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Chavez says he will seek unlimited presidential terms
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View this Thread in Original format
| DevilDogUSMC |
Chavez sworn in for radical new term in Venezuela
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was sworn in on Wednesday for a new six-year term that he vowed to use to press a radical socialist revolution including nationalizations that have roiled financial markets.
Emboldened by his landslide re-election win, the typically combative anti-U.S. leader has gone on the attack, deciding to strip a private opposition TV channel of its license and take over some major companies owned by foreign investors.
"Fatherland, socialism or death -- I take the oath," Chavez said.
The man who calls Cuban President
Fidel Castro his mentor changed tradition by draping the presidential sash from his left shoulder instead of his right in what he says is a symbol of his socialist credentials.
Legislators at the ceremony in Congress chanted "Long live socialism."
Investors took fright this week at the leftist drive that further consolidates power in the hands of a former coup leader who already controls Congress, the courts and says he has total support in the army and the giant state oil company.
As the United States criticized Chavez's moves against private property, the stock market lost almost a fifth of its value on Tuesday, debt prices tumbled to a six-week low and the currency changed hands at nearly twice the official rate
Still, buoyed by strong oil revenues and high popularity, Chavez is expected to ride out any economic and political storm.
In his political career, the former army officer has survived jail, a coup and a recall referendum.
A leading anti-U.S. voice in the world and in the vanguard of a shift to the left in Latin America, Chavez now wants to scrap presidential term limits and lead the
OPEC nation for decades.
Chavez, who rode to Congress for the swearing-in ceremony in an open-top car waving at crowds of supporters, has said his new term's plans include stripping the central bank of its autonomy and taking on special legislative powers.
The opposition has accused Chavez, in power since 1999, of seeking to transform the fourth-biggest oil exporter to the United States into a Cuban-style centralized economy.
BLANK CHECK FROM VOTERS?
Chavez, who won 63 percent of the vote in December, has amplified comparisons with Castro by creating a single party to steer his revolution, but insists he will always tolerate opposition.
By now focusing on the media and utilities in his new term, he is homing in on two sectors that could complete his state control.
"Chavez interprets the election result as giving him a blank check to develop a program that runs against the interests of Venezuela and only serves to benefit himself," Omar Barboza, a leading opposition official, told Reuters.
Chavez insists he needs more power to save Venezuela from exploitation and even attack by capitalist countries, particularly the United States, whose
President George W. Bush he has labeled "the devil."
Chavez's nationalization plans remain hazy and the utilities and foreign investors want to know whether he plans to take a 51-percent governing stake or seize all of their enterprises.
Chavez has already confiscated large cattle ranches. But his decision to nationalize the country's biggest telecommunications company CANTV and power firms represents a bold new policy.
Still, investors have generally stayed in Venezuela while Chavez has been in office because the country has high revenue as one of the world's top exporters.
Investment bank Morgan Stanley said in a research note, "We continue to see oil prices as ultimately the key driver" of investments.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070110.../venezuela_dc_8 |
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| Shakka |
| This is what Star-Traveller calls "Sovereign Democracy." |
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| MisterOpus1 |
Is there some reason why we continue to see new threads created on the actions of Chavez? Can we not have a bit of consolidation here? Does this guy really merit that much attention to have multiple threads created about him?
Jesus, you'd think he's become the next bin Laden or something - I don't even think bin Laden had as many consecutive threads at once. |
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| Shakka |
| quote: | Originally posted by MisterOpus1
Is there some reason why we continue to see new threads created on the actions of Chavez? Can we not have a bit of consolidation here? Does this guy really merit that much attention to have multiple threads created about him?
Jesus, you'd think he's become the next bin Laden or something - I don't even think bin Laden had as many consecutive threads at once. |
+1. I'm gonna start a new one! |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shakka
This is what Star-Traveller calls "Sovereign Democracy." |
Call it what you will but it still putting lipstick on a pig. |
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| DevilDogUSMC |
| quote: | Originally posted by MisterOpus1
Is there some reason why we continue to see new threads created on the actions of Chavez? Can we not have a bit of consolidation here? Does this guy really merit that much attention to have multiple threads created about him?
