2 June, 2007

VENEZUELA ON HIGH ALERT!
DEFEND VENEZUELA'S RIGHT TO DETERMINE ITS OWN DESTINY!

IN THIS ALERT YOU WILL FIND:

• QUICK OVERVIEW
• WHAT'S BEHIND EFFORTS TO DESTABILIZE VENEZUELA
• WHAT TO DO IF THERE'S A CRITICAL INTERVENTION-IS YOUR CITY READY?
• TAKE ACTION!
• BASIC TALKING POINTS
• CONTACT CONGRESS AND MEDIA

QUICK OVERVIEW

Corporate media has widely reported that thousands of students, mostly from private schools and universities, have taken to the streets in opposition to the government's decision not to renew the broadcasting license of RCTV. Not reported have been the significantly larger numbers of high school and university students, workers, and neighborhood activists who have marched in support of the government.

Venezuela, Uruguay, and Peru have all denied the renewal of broadcasting licenses to media in the past few months. However, Venezuela is being singled out for censure. What is accepted as routine exercise of governmental authority in other countries is falsely labeled as tyranny in Venezuela.

RCTV is being closed because of numerous infractions of communication law, including its participation in the coup of April, 2002, and subsequent work stoppages and economic sabotage that cost the Venezuelan people $10 billion in losses.

After winning a resounding majority of over 62% in the latest election, the Chavez administration has been mandated by the people to move the Bolivarian Revolution forward, to hand over practical and meaningful power to the people and their representatives-especially the power to manage resources for the good of all.

Since his reelection, Chavez has spoken of the need to turn more factories over to worker control. He has put a stop to multi-national mining development in the environmentally sensitive Sierra Perija mountains. Pres. Chavez has acted to end foreign oil company control of Orinoco River Basin development, and to nationalize electrical and other energy, telecommunications, and water sectors.

The positive effects of these actions are numerous. For instance, by nationalizing the telecommunications giant CANTV, the government will be able to lower phone bill rates by 20 %, to double current access to telephone landlines, and, in the next few years, to provide telephone access to 93% of Venezuelans. Another more obvious example, of course, is using oil profits to expand social services, rather than to line the pockets of business leaders.

The forces of US/corporate Empire are alarmed and frightened by these challenges to their power and profit. They fear that this new kind of democracy could turn into a worldwide phenomenon, challenging the disorder of global capitalism.

This is why they are trying to destabilize Venezuela. And since the Venezuelan ruling class never acts without the permission, funding, support, and direction of its US imperialist masters-we can be assured that whatever the opposition is up to in Venezuela, it is being backed up by the US government.

There are several things you can do now to help keep a critical intervention from happening against Venezuela!

1) Write letters to the editor, call in to talk shows, and take action to counter misleading media. Links to contact information for major media are provided at the end of this alert.

2) Set up delegations with your Representatives and their staffs to talk to them about issues pertaining to RCTV and about Venezuela in general. The odds are that many of them are as poorly informed about these issues as the larger public. A link to contact Congress is provided at the end of this alert.

3) The Senate already unanimously passed a resolution condemning Venezuela's denial of the RCTV broadcasting license. A similar bill has been introduced into the House, H. Con. Res. 77, sponsored by Jerry Weller (R-IL). This bill has been referred to the House Foreign Relations Committee. Find out if your Representative is on this committeeby going to the following link. Call, email, and send them letters urging that they not support this bill. You can click on the Representative's name for contact information:

House Foreign Affairs Committee

4) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been an
outspoken critic of Pres. Chavez, calling him a
"thug" nd now jumping on the bandwagon to
condemn Venezuela's nonrenewal for RCTV. We
strongly encourage people to email and call
Speaker Pelosi to set the record straight.

Please contact the following people.

Pelosi's Chief of Staff/Policy Advisor:
Terri.McCullough@mail.house.gov

Pelosi's Media Staff:
Brenda.Daly@mail.house.gov

Call Speaker Pelosi at 202-226-7616 or use the
toll free numbers at the end of this alert

5) Help build the Emergency Response Network by visiting our website and downloading ERN forms and getting people in your community signed up!

1) The right to regulate broadcasting licenses is a right enjoyed by most governments, including the United States. Uruguay and Peru have both recently denied broadcasting licenses to media outlets, yet there have been no "condemnations" against them. Venezuela is being targeted for political reasons.

2) The denial of RCTV's broadcasting license is based on violations of the Venezuelan Constitution and the Law of Social Responsibility for Radio and Television. These make it illegal to use public airwaves to incite political violence and civil unrest.

3) During the April, 2002 coup attempt, RCTV knowingly broadcast false reports blaming Chavez supporters for firing on protesters (thus justifying the coup), and claiming that Chavez had willingly resigned and left the country. In fact, he had been kidnapped and jailed by opposition military officers. RCTV also broadcast logistical information for the coup and conducted a news blackout about the more than a million Chavez supporters who had gathered at the presidential palace in defense of their democracy.

4) Following the failed coup, RCTV actively promoted a program of financial sabotage and work stoppages designed to cripple Venezuela's economy.

5) RCTV has been cited numerous times for such infractions as broadcasting pornography and cigarette commercials and was closed several times by administrations previous to Chavez.

6) Venezuela has more media freedom than most countries. All but two of its 81 television stations are privately owned, as are all its 118 newspapers. Most of these are highly critical of Pres. Chavez. The government also shows its commitment to free speech and media by funding independent, locally run, non-profit Community Media centers.

7) Refusing to renew the RCTV license is not about media suppression. RCTV may continue to broadcast via their two radio stations, cable, and satellite. In other countries, those involved in coup attempts would go to jail for treason rather than be allowed to keep broadcasting.

In the event of a critical intervention against Venezuela, please go to the following link to learn about Emergency Action Plans in your city: Emergency Action Plans

IF YOUR CITY DOES NOT HAVE AN ACTION PLAN-NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO DEVELOP ONE! Look at what cities are doing for ideas. Please let us know about your city's plan so we can list it on our website; and feel free to ask for any support we can give. Send Emergency Action Plans to james@afgj.org. You can also reach us by phone at 202-544-9355 (Washington, DC) or 520-243-0381 (Tucson, AZ)

To send an email to your Congressional representative, follow this link: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

To send an email to your Senator, follow this link:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To contact major media outlets, go to:

Major Media Contacts

For more detailed media contact information, go to:

Extensive Media Contact List

Toll free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard:

800-828-0498, 800-459-1887, 800-614-2803, 800-862-5530, 866-340-9281

This ERN Action Alert was prepared by the Venezuela Solidarity Network. The basic purpose of the Venezuela Solidarity Network is to increase communication among groups that oppose US intervention in Venezuela, support the right of the Venezuela people to self-determination, and support the Bolivarian revolution. The Venezuela Solidarity Network also seeks to enlist additional progressive groups into Venezuela solidarity work, and to facilitate our ability to unite in joint actions.

We can be reached by phone at 202-544-9355 (National Office) or 520-243-0381 (James Jordan, Emergency Response Network Coordinator). Our website is:www.vensolidarity.org. You can also email james@afgj.org for more information.

To become a member of the Emergency Response Network, click here.