Handicapping Hugo
Man, I'm probably not the only global trade enthusiast who is incredibly scared at the prospects of the fire-breathing Hugo Chavez having a seat on the UN Security Council. Not that the current US administration is in anyway a model of free trade, but the thought of a UN Seat for the violent populist dictator -- yes, Jimmy, even though you rubberstamped his election, we all know Hugo’s thugs came out in force during voting, intimating opposition voters with violence -- who cares more about bringing down everything the West stands for than improving the lot of the world's poor by opening borders and encouraging cross-border commerce scares me to death. I'll go on the record saying that Chavez is a misguided maniac that we should all be afraid of (I must admit, I'm biased: his thugs shot a friend's mother when she went back to vote in the last election). But clearly, in this case, the devil is not in the details. Rather, the devil has got a real shot at legitimacy. If he wins, we should all be very afraid of what it means for trade and peace -- in our backyard and the rest of the world.
- Jason Busch
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I think the media is blowing this out of proportion. It's highly unlikely that Chavez will see the security council light of day. It's more likely a moderate country that everyone can agree to will take the 5th seat...
Chavez has been lavishing oil money on just about any nation that will take it -- all the better if they have committed terrorist acts against the West -- to buy votes in the UN Seat selection. Regarding his ascendance to power and the world stage, people said that Hitler would never rise up, but look at how the philosophy and vitriol of one man ended up costing the lives of countless millions. Make no mistake about it: Chavez is a huge threat to open borders, trade, human rights, and the political freedoms that we all value. He is a modern day Hitler (including espousing a similar anti-semitic philosophy), only with only money to buy votes and friends (see: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0RMQ/is...)
