Monday, March 15, 2010
Our Cindy Sheehan talks to Pres. Hugo Chavez
Posted By topeditor On March 9, 2010
Chavez
to Sheehan: “We are not anti-American, we are anti-Imperialism”
Cindy Sheehan: My request to interview President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela was finally granted March 2 while we were down in Montevideo, Uruguay with President Chavez for the inauguration of the new left-ish President and freedom fighter, Jose Mujica.
Bylined to: Cindy
Sheehan Published: Sunday, March 07, 2010
THE REASONS I WENT DOWN TO VENEZUELA with my team of two
cameramen were two-fold:
First
of all, I just got tired of all the misinformation that is spread in
the US about President Chavez and the people’s Bolivarian Revolution. In
only one example, the National Endowment for Democracy (another
Orwellian named agency that receives federal money to supplant
democracy) spends millions of dollars every year in Venezuela trying to
destabilize Chavez’s democratically elected government.
The
other reason we went to Venezuela was to be inspired and energized by
the revolution and try to inspire and energize others in the states to
rise up against the oppressive ruling class here and take power back
into our own hands.
Empowerment of the poorest or least educated citizens
of Venezuela is the goal of the Bolivarian Revolution. President Chavez
said in the interview that “Power has five principles” and the first
one is Education and he calls Venezuela a “big school.” Indeed since the
revolution began 11 years ago, Venezuela’s literacy rate has risen
significantly to where now 99% of the population is now literate.
In that sense alone, Venezuela has already been totally transformed, to
the chagrin of conservatives.
People
Power is another principle of power and we witnessed this in a very
dramatic fashion in the barrio of San Agustin in Caracas. San Agustin is
a shantytown built on the sides of some very steep and tall hills — the
only way the citizens could get to and from their homes was to climb up
and down some very steep and treacherous stairs. Well, two years ago,
the neighborhood formed a committee and proposed that the government
build a tram through the hills and on January 20, the dreams of the
citizens of San Agustin became a reality and the Metro Cable was
christened. Not only did the residents get a new tram, but many of the
shacks were torn down and new apartments were built. Residents had
priority for low, or no, interest loans to buy the apartments.
Even
though I am very afraid of heights, I rode the Metro Cable to the top of
the hill and we were awarded with amazing views of Caracas and the
distant mountains. All the red, gleaming tramcars are given names of
places in Venezuela or revolutionary slogans. But our “treat” was still
ahead of us when we made our way down the side of the hill by those
steep and treacherous stairs. In combination with the stairs and the
heat, by the time we were at the bottom, my legs were shaking like Jello
and my heart was thumping. I could not even imagine walking up those
stairs! Young children, pregnant women, pregnant women with young
children, old people, etc, had to go up and down the stairs to get to an
from their homes! With the installation of the tram, the lives of the
people of San Agustin were improved immeasurably and it is all due to
the education and sense of empowerment that comes from organizing and
ultimate victory.
The
Metro Cable serves about 12,000 people per day at a cost of ten cents
per round trip ticket — and all of the employees come from the barrio.
After
the trip up the hill and steep climb down, we met with the community
organizers after a traditional Venezuelan lunch of beans, rice, fried
plantains and a little bit of meat for the meat eaters. Note: the
“traditional” Venezuelan lunch is identical to the traditional
Venezuelan breakfast and is very yummy.
About
98% of the organizers were women who spoke very articulately and
passionately about how their lives have improved since Chavez arose to
power from the people’s revolution and how they would defend Chavez and
the revolution with their very lives.
Knowledge
is power and perhaps that’s why before the Revolution, only primary
school was free and fees were charged for secondary education. Now in
Venezuela, school is free all the way through doctoral studies. We see
how the ruling class in our own country is gutting education and are
tying to make it as difficult as possible to get a University education.
A smart and thinking public is a dangerous public.
There
is so much to write about our trip and about the Bolivarian Revolution
that this will have to be a series of articles by necessity. We learned
so much! Also, my complete interview with President Chavez will be
available soon in audio and video and then a full-length documentary
entitled: TODOS SOMOS AMERICANOS (We are all Americans) will hopefully
be available and premiere by June 1.
There
is a very touching scene at the end of my interview with President
Chavez when President Evo Morales of Bolivia comes in the room.
President Morales was also in Montevideo for Mujica’s inauguration.
I
asked both the Presidents if they had any words of inspiration for the
people of the US. They both emphasized the need for grassroots unity,
but they especially wanted to stress their affection for the people of
the US.
With
President Morales standing by his side and nodding vigorously, President
Chavez said: “We are NOT anti-American, we ARE anti-Imperialism.”
Yo
tambien, mis hermanos.
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