Matt, you're going to have a hard time getting along in this world if gringo sets you off.

I get called gringo by my family in Juarez. I'm not as fluent in Spanish as the rest of my family. So when I trip up on it, they laugh and call me gringo. One of my aunts won't call me anything else except gringo.

It's not a word exclusive for white people and Chavez saying it the way he did wasn't done to make nice with Bush. Gringo is a loose word and has many meanings. In this case, Chavez meant Yankee.

Seriously, get over it.

Hmm.. it strikes me that whites in America aren't exactly coy about racist terms. In fact, they might well have thought it 'cute' that a minority group had a word for them, and co-opted it. In my area, a lot of rich protestants happily refer to themselves as "WASPs".

__________________
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

-Thomas Jefferson

It seems many on this site have a obsession with him. He isn't really a threat to country and was democratically elected. His consolidation or power and strange behavior isn't something I would look for in a leader but that is up to the people of Venezuela to decide.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

While I don't consider myself "Chavez obsessed", I disagree with the notion that it is "up to the people of Venezuela to decide". He's consolidated power under himself in a way that Dubya only dreams of, and running for office in a country without an established middle class is a far cry from running for office here (this is why our democracy-building adventures in the Middle East wind up with terrorists being elected, for example).

I think that Chavez fancies himself as Che Guevara, and while I don't really view him as any kind of serious threat, I think that his megalomania is detrimental to his country. IMO, the best course of action would be simply to ignore his impotent sabre-rattling.

__________________
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

-Thomas Jefferson

How do you suggest the leaders of Venezuela be chosen? Are you saying you are not in favor of democracy without the existence of a middle class?

I agree with everything else you said though. I do not understand why he isn't ignored. I think he gets much more attention then he is worth personally.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

He's a direct threat to Saudi Arabia and to capitalism which is just another way of saying anglo economic dominance by controlling everything. I said it a bit loosely there, but follow me here.

Chavez follows the interest of the people, which is abrasive to the interests of the IMF and other corporations that want global dominance.

Take Castro for example, Mr. Commie was never an enemy until he nationalized the businesses. Chavez did the same thing. What he is doing is keeping anglo business out of Venezuela's cookie jar and nationalizing businesses is serious stuff to them.

But, you can expand Chavez' influence even further. The money he makes is going back into the region and is helping Latin America become independent of foreign aid like the IMF. Chavez is making himself to be the IMF alternative and this frightens those that are waging economic war on Latin America.

Put that together with Chavez soon controlling the oil market because he has more than Saudi Arabia now and you have a big threat coming from Latin America. Not they they intend to do anything harmful to the United States, but they would rather not see nations become self-reliant.

Chavez is taking what foreign investors have built - i.e. power infrastructure - and literally stealing it from the people who paid to build it.

It's not "nationalizing" business - it's theft.

Matt

__________________
De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

If not a mountain, it's a very large hill. And almost all would recognize it if Bush spoke in such terms about visiting foreign leaders.

__________________

But Matt, it's impossible to to make a racist comment against a white male. That is why Gringo is not offensive.

Kramer

__________________
“It's time to admit that public education operates like a planned economy, a bureaucratic system in which everybody's role is spelled out in advance and there are few incentives for innovation and productivity. It's no surprise that our school system doesn't improve; it more resembles the communist economy than our own market economy."
Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers

Theft? It was part of his campaign promise and he got elected for it.

IT'S THEIR COUNTRY! THEY CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT! INCLUDING TELLING PEOPLE TO GET THE FUCK OUT LIKE THE WAY YOU TALK ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIENS! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!

Okay, I feel slightly better now.... I was so close to calling you the G word, but knowing you I would have been banned for it.

Foreign investors don't own Venezuela, the people own it and foreign investors are there only because the people allowed (past tense) it. That's changed. Just like you expect Mexico to accept the smite on illegal aliens.

Personally, I don't mind "racist" and/or "offensive" words. I think the reason "gringo" is not "racist" or "racial" is because it refers to all foreigners. Nigger is "racial" because it refers to someone of a certain race. But then, "black" and "white" whould be racial terms, too, wouldn't they?

__________________
If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

You must understand, that white males like that, feel oppressed, exploited, enslaved and dominated.

So you'd support telling illegal aliens to leave, but confiscating all their property first?

That's what Venezuela has done the the firms from several nations who build infrastructure in the country under contractang who are now having their property stolen.

Like I care about either point.

So let the companies leave - and take their generators, oil rigs and transmission equipment with them.

Matt

__________________
De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

Your funny MyLai.

You an expert on white males?

Are you gay?

Do you want to BE gay?

How would YOU know HOW a white male feels?

Me thinks you have your races confused good sir.

I'm a white male, I don't feel oppressed, exploited, enslaved or dominated.

Could it be, that you've miss spoken AGAIN? Say it ain't so.....

__________________
What you don't know, won't hurt you nearly as bad, as what you think you know that ain't true.

this thread totally cracks me up

if anyone other than chavez said "gringo" in a scentence there would be anarchy and gnashing of teeth

too fucking funny , anything said towards bush in a negative manner is OKY DOKY