From CNN International:
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday he had forged a strategic alliance to stand up to U.S. imperialism with fellow maverick Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“Our countries must keep their hands at the ready on the sword,” Chavez, in ex-Soviet Belarus as part of a world tour, said on a visit to a military academy.
“After a day of intensive work, we have created a strategic alliance between our countries,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “It is absolutely vital to protect our homeland, to guard against internal and external threats.”
“The jaws of imperialism and hegemonism have both us and Belarus in their grip.”
Hmm. Let’s see: imperialism, hegemonism…
I’ve heard rhetoric like this before, but I can’t quite put my finger on where.
Chavez did not give details about what the alliance would involve. He is a bitter critic of the United States and proclaims socialist ideals to unite South America against Washington’s influence.
See? There it is again: he’s a bitter critic of US policy with a plan—yet he doesn’t give details about what the plan entails, exactly; he expouses socialist ideals; and he’s determined to undermine US influence throughout the world.
Where have I heard this before? Because I have to tell you, it’s driving me crazy!
Lukashenko runs a Soviet-style command economy. Washington says he runs the last dictatorship in Europe. Belarus is subject to European Union and U.S. sanctions after Western observers accused him of rigging his own re-election in March.
Like Chavez in Venezuela, Lukashenko has strong support with poor voters.
And again! Lukashenko will do and say anything to hold power; and both he and Chavez have strong support among the poor, who would tend to be less-educated and perhaps more interested in wealth redistribution carried out by a ominpotent centralized government.
Dissent is unwelcome. For the greater good. Which sometimes requires removing inconvenient obstacles, like free markets and free trade.
Somebody help me out. Where have I heard this before? Because I gotta tell you, it sounds quite familiar—even if my memory for specifics fails me…
Consulting Marvin Gaye, it appears that you may have heard it through the grapevine.
I’ve heard it too. From a guy named… Groucho. No, that’s not it. Harpo. Yes. No. Dang me, that’s not it either. I tell you, the name’s on the tip of my tongue.
TW: This is a tough one, indeed.
Holy shit! You mean that we’re isolated between Venezuela and Belarus, now? When am I going to be called up to serve?
The new Axis of Weevils.
Walmart’s Corporate Vision Statement
Bentonville, Arkansas
Did you see it on a Citco credit card commercial?
..or Citgo
FAWK!!
There you go again painting the entire Left wing with a broad brush! Have you no shame, Jeff?
Just because the Web’s–and the Left’s–largest blogger (speaking in terms of hits, not, ahem, size) excommunicates people, and the Democratic party nominee for, err, everything, espouses the exact same beliefs, and the most influential ‘intellectual’ lights on the Left like Chomsky and the Left’s international groups espouse the same love for tyrants, terrorists and tortured logic, DOES NOT MEAN that they are all of the same stock!!!
You big meanie.
Bwahahahaha! Verc misspelled “sock.”
I am thinking that someone else is pushing Chavez into all this paranoia….some evil Rovian sidekick. See he spots all this and then when the sidekick whacks him, the world blames Bush and the sidekick takes over. And we circle back to Rove.
Groovy, baby! I look great in red.
Sounds like Grandpa Fidel to me.
I think it was the other brother, Kneejerk Pendulum Whiplash—at 4’9”, he never made it in show business.
But we have his little-known papers, precursor to the modern progressive movement, which stated that the only alternative to imperial hegemony is domestic tyranny.
Let’s see . . . did Chavez vote AGAINST the strategic alliance before he voted FOR it?
TW: I’m of two </i>minds<i> when it comes to vacillation.
We live in Ecuador. Most people are blase about the dude. The poor have two hero’s: Che and Jesus. Both believed in wealth redistribution. The election here is in the fall and Chavez & Co. are working hard to put their man in.
Seizing Oxy’s assets didn’t help matters and, from what I can tell, the US has no answer or presence in South America.
We’re in for some tough times.
Here?
Shit! Does this mean we have to contribute to the “Send Cindy to Belarus” fund as well?
Jus saying…..
I think the name you are looking for is Richard Marx. A man with political talents matched only by his song writing genius and musical career longevity.
What a great post, Jeff.
Did anyone happen to see this?….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQOEhXb6jlU&search=Chomsky%20at%20West%20Point
Just wait till that chest-burster pops out.
A few weeks ago someone here asked if there was a single good policy that the Democrats had produced since the mid 1960s that anyone could remember (no one could).
In truth it is worse than that: not only has the left not come out with a single good policy in all that time, but they have apparently learned nothing from all of their disasterous ones.
TW-voice Jeff’s is like a lone one crying in the wilderness.
-Groucho Marx
tw: I can’t believe that Grouch would be one fo the forces of evil.
Gah, the comments on that YouTube video for Chomsky are just idiotic.
“Why don’t the Righties use reason and facts in their arguments blah blah blah…”
Pat Buchanan? Did I win?
Minsk is a sister city of Detroit.
Random thought for the day.
I’m thinking maybe Humpty-Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass. Seems to me he’d be one of your greatest literary nemeses, Jeff.
OHNOES… yes, they are. Be careful not to put any of your own comments there or you’ll be pigpiled on. I made the mistake of commenting on the “Flying While Muslim” video. Oh man. Nothing like reasoning with 18 yr. old enthusiastic, European Muslims.
Worst part is that I know where they’re coming from. I used to be that dumb when I was younger and I’m STILL recovering. Ah, how easy it is to sit around casting conservatives as villains.
