Chavez taking aim
Source: Globovision

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez vowed to shoot down the independent press today, in perhaps his most pointed threat against it ever.

Amid all the Chavista propaganda reported here in the States, suggesting that Venezuela is not a dictatorship because of an existing free press, the fact today is that the media has been threatened with total destruction.

Chavez vowed to yank the broadcasting licenses of any television station that opposes him or whose coverage he didn’t like in 2002, showing that once again, he is unable to distinguish party (which he represents) from state (which he confuses himself with).

This quote below illustrates Chavez’s logic in full:

“We can’t keep giving concessions to a group of people who use television stations against us,” Chavez said in a televised speech in Caracas.

and

“They hide behind a supposed freedom of speech,” said Chavez, who was wearing a green army uniform and red beret. “I don’t care what the oligarchs of the world say. We’ve shown that we aren’t authoritarian or arbitrary.”

These are the words of a madman. They echo his earlier shakedown threat against the private sector, where he warned that unless they repatriated $10 billion for his “revolution” (meaning: personal discretionary use), he’d take away everything they had.

So it is for the beleaguered television stations. Globovision, RCTV and other stations stand to be shut down entirely – all of which are small private stations which generally do a good job.

In both instances of threats against the TV stations and threats against the private sector, Chavez has warned that his wishes must be carried out by the end of the year, when he is “reelected” president – something he assures us all will absolutely happen.

This is very ominous. Clearly, he’s taking Venezuela straight down Havana road and he wants it destroyed quickly.

UPDATE: Alek Boyd expresses a little-known fact of these Chavez spectaculars – that they disgust and embarass Venezuelans. He also notes that Globovision’s and RCTV’s licenses expire several years from now, not next year. Read it here.

UPDATE: Miguel thinks a new threat on the NGOs – to make them GOs – is more serious than the threat on the press. It’s a rare occasion when I am not so sure of that, but he’s right that the NGOs are facing a freight train coming at them – see what he has to say here.

UPDATE; Check out Jim Whyte’s comment below – he points out that Chavez isn’t even aiming properly.