Free Speech in Venezuela- Under Threat

[Nash]

Chavez of Venezuela forces private TV channel to go off air for refusing to broadcast his weekly, lengthy talks.The country has descended into a deadly totalitarian state, rapidly eroding basic human rights,threatening to throttle the sane existence of its own people, while the rest of the world watches in inertia. Please respond,comment on this report and spread this to as many people as you can.

http://venezuelareport.wordpress.com/

[KeyStone]

Chavez of Venezuela forces private TV channel to go off air for refusing to broadcast his weekly, lengthy talks.The country has descended into a deadly totalitarian state, rapidly eroding basic human rights,threatening to throttle the sane existence of its own people, while the rest of the world watches in inertia. Please respond,comment on this report and spread this to as many people as you can.

http://venezuelareport.wordpress.com/

Strangely, in 2007, there were cries that Chavez was shutting RCTV down, and yet here we are again, with more cries of them being shut down.

In 20078, I pointed out that they were not being shut down, they were simply not having their public license renewed, which meant they would have to go to private cable (which they did).

Now, it is no secret that RCTV, like much of the private media owned by the rich is critical of Hugo Chavez. And, I have to concede that Chavez is not playing fair with RCTV. I am sure that if CBC decided to participate in an illegal coup and overthrow of the Canadian government, that we would not pull their public license, would continue to fund them and would not restrict them in any way. Because we all know that democracy means supporting businesses that actively engage in overthrowing the government.

It's sad to see our Canadian representatives lining up to condemn this, when nary a word was said when the coup leaders had ousted Chavez. Yet, we pretend to be champions of democracy.

[Shady]

Yet, we pretend to be champions of democracy.

We don't pretend. We are.

[eyeball]

We don't pretend. We are.

Bullshit we are.

Check out what our allies in our War of Terror are doing to champion democracy in Ethiopia.

“Thanks to Chinese electronic monitoring-and-control software, the government is able to block most opposition electronic communications when it desires,” the group said in a recent report.

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/11315

This is largely because Western governments, such as the United States, Britain and European Union, rely on the Ethiopian government as a key African ally in the "war on terror". It is one of the largest recipients of overseas development assistance in this unstable region, receiving nearly 2.0 billion dollars in aid each year.

http://ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=42766

As for our efforts to be champions...

OTTAWA -- Supporters of a Canadian sentenced to life behind bars in Ethiopia want the Harper government to suspend aid to the African country over what they consider a politically motivated sham...

...government efforts would focus on the continuing court proceedings -- not suspending development dollars.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/08/04/10353946-sun.html

We are destroyers of democracy, just like our dear friends and allies, China and the U.S.

Se we sided with the communists to beat the Nazis, then we sided with military dictators to defeat the communists and now we're back in bed with the commies to defeat...democracy apparently. Why didn't we just crawl into bed with the Nazis? Am I missing something here?

[KeyStone]

Here is the complete saga of RCTV, for those of you who have only caught the-sky-is-falling headlines.

First of all, Chavez is removed from office by force, under a planned military coup. RCTV helps the coup plotters in various ways, including refusing to tell the people of Venezuela when Chavez is returned to office. They chose to run cartoons instead.

RCTV does not have its public license renewed. Incidentally, Western media jumps all over this story, claiming that Chavez allows no free speech etc, and he shuts down all media critical of him in Venezuela.

Within a year, RCTV is back on cable, and is the number one viewed station in Venezuela. Western Media of course, doesn't bother to report on this. Instead, we don't hear about RCTV again until:

RCTV is shut down as a cable channel because of some regulation that says they must broadcast the President's speech, as they broadcast more than 30% domestic programming. Naturally, the media jumps all over that story.

RCTV finally agreed to comply with the laws, instead of flouting the laws, and will be back on the air soon, ensuring that they have less than 30% domestic content so that they do not have to air Chavez's speeches.

Good luck finding Western Media printing that story. They only like to print sky-is-falling stories here in Canada and in the US. The Western media despises Chavez and will do anything to villainize him.

Edited February 26, 2010 by KeyStone

[Oleg Bach]

Chavez of Venezuela forces private TV channel to go off air for refusing to broadcast his weekly, lengthy talks.The country has descended into a deadly totalitarian state, rapidly eroding basic human rights,threatening to throttle the sane existence of its own people, while the rest of the world watches in inertia. Please respond,comment on this report and spread this to as many people as you can.

http://venezuelareport.wordpress.com/

AWH come on now, If you owned a nation- at least you are entitled to have "lengthy talks" on "private" TV channels- we do it all the time...look at the propaganda that we spew--- corporates who own the nation get their talking heads to spew their shit--it's called the NEWS!

[M.Dancer]

So in other words, there is no free speech in Venuzuela.

[M.Dancer]

Imagine that in Canada, any station that has more than 30% content must broadcast Jack (fighting bravely) Laytons speeches...

[Oleg Bach]

Who ever controls the media and institutions controls free speech. Whether it is a tin pot South AMERICAN despot or a crimminally minded AMERICAN corporate--it's all the same-- Think about how the abortion issue became so excepted and popular in the west..Those in control propogated the idea that childlessness was freedom- when in fact is was a policy of breeding...Those that are pregnant can not work for the rich..When my mother immigrated to Britain after the war and became pregnant with my older brother her masters tried to discourage her from bearing the child--because she would become a useless slave in their eyes...yes- there is no real free speech because the word is controlled by those in control.

[KeyStone]

So in other words, there is no free speech in Venuzuela.

Well, that's quite a stretch to say that there is no free speech in Venezuela.

There are numerous publications and media outlets that are all quite critical of Chavez.

Venezuela has regulations for TV broadcasters. Granted, I would not want to have to watch Chavez on every channel.

Canada, under the CRTC has regulations as to how much Canadian content must be broadcast on Canadian radio etc.

To suggest that this regulation means that Canada does not have free speech is equally ludicrous.

[Oleg Bach]

Well, that's quite a stretch to say that there is no free speech in Venezuela.

There are numerous publications and media outlets that are all quite critical of Chavez.

Venezuela has regulations for TV broadcasters. Granted, I would not want to have to watch Chavez on every channel.

Canada, under the CRTC has regulations as to how much Canadian content must be broadcast on Canadian radio etc.

To suggest that this regulation means that Canada does not have free speech is equally ludicrous.

Those hired to speak in the media do what they are told and follow a structured corporate policy in so far as creating a twist on all events and people. If one suggest that Chavez allows persons to be critical of him..then it is true-- but only to the degree that allows for the illusion of free speech-- same can be said of Canada and every other nation in the world..who ever controls media controls speech. If you get to far out of line and are effective your attemptto alter corporate policy you will find yourself out of a job and not know quite why.