Dear Larry,
Your article about the latest propaganda film featuring Hugo Chávez by Oliver Stone and associates hits the nail on the head. A chorus of both paid and unpaid supporters of the Venezuelan Supreme Leader is fuming, emerging from their hideouts to ‘debate’ your viewpoints. Expect more ‘clarifications’ from Noam Chomsky and academia affiliated with totalitarianism, as well as from various individuals on this indefinite list. Rest assured that as soon as any ‘evidence of American imperialism’ is presented to Venezuela’s elected and appointed officials, the very Eva Golinger will publish another point-by-point ‘refutation’ in her state-funded Correo del Orinoco. Maybe even Ken Livingstone will write something for Morning Star. In chavista land, this will settle scores and permanently discredit you and the New York Times. They will churn out thousands of words but will never tackle the issues that any sensible person or institution raises about Chávez’s rampant fascism.
As a Venezuelan following my country’s politics long before Stones, Weisbrots, and Wilperts even knew about Little Venice, I can only say thank you for holding these harmful fools accountable. Keep in mind that these are the kinds of people who still refuse to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the association of a democratically elected president, namely Chávez, with the leaders of the longest and most brutal dictatorship in the United States. They are, in fact, enamored with Fidel Castro. These fundamentalists have sunk so deep that any report containing even a hint of criticism is deemed untrustworthy, or even unacceptable. Because some believe in God, others in Allah: this group blindly believes everything Chávez tells them.
So congratulations on a job well done. Next time you speak to Stone, Ali, Weisbrot, etc., ask them who funded the film, their trips across LatAm, visits to Venezuela, promotional tours, and the websites where they post their nonsense. Inquire about their credentials, their relationship with the Venezuelan government, and whether they would be willing to prove they aren’t on the take by showing their tax returns. I trust they’ll continue accusing you instead of proving you wrong.
Best wishes,
alek boyd