On Aug 28, 2011, at 9:11 AM, Marv Gandall wrote:
> All very interesting, but in the rush by yourself, Charles, and Ravi to defend Carrol from criticism and "misrepresentation", you've all failed to address his latest Big Idea which has been at the heart of this discussion - that Venezuala, Bolivia, and Ecuador can't halt at being mere "semi-autocracies" (your words) but will "have to abolish elections" and become full-blown "authoritarian states" (his words) in order to maintain their independence from the United States.
>
> Do you endorse Carrol's advice to Chavez, Morales, and Correa?
According to Tariq Ali, who claims to have gotten it from Chavez, Fidel told him many times not to make the same "mistake" he did - setting up an authoritarian repressive state. Fidel advised him that elections would make Chavez more secure, not less.
Doug