Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on October 29, 2009

Socialism demands silence from dissenters...

Seems like such a short time ago that Sean Penn and Madonna were battling it out in their donnybrook marriage so often that the press labeled them “The Poison Penns”… how quickly time flies.

Now, two marriages and two Oscars later, Penn is ambassador to Venezuela. He must be feeling as excited as a little kid meeting his schoolboy hero. Because he IS meeting with his hero, the tyrannical despot of Venezuela, Pres. Hugo Chávez.

From Yahoo News:

This photo was released by the Venezuelan Presidency, showing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (L) during a meeting with US actor Sean Penn (R), at the presidential palace in Caracas, on October 28. Penn may film a movie in Venezuela, according to Chávez.

How very nice of Chávez to take an interest in Penn’s film career. Aren’t socialist dictators just so thoughtful? Did Penn get a chance to congratulate the tyrannical president on his swift and stunning ability to strong-arm and silence the majority of Venezuelan people who disagree with him? Freedom of speech is always such a pesky ordeal to remove when you’re trying to oppressively rule over an entire nation.

Sean Penn met with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, October 28, 2009

From UK Reuters in September:

Chavez minister vows more Venezuela radio closings
September 5, 2009

Venezuela will pull the plug on 29 more radio stations, a top official in President Hugo Chavez’s government said on Saturday, just weeks after dozens of other outlets were closed in a media clampdown.

Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello closed 34 radio stations in July, saying the government was “democratizing” media ownership. Critics say the move limits freedom of expression and has taken critical voices off the airwaves.

The powerful Chavez ally has threatened to close over 100 stations in total, part of a long-term campaign against private media that the government says are biased against Chavez’s government.

“Another 29 will be gone before long,” he told thousands of Chavez supporters at a political rally, without giving details which stations would be closed or when.

Cabello also said he was launching a new legal case against Globovision, the country’s most prominent anti-government television network, accusing it of inciting a coup against Chavez.

Text messages circulated last week in Venezuela saying a coup against Chavez was imminent. Other messages circulated among Chavez supporters calling for them to be on the alert.

The government quashed the rumors quickly and said all military units were acting normally.

“They (Globovision) aired a tape supposedly with telephone messages calling for a coup d’etat,” said Cabello, a member of Chavez’s inner circle who took part in the president’s first bid for office — a violent and abortive coup in 1992.

Chavez was himself ousted for 48 hours 10 years later in a short-lived army rebellion after he won office democratically. That putsch had the support of some of the country’s television companies.

In 2007, Chavez took revenge, refusing to renew the concession of Venezuela’s oldest and most widely watched private station, RCTV, which is now visible only on cable.

Chavez has long threatened to close down Globovision on similar grounds and the government has slapped it with big fines and legal cases this year.

From August 2009, CNN reported: Dozens of radio stations shut down in Venezuela:

At least 34 private radio stations in Venezuela were closed indefinitely Friday, and 206 more were at risk of being shut down, a government official said.

The stations were closed for various reasons, including expired permits and operation by unauthorized personnel, said Diosdado Cabello, minister of Public Works and Housing.

“Freedom of expression is not the most sacred freedom,” Cabello was quoted as saying by CNN affiliate Globovision.

Cabello said the closings affected at least 11 states nationwide and 206 additional stations would shut down in the coming days.

Wonder what Penn will be reporting back to Obama on? The “Platinum Version Chávez Game Plan” on destroying talk radio and taking over the Internet? Will he be bringing back a “silver bullet” for White House crybaby Anita Dunn to shoot into the metaphorical heart of FOX News?

From The Foundry, Why Should Michael Moore Lie About Hugo Chavez?:

In a recent article in the New York Times, supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, or “Chavistas,” claim that Michael Moore, the documentary and filmmaker, acted cowardly during an appearance on the late-night program “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” During the show, Mr. Moore claimed to have shared a bottle-and-a-half of tequila at the Venice film festival in September with Mr. Chavez and helped him with his recent United Nations speech.

