Salami Tactics
Gee, someone else has Hugo Chavez’s number too. It’s not just me. Michael Stickings makes a poignant observation about the regime of Hugo Chavez and his modus operandi – as well as the ultimate outcome of his machinations:
My point here is not to make a case for military action against Venezuela, but it is clear that Hugo Chavez is using salami tactics in his drive to establish so-called “Bolivarean” socialism — that is, his own national-socialist autocratic rule — in that country. I wrote about this last week: “Sometimes revolution can be achieved without sudden, dramatic bloodletting.” There are a number of different prongs to Chavez’s continuing revolution, a number of slices. They may be examined individually, but they are best understood as variations of the same, as components of a single overarching plan. The nationalization of industry, the seizure of private property, repression of dissent and opposition, control of the media, one-party rule, rule by decree, and, soon, the removal of constitutional impediments to the permanent and perpetual rule of the leader himself. ~themoderatevoice.com
The latest slice is a complete takeover of all schools by the state to institute total propaganda and indoctrination. No surprise there. This is truly terrifying and dangerous territory.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Monday to close or take over any private school that refuses to submit to the oversight of his socialist government as it develops a new curriculum and textbooks.
“Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants,” said Chavez, speaking on the first day of classes.
All schools, public and private, must admit state inspectors and submit to the government’s new educational system, or be closed and nationalized, with the state taking responsibility for the education of their children, Chavez said.
A new curriculum will be ready by the end of this school year, and new textbooks are being developed to help educate “the new citizen,” said Chavez’s brother and education minister Adan Chavez… ~breitbart.com
Sounds eerily similiar to statements made by leftists here in this country about healthcare. The truly sad part about it is that there are so many here who would willingly have Hugo Chavez take over the United States in order to save the planet.
Progressivism/Liberalism/The left believes that socialism is the only way of life that is morally and politically correct. Creating, “the new citizen,” is essential to creating the perfect society. Creating the perfect society means working to create, “peace and social justice,” working toward, “equality and ending racism, sexism, etc etc etc.” Sounds great, but unfortunately folks don’t always go willingly into the glorious revolution.
Capitalism and individual economic freedom are the enemy of the glorious revolution (ie the people).
It’s Time to Build a New Economic Model
If there is to be a human future, we must bring ourselves into balanced relationship with one another and the Earth. This requires building economies with heart.
If we are to slow and ultimately reverse the social and environmental disintegration we see around us, we must change the rules to curb the pervasive abuse of corporate power that contributes so much to those harms.
Taming corporate power will slow the damage. It will not be sufficient, however, to heal our relationships with one another and the Earth and bring our troubled world into social and environmental balance. Corporations are but instruments of a deeper social pathology revealed in a familiar story our society tells about the nature of prosperity. ~alternet.org
This is what taming corporate power looks like folks. Hugo Chavez shows us the way. “Society cannot allow the private sector to do whatever it wants.”