opinion

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Bernal, Freedom of expression again
Heck, No sense of reality about Venezuela
Committee to Protect Journalists, Chávez attacks freedom of the press
Munini, Recovering electromagnetic space from the plutocrats
Reporters Without Borders, Defend freedom of the press against Chávez
Smith, Correa should think twice before prosecuting for insults
Wayne, Looking at Cuba without the distorted Miami lenses
Jackson, What to Do about Cuba?

Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Europe's declining influence in Latin America

Silié, Following the European Union's example

Leis, Ten factors in quality education

Sirias, Deadly poison from China

The US government and its shameless followers have no sense of reality

by Oscar Heck --- VHeadline

I have been away from VHeadline for some months. Three of these months were spent in Venezuela, incommunicado, in small Andean villages along the Colombian borders in the Venezuelan state of Tachira (southwestern Venezuela).

Since my return to Canada, about two months ago, the vast majority of my time has been consumed by contracts outside my home office, but I am back for a bit now.

I have just read that the US Senate has passed (by unanimous consent) two more anti-Venezuela resolutions along with the House of Representatives, which openly support the use of public airwaves for the promotion of sedition, armed insurrection, the use of violence against elected governments, and the assassination of elected heads of state.

The following is a peek at those resolutions:

H. Con. Res. 77 sponsored by Representative Weller (R-IL) "calling on the Government of Venezuela to respect a free and independent media and to avoid all acts of censorship against the media and free expression."

H. Con. Res. 50 sponsored by the Representative for Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño (R-PR) "calling on the Government of Venezuela to uphold the human rights and civil liberties of the people of Venezuela."

I am almost sick of repeating the obvious.

The US government and its collaborators (such as the US mainstream media) manipulate and distort reality to suit their criminal schemes, as they did with Afghanistan (a major opium producer), with Iraq (a major oil producer), and as they have been doing with Venezuela (another major oil producer) since Chávez was first elected in 1998.

The above resolutions have undoubtedly sprouted from the Venezuelan government’s radio-and-television regulatory body’s decision to not renew RCTV’s television airing concession. Until a few days ago, RCTV was one of Venezuela’s major television stations (with a 20-year concession), and in 2002 and 2003 was deeply and openly involved in promoting the use of sedition, armed insurrection, sabotage, violence against the Chávez government and against its supporters, and the assassination of Chávez (“getting rid of Chávez”). Two of the other three major television stations, Globovision and Venevision, were also deeply involved … and Televen, Venezuela’s fourth major station, was involved to a lesser degree. I was in Venezuela during that time.

“Free and independent media?" “Censorship?" “Civil liberties?”

The US government and its shameless followers have no sense of reality.

If in the USA, say FOX, on the television airwaves, openly promoted armed insurrection against the US government and openly promoted the assassination of the US president, and if furthermore FOX openly did so during children’s cartoon hours, and if they did so on a daily basis, throughout most hours of the day and for weeks at a time, would FOX be in existence on the airwaves today? Absolutely not --- and FOX’s owners, producers and executives would either be in jail or in hiding.

RCTV (and the other two stations) did exactly that. It was sickening. They even showed bloody war footage, dismemberment, people being blown up and much more during children’s cartoon hours. Civil liberties?

This is the type of “civil liberty” which the US senate is promoting!

RCTV, as any airwave concession operator in the USA would be, was bound by contract to use the public airwaves according to rules established by the respective regulatory bodies. They were bound to follow the rules under threat of losing their concession (which they did) to a more responsible operator. This is what happened with RCTV and this is what will hopefully (in my hopes) happen with Globovision and Venevision. RCTV had continuously broken the rules and to this day, in particular Globovision continues to break the rules. Venevision does so, but to a lesser degree. Witness this for yourself.

Go watch television in Caracas.

Anyone can go to Venezuela, watch television and listen to radio and it will soon become completely clear that in Venezuela there is no such thing as a lack of freedom of expression or censorship of any kind. On the contrary, there is, from what I have seen, more freedom of speech in Venezuela than there is in Canada, and certainly much more freedom of speech than in the USA.

In addition, I bet that most of the US senators who voted in favor of the most recent anti-Venezuela resolutions have either never been to Venezuela or have not been there since Chávez has come to power. If some of them have been to Venezuela, then I am quite sure they did not watch much television, preferring to get drunk and eat and party with “available” Venezuelan women at exclusive clubs in Las Mercedes, El Club Hipico or The Country Club. Either way, their ignorance is evident. But, if ignorance is not a factor, then idiocy (the inability to make logical and reasonable deductions) must be at play. If not idiocy, the only other considerable factor is simple Neanderthallic ruthlessness.

Anyway, after having written and researched for VHeadline for more than four and one-half years, I realize that logic and reality generally do not mix well in the minds of most people of the USA, less so in their hearts, and less so the “higher” the “success” level of the individual --- thus the senseless and criminal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the lies, the slander and the threats against North Korea and Iran, and against Venezuela (so long as Chávez is in power).

It really doesn’t matter what I say, it doesn’t matter what the truth is, what reality is or what is a lie. What matters is who is the most ruthless and who has the biggest guns --- and that is the USA, as the vast majority of people in this world already know.

The US Senate, that mafia which approved the recent anti-Venezuela resolutions, must be composed of a combination of ignoramuses, idiots and ruthless individuals who could not care less for the truth, otherwise such resolutions would not even be considered. Those who proposed the resolutions are even more ignorant and/or idiotic and/or ruthless.

Think about this.

Through the approval of resolutions 77 and 50 (above), the US Senate clearly confirms its support for that “civil liberty” which allows for the use of public airwaves to promote sedition, armed insurrection, violence against elected government and citizenry, and the assassination of elected heads of state.

Then why is Bush still in power?

Bernal, Freedom of expression again
Heck, No sense of reality about Venezuela
Committee to Protect Journalists, Chávez attacks freedom of the press
Munini, Recovering electromagnetic space from the plutocrats
Reporters Without Borders, Defend freedom of the press against Chávez
Smith, Correa should think twice before prosecuting for insults
Wayne, Looking at Cuba without the distorted Miami lenses
Jackson, What to Do about Cuba?

Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Europe's declining influence in Latin America

Silié, Following the European Union's example

Leis, Ten factors in quality education

Sirias, Deadly poison from China