Eva Golinger, a professional Chavez apologist, went ballistic calling Moore a vulgar liar and egomaniac. Ms. Golinger counts Chavez as one of the world’s most “brilliant” speakers, who speaks from the heart, not from texts written by others. Ms. Golinger praised Mr. Chavez as one of Latin America’s “greatest and most influential leaders,” and rejected assertions made by Mr. Moore as “fairy-tale” lies and altogether insulting towards a head of state.

Like all good apologists, Ms. Golinger wants people to look at the good things her idol has accomplished in the same way people praised Joseph Stalin for the Moscow subway or Benito Mussolini for making Italian trains run on time.

Of course, Ms. Golinger doesn’t like to talk about Chavez’s strong relationship with Iran, about his backing of terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, and Hezbollah, his anti-Semitism, and or his stance on helping Iran’s nuclear ambitions. She ignores how Mr. Chavez has violated human rights in Venezuela through means such as limiting freedom of expression and his unfulfilled promises to eradicate corruption. She doesn’t often mention soaring crime and violence rates or Chavez’s relations with Colombian terrorist organization the FARC.

Yet, for these reasons, and many more, President Chavez’s popularity among the Venezuelan population has declined.

From Gateway Pundit, Ambassador Sean Penn Meets With Chavez – Will Pass Message to Obama:

…Chavez added that he discussed politics with Penn, who said he would soon see U.S. President Barack Obama. Chavez said he’d asked Penn to tell Obama he should take action to earn his Nobel Peace Prize , and should scrap a plan for the U.S. military to increase its presence at bases in Colombia.

“They gave him the Nobel Prize, very well, now he should earn it,” the socialist leader said, paraphrasing an open letter by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore to the U.S. president.

Chavez also applauded Moore’s work, and dismissed comments the director made during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on ABC earlier this month. Moore said he’d drunk tequila with Chavez at the Venice Film Festival and offered the Venezuelan president suggestions for an upcoming speech at the United Nations.

Regarding his “he should earn it” comment about Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. This must be putting the Democrats in a quandary, because Americans who said the same thing were told by Democrat leaders they were “as harsh” as terrorists, as the Taliban.

I’m guessing Ambassador Penn didn’t relay that message from Congress/White House to Chávez.

Additional reading:
Monsters & Critics: Sean Penn visits Hugo Chavez
Brian Jennings, Big Hollywood: Incoming FCC Chairman: No Censorship.
Capitalism Magazine: The “Crony” in Russian “Capitalism” is Socialism
Greg Gutfeld, Big Hollywood: Daily Gut: Celebs Go Cuckoo For Hugo and
Reason.TV: Killer Chic, Hollywood’s Sick Love Affair with Che Guevara
Humberto Fontova, Big Journalism: In Venezuela, Rage Against Chavez’s Marxist Machine, While Movie Stars Sport Che’s Icon
PoliGazette: Venezuelans about to starve to death
Mediaite: Blogger Yoani Sánchez Says She Was Beaten by Cuban Authorities
ZTower: Want a place on the enemy list? How about suggesting that if Obama had only followed Nixon’s example things might be better.
Noel Sheppard, NewsBusters: Schumer: Talk Radio Needs to be Regulated Like Pornography
Andrew Breitbart, Big Hollywood: I Pledge to Ridicule Celebrities Who Refuse to Recognize We Are At War With People Who Want to Kill Them, Too and How Sean Penn Won the War
Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog: WH Green Czar Van Johnson linked to Group attacking FOXNews and Glenn Beck and Obama “Brownshirts” Attack Glenn Beck; This is “UN- American”!!
Mi blog es tu blog: Oliver Stone Totally Hearts Chávez; Fears His New Movie Will not be Shown in U.S. [I Wonder Why]
The Elephant’s Trumpet: The Fire-Fight for Freedom of Speech
Big Hollywood: Exclusive Excerpt: ‘Without Fidel’ — Hollywood’s Useful Idiots Go to Cuba
Hot Air Green Room: Glenn Beck and the Unforgivable Curse
Conservative Black Woman: What is a Communist?
1Autolatry: Move to Squash Freedom of Speech
Nice Deb: CRS Report: Honduran “Coup” Was Justified
Examiner.com: Fl. Sen. Bill Nelson–cosponsor to S773–White House to control internet
Hot Air: Does Obama plan to spy on social-networking sites? and WH: We’re not collecting names, we’re storing your e-mail addresses
Protein Wisdom: Government to Parents: All your childrens are belong to us [Darleen Click]
George Moneo, Babalú, an island on the net without a bearded dictator: Fidel and his friends in DC
VentureBeat: Bill would give President emergency control of Internet in his dreams
The Jawa Report: Obama Seeking Absolute Control of Internet
Adotas: President Obama to seize the Internet under ‘cyberthreat’?
Ryan Mauro, Pajamas Media: Obama Uses ‘Politics of Fear’ He Once Criticized
Giovanni’s World: Govt Takeover of Internet- Bill Allows Obama to Seize Internet in Crisis
The B.S. Report: Running Banks, Car Companies, Housing Market And Health Care Not Enough; Obama Wants Control Of The Internet!

