S. media. In an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" last week, Penn slammed Chavez critics who refer to the socialist leader as a dictator. The Oscar-winning celebrity noted that Chavez has won repeated elections and suggested that media critics who call him a dictator should be jailed. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2469011/posts#comment Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:18:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2466408/posts At the end of a discussion of Haiti on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, actor Sean Penn went on a rant in defense of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, suggesting prison time for American journalists: "every day, this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it! And accept it. And this is mainstream media, who should – truly, there should be a bar by which one goes to prison for these kinds of lies." http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2466408/posts#comment Mon, 8 Mar 2010 15:08:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2466682/posts First Amendment be damned . . . If Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn had his way, any journalist who called Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a dictator would quickly find himself behind bars. Penn, appearing on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday, defended Chavez during a segment in which he detailed his work with the JP Haitian Relief Organization, which he co-founded. "Every day, this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it, and accept it" said Penn, winner of two Best Actor Academy Awards. "And this is mainstream media, who should -- truly, there should... Foxnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2466682/posts#comment Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:26:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2465995/posts Before everyone jumps down my throat here let me say that I know Chavez is a murderous dictator whose ruined a perfectly good country and he hates the US. On top of all that guy seems like he might be slightly gay, I mean he got REALLY excited to meet Sean Penn. More excited than any adult male ever should, with the exception of Bill Maher. Keep Reading: http://threefingersofpolitics.com/2010/03/07/hugo-chavez-is-kind-of-funny/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2465995/posts#comment Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:33:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2463771/posts Image by Cool Text: Logo and Button Generator http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2463771/posts#comment Thu, 4 Mar 2010 05:47:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2462777/posts The Cubanization of Venezuela began a long time ago, but it took another large step in early February, when Cuban general Ramiro Valdés arrived in Caracas to serve as a government consultant. Valdés, 77, has been one of the most brutal enforcers of the Castro regime, beginning in the 1960s when he was responsible for crushing popular protests over energy-use restrictions. He established Castro’s ruthless G2 intelligence service and is currently number three in the Cuban hierarchy. According to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, Valdés and his retinue are there to help the South American country solve its dire electricity crisis.... The Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2462777/posts#comment Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:32:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2462858/posts War: A Spanish court has charged Venezuela with collaborating in a terrorist plot to assassinate President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia. That's an attempt on a top U.S. ally, and calls for a hard response. If it's not predator-drone time, it's time to name Venezuela as a state sponsor of terror. What came to light Monday isn't the first time Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has been caught aiding terrorists, but it may well be the most egregious. Spanish Judge Eloy Velasco named a Venezuelan government official as a key link between 12 FARC and ETA terrorists who were indicted in a 2003... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2462858/posts#comment Wed, 3 Mar 2010 01:27:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2461890/posts None of us who are believers of individual freedom are fans of Hugo Chavez. But it seems that the situation is growing more worrisome by the day. The Washington Post outlines the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a searing and authoritative report on the destruction of Venezuela's political institutions and the erosion of freedom under President Hugo Chávez. It details the fearful deterioration of rights in the country, and the blind eye the Organization of American States (OAS) has turned to those events. The report details facts and events that document how Mr. Chávez's regime has done away with... Neoavatara http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2461890/posts#comment Mon, 1 Mar 2010 22:10:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461597/posts A Spanish judge belives there was a "Venezuelan government cooperation" in the relations of cooperation between ETA and the FARC, were plotting to murder in Span Colombian personalities, including President Alvaro Uribe, judicial sources said Monday. Judge Eloy Velasco considers in its indictment of six suspected members of ETA and that seven of the FARC "and do steps in this procedure show