Venezuela Still Has a Chance (Updated)

While hugo chavez was busy gallivanting around the world visiting with the North Koreans and the Iranians and the Syrians and everyone else trying to buy his way – his way, not Venezuela’s way – into the UN Security Council, while hugo chavez was in the US promising cheap heating oil and standing in front of the United Nations calling President Bush the devil and while he was away trying to spread his Bolivarian Revolution to all four corners of the world, among other things, there were people in Venezuela digging through piles of rubbish for sustenance:

During chavez’s tenure, the oil rich nation’s economy has tanked, poverty has increased and the crime rate has risen to unprecedented levels. Businesses have been nationalized, political repression increased and most if not all national media have been taken over by the state. For all intents and purposes, Venezuela has increasingly become the Cuba of the 21st century.

Yet Venezuela still has a chance to to free herself from the fate of becoming another Cuba, from Alek Boyd at Vcrisis:

Quite frankly I find rather difficult to figure out why some Venezuelans support Chavez. Ignorance and emotions play an important role in this drama. A recurrent answer from them is that Chavez treats them with respect and has devolved dignity to the disenfranchised. However not even the most radical chavista would define the abode and life of the black woman as dignified. To see Venezuelans living in such conditions after nearly 8 years of a Chavez rule that has been blessed with the highest ever oil windfall is the best example of the enormous failure of his administration. Today the international community whipped Hugo Chavez. On 3 December Venezuelans will do the same.

Voting at the UN resumes today and hopefully, the members of the United Nations will refuse to allow themselves to be accomplices in the deterioration and destruction of another vibrant, democratic nation and send hugo chavez a message: you’re nothing but a deceitful, tinpot dictator wannabe that does not belong on the geopolitical stage.

That will be the first step. On December 3rd, the Venezuelan people can send a message that they refuse to allow their country to descend to the depths of today’s Cuba.

Update: Daniel has much more on the UN Security Council vote.