Thousands rally to welcome Chavez back to Venezuela after cancer surgery in Cuba
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/thousands-rally-to-welcome-chavez-back-to-venezuela-after-cancer-surgery-in-cuba/2012/03/17/gIQAfiVzIS_story.html

Same wire service, Associated Press, also published an article claiming HUNDREDS of people cheered Chavez' homecoming!

Hundreds rally to welcome Chavez home in Venezuela
National / World News 2:16 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2012
Hundreds rally to welcome Chavez home in Venezuela
By IAN JAMES
The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — Hundreds of Venezuelans rallied on Saturday to welcome President Hugo Chavez home from Cuba, where he underwent cancer surgery to remove a tumor.

Chavez waved, blew kisses and raised a fist on a balcony of Miraflores Palace, then took the microphone and sang along with a Venezuelan folk song while a band played below.

Below him, a crowd of supporters dressed in red cheered and waved flags.

Some wore T-shirts with Chavez's face emblazoned on them. Others said they're praying for the president's health. Many of the president's supporters said they fully expect Chavez to overcome his illness and win re-election in October.

More:
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/hundreds-rally-to-welcome-1388061.html

Presumably, the other news outlets claimed a few stragglers turned up, drunk, to lurch around yelling, or there were no well wishers whatsoever.

has maliciouly changed the figure. All other AP reports use the figure of thousands.

Welcome back Chavez.

....Hugo, a most beloved president....

....could Bill Clinton have rallied thousands of supporters from a balcony of our presidential palace?

....could the shrub have rallied thousands of supporters from a balcony of our presidential palace?

....could Barack Obama rally thousands of supporters from a balcony of our presidential palace?

....the answer is, no....because only in a real democracy are supporters allowed anywhere near a presidential palace....

Bravo.

Could Benito Mussolini rally thousands of supporters?

Could Adolf Hitler rally thousands of supporters?

Just askin'.

"...from a balcony of the presidential palace."

....I'm sure those nasty, evil dictators you mentioned above could force their people to do anything....but Bill, shurb, Barack and Hugo can't....

We've had gentlefolk attempt to gull readers with the old "presidential palace" crappola before, but as we know, there are Presidential Palaces, all over Latin America.

[center]

Presidential Palace, Bogota, Colombia



Quito, Ecuador's Presidential Palace



Good grief. Presidential Palace, Lima, Peru



La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace



The earlier Chilean Presidential Palace, being bombed
by the U.S.-supported Chilean military during its coup
in 1973 which destroyed the government of Salvador Allende.



Presidential Palace, Argentina



The First Family meeting President Rousseff
at the Presidential Palace in Brasilia.



Presidential Palace, La Paz, Bolivia



Estevez Palace, the old Presidential Palace
Montevideo, Uruguay. The new one is behind
the botannical gardens & I can't find a photo.



Neil Bush, leaving the Presidential
Palace in Asunción, Paraguay



Surinam's Presidential Palace



Guyana's Presidential Palace

see photo at this link: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/multimedia/pictures/detail.dot?mediaInode=94f21fdd-639b-47a6-9ebd-d49b09e7a4d2

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks from a balcony at Miraflores Palace in Caracas March 17, 2012. Chavez flew home on Friday after cancer surgery in Cuba, vowing to conquer the illness and win an October presidential election despite the need for radiation treatment. REUTERS/Miraflores Palace/Handout [/center]

We've had gentlefolk attempt to gull readers with the old "presidential palace" crappola before, but as we know, the president is not a regent and most citizens would probably object to the White House being termed so.

That's why they call them "Presidential Palaces," of course. It would be approrpriate to recognize that "palace" clearly means "residence," since those Presidents are not considered regents.

Wikipedia description of the word "palace":

A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop.[1] The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome.[1] In many parts of Europe, the term is also applied to ambitious private mansions of the aristocracy. Many historic palaces are now put to other uses such as parliaments, museums, hotels or office buildings. The word is also sometimes used to describe a lavishly ornate building used for public entertainment or exhibitions.[1]

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=ph&q=white+house+balcony&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=aZRlT4qcG6-4iAfn5NT6BQ&biw=1662&bih=1037&sei=jZRlT426LaKriAfcm9HZBQ

as to believe that people like Hitler and Stalin needed for 'force' the huge admiring crowds they drew?

who support this asshole and even call him a proper democratic president...

Guys, how about you actually live in Venezuela for a while and experience for yourselves the results of Chávez's now 14-year-old regime before you praise him? I'm Venezuelan myself, and I would at least know better than you guys.

We've been visited by many right-wing Venezuelans, or people claiming to be. We also have an American DU'er right now we love who lives in Venezuala right now, whose comments here are absolutely fantastic. Can't imagine anyone I would trust more than this DU'er concerning life in Venezuela.

