Reply #29: and you said MY post was too long?

[dsa]

In spite of the length, you still didn't explain why Chavez needs a militia of two million people and why they are under his direct authority.

Read up on the German Sturmabteilung or SA, a paramilitary organ of the Nazi Party that reported directly to Hitler. Compare Venezuela's "citizen militia" that answers directly to Chavez. The parallels between them are uncanny. Chavez's people even refer to themselves defending "the fatherland"!

You may choose to dismiss it all as right-wing propaganda, and that is your choice. I look at Chavez and see the makings of the next dictator. He creates phony enemies in the Venezuelan upper classes and claims the U.S. is trying to assassinate him to mislead and take advantage of the poor he says he's fighting for. The German parallel came when Hitler focused the hatred of the lower classes against the "wealthy Jews" and against England and France for the harsh and unfair terms imposed on Germany after World War I. Chavez himself has even attacked the Jews when he said, "minorities, the descendants of those who crucified Christ, have taken over the riches of the world."

By distracting people with these threats, Chavez claims he needs extraordinary powers to protect the nation and return power to the downtrodden (just as Hitler did).

Chavez uses his militia to intimidate the opposition into offering nothing more than token resistance in elections until his cronies hold every office (just as Hitler did).

With control of the legislature, Chavez grants himself the power to rule be decree and rewrite the constitution to extend his presidential term indefinitely (just as Hitler did).

Chavez takes advantage of his new powers to further suppress the opposition by eliminating media outlets that criticize his actions (just as Hitler did).

Chavez proclaims foreigners and corrupt Venezuelans are responsible for all the country's economic woes, so the state seizes private land and businesses (just as Hitler did).

To further consolidate his power grab, Chavez proclaims the country is being undermined from without and within and must invest is a major military build-up to defend itself with massive purchases of guns and aircraft (just as Hitler did).

His revolution well in hand at home, Chavez turns his attention to nearby countries like Cuba, Peru, and Bolivia and begins providing direct support to revolutionaries sharing his anti-democratic views (just as Hitler did in Italy, Spain, Hungary, and Bulgaria).

Now with well-armed fanatical supporters at home and international allies, Chavez is emboldened to rattle his sabers and threatens to seize lands he believes are rightfully his--the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao (just as Hitler did in the Ruhr, Austria, and Czechoslovakia).

What happens next? I can't say, but I would not be at all surprise if an attempt is made to take the Dutch Caribbean islands ether by force or intimidation. If successful, as I suspect is likely given the Netherlands' dependence on Venezuelan oil, an invasion of Colombia could well be part of Chavez's future plans.


"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
- George Santayana