"What You Don't Read About Venezuela - Part II"

I have received many comments from friends and family on both sides of the issue. I appreciate all of your comments because I think that we need to have a productive debate, which unfortunately, we do not have now, because the "radicals" on both sides have taken over the debate.

Let me clarify that I am NOT in support for Chavez. Quite the contrary, I have voted against him in every single electoral process and signed the "firmazo" and "refirmazo". I am proud of it, and would do it again. I also think that he cheated in the referendum, and the elections were undemocratic because they were done under the threat of the Government. Nobody knows who would have won if everybody would have voted for whom they wanted under no threat of retribution.

The point of my article was to bring up some of the reasons why Chavez still has a lot of support, especially from the poor. Here in Miami, the media coverage is very poor. The programs invite only radicals who talk about how to get rid of Chavez and constantly describe how Venezuela is already another Cuba. Here in Miami many people basically watch Baily (who has become now a comedian and calls Chavez a killer on a daily basis without any evidence) and Polos Opuestos, who invites regularly Patricia Poleo and Orlando Urdaneta to provide only their POV along with some Cuban exile leader who has never been to Venezuela and says with certainty that everything is like Cuba. The articles and columns in the Herald, WSJ, NYT are superficial at best and talk about the obvious.

I know some of the young Opposition leaders, who are not radicals, and should be given a chance to explain the situation, especially here in Miami. This a complicated and deep issue with no real debate, and that's the reason why I bring up some of the reasons why Chavez has support to start a productive debate. Hopefully, the University students set the example and start a real debate -- if Chavez let's them, which I doubt. Keep up the comments.