Kidnapping Jews, Gas Stations of Terror, Allying FARC with Hezbollah!

[EFerrari]

For those forum readers that are interested in anti-democratic propaganda about Venezuela, this video has everything! Every single right wing nutcase meme has been packed in. It's Mike Rowan, the co-author of "Chavez, the Threat Closer to Home", hilariously claiming to be a Democrat and the Iran Contra criminal, Otto Reich.

It's a shame we can't watch it together and play a drinking game, seriously -- it's so bad, it's good. But it also may be instructive in the sense that these Heritage Foundation events aren't random and they do reveal what the wingnuts are up to.

As with all attacks on Latin American democracy, these vampires deploy the same basic ideas: the Venezuelan people are ignorant and need to be saved from themselves; their democracy isn't a real democracy so there's nothing lost in attacking it; Hugo Chavez is spending our money to undermine America.

It's a little over an hour. If anyone does watch part or all of it, I'd be fascinated to hear what you think of Rowan. The other author is Schoen of Schoen & Penn and I have to wonder why a woman as brilliant as Hillary Clinton let that firm anywhere NEAR her campaign.

http://www.booktv.org/watch.aspx?ProgramId=LW-10290

[Judi Lynn]

1. Wow! Will watch this very late tonight, but would not miss it. Woohooo! Thank you. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

2. OMG, The Heritage Foundation is the sponsor. The other guest is Ronald Reagan's propagandameister,

Cuban "exile" Otto Reich, who ran the Office of Public Diplomacy in the State Department and was found by Congress to be doing illegal things there in going far, far over the line with his propaganda. ILLEGAL propaganda.

He did things like publicly call reporters out and claim they were consorting with gay and straight prostitutes in Central America when they were attempting to cover Iran/Contra. There was one he went after really hard, named John. I can get that material later on. He also went in person to TV network news offices to fight with those in charge over content of programs, and the same with newspapers and their content.

He has harrassed, slandered, and bullied people throughout his career in Washington. He's the one who claimed that when Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura went with his state's agricultural people, (like ranchers and other farmers to Cuba when a small door was opened for a few food products) that Ventura should make sure he wasn't going there for "sexual adventurism."

http://schema-root.org.nyud.net:8090/region/americas/north_america/usa/government/officials/otto_reich/otto_reich_afp.jpg http://www.ottoreich.com.nyud.net:8090/images/newsweek.jpg
He claims that Venezuela was just fine before nationalization in 1976, it was the fastest growing country with the least inflation in the world. :beer:

He claims that there's a weekly flight between Venezuela and Iran, with a top secret passenger list which international sources are allowed to see. You must get cleared for security with Venezuelan and Iranian security. You must get your ticket from a Venezuelan travel agent whom the U.S. has indentified as a Hezbollah agent, and money launderer. :beer: There is a group of Venezuelan and Iranians who kidnap Jews and "sequester" them in Lebanon. :beer: He says that there's a Venezuelan ambassador over there who is also a Hezbollah agent, and a money launderer. :beer: :beer:

He says that 7 of the 11 people who broke into the synagogue in Caracas were actually working for Chavez. He said that the only thing they took was a computer which gave the names and addresses and net worth of all the members. :beer:

You know, Rowan sounds strangely like a couple of visitors to D.U., doesn't he? Hmmmmmmm.

Ah, ha ha ha. Remember when Venezuela threw out some missionaries a couple of years ago? Rowan says he fixed it so they have all become Muslims now, and the women cover their faces with veils. The men are trained with weapons to prepare for Armageddon. Ah, ha ha. That's a good one. :beer:

Otto Reich has just ended his speech at 30:00. They entered a Q & A. I'd like to know more about Rowan. That man is sick. What a poseur. He just tried to claim FARCs kill over 10,000 people a year. He is shifty, he doesn't act like an honest man, does he?

Here's a thread posted by Nash Vegas on the book by Rowan and Schoen, with a few good remarks about Rowan:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x10568

Thanks for bringing this video to our attention. I'm going to be keeping my eye out for anything on Rowan from now on. He has been in the pocket of the Venezuelan virulent oligarchy for ages.

Did you notice that when he finished his speech and Reich started toward the podium? Rowan said, "Now don't you contradict me." Well, Reich actually DID contradict him a bit when he blamed the Venezuelan elite for the gross mismanagement of the country prior to Chavez. That part shocked the hell out of me. He also said Batista, and others like him brought on the trouble in their countries. Never would have expected to hear that admission from him.

[EFerrari]

5. See what I mean, Judi Lynn? That segment had EVERYTHING

in it. The three pivots really interested me, though: it's not a democracy, the people are ignorant and hell, it's OUR MONEY anyway. If you start from there, you can justify doing pretty much anything to another nation, can't you?

Reich's statement blaming the oligarchs is surprising in a way. But in another, it's just a part of the "they can't manage their own affairs" pivot -- the one you need if you want to invade, overthrow or otherwise take control of a nation, right?

[EFerrari]

8. Btw, did you catch the part where Rowan is "credited" with

advising the Rosales campaign against Chavez?

[Judi Lynn]

3. The camera looked at the audience when one of the "reporters" asked a question,

quoting rabid anti-Chavez butthead Gustavo Coronel. It looked as if there were no more than 10 people there, right down front and center, in a knot, and one of them looked like Douglas Schoen.

Just saw there are a few more sitting in the back. Very TINY group.

[EFerrari]

6. Why did Hillary ever get involved with these slime balls.

It's concerning that they might have her ear in any way. :shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

4. Otto Reich said, at the end, that people ask him why there isn't more coverage of Latin America.

He said that when the democratically elected leaders of Latin America do get together as they did in a recent summit in Chile, all they do is criticize the United States, and we should be glad there is ZERO COVERAGE of those situations.

He said it, with one side of his own mouth. Straight from the gusano's mouth.

Well, we Democrats at D.U. certainly found out about that summit, anyway, and what WE heard was nothing of the kind. It was a great summit. Here's a photo which commemorates that event:

http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/06pp8TncSY9Vr/610x.jpg

[EFerrari]

7. Reich conveniently overlooks the fact that these leaders were all happy

right along with us that Obama was elected and not "A Hundred Years" McWar.

What a manipulative slob.