“The usually vivacious Hugo Chavez, 56, confirmed in a stern speech on Thursday night he had surgery in Cuba to remove a cancerous tumor and was receiving more treatment.” — Reuters
President Hugo Chavez is an iconic figure like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, millions are breathing a sigh of relief that he isn’t on his death bed. Although Chavez has cancer, hopefully he will be around for many more years.
Chavez may be reviled by the political elite in the United States, but he is beloved by the poor in Venezuela and America. While George W. Bush had nothing but platitudes for the poor who couldn’t afford heating oil in the winter of 2008, Chavez delivered free heating oil to needy American families.
Hugo Chavez hasn’t forgotten his working class roots, he has greatly improved the lives of the poor in Venezuela. Chavez hasn’t used Venezuela’s oil wealth to enrich himself, he has put it to good use improving the standard of living for millions of Venezuelans.
Chavez has fought American hegemony in South America, he is a valiant underdog fighting the imperial United States.
The President of Venezuela spoke for only 15 minutes when he admitted he was fighting cancer, hopefully he will soon be making hour-long speeches railing against Americana imperialism.
Get well amigo, you have many supporters in the United States.
Over the years, Republicans have successfully sold and marketed Ronald Reagan as the iconic American leader, worthy of his face being carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. To the G.O.P faithful, Ronald Reagan was a leader of messianic heights. He was the man who made America proud — a pure conservative, the man who won the cold war, cut taxes, shrank the government, saved the economy, and — was the most beloved president since FDR.
Pure Baloney!
On the contrary, Reagan did almost exactly what every modern Republican has done: Escalate the race wars, reward the rich with tax cuts, insanely expand the military industrial complex — to “bribe” the real “owners” of America — big business.
Most historians agree that Reagan’s waste-ridden military buildup didn’t actually “win the Cold War” …..and, his myth-makers ignore his real contributions; a willingness to talk to his Soviet adversaries and his genuine desire to eliminate nuclear weapons.
George H. W. Bush’s and Bill Clinton’s rolling back of Reaganomics during the 1990s spurred a decade of peace and prosperity as well as the reactionary campaign to pump up the myth of Ronald Reagan and restore right-wing hegemony over Washington. This effort has led to war, bankrupt energy policies, and coming generations of debt.
In regards to Africa and Central America — Reagan’s legacy was caricatured by non other than South Africa’s Bishop Desmond Tutu, who called his policies “immoral, evil, and totally un-Christian.”
Bishop Tutu spoke these words on Capitol Hill at a US committee hearing in late 1984. It was just after Reagan’s easy re-election. Tutu had just been awarded the Nobel peace prize for his non-violent struggle against apartheid in South Africa — while throughout the United States, a rising number of Americans were calling for U.S. companies to stop doing business there.
Reagan refused to listen, instead the president of so-called sunny optimism attempted to blind Americans with his policy of “constructive engagement” with the apartheid white minority regime in Pretoria.
All constructive engagement did was give the white minority more time to mow down the black majority in the streets and keep dreamers of democracy, such as Nelson Mandela, behind bars. [ READ MORE ]
Following discovery of the first cases of AIDS in 1981, it soon became clear a national health crisis was developing. But President Reagan’s response was “halting and ineffective,” according to his biographer Lou Cannon. Those infected initially with this mysterious disease — all gay men — found themselves targeted with an unprecedented level of mean-spirited hostility.
A significant source of Reagan’s support came from the newly identified religious right and the Moral Majority, a political-action group founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. AIDS became the tool, and gay men the target, for the politics of fear, hate and discrimination. Falwell said “AIDS is the wrath of God upon homosexuals.” Reagan’s communications director Pat Buchanan argued that AIDS is “nature’s revenge on gay men.”
Eugene Jarecki: Remembering the Real Reagan
—————————————————————————————- Here are some more things conservatives don’t want you to know about Reagan:
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Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of President Reagan’s birth, and all week, conservatives tried to outdo each others’ remembrances of the great conservative icon. Senate Republicans spent much of Thursday singing Reagan’s praise from the Senate floor, while conservative publications have been running non-stop commemorations. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee and former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich are hoping to make a few bucks off the Gipper’s centennial.
