Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004 - 11:46 p.m.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
I just saw the film "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". *Everyone* should see this movie, especially those who are interested in freedom and the truth! It's a real testament to "...the Power of the People standing up to The Man"! A real History in the Making that was less than 2 years ago!
"On April 12th 2002 the world awoke to the news that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had been removed from office and had been replaced by a new interim government. What had in fact taken place was the first Latin American coup of the 21st century, and the world's first media coup..."
Two Irish Filmmakers went to Venezuela to make a documentary about leftist President Chavez. During the filming an actual coup took place following a terrible riot that was falsely blamed on Chavez. Washington's State Dept had false intelligence about this and there's strong evidence to believe that the CIA backed the coup against Chavez. The President was forced from power when the business, media, and military elites threatened to bomb the palace, and then took control, meanwhile the Irish kept the cameras faithfully running. The public was lied to; they were told that Chavez had resigned when in fact he was taken prisoner. An interim government was quickly installed run by the country's wealthiest businessmen who also controlled and censored the media. Within 48 hours the truth finally leaked out to the general public and a million people marched to the presidential palace in Caracas to demand Chavez' return. The Irish got it all on film, including proof that the intelligence to Washington was faulty, that Chavez' supporters had not caused the riots, which was a justification for the coup! Today, Washington denies having any involvement with the coup even though Venezuela is the 4th largest producer of oil, Chavez was outspoken about the Bush Administration’s bombing in Afghanistan and foreign policy, and several individuals involved in the interim gov. went into exile in the US.
I saw this movie down in Olympia, thanks to the Olympia Film Society (www.olyfilm.org). Unfortunately this Thursday is the last day it's being shown there (6:30pm, Capitol Theater, 206 E. 5th Ave. Olympia, WA). I'm trying to find out if the movie's going to return to Seattle. It was shown in the Seattle Film Festival last spring. Also, check out the website:
http://www.chavezthefilm.com
A shorter version of the film, titled "Chavez: Inside the Coup", has been shown on European television.
I actually remember seeing a bit about the riots on the news in April 2002. It was a big reason why I didn't pursue teaching English in Venezuela. When I first looked into teaching English in South America, my first choice was Ecuador, Venezuela my second and Argentina was my third.
This is an incredibly powerful and inspiring film. I recommend everyone see it.
