PEN-L message, Re: Chavez as anti-Semite?

I have not called Chavez an anti-Semite. I generally support what his government is doing.

I’ve been writing about this for a while, so it’s easier to distill what I think the issue is.

All the defense of his anti-semitic statement dwell on wrapping a regional political context around the statement. What he meant, what his audience thought he meant, etc. I don’t speak Spanish, and I have no expertise on political culture in South America. I am suspicious of this argument, but I cannot contest it. I think it is irrelevant.

From the standpoint of the history of anti-semitism, which embraces South America and anywhere else Christianity has spread, there is no other meaning of the descendants of Christ-killers but Jews. None. For the sake of his revolution, HC ought to realize this and do some fine-tuning of his message.

Cheers,

mbs

At 17:02 09/01/2006, Max S wrote:

And the SID (Socialists in Denial) award goes to . . .
He's talking about the decendants of the people
who crucified christ... the ROMANS.

Why SID, Max? Do you know something beyond what a zionist news agency has circulated?
Here's a note I posted to Marxmail when Louis posted his note:

I sent the following off to a friend who asked about the charge

being

circulated:

-----------

         Don't believe that crap.

It's clear that Chavez meant the

capitalists (given Jesus's role as first socialist revolutionary and

Judas as the first capitalist). If I recall correctly, Chavez was

speaking at a refuge for street kids the day before Christmas

(apparently a very inspiring speech-- I was in Chile at the time).

Here's the quote:

http://www.ww4report.com/node/1426#comment-4211>translation of

relevant passage

Submitted by

http://www.ww4report.com/user/3>David Bloom on Sat,

12/31/2005 - 15:12.

"The world has enough for everyone, then, but it turns out that some

minorities, the descendants of the same ones who crucified Christ,

the descendants of the same ones who threw Bolivar out of here and

also crucified him in their own way in Santa Marta, over there in

Colombia. A minority seized ownership of the wealth of the world, a

minority seized ownership of the gold of the planet, of the silver,

of the minerals, of the waters, of the good lands, the oil, of the

wealth, basically, and the riches have been concentrated in few

hands: less than 10% of the population of the world owns more than

half the riches of the whole world...." (Trans: Weekly News Update

on

the Americas

http://home.earthlink.net/~nicadlw/wnuhome.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~nicadlw/wnuhome.html)

Michael A. Lebowitz