Tikkabik

There is a REASON Harry Belafonte made sure that he was filmed giving a symbolic hug to Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela is surrounded by Caribbean nations: one in the sea, the other, landlocked. Venezuela is so close to Trinidad that its mountain range continues on in our island. Which is why Trinidad also has oil. Which is why Trinidad was the only nation that gave the U.S. the finger when they tried to coerce us into going along with invading Grenada in 1983; we didn't depend on tourism for our economic well-bieng.

Trinidadians go regularly to Caracas (Venezuela's capital) to go shop. Harry Belafonte represents the Caribbean. North American media *continually* misrepresents the cultural diversity of the Caribbean, and how that is integral to our collective identity. It as well, a strategic advantage to perpetuate this misrepresentation. Chavez speaks Spanish, therefore the language barrier can be misrepresented. That is why Danny Glover gave him a high-five. To negate any question of racism.

Chavez held up a Noam Chomsky book. Just because he did the Spanish equivalent of 'dissing' the American President on national television does not negate that. His is the common belief held by most in the Caribbean and South America. He effectively did the SAME THING Kanye West did, no more. Chavez is fighting economic and cultural imperialism. RACISM GOES ALONG WITH THE IMPERIALISM PACKAGE. To equate Harry Belafonte or Chavez with anti-Semitism is to not only demonstrate an utter and complete lack of the Caribbean and South America; it is socially irresponsible and morally reprehensible.

Of course, if you consume your political and social awareness from a mainstream media outlet (like, say, The Daily Show), not having an ounce of understanding of the larger picture dynamics will be par for the course. No one paid attention to the trials of the so-called WTC bombers and obsessed over the O.J. trial instead. Most probably didn't realize that the ex-military Middle-Eastern 'bomber' taped the head of the FBI telling him to put a live bomb under the WTC, and that this fact was given bare-minimum coverage by the news media. But, hey, programs like the Daily Show are cutting-edge about cashing in on after-the-fact events, who cares, eh?

There was a coup in Venezuela, funded by the US. This sort of thing is completely understood by those in our region; these funded coups are not some random, remote thing, but an ONGOING thing. For those still living under a rock, see the recent one Margaret Thatcher's son was funding in Africa. The VENEZUELAN PEOPLE marched to where he was held captive, AND SET HIM FREE. Similar support was done for ARISTIDE in HAITI. He was afraid of security at the airport. Thousands upon thousands came to provide an escort back to his home. There is footage attesting to this. Aristide was the democratically elected -
let me repeat-
democratically elected head of state that the US and Canada went to depose.

Let me make this abundantly clear: There is no difference between what Chavez is fighting and what the Caribbean and the rest of South America is fighting.

Chavez's fight is OUR fight.

THAT is why Harry Belafonte made sure he was filmed giving him an embrace.

THAT is why Danny Glover gave him a high-five.

Just a reminder: I grew up in Trinidad.
If this is too harsh a realty for anyone to face, they can go back to under their rocks.

I appreciate that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and don't doubt the veracity of some of what you say.

You're fucking obnoxious, though, Tonya. Your slams on "The Daily Show" and media-fed education come off as elitist garbage. Not all of us take all of our cues on international politics from late night TV show hosts, and I really resent your tone.

To me, Chavez is little more than a socialist asshole who likes to do some grandstanding by pounding the podium like a South American version of Nikita Kruschev. He may have the interests of his people at heart, but that doesn't mean he's a nice guy or worthy of high-fiving or hugging.

I was wondering when you'd reply... my bad, I stopped checking...

Sure, my tone might be obnoxious, (and you may not be able to get past your personal feelings to understand the greater symbolism behind the high-fiving and hugging)
...but that doesn't make the facts I've presented change, like personal feelings might.

Consider, as well, this: what's elitist about being part of multiple minorities- visible minority, cultural minority-- that can see through the Daily Show's pejorative bullshit and see it for what it is...?

And if you're entitled to become irritated in your Nov. 11th post("I take such comments with a grain of salt and try my best to let it slide, but clearly it can still irritating me, because I'm bringing it up here."), then I am entitled to being just a little more than irritated when I see the same form of cultural dynamics-- that leads people to presume that I'm either from Africa, Jamaica (the dismissive assumption all the island cultures being the same going hand-in-hand), or an immigrant, and making "lucky to be here" type comments-- reflected in mainstream media in the form of Jon Stewart's rant.

Your OPINION of Hugo Chavez has nothing to do with the fact of the coup that I mentioned, or who funded it. OR the fact that these coups being funded are not random or isolated, but are ongoing, continuous things. I don't know what happened the first time I posted this, it seems not to have shown up, but here's The Guardian's link again regarding Thatcher's son getting caught doing the same thing over in Africa:- http://www.guardian.co.uk/equatorialguinea/story/0,,1291453,00.html

To wit:
my co-blogger was in Venezuela covering Chavez. He also organizes the Uprising Documentary Festival here in Toronto, where I have stood side-by-side and spoken with persons who have dealt personally with Aristide, and seen the footage of thousands accompanying Ariside home, when he was afraid for his safety arriving at the airport.

Say what you want about my tone, but please do not let that become some form of pejorative precedent regarding the facts I have presented. That will be no better than those perpetuating the supression of knowledge elsewhere.

Me again.

Sorry, I forgot to include this.

You don't have to take MY word for it, I could still be just a frothing-at-the-mouth reactionary.

Perhaps someone like Robert M. Bowman would be more up your alley. He's an amy dude with credentials almost at tough as the interceptor planes he used to fly.

He said this in his capacity as a pilot who flew 101 combat misisons in Vietnam:-
"If our govenrment had merely did nothinbg: and I say that as an old interceptor pilot, I know the drill, I know what it takes; I know how long it takes, I know what the procedures are; I know what they were and I know what they've changed them to.
"If our government had merely done nothing and allowed normal procedurtes to happen on that morning on 9/11, the twin towers would still be stabdibg, and thousands of dead Amercians would still be alive. My sisters and brothers, that is treason!

These (Iraq, Kosovo, El Salvador, Columbia)" are not isolated incidents of stupidity, they're a part of a long bloody history of foreign policy being conducted for the financial interests of the wealthy few. It is a new form of colonialism, all of the benefits and none of the responsibilities, violate our constitution, it endangers our people, and it is treason."

An amusing note posted along along with the video of his speech:- "Robert M. Bowman was Director of Advanced Space Programs Development for the U.S. Air Force in the Ford and Carter administrations, and is a former United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 101 combat missions. He holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. When a guy with these credentials says 9/11 was an inside job and that the Bush Administration is guilty of TREASON, listen to him!"

Iraq, Kosovo, El Salvador, Columbia are specifically mentioned in his speech. The quotation marks placed afterwards are just part of my typos.