Very happy to see your comments.

provide a valuable insight on Venezuela, and they are for the most part anti-Chavez. anti-authoritarianism is definitely not right wing. admittedly there are quite a few on the latin american forum who only know about latin america from Cuban or Venezuelan governments websites for the most part. they are clueless!!

He would acknowledge he, as a right-wing entity is actually posting at a website clearly designated as being created for Democrats, progressives.

One wouldn't EVER anticipate seeing anyone making this admission here but god knows wingers are fatally attracted to this message board hoping to disrupt what was meant to be great communication, learning, sharing among democrats and other progressives.

They've been seen boasting at right-wing boards concerning their successes here. That's no secret.

I have heard many sides of this argument, however, if you have facts as to how Venezuela is worse, I want to know

Do you live in Venezuela? If so, where?
How has life changed in the last 14 years?

The only times I didn't live there were between 2000 and 2003. Then I came back. Then I spent 10 months, between 2009-2010, in Europe as an exchange student. Then I decided to start my studies in FIU (because of how messed up the situation is in Venezuela, especially in Caracas, where I live) and left for Miami on Dec. 2010. Sure, I haven't exactly been living there since Dec. 2010, but I still go back every year for several weeks, and I also maintain contact with my close friends and family who still live there, and every day I watch out for news about what's going on in the country from a variety of sources.

Believe me, I will know more about what's going on in the country better than most people in this website. And before you accuse me of being some right-winger, or an anti-socialism capitalist, lemme just tell you that I sure as hell am NOT any of those things. I don't think at all that socialism is a bad thing. Hell, I only WISH that the US would embrace it, and hope that none of those GOP nutjobs running for president beat Obama this November. I probably have even less respect for those guys than Chávez himself.

Now, one might think that Chávez's ideas about the socialist agenda his government has sound good. But the truth is, the socialism he wants to impose there is NOT what he makes it out to be, and he merely uses the term as a way to win the hearts and minds of the poor. It's not the kind of socialism that European countries have. After nearly 14 years, inflation has gone through the roof, the country is barely producing anything for itself (we're importing almost everything now), which is likely a side-effect from his government forcefully taking away private firms and properties which used to be highly productive until they were seized. Crime rates have only gone up dramatically (approximately 13,000 murders a year, and that's without including those that nobody officially notices), media censorship is almost dictatorial, the infrastructure is in a horrible mess (this, of course, has much to do with the incalculable corruption within Chávez's government), our public education is mediocre at best, and Chávez himself has instigated a social-class war between the rich and the poor. His speeches are always filled with hate, always promoting hostility towards the "oligarchs".

He also sends enormous amounts of cash and resources to his buddies in Latin-America and other countries, namely the Castros in Cuba. He was also an avid supporter of Ghadafi, and that to this day, he still supports Bashar al-Assad, the man who right now is massacring his own people in Syria, and that the Chavez government is still sending oil to al-Assad to keep his war machine running. And what do we get in return for all these policies? Almost nothing, especially when compared to how much those governments get from us. All the while, he's purchasing old Russian and Chinese military hardware to arm his militias against God-knows-what when that money could instead be used to improve the country's infrastructure. He uses the excuse that it's to prepare for a potential US-led invasion, but we all know that's not gonna happen. Obviously he's arming his militia because he's afraid of the people revolting some day against his regime, so he's simply just assuring his spot as the man with the most guns. Oh, and let's not forget his association with other corrupt organizations like the close relationship he has with the Iranian government. There is nothing redeeming about this man, and for that, I wish he would not die, but instead rot in prison for the rest of his life in the case that he'd lose the October elections.

and welcome to DU.

....if I felt as strongly as you do, I'd return to Venezuela and work hard for the defeat of Hugo in October....

....and should Hugo be defeated in October, we will see if Hugo is a 'dictator' as many here claim....

....and in a year from Hugos' would-be defeat, we will all observe and judge just how much Venezuela has evolved into a capitalist utopia....I don't think anyone here has ever claimed Hugo was god-sent or perfect, but he is a fine Socialist alternative to your countrys' right-wing....

I really wonder if you know anything about the country if you inflate the murder rate by 700 to 1000%.

"According to its data, there were 19,336 homicides in 2011, up from 13,080 murders in 2010, an increase of almost 30%."
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1059.html

"The Venezuela Violence Observatory says at least 19,336 people have been killed this year, an average of 53 a day. "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16349118

Yes, I meant to say approximately 13,000.

But that still ain't a good number, now, is it? And that number was much lower during previous governments.

