Chavez Must Go
Posted on October 10, 2009
Chavez Must Go
The tyrant of Venezuela must go. It is bad enough that he has nationalized the oil and gas industry, destroyed the freedom of the press, made a mockery of constitutional government, completely dismantled his nation’s economy and installed drug-running thieves to help run his country. Now, he is attacking the game of golf.
An article in today’s Washington Post, (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904246.html), makes clear that the Latin American dictator hates the game of golf. “Chávez criticized the sport as "bourgeois," mocked golfers as lazy and said that "there is no justification for a golf course in the middle of a city." n the name of the socialism he's fast implanting in Venezuela, Chávez has nationalized scores of businesses over nearly 11 years in power, including oil multinationals and cattle farms. The government has initiated plans that could lead to the takeover of two of Venezuela's best-known courses, which golf enthusiasts point out would leave only 20 functioning courses in a country more than twice the size of California. It's an argument unlikely to sway a revolutionary. "I respect all the sports, all of them, but there are sports and there are sports," Chávez said, wearing his trademark green military-style suit and facing supporters attending his national television show this summer. "Can someone tell me, 'Is this a sport of the people?' "
Well, yes it is. And increasingly, it is the sport of people from Latin America.
Take, for example, Angel Cabrera, who won this year’s Master’s tournament. He is from Argentina, and grew up poor. He is not from an elite family, but he worked hard as a caddy, developed a strong competitive attitude, and is now one of the top golfers in the world.
As a matter of fact, Latin American golfers are taking the PGA by storm. Beside Cabrera, the tour boast other big time Latin players like Camilo Villegas from Columbia, Carlos Franco from Paraguay, Andres Romero from Argentina and others.
John Daley destroyed the idea that the game of golf is reserved only for the elites. He is as working class as you can get, but he is also one of the most popular players on the tour (despite his recent setbacks).
Of course, it is highly ironic that Chavez’s favorite hero, Fidel Castro, has been known to play a game of golf every now and then, and even the infamous revolutionary Che Guevara, was a pretty good golfer.
It is also funny that Chavez picks on golf just as the Olympics has decided to add the game to the 2016 games.
Maybe Chavez hates golf because he stinks at it. But this is the last straw. Chavez has to go. He has lost his marbles.