Chavez is not a dictator

Chavez is not a dictator. It is yet another indication of how extreme mainstream media is that this canard is given such high profile without challenge. "Mr. Chomsky said that he would not choose to use the same harsh oratory, but added that the Venezuelan leader was simply expressing the views of many in the world. And he said Mr. Chavez's anger was understandable. "The Bush administration backed a coup to overthrow his government," he said. "Suppose Venezuela supported a military coup that overthrew the government of the United States? Would we think it was a joke?"

Chavez has won six closely supervised elections.

Even Chavez' opponents concede that millions of poor Venezuelans -- the majority -- now have access to health care, education, literacy programs, land titles, and credit for the first time, as a result of the government's social programs. ( U.S. MSM ignores this and the country's unprecedented economic growth that reached 17% in 2004, the highest in the world.)

Sadly, the biggest threats to Venezuela's democracy still come from Washington, which has funded and allied itself with the anti-democratic leaders of Venezuela's opposition, including supporters of the failed coup. This funding and support has been acknowledged by the U.S. State Department. The National Endowment for Democracy, which is funded by our Congress, has also funneled millions of dollars to opposition groups. And recently-released documents from the CIA show that the Bush Administration had detailed advanced knowledge of the coup but lied about what happened: the White House tried to convince the press and other countries that it was not a coup at all, but rather a legitimate seizure of power by "pro-democracy" forces."

**This is why the US media attacks him**:
Chavez is using the oil resources to help the poor, his first concern is not the profits of U.S. corporations and that is considered a crime in the U.S. All the attacks on him have to do with how he is helping the people. Some important facts slip through in the MSM: To lessen his dependence on the U.S. market, which soaks up two-thirds of Venezuela's 2.1 million barrels of average daily exports, Caracas also is investing in several major projects such as refineries and shipping terminals to cut out costlier middlemen, predominantly from the United States."