Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Strike a blow against the empire

I don't know about you, but there's only so much plodding through the mucky trail of kleptocrats and fascists (and, God help us, perhaps even worse) before I need to wash that crap right outta my mind.

Enter, Hugo Chavez. (And cue David Rovics.)

President Chavez's closing speech at the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre reminded me that so long as there are fascists, there will be anti-fascists. And the lyrics of folksinger Rovics continue to give me the hard-headed, honest hope that even when they win, their victories are neither eternal nor absolute, and will always meet resistance. We're way passed utopias here; we can't exactly kid ourselves anymore about building the New Jerusalem. But we may yet be able to light some more candles against the darkness.

And we do have our victories. The enduring fact of Hugo Chavez, for one. We need to remember that the bad guys don't always win. And nowhere do we find more examples of this than in Venezuela.

So a little mental hygiene today, on the side of the righteous angels who know what deserves rebellion.

Chavez addresses the World Social Forum


"When imperialism feels weak, it resorts to brute force.... They won't allow [journalists] to take pictures of the bodies of the dead soldiers, many of them Latinos, coming from Iraq. Those are signs of Goliath's weaknesses."

And when the time had come
And the Reich was at your door
When the fascist state was here
And they brought home the war...

April 22, 2002: the announcement Chavez has "resigned"


"If we don't make that better world possible, if we fail, and through the rifles of the U.S. Marines, and through Mr. Bush's murderous bombs, if there is no coincidence and organization necessary in the south to resist the offensive of neo-imperialism, and the Bush doctrine is imposed upon the world, the world will be destroyed."

When the Gestapo was in the city
And they had really taken power
When there was nothing left to do
Here in the final hour...


A soldier demonstrates solidarity during the coup


"One day the decay inside U.S. imperialism will end up toppling it, and the great people of Martin Luther King will be set free. The great people of the United States are our brothers, my salute to them.... We must start talking again about equality. The U.S. government talks about freedom and liberty, but never about equality. They are not interested in equality. This is a distorted concept of liberty. The U.S. people, with whom we share dreams and ideals, must free themselves… A country of heroes, dreamers, and fighters, the people of Martin Luther King, and Cesar Chavez."

Did you find a place to run to
And hope to live a few more years
When the slaughter was around you
Did you cover up your ears...


Protesters gather outside the presidential palace


"Everyday I become more convinced, there is no doubt in my mind, and as many intellectuals have said, that it is necessary to transcend capitalism. But capitalism can’t be transcended from with capitalism itself, but through socialism, true socialism, with equality and justice. But I’m also convinced that it is possible to do it under democracy, but not in the type of democracy being imposed from Washington. We have to re-invent socialism. It can’t be the kind of socialism that we saw in the Soviet Union, but it will emerge as we develop new systems that are built on cooperation, not competition."

Or did you set your sights...

The putchistas have fled the palace


"Privatization is a neoliberal and imperialist plan. Health can’t be privatized because it is a fundamental human right, nor can education, water, electricity and other public services. They can’t be surrendered to private capital that denies the people from their rights."

Take your aim and fire:

Chavez greeted, after the coup is overturned


Did you strike a blow against the empire?

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you. I know this research is hard work and long hours.
Your efforts are soooooo appreciated.
It is tiring watching and listening to so many lies, stupidity and apathy. So little reading, so little recognition of the obvious and soooooo little use of intuition in our world.
I wanted you to know you have been lighting my path and lightening the frustration since I found your page.
I missed you this morning and was glad to see the posting on a subsequent check - even if the content often makes me angrier.
Beyond that,you touched my heart and gave me goosebumps today.

8:49 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for the 'across the hemisphere' inspiration -- we especially needed some political & lyrical uplift after the slick "State of the Union" B.S.

Arriba Juntos, Hermanos!

"Thirsty Boots" (classic folk song)
By Eric Andersen

"You've long been on the open road,
You've been sleeping in the rain,
From dirty words and muddy cells
Your clothes are smeared and stained,
But the dirty words and muddy cells
Will soon be hid in shame
So only stop to rest yourself
Till you are off again.

Chorus:
So take off your thirsty boots
and stay for a while,
Your feet are hot and weary,
from a dusty mile,
And maybe I can make you laugh,
maybe I can try,
I'm just looking for the evening,
the morning in your eye.

So tell me of the ones you saw
As far as you could see
Across the plain from field to town
A-marching to be free
And of the rusted prison gates
That tumbled by degree
Like laughing children, one by one,
They look like you and me.

I know you are no stranger down
The crooked rainbow trails
From dancing cliff-edged shattered sills
Of slandered, shackled jails
For the voices drift up from below
As the walls they're being scaled
Yes, all of this, and more, my friend,
Your song shall not be failed."

*****************************
Viva Solidaridad,
almaverdad

12:20 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous One,somewhere I read that Hugo also said he was going to sell all the oil now exported to the US,to China.Looks like were about to see who really wants "their" oil the most. Some how this "monkey" from South America,is throwing a monkey wrench in the machine.The Boys from Miami are on the way as we speak,later.

6:19 a.m.  
Blogger Jeff Wells said...

Hi Jerky. I think, because he was addressing a largely Latino audience, his singling out King and Chavez was simply a way of saying "Hey, Americans are us, too."

BTW, thanks for the link yesterday!

6:31 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Grateful Anonymous Again:
Could your youth be showing?
When you follow "a dream"; when you reach "solidarity";
when you think across man made borders; when you identify as
a human being as opposed to "a white boy" you will know that when we marched behind Martin we were all his children.
We were not of a hue.......neither black, white, yellow nor brown.
WE WERE FAMILY.
RFK was the only other leader in my lifetime who dared fan the public fears by sharing that much love and respect.

10:17 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As for RFK, here's the truth about his murder: Yes, Sirhan Sirhan did fire a pistol in his general direction and wound a few people but none of his shots hit RFK. They weren't intended to. He was the diversion, to cause most everyone in the pantry to hit the floor. Everyone said Sirhan had a wild look in his eyes (he was hypnotized; the woman in the polka-dot dress whispered the "code word" in his ear that set off his programmed hypnosis). Anyway, when Sirhan started firing and almost everyone else hit the floor, the security guard (who had ties to Lockheed) behind RFK pulled out a pistol and shot him several times from behind at point-blank range. The guard's name was Thane Eugene Cesar. Even the coroner Nomaguchi I think his name was, he stated that the shots hitting RFK came from behind at point-blank range, leaving powder burns on his jacket. He was fired and had to sue to get his job back. The fact is, everyone present said Sirhan never got within 3 feet of Kennedy, let alone getting behind him and the security guard Cesar was in the exact right place to have been the shooter. This is why LAPD burned almost all the (over 4,000) photos from the crime scene investigationaas well as the incriminating ceiling tiles and the pantry swinging doors (with bullet holes in them). Also why the LAPD refused to declassify its records pertaining to the RFK assassination. Just a couple months ago there was talk of demolishing the Ambassador Hotel where it occurred; I guess the fascist hidden hand would be pretty glad to get that place turned into rubble; out of sight, out of mind as they say.

1:43 p.m.  
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