Frugal Café Blog Zone: Nixonian: Obama’s White House Tries Blackout of FOX News from Press “Pool” Interview with Pay Czar, Other News Stations Refuse (video) and Statists, Left-wing Extremists: If They Ignore the Cries of Cubans, It’s Easy to Shut Their Eyes to the Evils of Socialism and Video Parody: Hey There, Obama (Drink the Kool Aid) and Cuba, the Musical: CBC’s Fawning over Castro Is Naive, Nauseating and Embarrassment – Dems Have Lovely Chat with Fidel Castro… Blame America for Cuba’s Poverty Because of Embargo and The Sham of Socialism: Save America While There’s Still Time and Want Some Milk with Those Cookies? White House May Track When You Visit Dot-Gov Websites (video) and Obama Ignores Cheaper, Better Solutions from GOP, Forcing Trillion-Dollar Porkulus Bill and Debt on America
Dick Morris: The Declaration of Independence Has Been Repealed
Claudia4Libertad, Babalú, an island on the net without a bearded dictator: I heart Glenn
The Foundry: Video: Chief Diversity Officer Seeks To Stifle Free Speech
LisaInTx’s Blog: Alex Jones: Prison Planet Under attack?
Michelle Malkin: U.N. declares Castro a “World Hero of Solidarity” and Race-baiter Democrat Rep. Diane Watson praises Cuban health system, Castro & Guevara who “kicked out the wealthy” and Unanswered questions about the Internet Snitch Brigade and Obama’s computer security police and Iran vs. the Internet
Pronk Palisades: Obama’s Hidden Agenda and Cadre of Marxists, Communists, Progressives, Radicals, Socialists–Destroying Capitalism and The American Republic
Burt Prelutsky, Big Hollywood: Examining Leftist Thinking
American Thinker: Human Rights Watch on Cuba
VotingFemale Friends Speak!: Communism is the ultimate REGRESSION of society. ask the people of Cuba and their Oxen. LOL LOL LOL!HG
Adam Baldwin, Big Hollywood: ‘Global Citizenship’: An Unsustainable Social Injustice

Categories: Entertainment, Celebrities, Freedom of Speech, Government, International Relations, Law & Constitution, Media & Communication, National Security, Social and Political Climate
Tags: ambassador, America, American ambassador, Anita Dunn, conservatives, dissention, film actor, Fox News, freedom, Freedom of Speech, Hollywood, Hugo Chavez, Madonna, oppression, radio stations, Sean Penn, socialism, socialist, talk radio, Venezuela