I do not believe Chavez is perfect, but for many poor people in Venezuela, he at least listen to them.
If I had the opportunity to talk to him, I would definately ask him about these problems. I have the same issue with the US president. Nothing is black and white, but things can get incrementally better.

The previous governments of Venezuela benefited the wealthy over the poor
Some were very wealthy, and many were very poor.

Chavez was elected because of this

Crime could go up, if there is better reporting. I do not know if this is the case, but it is a possibility. Previously, the police could have protected the wealthy over the poor and the perception of a crime free society could be created.

Here is relately fair article about this from the Crisis Group
http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/venezuela/38%20Violence%20and%20Politics%20in%20Venezuela.pdf

The last excerpt could be written about this country. There are cities in this country that have similar crime rates and we are allegedly a rich country. I could retort each Venezuelan anecdote with a US one.

I remember 20+ years ago, visiting Mexico and seeing armed guards (Army) at the Pemex station. I thought, "I could not imagine that in the US." Unfortunately this is so common in the US it does not cause people to bat an eye. There are check-points through out the country, under the guise of border control. We live in a police state, and although it has not been the cause of crime rates dropping in the US, if one wanted to spin the statistics that way, a case could be made. Police states have lower crime rates, but I do not argue for that type of governance.

As far as arming the military, Venezuela's spending pales in comparison to that of the US. Venezuela is not attempting to have a military presence in every other country. I would understand if you felt this way and moved to Iceland or Costa Rica or even Germany. But you moved to a more militaristic country than Venezuela. Gone are the days when most US citizens felt safer around police officers.

As far as being friends with and supporting dictators and other corrupt governments, perhaps you should look at the US government also. Mubarak's regime is just one example. There are many who we support, sell weapons to and trade with, who are heinous regimes.

No country is perfect, but I do not think that the opposition in Venezuela would necessarily make the country better. Giving away the countries natural resources to foreign countries is never a good idea. I believe that if Hugo Chavez did not attempt to right this wrong, there would never be articles about this in our papers.

This is not a competition about which country is better than the other. This is about how Chavez ain't doing shit to fix our problems, and the military spending doesn't help at all. If anything, there's actually MORE weapons in the country than there should be.

Protest all you want but I live in Guatemala and see that the MAJORITY of the people can't afford a computer, much less an internet connection. It's very convenient no, that the people who can afford to throw away that much money for an internet connection to the First World demand to be the voice of the poor who can barely afford to eat.

Haha. I was in Caracas last month. The *people* love Chavez. Those who don't are the people who miss all the pennies they were squeezing out of the poor to subsidize their oppressive lifestyles.

How amusing. Despicably so.

doesn't mean shit when he's been in power for nearly 14 years. The man has completely ignored the real problems that plague our country. Sure, he may have given more to the poor than the previous governments, but come on, he's already been in power longer than the last 2 governments combined, and crime rates are only getting worse, our inflation keeps growing, the country isn't producing SHIT except for oil, and even in that field, PDVSA is having huge financial problems. You compare a photo of Caracas today with one from 1998, and you'll see that slums and shanty towns have grown exponentially since then. Chavez hasn't distributed the wealth fairly among the population, all he's done is buy the poors' conscience with some extra cash here and there to make himself look like a selfless man, and blamed all the country's problems on previous governments and the US. But people will only buy that bullcrap for so long, and now it's gotten to the point that less and less people are believing that our problems are caused by forces outside of Chavez's control. It's been almost 14 goddamn years, for crying out loud! And with oil prices higher than ever, the amount of cash we're getting would've been more than enough to solve our problems, but alas, all we see is rampant crime, poor infrastructure, a weakening economy, and less production overall.

Don't think that every person who is financially comfortable hates the poor and oppresses them. Granted, I come from a wealthy family, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see a more fair socio-economic system to replace rampant capitalism. Hell, in fact, I kind of hate the über-consumerist society that the US consists of. I only wish the US could embrace the more socialist egalitarian policies that some European countries have, and that someday a cultural revolution takes place which makes them consider their overly consuming lifestyle. But Chavez's socialism is only a mask, a mask which he has cleverly used to gain support from the people while at the same time allowing him and his band of delinquents running his government to make themselves more rich than anybody else in the country.

I think reading between the lines of the usa mcpravda that Chavez is good for Venezuela

the things that are good for other countries mostly have bad repercussions when comes back to the oligarchy in the US. Then later if the oligarchy can't maintain or stomach the change in other places, they then yoke the general population and or others in their influence to make it better for the rich crybabies. To them people like Chavez are the Anti-Christ to their agenda and they try to treat them as such. It isn't so much about Chavez but more us needing to look in the mirror and seeing who the real puppeteers are

has reportedly suffered, he looked in pretty good condition on last evening's news.