Venezuela and Hugo Chávez
It's rare for the White House, Congress, Republicans, Democrats, and religious leaders to agree on an issue. One of these rare issues is that Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, is a threat to his people, the region, and to the United States. If the U.S. military were not bogged down in Iraq, it may have already liberated Venezuela from this tyrant. Public opinion would support such action because the reporting in the mainstream U.S. press reflects this consensus of opinion.
Trouble is, there are many other reputable news sources that say quite the opposite; that Chávez is a hero to most Venezuelans. That most American countries see him as an ally - not an enemy. That Chávez is helping the majority of the people of his country who are poor at the expense of the minority who are powerful and wealthy.
If the United States were to attack Venezuela based on inaccurate news reporting, it would be making the gravest of mistakes - on a par with the Iraq War. It would seriously damage the reputation of the United States in Latin America and have serious implications for our economy - South American countries now enjoy expanded markets for their products, such as China. It's important that U.S. citizens determine the truth about Venezuela for themselves.
We'll look at news stories about Venezuela and Hugo Chávez and help you determine the facts for yourself. Before we do, it's best if you get up to speed on Venezuela. A good unbiased Internet source is Wikipedia.
Once you're familiar with Venezuela, refer to the menu items to the left (underneath the Venezuela item) to examine controversial news stories about Hugo Chávez.