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Comment Follow Up- The Libertarian Students of Belgium Reject Yon Goicoechea

You may have seen my expose on Yon Goicoechea. If not scroll down and read it. It was my machismo moment of outrage at CATO for awarding this extraordinary right wing non-libertarian big state rightist the Milton Friedman award for liberty.

Not only has Yon been linked to student violence in Venezuela, but he calims in his interview with Playboy that he has been "promoting human rights" which I guess is a good thing even if he is only paying lip service to them, but still he has not really offering any solutions to the problems in his country like the Libertario.

In fact there were so many contradictions in his positions that the students of the European Congress in Belgium rejected him going there.

Look, this guy is no Bolivar, and is no libertarian.

Which again makes CATO's award all that much more inexplicable.

I am still looking for that video of the students in your movement throwing the gas at the national guard Yon and invite you to explain how violence is worthy of any libertarian awards?

Until you explain yourself Yon, I will never accept the kind of things I saw the students in your movement do.

But more importantly I wish you would explain it to the families of the victims of that violence.

I can be ashamed of CATO as an American, but I cannot bring back the young women who DIED or undo the injuries that families suffered and all I want to know is "how many people have to suffer for you to acheive your political goals...."

How is any of that Libertarian?

Real freedom and real popular constitutional change can be acheived in Venezuela without violence Yon..... try peaceful change, read William Penn.

You will see as much as you disagree with parts of your state, at least some very important people there like Raul Baudel are following Bolivar's vision as a relative conservative and Ismael Garcia's Podemos party as a democrat are trying to change the system. Even if you disagree with them at least they are usuing non-violent means to acheive political goals.

I can gaurentee you that the student marches in Venezuela would have been met with TOTAL repression if they occured in the United States, but you were allowed to do just as you wanted and not molested until your students started attacking people....

Yon you need to understand, even the name of liberty can become corrupt if its hands are stained with the blood of innocents.

I am glad that the European student congress rejected your message becuase it is a defamation to the name of liberty and is promoted with and through foreign intervention in the affairs of other nations. It is in this respect interesting to note that for the FIRST time the award you are getting is being funded by Exxon-Mobile, Walmart, Federal Express, Ford and Phillip Morris among others.

Yon, which one of these is not a neo-mercantilist?

Which one does not represent the interests of one class over another and which one has not asked for huge government and socialist subsidies for their own interests over the interests of the people in the United States?

These are no free market Adam Smith Libertarians, this is mercantilism awarding one of its disciples, and that is exactly how they will see it and use you with this award.

Libertarianism is a peaceful movement that seeks solutions for each of our contries through individual liberty in partnership and solidarity, it does not provoke or promote the rights of one group over another. That is not Libertarianism.

You cannot have equal rights for all if you spend your time promoting the rights of the oligarchy over the people Yon. Look the Greeks said it best, "if one is at the behest and indebted to the rich, how can one expect equality before either the rich or the law, for the judges will naturally side with those who have power over those who do not thereby corrupting the holy name justice and making what used to be democratic justice for the many into a oligarchic justice for the few over the rights of the many."

That is from the world's first libertarians- the point of all Libertarians platforms is to secure EQUALITY for everyone before the law and what you are offering does not do that when it offers equality and unlimited freedom to one class over another or at the expense of another group. EQUALITY before the law is a central tenet of all Libertarin philosophy. And your movement falls far short of that Yon.

From everything I have read on the right and on the left you are offering is more of the same old fashioned statist rightism that Pinochet used. And is it any wonder that Pincohet was the disciple of Milton Friedman's Chicago boys who increased poverty from 20% to 40% and dumped the rest of the poor in the Pacific Ocean from their helicopters?

WHEN YOU COME HERE YON I WANT AMERICAN STUDENTS FROM THE LEFT AND LIBERTARNS TO PROTEST YOU. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE WAY YOU TREATED THE PEOPLE, I HOPE THEY CHANT IN THE STREETS "YONNIE, GO HOME..." like the Latin American protest song "yankee go home..."

On second thought, maybe it is appropriate for you to win the disaster-managed capitalism award. But it really is a neo-mercantilist award Yon becuase it has nothing to do with real freedom or liberty- at least not the kind any self respecting Greek, Founding Father or Adam Smith would have understood.

While you are here I suggest you pick up some copies of Ron Paul's books, and maybe a libertarian reading list and critique of Milton Friedman's work so if you are going to launch a libertarian movement you know what it means to be a libertarian, also, it would be helpful to read Adam Smith and Zimmerman's "The Greek Commonwealth."

Finally it would not hurt for you to read William Penn's collected works.

Do not pretend to be a hero of liberty while inciting student violence.

You may fool all the non-Spanish speakers out there but I for one, am not buying it.

Estudiantes belgas rechazan presencia de Jon Goicoechea y Fredy Guevara en el Parlamento Europeo

Bruselas. Diciembre 18, 2007 (Especial) – Estudiantes de las universidades mas prestigiosas de Bélgica, han rechazado este martes la presencia de los estudiantes derechistas de la oposición, Jon Goicoechea y Fredy Guevara, en el Parlamento Europeo. En un comunicado público, los “universitarios demócratas de Bélgica, de diferentes universidades” manifestaron que los “dos dirigentes estudiantiles de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello de Venezuela, universidad privada”, no representan el movimiento estudiantil universitario de Venezuela.


