US State Dept. Bankrolls Young Venezuelans to Slander Chavez in the USA

Peace Patriot

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Sat Nov-21-09 08:16 AM
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US State Dept. Bankrolls Young Venezuelans to Slander Chavez in the USA

Another fine bit of research by Eva Gollinger, who brought to our attention the $43 million US taxpayer dollars that John McCain has been funneling to rightwing coup groups in Honduras, through the USAID/"International Republican Institute." Gollinger also exposed (thru FOIA requests for official documents) the Pentagon's true agenda for the SEVEN new US military bases in Colombia of "full spectrum military operations... throughout South America."

The following news story reveals the utterly disreputable nature of US government propaganda about Venezuela. They invited eight anti-Chavez students to bash the Chavez government all over the US, and did NOT invite ANY students from Chavez's 60% majority support in Venezuela to balance those views. This just leaves my mouth hanging agape, it is so unfair, so corrupt, so anti-democratic, so villainous--and yet more evidence of a US government war agenda against Venezuela.

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US State Department Bankrolls Young Venezuelans to Slander Ch�vez in the USA
September 14, 2009 By Eva Gollinger
Source: Axis of Logic

In the midst of an international campaign launched against President Ch�vez, carried out by the extreme Right from Colombia and supported by Washington, the US State Department has organized and financed the trip of eight young Venezuelan politicians to the USA in order to denounce the Venezuelan government and to strengthen the links between young US Republicans and the Venezuelan Right. The eight young Venezuelan men and women have been selected by the US State Department as part of the program "Democracy for young political leaders". It is a project of the interchange program "International Visitor Leaders - Venezuela", which is being used by the Washington administration to recruit and train political actors who would later on promote the North American agenda in Venezuela.

The trip to the USA, during which the young Venezuelans were accompanied by US State Department representatives, lasted three weeks, from August 17th to September 4th. They visited different US cities, meeting with political groups and institutions apart from meetings with the communication media and Washington agencies. The US State Departments' International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) (1) was created by Washington as part of a propaganda initiative aimed at recruiting spokespersons and international political actors willing to promote the imperial agenda. During the program, the participants attended training workshops conducted by political representatives of the USA on representative democracy, freedom of the press (� la USA), and reinforcement of political parties and leadership, amongst other topics.

However, this trip in particular takes place at a moment when the international Right, together with Washington, is carrying out a smear campaign against the Venezuelan government and the Bolivarian Revolution, with emphasis on the figure of President Ch�vez. In this context, the young Venezuelan men and women, paid and accompanied by the US State Department during their visit, issued statements to the US press, attacking, accusing, and trying to discredit President Ch�vez and the policies of the Venezuelan government. One of the Venezuelan students, Gabriel Alejandro Gallo Garrido, Director and Coordinator of the National Students Parliament of the capital district, declared to the US press that "We don't know how a democracy works... the socialist model of President Hugo Ch�vez is a joke, and he is lying when he says that he guarantees medical assistance and health for all citizen... The Cuban doctors are no specialists and only provide preventive care".

Also Jos� Igancio Cayeta�o G�edez Y�pez, the young vice-president of the political party Un Nuevo Tiempo in the State of Lara, declared to the US press that "the United States has the world's best model of democracy...at least have a system...in Venezuela for someone like me who opposes Ch�vez, we don't have anything...".

The visit of the young Venezuelans supported by the US State Department takes place exactly at a moment when the Venezuelan opposition is once again trying to promote destabilization in the country in order to attract international attention. They carried out various violent demonstrations against the recently passed Education Law (Ley Org�nica de Educaci�n, LOE) and a rally titled "No more Ch�vez" ("NO M�S CH�VEZ") aimed at inciting hatred, violence, destabilization, and the assassination of President Ch�vez.

It is extremely worrisome that by now the US State Department would overtly finance young men and women who belong to the Venezuelan opposition to make them go to the United States to slander their country and their president. In fact, this is an act that converts these eight men and women into Washington's agents, carrying out a US State Department-funded, destabilization campaign against the Venezuelan government. The young Venezuelans have also been promoting the NO M�S CH�VEZ-rally from the USA during their visit. This link doubtlessly confirms that Washington actually is behind the international campaign aimed at vilifying President Ch�vez and promoting hatred and violence against him as well as his assassination. In addition, this confirms that the US State Department continues to actively finance the opposition's student movement in Venezuela and the political party Un Nuevo Tiempo. These two organizations are the main promoters of destabilization in the country.

(MORE)

http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/22591

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