Like Che Guevera, President Chavez realizes that true power lies with the people

by Mary MacElveen

Many in the United States celebrate Columbus Day today in honor of Christopher Columbus who discovered the New World in 1492. It was already inhabited by Native Americans and other indigenous people of this region and was discovered only by accident when Columbus was searching for a western route to Asian markets.

Shortly after his discovery of this New World, the Europeans came...

What you may not know of this day is that on October 9, 1967, Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia while attempting to incite revolution. This is how the NY Times reported his death: "Che Guevara, the Latin revolutionary leader, was killed in a clash between guerrillas and Bolivian troops in southeastern Bolivia last Sunday." The NY Times reported that Washington, D.C. reacted cautiously to the report of Guevara’s death until fingerprinting showed conclusively that it was indeed Che Geuvera who (at the time of his assassination) was only 39 years old.

On Jul 22, 2006, Reuters factually reported that "Guevara, whose bearded image has become an international symbol of rebellion, helped Castro lead the Cuban revolution in 1959. Eight years later, he was captured by the CIA and executed in Bolivia, where at age 39 he was fighting to spread socialist revolution."

In a previous article in VHeadline.com, entitled ’Blow Back,’ I wrote" "The video recalls the CIA’s direct involvement in the assassination of Che Guevara ... but, through his assassination, it had a blow-back effect ... those who followed him, turned him into an icon ... we felt threatened because he sided with Fidel Castro."

So, by the United States direct involvement in his assassination, they gave him a power that would last years beyond his death.

On the back cover of a book written in 2004: "Chavez: Venezuela and the New Latin America," his daughter, Aleida Guevara says: "It is always thrilling to know a bit more about a human being who has decided to transform society, especially when that transformation is meant to improve the lives of his people."

That is what she said about Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez.

Now please pay attention to where it refers to power as President Chavez was quoted: "Those who have tried to damage my personal or political image for the special relationship I have with Fidel don’t realize that they’ve only given it more power."

Has the West in its reaction to President Chavez calling Bush "the Devil," helped him since the mainstream media in the United States continues to write so negatively of him? ...and there are still reactionary pieces written as we speak. I see many of them in email alerts but most are misplaced as they focus on those two words, ’the Devil’ ... cherry-picking words to enrage many.

I pay close attention to the Letters to the Editor sections in several newspapers here in the United States but I have not seen an explosion of anti-Chavez sentiment. In my local newspaper, Newsday, I immediately zeroed in on one particular letter (October 8, 2006):

George, defuse rhetoric

Well, Mr. President, you have done it again. You are so intent on playing hardball that you have forgotten what you are supposed to do as president: promote world peace.

You had a great opportunity to speak to two of your antagonists, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, while they were in New York, but you blew it. You made strict pre-conditions that you knew they would never accept before you would agree to talk to them.

I also do not agree with what both men are saying and doing, but as our president you must take the time and make the effort to talk to them to defuse the negative rhetoric and build a solution so that we can live together.

I wonder if the writer read the full text of President Chavez’ speech. As you can clearly see, his anger is rightfully directed at Bush ... the writer is throwing the ball back in Bush’s court, not Chavez’.

In the ’Conservative Voice’ a report headlined "Shunning CITGO" (by Jerry Falwell) invited readers to comment. So far only five have done so and here are snippets of what has been said: "I thought Chavez was quite popular with his people? After all he has been re-elected in reasonable legitimate elections." Notice the operative word "legitimate"? Now here is another, "George Pataki says "This person has no right coming to our country to criticize our president." he then goes onto say, "How does one qualify for the right to criticize the president? Isn’t the US supposed to be land of the free?"

Like Che Guevara, President Chavez realizes that the true power lies in the people.

In the United States, our own Declaration of Independence starts off with these three powerful words, "We the People." Here is an example of people exercizing their first amendment rights as guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

Many may have seen Che Guevara as a rebel and now see President Chavez as leading the rebellion against neo-conservatism.
At one time our framers were seen in that same light ... they all rebelled against what they saw as being tyrannical rule.

I wonder how they were seen by the British people of that day.

Mary MacElveen
mary@vheadline.com

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen