<html>
<body>
<font size=3><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=5 color="#A80000">Oscar Heck: I was
wrong … I thought that Kerry would win the elections<br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4 color="#A80000"><a href="http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=23337">http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=23337</a><br><br>
</font><font face="Georgia" size=2><b>VHeadline.com commentarist Oscar
Heck writes: </b></font><font face="georgia" size=2>A few days ago, a
friend of mine said politely, “I think Bush will win again because
americans aren’t aware enough of the negative impact which the Bush
administration is creating around the world on behalf of average
americans.” <br><br>
<b>I guess that my friend is right ... most americans probably have no
idea ... and I am sure that their government is not going to tell them
the truth. Their government will continue to spread untruths, propaganda
and lies. <u>It is too bad.</u> <br><br>
</b></font><font face="georgia" size=5 color="#A80000">How will this
affect Venezuela?<br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b>It is a distressing question. Will
the USA continue to finance anti-Chavez criminals in Venezuela?<br><br>
</b></font>
<dl>
<dd>Will they continue to lambast Chavez and his democratically-elected
government ... calling Chavez a dictator and a communist?<br><br>
<dd>Will they continue harbor Venezuelan criminals .. protecting them
from perfectly justifiable prosecution in Venezuela?<br><br>
<dd>Will they continue to “mess around” with Latin America ... like Plan
Colombia and the US-led “war” on drugs?<br><br>
</dl><font face="georgia" size=3>They seem to really love
<b><u>war</u></b> ... <b><u>war</u></b> on drugs, <u>war</u> on
terrorism, <b><u>war</u></b> on Iraq, <b><u>war</u></b> on anything that
is politically convenient and financially profitable ... oh ... and
assassinating thousands upon thousands of innocent women and children in
the process doesn’t count if the victims are not americans! <br><br>
Will they continue to talk against the Chavez government even though
Chavez has 59% voter support and 87% State-Governance support <i>(20 of
23 seats)</i>?<br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=4>Well, what to say? The USA
should learn from Venezuelan democracy... <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3>Previous to Chavez, Venezuela was in
as similar predicament as most americans find themselves in today.
Venezuelan was basically run by a two-party system, the Adecos and
Copeyanos ... 4 years one, four years the other ... all leaders made from
the same mold and born into the same caste ... the corrupt and almost
“untouchable” wealthy <i>(mostly white)</i> caste. <br><br>
Whatever democracy they preached was really a pseudo-democracy where the
mayors, governors, justices, institution presidents and military leaders
were appointed by the president <i>(and his gang)</i> and where the
president ruled the country mostly by presidential decrees, bribes and
favors ... the “old boy’s club.”<br><br>
Today, since Chavez, Venezuela has an elected representative National
Assembly and a referendum system which allows the average citizen to
question the honesty and effectiveness of elected officials half way
through their elected term of office.<br><br>
The two “old boy’s club” political parties are almost defunct ... and are
hanging off the fringes of the political system. New political parties,
more progressive and more diverse have sprouted and have entered the
picture. <br><br>
Participative democracy is very alive and well in Venezuela ... unlike in
the USA where americans have little choice but to elect either a
Republican or a Democrat <i>(both the same gang, dressed differently, as
it was in Venezuela in the past)</i>. </font>
<ul>
<li><font face="georgia" size=2><b>I don’t think that Bush is able to
learn anything from Venezuela’s democracy though.</b></font>
</ul><font size=3><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3><b><u>He</u></b> hasn’t learned a
thing about Venezuela in the last 4 years. However, the american people
can learn from Venezuela. Why should americans be stuck with two
traditional reigning political parties?<br><br>
We are living in a new world now, a world which is experiencing great
changes ... where the “traditional powers” no longer serve the citizenry
adequately and where the honesty and goodwill of the “traditional powers
and institutions” is being seriously questioned by people all over the
globe. <br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>The people of the USA should take a closer look at Venezuela for
guidance ... for a refreshing look at what true democracy is all
about.<br><br>
</dl><font face="georgia" size=4>Maybe they can learn something ...
especially since Bush can’t. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=5>Oscar Heck<br>
<a href="mailto:oscar@vheadline.com">oscar@vheadline.com<br><br>
</a></font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
</html>