the Venezuelan government cooperation between the FARC and ETA. Velasco, judge of the Audiencia Nacional (Spanish main criminal tribunal) considers that this is particularly so in he case of suspected ETA member Arturo Cubillas Fontan, one of the... Globovision http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461597/posts#comment Mon, 1 Mar 2010 14:36:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461536/posts A Spanish judge has charged 13 members of the Basque separatist group ETA and the Colombian rebel group FARC over an alleged plot to assassinate Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, judicial sources said on Monday. Judge Eloy Velasco said he believes FARC asked ETA's help with a plot to kill a number of Colombian officials in Spain, including Uribe. France24 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461536/posts#comment Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:03:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460449/posts U.S. Rep. William Delahunt blew nearly $560,000 in campaign cash last year - much of it on lavish meals and a family-friendly payroll that includes his ex-wife, son-in-law and daughter - stoking speculation the Quincy Democrat is emptying his war chest and won’t seek re-election. -snip- Delahunt told the Herald last week that he was still weighing whether to seek re-election, but Democratic Party sources have privately indicated his departure is anticipated - and expected to draw a host of candidates-in-waiting out of the woodwork. Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2460449/posts#comment Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:10:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2458609/posts I am a big believer that behind that enormous pineapple-shaped head of Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez, there lives a coward. It is one thing to lead coups, nationalize industries, shut down opposition newspapers and arrest political allies that are no longer convenient. It is quite another to stand mano-a-mano with the likes of Columbian hero and President Alvaro Uribe. More Pro-American than President Obama, more involved in stopping drugs than our DEA, Uribe is also a courageous advocate for a conservative and free-market transformation of Latin America. Unlike the foolish leaders of Uruguay, Nicaragua and Brazil, Uribe understands that fashionable... The Voice of Reason http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2458609/posts#comment Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:01:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456897/posts President Hugo Chavez delivered a bizarre attack on the Queen when the firebrand Venezuelan leader demanded Britain return the Falkland Islands to Argentina.The outspoken Mr Chavez used his weekly television and radio show Alo Presidente to rally Latin America behind the cause of his Argentine counterpart Cristina Kirchner by making a direct appeal to Buckingham Palace. "Look, England, how long are you going to be in Las Malvinas? Queen of England, I'm talking to you," said Mr Chavez. "The time for empires are over, haven't you noticed? Return the Malvinas to the Argentine people." Still addressing the Queen, he went... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456897/posts#comment Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:22:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456622/posts Hugo Chávez may be wondering, as Venezuela's taps run dry and its cities fall into darkness, whether God is on the side of the Yankees. The El Niño weather phenomenon appears to be taking sides as it parches leftist-ruled parts of South America and brings bounty to US farmers and corporations. One of the severest droughts in decades has given Venezuela's socialist president a political nightmare as hydro-electrical power dribbles to a standstill, unleashing blackouts, rationing and protests. The waters behind the Guri dam, which supplies more than half the nation's power, have touched perilously low levels. Chávez has declared... UK Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456622/posts#comment Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:57:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2452864/posts Energy: A new study shows that our reluctance to develop domestic energy will cost the beleaguered U.S. economy trillions in opportunity costs, reduce our gross domestic product and increase our trade deficit. From trying to stimulate jobs in nonexistent ZIP codes at great expense to worshiping the false gods of climate change, our biggest deficit these days may be in the area of common sense. A new study shows that many of our wounds are self-inflicted as we forgo the wealth and jobs to be found in our waters and under our feet. The study by Science Applications International Corp.... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2452864/posts#comment Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:16:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2448672/posts It is an amazing piece of video. A leader of a country with unchecked power publicly stealing private property. Even Stalin and Mao were subtle enough not to be filmed publicly stealing (aka "nationalizing" or "expropriating"). However, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is so clueless that he has allowed himself to be filmed thugishly pointing at various buildings in central Caracas and pronouncing "Expropriate it!" Truly historic video...and yet nothing seen of it on the broadcast networks. An article by Alonso Fernandez in the Latin American Herald Tribune provides the back story about what is happening in the video: CARACAS –... