Palin calls elected leader a dictator, AP ignores error

from www.timlonghurst.ccom

Palin calls elected leader a dictator, AP ignores error
October 25th, 2008

Sarah Palin this week mistakenly called a democratically-elected president of a foreign state a dictator. In response, Hugo Chavez, who was in 2006 re-elected by a convincing 60% of voters, evoked Jesus, remarking, “Forgive her, for she knows not what she says.”.

So now you know the story: Chavez is not a dictator, he’s the popularly-elected leader of Venezuela. Palin didn’t know even this most basic fact about Venezuela, and yet felt qualified to threaten that country with sanctions.

The Associated Press’ version of this story does not once point out that Venezuela is a democracy. Without this significant piece of context, Palin’s inaccurate assertion that Chavez is a dictator goes unchallenged.

The gaffe of Palin’s may be unclear to many readers, and the dismissive nature of Chavez’ comments may seem unfairly condescending and out of line without any clarifying statements.

Here’s the story, as it appears at this moment, (archived in full for purposes of criticism/critique):

Venezuela’s Chavez: Palin a pitiful ‘beauty queen’

By RACHEL JONES

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a “poor thing” who didn’t know what she was saying when she called him a dictator.

Friday’s verbal attack was the latest in long history of creative insults by Chavez — but was not unprovoked.

In an interview with the U.S. Spanish-language network Univision aired Tuesday, Palin remarked that “through negotiations or sanctions, if necessary, we can pressure dictators like Hugo Chavez to make it clear that they cannot mess with the United States whenever they feel like it.”

Speaking at an event to inaugurate a thermoelectric plant, Chavez said he had heard of Palin’s remarks.

“The poor thing, you have to feel sorry for her,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Palin, he said, is “a beauty queen that they’ve put in the role of a figurine.”

Chavez said one must do as Christ did: “Forgive her, for she knows not what she says.”

Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate surprised the nation and prompted questions about her qualifications to serve as vice president. The McCain campaign had no comment on Chavez’ comment.

Palin, the governor of Alaska, says she would take the lead as vice president in energy policy, overall government reform and working with families who have special-needs children.

This article will almost certainly be syndicated by hundreds, if not thousands of news organisations around the world.

If such careless journalism had occured on a blog or other social media, an early commentor would almost certainly point out the complete lack of context.

Unfortunately, the Associated Press’ traditional publishing model leaves time-consuming details like accuracy or clarification at the door. Readers are not provided with so much as an email address to offer comments or express concern.

The article will be read unchallenged and unedited by thousands around the world.

He has co-opted all three branches of
government and rules as a unitary
executive with signing statements,
changes the law and the Constitution
at will, and answers to no one.

AND he was never elected.

Telling.

They can't keep their words straight.

"Hugo Chavez, friend of Fidel Castro...". That's how AP (and other Corpo/Fascist media) often describe him.

Yeah, well, he is also close friends and allies with Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (who said of Chavez, recently: "They can make up a lot of things to criticize Chavez, but not on democracy"), Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina, Tabare Vasquez, President of Uruguay, Fernando Lugo, President of Paraguay, Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua--and has at least a cooperative relationship with Michele Batchelet, President of Chile. He has visited many countries, seeking mutually beneficial trade--South and Central American countries, European countries, Russia, China, Iran (Venezuela is a member of OPEC). He is friends with the former mayor of London. He even buddied up to the Bush Cartel's President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, to defuse a series of disputes between them and get a new railroad built between their countries.

They never mention Lula da Silva's friendship and support of Chavez--although it is the key to almost everything that has been happening in South America recently and over the last 2-3 years. Their obsession with associating Chavez with the last communist government on earth, to the exclusion of all other facts, is obscene--and weird. And intentional.

-------------

"Hugo Chavez, whom critics say is becoming increasingly authoritarian...".

The "his critics say" device--most often used with no attribution, no quotes--is straight from the Bushwhack CIA (or, as I found out, researching AP's early use of this disinformation technique, straight from the pulpit of the most fascist Catholic cardinal in Venezuela, a guy who spent his entire career in the Vatican finance office, and got fired in the fascist banking scandals of the 1980s).

Chavez is no more "authoritarian" than FDR was--who also was called a "dictator" by the rightwing press and the "organized money" (FDR's phrase) of his era.

Strong leftist leaders are always having to prove that they are not Stalin--the madman who seized control of the Russian Revolution, and restored the Tsarist regime under a different name: communism. A tragedy, and a horror, but less the fault of communism, as an idea, than it was the fault of Russia's complete lack of democratic traditions and institutions. And the threat of Hitler's rise didn't help--feeding Stalin's paranoia, and involving Russia in yet another European war, at horrendous cost to the Russian people, and one that they were not prepared for. Stalin went starkraving mad trying to outmaneuver Hitler, and assassinated the entire political leadership of Russia AND of the Russian military, just before the war started.

