Who You Calling A Dictator!

What's this? The frost is off the pumpkin? No sooner has Hugo Chavez been (illegally) re-elected for the third time to lead Venezuela into his vision of the future, than the formerly adoring public has second thoughts. This modern father of his nation, this staunch socialist of high integrity and even higher rhetoric, a dictator? Nah.

Guess a little bit of his friend and mentor's tactics in silencing his detractors is rubbing off on him. Let's face it, no one likes to hear personal criticism, and if we could, wouldn't we all make an effort to - reform ourselves accordingly? Let's try that again, wouldn't we all decide to shut down the news media that so impudently call for our resignation, if not reformation?

The respected and popular Radio Caracas Television network had the misfortune of annoying Mr. Chavez, president-extraordinaire, so for their pains their broadcasting license was refused renewal. Dictators do that sort of thing. Anyone surprised? Everything is replaceable, after all, and a more conciliatory, supportive station, a "socialist" credentialed station has taken its place.

So what's to object to? But wow, they are, isn't that neat? El Nacional, Venezuela's leading daily has denounced the closing as the "end of pluralism in Venezuela,". Whoops, they're next. Police in Caracas fired rubber bullets and tear gas at university students in their protest at the shut-down. Off with their heads - at the very least, imprisonment. The archbishop of Merida, Baltasar Porras Cardoso has compared Mr. Chavez to Hitler, Mussolini and Fidel Castro.

And those illuminating comparisons will be the archbishop's salvation.