"Chávez is no angel. No politician is."

Tormenting Bush

Trade in Venezuela: a man of the people for one of lower value

Editor, The Times:

I am shocked by "When chased by Latin America's playground bully, Bush runs, hides" [Times, Rhonda Chriss Lokeman syndicated column, March 26] regarding Venezuela's lawfully elected leader.

Venezuela is a democracy, and its leader truly cares about the poor people of his country. If their leader does not like President Bush, so be it. Neither do at least 80 percent of the people of the Third World. And I know. I am an American who travels all over the world as part of his work, and what this administration has done to erode the status and credibility of the U.S. overseas is both huge and reprehensible.

At times I feel ashamed to be American. I have to admit, "Yes, we invaded Iraq based on lies. Yes, we torture people now. Yes, we hold people for years at Guantánamo Bay without charging them. Yes, we ignore the Geneva Conventions. Yes, our FBI spies on many of us."

I would much rather say, "No, none of that is true," but I can't. It all is.

I would trade George Bush for Hugo Chávez in a minute, but no Venezuelan would be stupid enough to make the deal.

— Mark Sawyer, Shoreline

Another world

While 80 percent of Venezuelans languished in poverty, not to mention comparable percentages in so many other Latin American countries, Rhonda Chriss Lokeman seems to have been watching "telenovelas" produced and shown on the "free-market" TV long controlled by the "other" 20 percent of the population in that country.

President Hugo Chávez was rescued from a brazen coup attempt and has won two elections by landslide because he has done more to help the vast majority of Venezuelans over the past few years than other Latin American leaders have done to help their own citizens, anywhere, over the past 50 years.

To compare him unfavorably to President Bush and his cronies (they can't be separated), whose war, tax cuts and ignorance regarding international relations have severely wounded our country — both within and beyond our borders — over a similar period, is to utter a sad and stupid joke.

Chávez is no angel. No politician is.

As for Bush, my favorite political button says it best: "I smell sulfur, too."

— Dale Rector, Seattle

The deathly hollow

The description of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez included in "When challenged by Latin America's playground bully" could not have been more inappropriate. The parallel drawn between the democratically elected leader of one of the U.S.' largest trading partners and the gruesome villain of J.K. Rowling's novels was a childishly exaggerated appeal to political bias. Its inaccuracies abound.

Newspapers do not undergo censorship in Venezuela, where not a single state-owned print-media outlet exists, and deciding not to renew a broadcast license that is up in May — the legal right of any government — hardly constitutes censorship. In fact, no media outlet has been shut down during Chávez' presidency, and open criticism of him and his policies are a daily occurrence in the largely opposition-owned TV, print and radio press.

Moreover, "Dictator" Chávez was recently voted into office for the third time with 63 percent of the popular vote, and high approval ratings lend him a legitimacy that is genuine, not "out of fear."

Perhaps this inventive writer, who claims to "know the importance of machismo" in Latin America, should stick to the area with which she demonstrates the greatest familiarity: children's fantasy literature.

— Olivia B. Goumbri, executive director, Venezuela Information Office, Washington, D.C.

Candidates for hope

The Edwardses win

Tuned in to the Edwardses' news conference last Thursday. John's initial announcement that Elizabeth's "cancer is back" was heart-wrenching [see " 'We have no intention of cowering in a corner,' " page one, March 23].

Then came the dialogue between John and Elizabeth, leaving me with feelings of exultation. Straight talk about the prognosis and where they are going with their lives. No stoop to self-pity or seeking of prayers, the conversation was lightened by an occasional grin.

As a breast cancer survivor (men are not immune!) who knows something about it, there was no doubt in my mind of the authenticity of all that was said.

I think the two of them are truly a pristine partnership in John's pursuit of the presidency. They would bring a breath of fresh air to the White House. If John wins the nomination or another shot at the vice presidency, I hope he succeeds this time. Our nation will be the better for it!

— David Olson, North Bend

Ferry bearings

Equality is due West

Alex MacLeod very carefully and patiently described the destructive effect rising ferry fares are having on island and West Sound communities ["For those totally dependent on ferries, future toll increases pose a great risk," guest commentary, March 22]. Just keep in mind that Kitsap County was the only county in the state to lose employment in the most recent accounting. It would appear logical that higher ferry fares may be a big part of the reason for this decline.

What if all the legislators from all of the affected counties and cities joined together and told their fellow legislators, "We have had enough! We will all join whichever legislative caucus, Democrat or Republican, that agrees to give ferry riders the same 25 percent of cost fares as other commuters in the state"?

While it is true that there are a host of other issues to deal with and lots of party loyalties, bridge tolls and high ferry fares are going to kill the economic life of the West Sound.

The state is now funding millions to assess the construction of water projects that benefit a very few in the Eastern part of the state. We need that taxpayer money to be spent where the taxpayers are.

Consider the impact on the highway system if any substantial part of those who live in the West Sound and islands were to relocate to the commuter neighborhoods of the East Sound.

We of the West Sound deserve equal treatment. Will our legislators unite and stand up for that equality?

— Gerard Bentryn, Bainbridge Island

A bridge to fear

A hole in the ground from our axel

So if I understand it correctly, the Washington State Department of Transportation is blocking the transport of its own designed part for the DOT's Tacoma Narrows Bridge? ["Piece of Tacoma Narrows Bridge flunks weigh-in at the border," Local News, March 24.]

Someone over there at WSDOT is shy an axle or two.

— Carl Wilson, Seattle