Jesus, you'd think he's become the next bin Laden or something - I don't even think bin Laden had as many consecutive threads at once. |
I think it's a better thread for a debating forum than your
dumb 'omg cheney is going to pennsylvania'. |
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| MrSquirrel |
| quote: | Originally posted by DevilDogUSMC
I think it's a better thread for a debating forum than your
dumb 'omg cheney is going to pennsylvania'. |
You are new here, so you obviously don't understand what goes for a joke around these parts.
That your your Bush apologist thought processes are so muddled that you actually think that your gloom and doom about things that really are inconsequential is more important.
Chavez has gained more power through the Bush administration's rhetoric and policy than he would have had had we just shut up about him and let him be.
MrS |
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| MisterOpus1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by DevilDogUSMC
I think it's a better thread for a debating forum than your
dumb 'omg cheney is going to pennsylvania'. |
Occasionally, a bit of humor is needed to portray the leaders of this Administration. My point stands about the incessant Chavez threads. Since we're on this topic, I'm curious as to why you seemingly imply him as such a threatening figure versus all the other dictators that the U.S. and our Administration openly supports that can be easily considered much more ruthless to their people versus Chavez. |
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| DevilDogUSMC |
And how come you guys go nuts if Bush does anything that
can be construed as hurting civil liberties or our freedom, but
a president like chavez or putin rollback democratic
reforms and you're all silent? You change the subject of
the thread, you question the need for a thread about a new
news article about a country's presidential election.
You don't like the thread's name or topic, here's a thought,
don't click it or post :eek: You're not going to push me
around saying I can't make a thread because like you keep
saying 'I'm new here and a noob'. Screw you and your superiority
complex. Last time I checked there's no guidelines are what
to post here and you're not a moderator.
New person comes in who doesn't share your narrow point of
views and I can't express myself?
F*ck off and get off my back because it's not another bash
Bush/America thread. This goes to both of you. You don't think
it's an important subject on a political debate forum, then
don't participate, no one is making you read/debate it. |
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| MisterOpus1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by DevilDogUSMC
And how come you guys go nuts if Bush does anything that
can be construed as hurting civil liberties or our freedom, but
a president like chavez or putin rollback democratic
reforms and you're all silent? You change the subject of
the thread, you question the need for a thread about a new
news article about a country's presidential election. |
I disagree with Chavez and Putin's actions, but I tend to be a bit more concerned about my own President in my own country a wee bit more, especially since we are supposed the the beacon of liberty and democracy.
On the same token, why are you not just as, if not more concerned about our president's actions of stripping away our civil liberties in the same manner as you are about Chavez? You are an American citizen, are you not?
| quote: | You don't like the thread's name or topic, here's a thought,
don't click it or post :eek: You're not going to push me
around saying I can't make a thread because like you keep
saying 'I'm new here and a noob'. Screw you and your superiority
complex. Last time I checked there's no guidelines are what
to post here and you're not a moderator. |
Easy, chief. I won't pretend to be a moderator nor would I ever want to be one. My intention was not to "push you around" - it was only a suggestion and has only the power of such. It was a suggestion for future reference, nothing more.
| quote: | New person comes in who doesn't share your narrow point of
views and I can't express myself?
F*ck off and get off my back because it's not another bash
Bush/America thread. This goes to both of you. You don't think
it's an important subject on a political debate forum, then
don't participate, no one is making you read/debate it. |
I fully commend and welcome your point of views despite my disagreeance with most of them. That is not the point of my complaint or suggestion, so let's dismiss that straw man altogether. I simply ask that you combine your threads upon a very similar topic rather than creating a multitude of threads instead. As stated before, there's no need or justification for moderator intervention that I could possibly think of here, so please temper your concerns a bit. |
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| DevilDogUSMC |
| quote: | Originally posted by MisterOpus1
I disagree with Chavez and Putin's actions, but I tend to be a bit more concerned about my own President in my own country a wee bit more, especially since we are supposed the the beacon of liberty and democracy.
On the same token, why are you not just as, if not more concerned about our president's actions of stripping away our civil liberties in the same manner as you are about Chavez? You are an American citizen, are you not?
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I never made my opinion on a domestic issue in regards
to our President and his actions on our civil liberties
here. That being said, it's not fair that I am judged
as not caring.
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On the chavez threads, this is only my second thread about
him. Maybe I could have if I wanted to, posted it in another
chavez thread. But considering most somehow turn off-topic
into a Bush bashing thread, I decided to make a fresh one
as I believe I have the freedom to.
Sue me. I'm not going to be intimitated by some 'dudes on
the internet'. |
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