Hugo celebrates an anniversary, and turns green at the same time

Venezuela celebrates 15th anniversary of Chavez coup

AP reporter and Chavez apologist Ian James says that Chavez takes up energy conservation

"Venezuela is one of the countries that least contaminates the environment, but nevertheless we want to give an example and be at the vanguard," Chavez said at a news conference Thursday.

He called U.S. oil consumption -- which handsomely funds his government -- a leading cause of the world's environmental troubles.

"They're destroying the world," Chavez said, citing melting glaciers in the Andes and predictions of rising sea levels. "The human race will be finished if we don't change the world capitalist system."

Leftist ideology colors Chavez's views, and he has spent time discussing the dilemma of climate change with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his friend and mentor.

That he has, at least if one is to believe the propaganda video released by Cuban TV on January 30, where Castro purportedly reads from a printout of a Clarin.com article of January 27, titled Advierten que el cambio climatico es riesgo a la salud/Warning that climate change is a health risk. Last weekend I was doing some translating for Pajamas Media and I transcribed this video where Castro and Hugo purportedly take up climate change and were saying that "the future of mankind depends on it".

AP's James continues

Castro's obsession with energy saving has been caused in part by Cuba's dependence on oil imports. Before he underwent intestinal surgery last summer, Castro was in the midst of an energy-saving crusade in which he distributed pressure cookers and offered household tips on TV.

Hold on to your wallets, folks. The French have plans for the environment and your money. And Hillary's wants to take the earnings of American private companies, raised fists and all.

Hugo goes shopping, again
Hugo's buying himself another country. Just this morning I was reading that he's going to visit Dominica to open an oil storage facility,

Part of Venezuela's regional Petrocaribe program, under which 14 Caribbean countries receive preferential terms to buy oil, the new facility will contain six tanks to store gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and liquefied natural gas.
...
Chavez also said Venezuela intends to build a refinery in Dominica but did not elaborate.

I was in Dominica two years ago and it's a very small island (290 sq miles) that is still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity.

This is a poor island we're talking about. Venezuelan oil money can buy it.

Dominica is effectively a very large rock covered with greenery, and has remained mostly untouched by development. Look at the satellite picture and see for yourselves. While it has room for six storage tanks, there is not enough flat land on which to build a refinery of any meaningful size. One of the reasons the island has remained undeveloped is that it wasn't until a few years ago that the only port could handle the larger cruise ships. The current port facilities are definitely not large enough for oil tankers.

Unless Hugo's planning on doing some significant damage to the ecosystem, that is.

Update In Spanish: La Habilitante: Un asalto hitleriano al poder


Technorati tags Venezuela Latin America Hugo Chavez Dominica Caribbean