Hollywood's new favorite dictator

By Thomas Lifson

Hugo Chavez, the oil-powered Castro wannabe of Venezuela, has picked up a few fans in Hollywood, despite the Venezuelan public's rejection of his plan to be dictator-for-life by a large enough margin that he couldn't steal the election, and despite (or in some cases because of) his cozying up to the regime of the mad mullahs. His willingness to finance movies with the Venezuelan treasury might just have something to do with it.

Chavez is currently trying to pull off a publicity stunt involving the release of three hostages kidnapped by the narco-terrorist guerillas of FARC, the Marxist movement seeking to overthrow Colombia's democratic government. Chavez has sat back and allowed FARC to occupy Venezuelan land as bases for attacks into Colombia, and is otherwise sympathetic with their revolutionary aims. They are a nasty and violent bunch, but the Hollywood do-gooders don't seem to care very much about that.

Playing along with Chavez's charade is Oliver Stone, a major fan of Fidel Castro, and now that Castro is either dead or dying, is apparently seeking to latch on to the next tropical Trotsky in Caracas. He is actually planning to film the release that is planned for three of the hostages, arranged by Hugo. As of this writing, the hostrages have not been released, so it is possible that Hugo Chavez will once again resemble a clown more than a head of state.

Gustavo Coronel, a Venezuelan exile, provides backgroud and reflects on the Hollywood pals of Chavez, and on what is developing in his homeland. Worth a read, albeit not well-sourced, for the background on these pampered leftists and their activities. Gustavo is a well-known figure among the Venezuelan exiles, and picks up a lot of information. He is also, as those who follow the link will see, unafraid to state what he thinks.