President Hugo Chavez
delivers his famous 'El Diablo' speech
in reference to President
George W, Bush -at the opening of
the U.N. General Assembly
almost seven years ago. Watch in
photo box below.
What Hugo Chavez Would Say about U.S. Surveillance (The Hankyoreh, South Korea)
"What would Chavez have said if he were watching Obama’s
sophistic defense of surveillance by the U.S., a country that draws on overwhelming
power to infringe upon the human rights and democracy of people around the world?
I think he would have said something like this: "Obama, I thought you were
just a glib talker, but it turns out that you're no different from that devil who
preceded you. I sense a whiff of hell’s sulfur from you, too!"
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez hands President Obama a book titled, 'Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent,' at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago, April 18, 2009. One can only imagine what the fiery Chavez would say about Edward Snowden and NSA surveillance.
In
March, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez was in critical condition following a
cancer operation. As I prepared an obituary for Chavez, a colleague of mine
joked, "Who is going to protect the world now that Chavez is gone?"
At
the time we all had a good laugh, and didn’t think much more of it, but looking
at the global situation today, I find myself wondering what the world would be
like if Chavez were still with us.
Already,
almost a month has passed since former NSA contractor
Edward Snowden revealed that the American government has been engaged in
illegal intelligence gathering, both inside the U.S. and overseas. However, the
U.S. government doesn’t seem very apologetic.
Barack
Obama, at one time a symbol of hope and change for people in the United States and
around the world, has been a huge disappointment.
"And
I guarantee you that in European capitals, there are people who are interested
in, if not what I had for breakfast, at least what my talking points might be
should I end up meeting with their leaders," Obama said. His response to
reports that the U.S. had bugged European Union offices was a "but they do
it too" style of excuse.
What
is even more unbelievable is how several European countries, who are themselves
victims of these programs, are serving as willing lackeys of the United States.
While attending a meeting in Russia, Bolivia President Evo
Morales told the press that he would consider granting Snowden asylum if he asked
for it. Shortly thereafter, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy blocked Morales’
presidential jet from passing through their air space, as it was thought that
Snowden might be aboard his plane.
Ultimately,
Morales had no choice but to make an emergency landing in Vienna to refuel -
and even there, he was only able to fly ahead after his plane was searched. The
Bolivia government is outraged, claiming that U.S. intelligence knew where
Snowden was - and schemed to block Morales’ plane in order to humiliate him.
There
is no doubt that Morales - who is the first left-leaning president of
indigenous origin in Bolivian history - looked pitiful as he sat in the airport
waiting room talking on the phone with a troubled expression on his face. While
the Bolivian government tried to save face by asserting that Morales had refused
to allow his plane to be searched, Austria said it had confirmed that Snowden
was not aboard.
After
returning home, Morales warned he might close the U.S. Embassy, and on July 4, South
American leaders gathered in Bolivia to demand an apology from several
countries including Spain. But this was little more than the diplomatic venting
of injured emotions. Though Venezuela and Nicaragua indicated a willingness to
grant Snowden asylum two days later, because his passport has been cancelled,
it will be impossible to bring him out of Russia without Moscow's active
cooperation.
What
would Chavez have done if he were still around? Wouldn’t he have been the first
to provide Snowden with documents proving his refugee status? If that didn’t
work, would he have sent a government aircraft to Sheremetyevo
Airport to pick him up? Even if complicated international circumstances kept
him from defying the U.S. through action, he would likely have spoken out to take
the U.S. down a few pegs.
During
a 2006 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Chavez showed off his
repertoire of verbal quips. "The devil came here yesterday," he said,
referring to the fact that former U.S. President George W. Bush had been at the
U.N. rostra. "It still smells of sulfur."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Chavez
didn’t go easy on Obama, either. During a media interview at the end of 2011,
Obama brought up the issue of human rights and the abuse of democracy in
Venezuela. Despite the fact that Chavez had recently been diagnosed with
cancer, he came out vigorously.
"It
seems that Obama is attacking Venezuela in an attempt to win the election next
year," Chavez observed. "Don’t say such irresponsible things, Obama.
You are such a clown. Why not just keep the promises you have made to your own
people?"
What
would Chavez have said if he were watching Obama’s sophistic defense of surveillance
by the U.S., a country that draws on overwhelming power to infringe upon the
human rights and democracy of people around the world? I think he would have
said something like this: "Obama, I thought you were just a glib talker,
but it turns out that you're no different from that devil who preceded you. I sense
a whiff of hell’s sulfur from you, too!"
