Looks like Venezuela is trying to push our buttons now.

[Target Practice]

Venezuelan bastards.

[SlartyBartFast]

Chavez might not be acting in the most diplomatic or tempered manner, but can you blame him?

Chavez has repeatedly accused the U.S. of supporting efforts by the domestic opposition in Venezuela to remove him from office. In April of 2002, when a coup briefly removed him from power, Bush administration officials saluted the short-lived effort to oust him while denying involvement in the plan to get rid of an elected government. At her confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized Chavez and his government.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: We have right now a government in Venezuela that has been unconstructive in important ways. And I would just urge that the entire neighborhood, as well as the Venezuelan government, look at what's happening in terms of democracy in Venezuela, in terms of Venezuela's relations with its neighbors.

...

Now, the problem that the United States has, not only with Chavez and Venezuela, with many of his supporters, but also with other leaders in the region, is that the United States says Chavez has to stay on the democratic road, and yet U.S. policy recently, for example, as your report said earlier, countenanced an unconstitutional government to replace him. There was a semi-coup that took place. The military put in a provisional government, and the United States applauded that. And that of course violates what the United States says its dedication to democratic politics in the region.

And more recently, for example, the United States did not criticize the leader of Ecuador when he twice shut down the Supreme Court, and yet the United States criticizes Chavez, so other leaders in the region see the United States with kind of a double discourse, which has affected the United States' prestige and moral leadership in the region.

The US makes all possible signals to support anyone who'll take Chavez from power, openly supported a coup, and you're all wondering why he hates the US.

Kinda obvious. No?

[Steelrat]

I knew why he hated the US. I was just enoying the stupidity of his comments.

[MadPSIence]

hahaha.. that guy up a few posts thinks Canada is socialist. :rofl:

[SlartyBartFast]

I think you are confusing socialism with the welfare state.

Welfare state policies ARE socialist policies. The difference if you need to have one lies in whether you lump Marists in socialism or communism. There are differing definitions and opinions.

If the marxists are socialist, YES Canada and other democracies are not socialist and you have touse the invented term welfare state. If you class Marxists as communists, then Canada and other democracies are socialist democracies.

If you're going to make the definitions absolute and slice them that thin, there's no such thing as a capitalist country.

And as any Canadian knows, the stereotypical flag-thumping capitalist American starts screaming anti-communist rhetoric if you show them your medicare card.

As I often repeat: lables are stupid.

[Steelrat]

As I often repeat: lables are stupid.

Oh, the irony! :rofl:

[Miscue]

Welfare state policies ARE socialist policies. The difference if you need to have one lies in whether you lump Marists in socialism or communism. There are differing definitions and opinions.

If the marxists are socialist, YES Canada and other democracies are not socialist and you have touse the invented term welfare state. If you class Marxists as communists, then Canada and other democracies are socialist democracies.

If you're going to make the definitions absolute and slice them that thin, there's no such thing as a capitalist country.

And as any Canadian knows, the stereotypical flag-thumping capitalist American starts screaming anti-communist rhetoric if you show them your medicare card.

As I often repeat: lables are stupid.

If labels are stupid, then why are you heavily relying on them as well as other generalizations? Do you realize that this is what you are doing?

I agree with Steelrat... very ironic.

Governments typically do not follow a strict definition of any particular philosophy... it's often a mixture - some philosophies might be more prominent than others in a particular government.

[HOMELANDEFENDER]

I just love it when these banana boat countries talk BIG -- If the US decided to pull all its support -- our $$ -- from direct financial loans, humanitarian aid, ALLOWING MOST OF SOUTH AMERICA TO JUMP OVER THE FENCE...ect... These paper governments would fall within a year.

Didn't that little country called England open up a can of WOOP-*** on Argentina with a tiny Navy including the Queen Elizabeth 2 as a troop ship. Argentina's BS military is on par with Venezuela's, and these morons have the balls to talk about kicking our ***.

This is what happens when so called leaders of nations watch too much CNN. They figure that the US is having some tough times in our Iraq tour, so that must mean that we are not what we used to be militarily speaking anymore.

They fail to see the "compassionate" side of our military might is keeping many thousands of innocents from being wiped out by use of precision guided weapons and tactics. If we really wanted to win Iraq, Afganistan, ect.. The big stuff would come out and these countries would be crushed (without nukes).

He's a MORON.
I LAUGH.

HLD...

[SlartyBartFast]

Oh, the irony! :rofl:

Let's see. When did *I* use lables?

Perfectly functional forms of "Socialism" work well in many western european countries and Canada.

I quoted socialism. I didn't lable.

Then when accused of stupidity based on an extreme definition/interpretation of the lable.

Then I clarify my position by explaining the nuances I accept and that I find extreme uses of lables stupid.

The irony is what?

[Lohman446]

I say we have a strict isolationist policy and nuke any country that attacks us or does not keep its people from attacking us...

But hey, thats just me.

[Gunga]

I say we have a strict isolationist policy and nuke any country that attacks us or does not keep its people from attacking us...

But hey, thats just me.

We'd have to make sure to nuke em at night and have the Shuttle's in orbit so we can get some cool pictures.