Hugo Chavez is dead

[Erik_Twice]

Surprisngly there will be elections. Let's see what happens.

[jfrost]

Can't say things will improve, but good riddance.

[Pulsar_t]

Can't say things will improve, but good riddance.

Real classy man As for myself I'm no fan of rhetoric but he tried to help the poor whom nobody cares for usually even if it's for electoral purposes.

[Retrodude]

As long as the elections are honest and the new leader wins fair and square, I can't see a reason for anyone to complain. Not that our electoral process is perfect, but it's about as fair as we could expect given the potential for trickery.

[flojocabron]

Can't say things will improve, but good riddance.

Real classy man As for myself I'm no fan of rhetoric but he tried to help the poor whom nobody cares for usually even if it's for electoral purposes.

The man wasn't truly evil, but he was getting there.

He was a dictator, plain and simple.

He had a firm grip on most everything in his country. He had brainwashed citizens, full control over the media, and oppressed people that were aganst him.

He also had fake, rigged elections. He would always win each time. The other candidates were just there for show. He supposedly gave the people a choice, and he would 'win' by a landslide.

And he loved ragging on the US and other powerful countries, It was like his hobby.

He needed a shtick, and his hatred of the USA fit the bill.

It boosted his ego even more when he knew Some of his crude oil was sent to the US. He would always say that without his oil the evil USA would come to a standstill.

There's more crazy stuff he did, but you can look into that.

One last thing, the vice president of Venezuela is still suggesting that Mr.Chavez's cancer (whatever cancer that did him in) was a US plot that succeeded.

[Zing]

I didn't realize we had Fox News employees active in our forum.

[Jmustang1968]

This thread should be an awesome one to follow today

[Luke]

I have an Aunt and Uncle who have been living in Venezuela since the 70's, so I"m looking forward to hear what they have to say on the subject.

[aaron]

This thread should be an awesome one to follow today

+1

also, paul bearer just died as well. my thought? hugo chavez = paul bearer.



think about it.

[Ack]

I didn't realize we had Fox News employees active in our forum.

Actually Flojo lives in Mexico, so his views would be influenced more by the relevant media there. I don't know how much Fox News has a hold there as opposed to things like Telemundo.

That said, some of what he said is correct. In the days leading up to Chavez's death, Venezuelan VP Nicolas Maduro kicked out two US military attaches and claimed the cancer might be a secret US plot. Chavez was known for his anti-US rhetoric, such as his "Yankee go home" slogan or his claims that George W. Bush was Satan while giving a speech for the United Nations.

Amongst his allies, he counted Cuba, Iran, and the FARC in Colombia. He wrote letters to imprisoned terrorist Carlos the Jackal and accused the Israelis of conducting a Holocaust on the Palestinians.

Internally he closed independent media sources who were critical of him and asserted control over the judicial system by firing judges who passed judgements he did not like. He arrested dissenters or opposition members, and many others fled the country. And to further his gains, he created numbers television stations, newspapers, and other media sources to proclaim his excellence.

The guy even once claimed that there no life was on Mars because of capitalism.

Look, love him or hate him (obviously I wasn't a fan), he had the hallmarks of a dictator. But he was also one of the most important political figures of the modern era. His influence will continue to be felt for generations worldwide, but especially in South and Central America.

And frankly it sucks for anyone to have to go through a several years long bout with cancer, regardless of how much we agree with them.