SeattleYO did you live there and find out for yo urself.
Did you?
I have friends that live there and he did kill people and rule with an iron fist. Granted he did some good things, even my friends say that, but he also did a lot of bad things too. If you didnt live there or have friends who have lived under his admin, dont base your opinions of just what you have read. thanks
You have anecdotal friends that heard he killed people?
Wow.
I'll base my opinion on the fact there was a 2002 coup by the military and old oil guys, that kidnapped him from the palace and threatened to bomb the palace if he did not go with them.
Then a US plane came to pick him up. For two days, the military ruled Venezuela, and dissolved the National Assembly and the supreme court.
Chavez never even had any of these coup plotters or collaborators brought up on any charges, much less jailed.
IRON FIST! -- my ass.
Find me any other country or leader in the world that would not bring charges against coup plotters. Name ONE.
Yet I am supposed to believe some guy with friends in Venezuela who heard rumors that he actually had lesser opponents killed, without a shred of evidence. We are talking fourth or fifth removed from the actual source of the rumor.
No, I think my opinion is more logical than that based on rumor. I don't have to live there. And there is absolutely no proof or even accusations he had opponents killed, besides a US State department memo that it "may" look into accusation he killed "up to" 4000 people.
No human rights organization has ever even claimed he had political opponents executed.