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?