Good Old Hugo
One of the more enjoyable games I've played over the past couple years was a title called "Mercenaries", which was essentially a military-themed Grand Theft Auto-style open romp through a fictional invasion of North Korea. Now, part two is in the works, and the action centers on a fictional invasion of Venezuela.
Apparently the game has pissed off Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who thinks it's a psychops plot by Bush to prepare Americans for a real attack on his Bolivarian utopia.
Amazingly, the commenters on video game blog Kotaku are actually defending Chavez, saying he's not a dictator, was democratically elected, and has won the love of the people. Hmmm. Let's take a look at Mr. Chavez's track record, shall we?
He first made his name in 1992 by leading an attempted coup, which failed and landed him in prison. This passionate committment to the democratic ideal pretty much set the tone for the rest of his political career.
After a pardon by the successor of his coup-target, he was in fact elected president in 1998, and within a year of taking office had once again proven his love of democracy by barring the National Assembly (the Venezuelan Congress) from holding meetings. Legislative business continued -- conducted by a 7-man committee made up of Chavez cronies.
In the 2000 parliamentary elections, the voting was so dodgy that not even the Carter Center gave its approval. Emboldened, Chavez went on to declare the "enabling act", which essentially allowed his word to be law for one year.
By 2002, many Venezuelans had had enough, and half a million people took to the streets in protest. Appalled at this revolting display of free speech, Chavez let loose gangs of his thugs on his own people, killing several and injuring scores of others.
As of last year, Venezuelan oil production was not even up to 2001 levels because Chavez had sacked all the competent industry veterans and specialists who opposed his half-baked nationalization schemes. The cronies he installed may have known how to curry favor, but they had no clue how to run actual oilfieds.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have catalogued numerous abuses under Chavez. He has openly moved to form alliances with Russia and China, two of the most illiberal major states on the planet that have zero consideration for quaint "Western" concepts like liberty, democracy and free speech.
Yup, I can't wait to get my hands on "Mercenaries 2"!
Apparently the game has pissed off Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who thinks it's a psychops plot by Bush to prepare Americans for a real attack on his Bolivarian utopia.
Amazingly, the commenters on video game blog Kotaku are actually defending Chavez, saying he's not a dictator, was democratically elected, and has won the love of the people. Hmmm. Let's take a look at Mr. Chavez's track record, shall we?
He first made his name in 1992 by leading an attempted coup, which failed and landed him in prison. This passionate committment to the democratic ideal pretty much set the tone for the rest of his political career.
After a pardon by the successor of his coup-target, he was in fact elected president in 1998, and within a year of taking office had once again proven his love of democracy by barring the National Assembly (the Venezuelan Congress) from holding meetings. Legislative business continued -- conducted by a 7-man committee made up of Chavez cronies.
In the 2000 parliamentary elections, the voting was so dodgy that not even the Carter Center gave its approval. Emboldened, Chavez went on to declare the "enabling act", which essentially allowed his word to be law for one year.
By 2002, many Venezuelans had had enough, and half a million people took to the streets in protest. Appalled at this revolting display of free speech, Chavez let loose gangs of his thugs on his own people, killing several and injuring scores of others.
As of last year, Venezuelan oil production was not even up to 2001 levels because Chavez had sacked all the competent industry veterans and specialists who opposed his half-baked nationalization schemes. The cronies he installed may have known how to curry favor, but they had no clue how to run actual oilfieds.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have catalogued numerous abuses under Chavez. He has openly moved to form alliances with Russia and China, two of the most illiberal major states on the planet that have zero consideration for quaint "Western" concepts like liberty, democracy and free speech.
Yup, I can't wait to get my hands on "Mercenaries 2"!
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