America the Needy Third World Country
by Ian Mosley
Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez is lucky that the neocons in Washington are so bogged down in Iraq. Otherwise his country would be on the short list for “regime change.” Chavez irritated Bush and his Big Oil cohorts by offering low cost oil for poor Americans last winter. The US doesn’t seem so “great” when other nations are in a position to offer it humanitarian aid (with millions of Americans happy to accept it). Curiously, the Germans have sent foreign aid to places like Detroit, but news of “America the needy Third World country” is hard to find on the mainstream news (and impossible to find on Fox). George Bush sees himself as emperor of the world or some holy apocalyptic crusader. In reality Bush and his regime are plagued by scandals and an impeachment is almost certain if the Democrats win back the House in November. Hugo Chavez knows that Bush doesn’t have the extra troops to invade Venezuela –as if an excuse to do so could be reasonably fabricated.
A recent news article reports “Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez arrives in London today with an extraordinary promise to offer cut-rate heating oil for needy families in Europe, modelled on a similar campaign in the US which has been seen partly as a bid to embarrass President George Bush. Last night Chavez also issued a taunting obituary for the ‘American empire’ on the eve of a visit where he will be shunned by Downing Street but welcomed by London Mayor Ken Livingststone. Chavez said in Vienna yesterday that the ‘final hours of the North American empire have arrived … Now we have to say to the empire: ‘We’re not afraid of you. You’re a paper tiger.’ ‘ Referring to his supply of heating to poor American families last winter, Chavez told a meeting of political supporters: ‘I’d like to do the same here in Europe.’ ” (more…)