CHAVEZ DRAFTS BIG BIRD

Hugo Chavez, the loveable President of Venezuela, has decided to shut down the only remaining nationally broadcast and oldest privately owned television station in the country, accusing the station of “subversive” activities. You remember ole Hugo, Jimmy Carter’s friend? Jimmy loaned a hand in helping to ensure Chavez’s very questionable election was “legitimate.”

Maybe you remember Hugo’s tirades at the United Nations last year, calling President Bush Satan and the devil, before a full assembly. He got a few nervous laughs with his comments, which made more than a few world leaders uncomfortable. He hates the United States, telling the UN General Assembly that the U.S. Government was the “first enemy” of its people. He says this as he systematically strips Venezuelans of their freedom.

He launched a new channel, TVES, with artists singing pro-Chavez songs over the airways. You can call this a first step toward imposing a gag on news media in Venezuela.

Hugo says he is just giving the airwaves back to the people by turning them over to public use. He calls this “democratizing” the airwaves. You know, kind of like PBS. Actually, exactly like PBS!

Early Sunday, according to the Associated Press, police broke up an opposition protest using water cannons and tear gas. Is anyone else having flashbacks of some of the shameful uses of force by some U.S. authorities during the civil rights struggle of the ‘60s…anyone?

The AP says “The government promises TVES will be more diverse, buying 70 percent of its content from independent Venezuelan producers. It will carry sports, news and an educational program for children emphasizing socialist values, as well as foreign-made programs such as National Geographic documentaries.” He must have stolen our playbook for PBS.

Someone tell me, why do my tax dollars pay for government TV in the U.S.A? I’ve had this discussion with many people and it always seems to boil down to the same answer, at least for me. All you have to do is watch it for a day and you’ll plainly see it keeps a lot of Democrats in this Country employed. It’s a 24 hour a day campaign commercial for everything government. It relies on government, it promotes government as your friend, is a voice for its very liberal-minded management and, if you watch the “children’s programming,” it indoctrinates our kids. All while putting a great face on the Democrat Party and scowling at anything pro-tradition or conservative. Much, much like TVES, I suspect! And this isn’t an attack on Democrats or a pro-Republican view I have…it’s simply anti-Public Broadcasting Service!

PBS is also a vehicle to get crummy programming aired that private stations would not purchase for viewing because there is no commercial interest. So let’s force the junk onto the people using the people’s own money. There is absolutely nothing democratic or capitalistic about that.

JD.

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