It was to Stalin that the famous quote is attributed: "It's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes."

So, who is Stalin today? Chavez, who has been elected twice and won a recall, with increasing margins of victory (the latest in 06--with 63% of the vote) in one of the most honest and transparent election systems in the world? Or Bush, crowned by the Supreme Court in a coup d'etat in 2000, and re-(s)elected in 2004, with new electronic voting systems, fast-tracked all over the country, run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by Bushite corporations, with virtually no audit/recount controls--plus massive and illegal vote suppression?

Who has slaughtered a million people to get their oil? Who tortures prisoners? Who shredded the Constitution and the rule of law? Who stole two elections? Who has stirred up racism and hatred of gays, and has perpetrated assaults on the rights of women?

Not Chavez.

Chavez is a democrat with a small d. His government recently proposed an equal rights amendment for women and gays? Name a "dictator" who would do that! His government invites numerous international election monitors to help design election laws to insure fairness, to crawl all over Venezuela during elections, and to write up reports afterwards. What "dictator" would do that? His government encourages maximum citizen participation in setting government budget priorities and in all policy. He is the servant, not the dictator, of the amazing social movements that put him in office, and that kept him there, when the Bush-supported fascist coup kidnapped him, threatened his life and suspended the Constitution, the courts, the National Assembly (congress) and all civil rights. How many "dictators" do the people of the country rescue from a coup d'etat, and restore to office?

The only entities that Chavez "dictates" to are entities like Exxon Mobil, of whom he has--in the name of his people, and in their best interest--demanded FAIR contracts for oil exploitation in Venezuela. He didn't even nationalize the oil. That was done before his time--by rightwing governments. He merely got Venezuela a much better deal. And, finally, he is using that money to bootstrap Venezuela's vast poor majority--with education, universal health care, help to small business and other benefits--and has also produced a nearly 10% economic growth rate, with the most growth in the private sector. Venezuela now has nearly $40 billion in international cash reserves, and is well-cusioned against the Bushwhacks' recent financial 9/11. The Chavez government has also helped other governments in the region in many different ways, including helping to bail them out of ruinous World Bank/IMF loans before this man-made financial tsunami hit the world.

Who is the "dictator"? Chavez or Bush?

There is NO EVIDENCE that Chavez is a "dictator"--none, zero, zilch--and overwhelming evidence that he is a beneficial leader and a strong, indeed, fervent believer in democracy.

Do the Associate Pukes EVER put this context in articles about Chavez? They do the opposite. They leave out all relevant context, and emphasize what they damn please--what serves their Corpo/Fascist masters.

Disinformation is not just outright lies. It is the black holes between the lines, where context should be. It is the highly selective facts. It is the use of tactics like "his critics say" to promote the views of a small minority without mentioning the views of the vast majority. It is a totally screwy viewpoint that serves the interests of the Corpo/Fascists who own the media. It is the implications against Venezuelan voters and citizens that they would tolerate a "dictator" and repeatedly elect him. It is the implication that Venezuela voters are stupid peasants who don't know what they're doing, when the wise guys of the Corpo/Fascist media know what's what, don't ya know? Their so-called 'news' articles wreak of their utterly cynical view that democracy doesn't work, and that only they and their Dark Lords know what's good for people. They are toadies and whores, who went to the Karl Rove School of Pre-written Outcomes.

--------------

*(Venezuela uses electronic voting, but it is an OPEN SOURCE CODE system--anyone may review the code by which the votes are tabulated--and they additionally handcount a whopping 55% of the votes, as a check on machine fraud. The U.S., on the other hand, uses 'TRADE SECRET' CODE programming, in all of its election systems--code that not even our secretaries of state are permitted to review--and half the systems in the country have NO AUDIT/RECOUNT CONTROLS AT ALL, and the other half do a miserable 1% audit (totally inadequate in a 'TRADE SECRET' CODE system). Furthermore, the SECRET code that counts the votes is owned and controlled by known, partisan, rightwing, Bushite corporations! (Venezuela's code is owned by the public.) Now tell me, who is a genuine representative of his people, and who is a "dictator" who doesn't give a fuck what the people of his country think?)

(AP never reports on these facts, and in truth was collusive in the theft of the 2004 election. All the results of the 'TRADE SECRET' programming formulae went through an AP computer to our TV screens, where the exit polls that said Kerry won were scrubbed, and then doctored in order to force them to fit the results of Diebold and brethren's 'TRADE SECET' CODE. AP's goddamn lies about Chavez are just the tip of the iceberg of their lies about EVERYTHING.)