Barb’s Blog

Watch who your friends are. And the friends of your friends…

President Hugo Chavez ordered the “acquisition by force” of the landmark hotel, Hilton,  Tuesday, according to Venezuelan officials.

This is some time after more than a dozen of 34 radio stations ordered shut by the Venezuelan government went off the air on Saturday, part of President Hugo Chavez’s drive to extend his socialist revolution to the media.

Not surprising then, he approved law legalizing armed civilian militias to work with the military could be used to crack down on opposition protests. What is it about 2009 that makes it a bad year for protests? After all the protest over the years we have had to endure of so many, suddenly it’s the most taboo thing ever.

Effectively making himself a dictator, closing down the freedom of press, a basic liberty and right to most Americans,  I wonder how the following celebrities can call him “friend”?

Naomi Campbell

Sean Penn

Kevin Spacey

Danny Glover

Oliver Stone

Harry Belafonte

Those are a few examples, but perhaps the rest of the world has a clue, as thousands of people have rallied around the world against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in protests co-ordinated from Colombia using the Internet. Events were held in several Colombian cities, as well is in Caracas and across Europe.

Besides that list of celebrities, who else are Chavez’ friends?

Russia this month lent $2.2 billion for arms to Venezuela, where it has growing oil interests. It is not clear how much the latest weapons purchases cost.

Iran offers Uranium. Venezuela is already supplying Iran with uranium.
Russia has never been our best friend, hostage taking Iran neither. It doesn’t take rocket science to conclude then, that Hugo Chavez isn’t either. So, that list of celebrities?  Are they our friends? Since most of them support Obama in one form or another, is Obama our friend?

These people are supporting the ideals of a dictator, the kind the suppresses freedoms. They like Obama, who is some more subtle ways is walking down the same paths. He is taking control of companies, wants control of health care, is friends with terrorists, hasn’t met a tax evader he couldn’t invite to his cabinet, and is putting down Fox News in the media, which could be seen as step one in closing them down, a la Chavez.