But Reagan was not the man conservatives claim he was. This image of Reagan as a conservative superhero is myth, created to unite the various factions of the right behind a common leader. In reality, Reagan was no conservative ideologue or flawless commander-in-chief. Reagan regularly strayed from conservative dogma — he raised taxes eleven times as president while tripling the deficit — and he often ended up on the wrong side of history, like when he vetoed an Anti-Apartheid bill.
ThinkProgress has compiled a list of the top 10 things conservatives rarely mention when talking about President Reagan:
1. Reagan was a serial tax raiser
As governor of California, Reagan “signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state up till then.” Meanwhile, state spending nearly doubled. As president, Reagan “raised taxes in seven of his eight years in office,” including four times in just two years. As former GOP Senator Alan Simpson, who called Reagan “a dear friend,” told NPR, “Ronald Reagan raised taxes 11 times in his administration — I was there.” “Reagan was never afraid to raise taxes,” said historian Douglas Brinkley, who edited Reagan’s memoir. Reagan the anti-tax zealot is “false mythology,” Brinkley said.
2. Reagan nearly tripled the federal budget deficit
During the Reagan years, the debt increased to nearly $3 trillion, “roughly three times as much as the first 80 years of the century had done altogether.” Reagan enacted a major tax cut his first year in office and government revenue dropped off precipitously. Despite the conservative myth that tax cuts somehow increase revenue, the government went deeper into debt and Reagan had to raise taxes just a year after he enacted his tax cut. Despite ten more tax hikes on everything from gasoline to corporate income, Reagan was never able to get the deficit under control.
3. Unemployment soared after Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts
Unemployment jumped to 10.8 percent after Reagan enacted his much-touted tax cut, and it took years for the rate to get back down to its previous level. Meanwhile, income inequality exploded. Despite the myth that Reagan presided over an era of unmatched economic boom for all Americans, Reagan disproportionately taxed the poor and middle class, but the economic growth of the 1980′s did little help them. “Since 1980, median household income has risen only 30 percent, adjusted for inflation, while average incomes at the top have tripled or quadrupled,” the New York Times’ David Leonhardt noted.
4. Reagan grew the size of the federal government tremendously
Reagan promised “to move boldly, decisively, and quickly to control the runaway growth of federal spending,” but federal spending “ballooned” under Reagan. He bailed out Social Security in 1983 after attempting to privatize it, and set up a progressive taxation system to keep it funded into the future. He promised to cut government agencies like the Department of Energy and Education but ended up adding one of the largest — the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which today has a budget of nearly $90 billion and close to 300,000 employees. He also hiked defense spending by over $100 billion a year to a level not seen since the height of the Vietnam war.
5. Reagan did little to fight a woman’s right to choose
As governor of California in 1967, Reagan signed a bill to liberalize the state’s abortion laws that “resulted in more than a million abortions.” When Reagan ran for president, he advocated a constitutional amendment that would have prohibited all abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother, but once in office, he “never seriously pursued” curbing choice.
6. Reagan was a “bellicose peacenik”
He wrote in his memoirs that “[m]y dream…became a world free of nuclear weapons.” “This vision stemmed from the president’s belief that the biblical account of Armageddon prophesied nuclear war — and that apocalypse could be averted if everyone, especially the Soviets, eliminated nuclear weapons,” the Washington Monthly noted. And Reagan’s military buildup was meant to crush the Soviet Union, but “also to put the United States in a stronger position from which to establish effective arms control” for the the entire world — a vision acted out by Regean’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, when he became president.
7. Reagan gave amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants
Reagan signed into law a bill that made any immigrant who had entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty. The bill was sold as a crackdown, but its tough sanctions on employers who hired undocumented immigrants were removed before final passage. The bill helped 3 million people and millions more family members gain American residency. It has since become a source of major embarrassment for conservatives.
8. Reagan illegally funneled weapons to Iran
Reagan and other senior U.S. officials secretly sold arms to officials in Iran, which was subject to a an arms embargo at the time, in exchange for American hostages. Some funds from the illegal arms sales also went to fund anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua — something Congress had already prohibited the administration from doing. When the deals went public, the Iran-Contra Affair, as it came to be know, was an enormous political scandal that forced several senior administration officials to resign.