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2448672/posts#comment Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:31:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2444031/posts CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez has turned to his friends in Cuba for help in tackling Venezuela's energy crisis, drawing criticism for seeking advice from the communist-led island that has struggled with its own electricity woes. Chavez gave few details on Wednesday about what is expected of Cuba, but insisted that "it's valuable experience that's serving us well." He said that he spoke for hours Tuesday with Cuban Vice President Ramiro Valdes after his arrival in Venezuela to lead the consulting team. The decision to seek help from Cuba bewildered Venezuelans coping with the nation's power shortage. "It's laughable... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2444031/posts#comment Thu, 4 Feb 2010 05:55:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2447170/posts Socialism: The lights are flickering in oil-rich Venezuela, a victim of the same shortages that appear wherever socialism is tried. With the grid verging on collapse, the final irony is to see Hugo Chavez calling Cuba to fix it. Most leaders serious about fixing a collapsing power grid call up companies like Bechtel or APR Energy because they're capable of swiftly setting up small power plants in emergencies, even in infrastructure wastelands such as Haiti. But that's not whom President Hugo Chavez called when he got word that Venezuela's electricity is in a state of collapse and may go black... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2447170/posts#comment Tue, 9 Feb 2010 01:41:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2445807/posts Venezuela-owned CITGO is preparing yet another effort to polish a corporate image seriously tarnished by its association with anti-American dictator Hugo Chavez. A major polling organization is surveying consumer attitudes and measuring the impact of CITGO’s ongoing campaigns which are coming up short as many Americans vote with their tires and buy gas elsewhere. Annuit Coeptis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2445807/posts#comment Sat, 6 Feb 2010 17:30:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2438570/posts For a man intent into taking Venezuelan into the Dark Ages, it was a remarkable admission that modernity can be a threat to Hugo Chavez and his fake revolution. As students used the Internet and its tools like Twitter as wel as other modern tools like SMS messaging to mobilize and communicate strategy instantly, Hugo Chavez made his second attack on the Internet in a single week, calling the rumors and use of this technology "terrorism". A week ago Chavez had said that his supporters had to watch out for the Internet and tonight he came on TV wearing a... The Devil's Excrement http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2438570/posts#comment Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:23:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2437742/posts Some people wonder why I've shown so much interest -- almost 30 posts to date -- in the 16-year-old lawsuit Chevron Corporation has been battling in Ecuador. Aside from the fact that Chevron stands to lose as much as $27 billion if an Ecuadoran judge rules in favor of the plaintiff, part of my interest stems from the fact that a thick cloud of corruption surrounds Rafael Correa, a man who has been mentioned in a half-dozen posts (including the one you're reading). And so I bring more news about the president of the South American banana republic country that... Bob McCarty Writes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2437742/posts#comment Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:14:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2435527/posts CARACAS, Venezuela -- A Venezuelan TV channel that takes a critical line against Hugo Chavez could be forced off cable if it doesn't carry mandatory government programming including some of the president's speeches, a lawyer for the channel said Friday. The government forced Radio Caracas Television, or RCTV, off the open airwaves in 2007 by refusing to renew its broadcast license, and the channel subsequently moved to cable under the name Radio Caracas Television International. Venezuela's telecommunications agency said Thursday that two dozen local cable channels including RCTV must carry government programming when deemed mandatory, just like broadcast channels already... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2435527/posts#comment Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:24:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2435208/posts Americas: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has gone off the deep end again, claiming the U.S. engineered the Haiti earthquake. It's a laughable malevolence, of course. But given the spectacular U.S. aid effort, it's also a threat. Right now, the dictator's No. 1 foreign policy aim is to discredit the U.S. aid effort in Haiti. Shortly after Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake, Chavez, trying to whip up paranoia, accused America of seeking a "military occupation" there. When that didn't work and U.S. aircraft carriers and hospital ships steamed in to rescue ravaged Port-au-Prince, Chavez told Spanish newspaper ABC that the earthquake was the... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2435208/posts#comment Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:11:24 GMT