"He [King Juan Carlos] is as much a head of state as I am, with the difference that I've been elected three times with 63% of the vote; the Indian Evo Morales is also as much a head of state as King Juan Carlos de Borbón. No chief of state can tell another one to shut up. I've been told that they had to restrain the king because he was rising from his chair, although I didn't notice it. I was only telling the truth I believe, therefore I have nothing to answer for to the king. That's his problem." — Hugo Chávez, responding to King Juan Carlos' injunction that he "shut up" after repeatedly interrupting President Rodríguez Zapatero's speech at the Ibero-American Summit, held at Santiago, Chile.
Well, this adds an interesting dimension to this story. According to those near to the king, who were obliged to "restrain" him, or so Hugo has been told, His Catholic Majestry was ready to fall upon the red cacique. What a historic moment that would have been! The symbolism alone would have sufficed to make me pass out. For once, a Spain king would be vindicating the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas by thrashing one of their own! There are a few pages still to be written in the history of Spanish colonialism in Latin America. That would have been one.
Chávez neglected to mention that besides being a head of state like King Juan Carlos, he also aspires to be a king himself. The upcoming Venezuelan elections will make him "president for life," the first in the Americas since "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Before Chávez is through he may well crown himself, you know, so that old kings won't pick on him anymore since he'll be their "cousin."
BTW, I guess there's not going to be any Grand Cross of Isabel the Catholic in Hugo's future.
Manny envia a Chavez para el Madhouse
ReplyDeleteEs mas in honor to what transpired in Chile please do me the honor or renaming the madhouse
in honor of el indio macaco chavez
complaceme esta vez chico
Manuel,
ReplyDeletewhat has not been brought out so far is the pipsqueak and cowardly behavior of Mrs.Bachelet. She was after all the host of the summit, and should have called Chavez to task for using this kind of language to refer himself to the ex-president of the Spanish Govt. She limited herself to ask both parties to refrain fom enganging in a "dialogue" and present their arguments and positions.
But what can one expect from Mrs. Bachelet? After all she is a socialist who chose the DDR for her place of exile in Europe during the Pinochet dictatorship. The most represive communist govt. in all the communist block was her country of choice for her exile. The same govt. that ordered its security forces to shoot women and children if they attempted to escape using the Berlin Wall. Her choice of country for her exile tells me more about her that any words she may choose to use in the political discourse. Now to finally reveal herself for hwat she really is, she has announced a trip to Havana and more than likely she will meet with the tyrant in person. Birds of the same (communist) feather flock together as they say.
Did you notice who was sitting next to Zapatero?
ReplyDeleteI still can't be happy with the Spanish Leaders. Although I am glad that the King told that lunatic to shut up.
Agustín:
ReplyDeleteIt's Bachelet's last chance for a photo op with Allende's real killer. As you may have heard, Allende was murdered at Fidel Castro's orders by Patricio de la Guardia, the chief of his Cuban bodyguards, when the KGB spy cum Chilean president expressed his intention to surrender to the military during the siege of the presidential palace. Pinochet, the head of the army, was acting under orders from the Chilean Congress, which had formally impeached Allende and removed him from office. Allende's initial resistance precipitated the attack on the Palace.
Allende's supporters would later claim that Pinochet's forces had murdered Allende. This story was repeated for decades until his own daughter publicly acknowledged that her father had committed suicide with a submachine gun given to him as a gift by Fidel Castro.
In truth, however, Fidel Castro not only provided the instrument but the agent as well of Allende's undoing.
His assassin, Patricio de la Guardia, later was purged during the Ochoa affaire.