9. Reagan vetoed a comprehensive anti-Apartheid act
….Which placed sanctions on South Africa and cut off all American trade with the country. Reagan’s veto was overridden by the Republican-controlled Senate. Reagan responded by saying “I deeply regret that Congress has seen fit to override my veto,” saying that the law “will not solve the serious problems that plague that country.”
10. Reagan helped create the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden.
Reagan fought a proxy war with the Soviet Union by training, arming, equipping, and funding Islamist mujahidin fighters in Afghanistan. Reagan funneled billions of dollars, along with top-secret intelligence and sophisticated weaponry to these fighters through the Pakistani intelligence service. The Talbian and Osama Bin Laden — a prominent mujahidin commander — emerged from these mujahidin groups Reagan helped create, and U.S. policy towards Pakistan remains strained because of the intelligence services’ close relations to these fighters. In fact, Reagan’s decision to continue the proxy war after the Soviets were willing to retreat played a direct role in Bin Laden’s ascendancy.
Conservatives seem to be in such denial about the less flattering aspects of Reagan; it sometimes appears as if they genuinely don’t know the truth of his legacy. When liberal activist Mike Stark challenged hate radio host Rush Limbaugh on why Reagan remains a conservative hero despite raising taxes so many times, Limbaugh flew into a tirade and demanded, “Where did you get this silly notion that Reagan raised taxes?”
While appearing on Fox News, Ollie North told Sean Hannity, the sickest son-of-abitch on TV (second only to Glenn Beck), that President Barack Obama is “willing to be obsequious to our adversaries…“. The “Contra Butcher” Oliver North, added: “Obama has core philosophy of being anti-American.“
Why is North a butcher?
Lt. Col. Oliver North was a Ronald Reagan point man in Central America in the 80′s, as he(Reagan) used CIA trained death squads to slaughter hundreds of thousands of citizens of Guatemala and Nicaragua — Bush-Iraq style — in the name of “freedom” Democracy, and defeating the Communists (Terrorists)!
Yep, “Neo-Colonial” Freedom to grab and exploit your resources!
Let me cut Reagan some slack — for most American presidents are guilty of similar acts, but Bush’s and Reagan’s misuse of the CIA stand out, additionally, Bush slaughtered one million plus Iraqis.
In 1988, North was indicted for crimes for his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. He was found guilty on three counts — which in 1990 were overturned on the feeble basis of the limited immunity granted by the congressional hearing.
This deadly criminal and his associates are roaming free in the new millenium — hosting “War Stories” on Fox TV!
Iran Contra Cover-Up: 1 of 8
North later wrote this about fellow blood-thirsty criminal George W. Bush:
“As evidenced by his words and actions, President Bush apparently recognizes the truths that his faith dictates, fundamental truths that include hope that others will accept Jesus Christ as their savior. This is the desire of every Christian. We’re supposed to respect the beliefs of others — and pray that God will grant the openness of heart and mind to see the truth to those who do not understand or accept. …We’re blessed to have such a man as our president.“
North Condemning Iran — The Same People He Sold Arms To!
Asshole Hannity: “For people in” NY, a million dollars “is not the money that … people around the country think that it is“
Hannity perpetuates false claim that 50 percent of households “don’t pay taxes” — Sean Hannity again repeated the false claim that “50 percent of [households] aren’t paying taxes.” In fact, while the Tax Policy Center has estimated that 47 percent of American households pay no federal income taxes, the “vast majority” of these households reportedly pay other federal taxes.
MediaMatters: Blaming President Obama’s policies, Karl Rove and Fox & Friends highlighted a Rasmussen poll (The Republican Propaganda Pollster) finding that 66 percent of respondents believe America is “overtaxed.” In doing so, Rove and Fox & Friends completely obscured the fact the vast majority of Americans paid lower federal taxes this year as a result of Obama’s policies; moreover, the Rasmussen poll they cited also found that most respondents overestimate the tax rate paid by the average American. [ READ ]
Despite historically low tax burden, Rove, Fox & Friends push myth that America is “overtaxed“
MediaMatters: Fox doesn’t need to understand Obama’s NASA plan to attack it — During the April 14 broadcast, Fox & Friends falsely claimed that President Obama is “slashing” NASA’s budget; that Buzz Aldrin is “blasting Obama” about his proposals for NASA; and that the administration’s plans could mean astronauts “won’t even exist down the road.” [ READ MORE ]
This happened towards the end of his second term in 1984. The “MYTHICAL” Republican used the word NEGRO — a racist slur when referring to the ethnicity of African Americans, despite the fact that the term is still used in some contexts for historical reasons such as in the name of the United Negro College Fund.