Clinton administration? (The original, not the upsoming version.)
Maybe you heard those words before on the O’Reilly Factor. Or perhaps over at Michelle Malkin’s site.
Yeah, Scot, I think I heard/read all of that at those sites as well! I think Bill and Michelle were quoting Howard Dean. Or was it Cindy Sheehan? No, Chomsky. Wait, wait, wait, it was Fidel Castro…..wasn’t it?
That’s right! It was all of them. It’s just that, after a while, Dean/Sheehan/Castro, etc, start sounding the same. It’s hard to tell them apart without a program guide.
– Simply put, that would be the “Progressives” in toto. Well except Nancy. She’d rather have Hussien, or al Zarqawi, (well not him, he’s dead), or maybe even Baghdad Bob speak in front of congress.
– Until such time as the big tent sweeps all the trash out from under the tarp, I will not be voting Dem anything.
I sense a whole bunch of “patriotism questioning” going on here.
Only one day of work to thresh out a strategic alliance? That’s got to be some kind of alliance-building speed record.
Belarus and Venezuala? Oh yeah, I’m really quaking in my slippers at that one.
It’s a cheap thrill.
The combined might of; a slab of destitute USSR leftovers, and a disintegrating South American state that exports oil and her educated citizens?
Not quite Germany and Japan circa 1939…
So Scot, looking forward to
BridesheadClinton Revisited? You know, back to the old stomping grounds to do that whole [ack!] sexual angst thing? [Gaaaak!!]I haven’t the slightest idea what your point is 6Gun.
I knew a Scot, and Scot, you’re no Scot.
Hint:
I know! Rastro!
Down boy!
:peter
– Oh. Is that what it is. I thought it was “all that roaming luggage”.
(you’ll br hearing from the Lizards lawyers.)
Nice. I once fired a 6Gun … nevermind.
What about the Clinton Administration? Did they move their offices to Caracas or something?
Not a word of condemnation (or even hesitation) for the policies of either country thus far from the port side of this comment thread, I’d note. Not that that proves anything, but gosh, not even an “I don’t like those guys but…”
Lukashenko and Chavez make quite a pair. Like an ouroboros of asshattery.
My inner hegemon tells me to ignore the puny Chavez-Lukashenko dalliance.
Y’know, that reminds me – does anyone know if Putin cracked an ever-so-slight smile the other day as he was reading out Russia’s condemnation of Israel for using “disproportionate force” against the Hizzies?
I tend to think he must have. Nobody human could spit out a hypocrisy so huge without at least a small smirk.
Perhaps not, though. That particular hypocrisy os so old, evil and blood-soaked in Russia that it may have no humor left in it.
SB: just
my $.02
Right. That does this thread but good.
I intend to find a way to use that phrase. Somehow.
happiness research?!
mojo – I think a word you might find handy would be “Grozny”. Heck, or just say “Chechnya”.
Putin must have broken a rib or two holding the laughter in…
Lukashenko? Man, who’s next on Chavez’ guest list? Mugabe? Kim Jong-Il? That Uzbeki guy?
The man would be a figure of self-parody if he didn’t control so damn much oil . . .
TW: Not your average South American tinhorn dictator – BECAUSE OF THE OIL!!!
Ya better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the Times they are a changin’…
— Little Bobby Zimmerman
SB: friends
in need
Y’know, I’m thinking if Putin wants to take Belarus back into the Russian “sphere of influence,” Bush should just give him an wink and a nod, and wave him past the bouncers.
TW: that. As in “I’m down with that.”
Yeah they do that, but it’s generally a bunch of crap. People fiddling with economics tools to “prove” some kind of BS or other. Eco-leftist happiness researchers claim that dirt-poor, cargo-cult Vanuatu is the happiest country on earth while the US is the 150th for instance.
What gets me is the last half of that quote. Income doesn’t have declining marginal utility. Exercise has declining marginal utility. At a certain point the returns from adding more exercise is no longer worth the effort. Everyone has only so much exercise they are willing to do, but pretty much nobody up and decides it’s not worth the bother to earn any more money.
What can I say, Major John? The subject matter was… inspirational.
My wife’s been to Belarus a number of times, and I used to count the minutes to her return from that place moreso than when she was anywhere else on earth. NGO staff used to live with targets on their backs in that miserable little country of Lukashenko’s, and Byelorussians would be a lot better off if he slipped in the shower tomorrow morning and broke his worthless neck.
Not a bad idea: Caracas. South America’s Harlem; although not exactly villages, they’ll have to do.
Remember, in His Majesty’s Navy, we always choose the lesser of two weevils.
Gesundheit.
God, not even in jest. I hope my parents didn’t give birth to me so I could live under Bill and Hill for 12-16 years of my life. No!!!!!!!
Now there is a disturbing image.
Massachusetts. Check out Dukakis’ latest editorial.
Michael Friggin’ Dukakis.
Giggle.
– The gloves come off with a s-l-o-w jerk and a churlish smile. Clinton does fund raiser for Lieberman. Somebody make some popcorn and break out the body bags. Gonna be a murderous fall political season.
TW: Something gnarly, this way comes.
It’s John Kerry all the way; he’s as power mad as anyone else you guys named, and works tirelessly to subvert US influence.
The icing on the cake, however, is his amazing plan (no details to be released) to assist his less fortunate ‘brothers’, all the while looking down his nose at them.
Do i get a prize? or am i way too late to this thread?
Belaruss and Venezuela? Run!Hide!Build a shelter! It’s the axis of mediocrity!