Note: Reagan wasn’t a very bright man. His oratorical skills camouflaged this weakness quite effectively. The old man was as much a LYING WAR-MONGERING THUG as George Bush.
Ronald Reagan was a serially lying Republican with a heart of darkness who made Americans feel good about themselves. He supported and propped apartheid South Africa government, claiming in 1985 that the “reformist administration” of South Africa had “eliminated the segregation that we once had in our own country.” In 1986, Reagan gave a speech where he said Mandela should be released but denounced sanctions with crocodile tears, claiming that they would hurt black workers, who were already ridiculously impoverished.
Reagan’s go-slow speech was denounced by Bishop Desmond Tutu, who said: “I found it quite nauseating. I think the West, for my part, can go to hell . . . Your president is the pits as far as blacks are concerned. He sits there like the great, big white chief of old.”
Later in 1986, Reagan made his greatest demonstration yet that black bodies were “expendable.” Congress had finally had enough of the carnage to vote for limited sanctions. Reagan vetoed them. Congress overrode the veto. Reagan proceeded to put no muscle behind the sanctions. Mandela remained in jail and at least 2000 political prisoners remained detained without trial.
In 1987, Reagan published a report that said additional sanctions “would not be helpful.” The gleeful South African foreign minister, Roelof Botha, said Reagan “and his administration have an understanding of the reality of South Africa.”
Reagan’s and Botha’s “reality” was rendered a fantasy by the force of world opinion and a more enlightened leadership inside South Africa.
Only a year after Reagan left office, Mandela was released. One can only wonder how much sooner he would have been released and how many lives would have been saved had Reagan not behaved like the white chief of old.
The Gipper was as EVIL as every Republican I have ever heard of. They ALL are …anyway! [ READ MORE ]
New York Times: Ghana’s democratic elections and comparatively well-managed economy are still not the norm in Africa, and the list of imploding, unstable countries is long.
Mr. Obama says he chose Ghana to “highlight” its adherence to democratic principles and institutions, ensuring the kind of stability that brings prosperity. “This isn’t just some abstract notion that we’re trying to impose on Africa,” he told AllAfrica.com. He added: “The African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenges. We’re not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance.”
Despite the obvious wincing Obama’s criticism of Kenya may cause, many Kenyans not only seem to understand Mr. Obama’s choice to visit Ghana, but endorse it. Kenyans often follow politics like a sport, so it was not uncommon to hear them in recent weeks describing Mr. Obama’s choice as a savvy one, insulating him from any accusations that he was favoring his father’s country. [ READ MORE ]
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A Kenyan author, Barrack Muluka, has a different view. According to Mr. Muluka: “Kenya doesn’t need Obama to show us how to make Kenya a great country.”
“….all this American talk about democratic styling up is a lot of fudge.” “….What was he(Obama) doing in Egypt the other day?” “Egypt is the headquarters of dictatorship and emergency laws in Africa.” “But Americans thrive on contradictions and double speak, from Guatemala and Honduras and from Chile and Nicaragua, all the way to Zaire.” “They have been associated with some of the worst regimes in history and will remain so for a long time to come. Obama is only the latest custodian of American doublespeak,” says Mr. Muluka
“He is in Ghana to ingratiate himself with the present generation of American African slaves of yesteryear, through visiting their ancestral lands. He already came to Kenya to sanitise his own ancestry ahead of his successful presidential bid.” “He did not want this to be an election issue.” “He has been to dictatorial Egypt to pacify the Islamic world.” “There is nothing to bring him to Kenya, and I doubt that it is important for him to come to Kenya – to bring what?,” adds Muluka. [ READ MORE ]
President Hugo Chavez is an iconic figure like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, millions are breathing a sigh of relief that he isn’t on his death bed. Although Chavez has cancer, hopefully he will be around for many more years. 