Para los estudiantes belgas, “es importante, reconocer que estos jóvenes provienen de universidades privadas, las cuales han sido un centro de agitación contra el gobierno y que representan a unos 50.000 estudiantes, todos de familias adineradas, mientras el contingente nacional de estudiantes asciende a 1 millón 700 mil estudiantes, de los cuales 700.000 están en la Misión Sucre, que es un sistema de estudios superior desarrollado desde 2003 por el Estado venezolano, con vista a democratizar la educación superior y universitaria.” “Estos 700 mil universitarios de origen modesto becados –como muchos otros- no se sienten representados en nada con los visitantes,” dice el comunicado. Asimismo, los estudiantes belgas reconocen los avances en materia de educación, que ha logrado el gobierno del Presidente Chávez.


“Las reformas del gobierno de Hugo Chávez en la educación -desde la lucha contra el analfabetismo hasta los estudios superiores y de post grado- han desatado una verdadera revolución en la mentalidad de las gentes. Para esa abrumante mayoría conformada por quienes no contaban con los medios de financiar sus estudios o no tenían asegurado las tres comidas al día, para esa vasta mayoría, el camino que ha abierto el gobierno democrático y progresista de Hugo Chávez representa una esperanza, una realidad de cambio.”


En este sentido, los estudiantes demócratas belgas de instituciones reconocidas mundialmente como la Universidad Libre de Bruselas y la Universidad Católica de Lovaina, rechazan “la presencia de quienes, apoyados por los poderosos medios de comunicación, pretenden arrogarse la representación de la juventud y estudiantes de Venezuela.” Asimismo, el comunicado expresa un contundente apoyo al “proceso de cambios que se desarrolla en Venezuela,” y le piden a la Unión Europea que respete la soberanía de un país democrático e independiente. A continuación el texto del comunicado. A la opinión pública internacional Los universitarios demócratas de Bélgica, de diferentes universidades nos hemos enterado que se encuentran de visita en nuestro país, Jon Goicoechea y Freddy Guevara, dos dirigentes estudiantiles de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello de Venezuela, universidad privada.


Seguramente, esta gira estaba planificada desde antes del referéndum del 2 de diciembre de este año, y tenía como intensión denunciar el " fraude " del gobierno. Y de paso pedirle a la Unión Europea que denuncie la " dictadura de Chávez " y etc, etc. Sin embargo, el referéndum fue ganado por la oposición por el 1% de los votos y este resultado fue reconocido hidalgamente por el propio Chávez, quien saludó a la oposición. Dado que todas las instancias internacionales han saludado la limpieza y transparencia del escrutinio venezolano, y que este les es favorable, se deben haber preguntado cuando viajaban hacia Europa: ¿Qué vamos a denunciar?


No tienen motivo, pero como los aliados de la derecha venezolana ya habían previsto el viaje y los contactos, no les quedo otra cosa que llegar ante ustedes para urdir nuevas mentiras, con el objetivo de enlodar al gobierno venezolano y al proceso de reformas democráticas que se desarrollan en Venezuela, de manera completamente pacífica y en acorde a la Constitución del país, la cual antes del referéndum, desconocían… Es importante, reconocer que estos jóvenes provienen de universidades privadas, las cuales han sido un centro de agitación contra el gobierno y que representan a unos 50.000 estudiantes, todos de familias adineradas, mientras el contingente nacional de estudiantes asciende a 1 millón 700 mil estudiantes ! De los cuales 700.000 están en la " misión Sucre ", que es un sistema de estudios superior desarrollado desde 2003 por el Estado venezolano, con vista a democratizar la educación superior y universitaria.


Estos 700 mil universitarios de origen modesto becados –como muchos otros- no se sienten representados en nada con los visitantes. Las reformas del gobierno de Hugo Chávez en la educación -desde la lucha contra el analfabetismo hasta los estudios superiores y de post grado- han desatado una verdadera revolución en la mentalidad de las gentes. Para esa abrumante mayoría conformada por quienes no contaban con los medios de financiar sus estudios o no tenían asegurado las tres comidas al día, para esa vasta mayoría, el camino que ha abierto el gobierno democrático y progresista de Hugo Chávez representa una esperanza, una realidad de cambio.


Como es sabido también, los partidos políticos tradicionales de Venezuela, COPEI y AD perdieron el apoyo de los electores tras decenas de años de corrupción y políticas neoliberales. En su reemplazo, para llenar el vacío se encuentran los medios de comunicación, en mano de las mismas grandes fortunas; son estos medios parciales que practican el terrorismo intelectual, quienes han levantado a esta nueva generación de estudiantes que defienden los intereses de la oligarquía, la cual se desarrolló a la sombra de privatizaciones fraudulentas y desvíos de los beneficios del petróleo.


Por tanto, Rechazamos la presencia de quienes, apoyados por los poderosos medios de comunicación, pretenden arrogarse la representación de la juventud y estudiantes de Venezuela. Apoyamos el proceso de cambio que se desarrolla en Venezuela, porque este proceso representa también una esperanza para nosotros, que constatamos como desde junio de 1999, desde la Conferencia en la ciudad de Bolonia - para la reforma de la educación superior- la Unión Europea no ha cesado de destruir el componente democrático y progresista de la educación, buscando uniformarla y ponerla al servicio de los grandes monopolios. Todo lo cual, en los hechos no hace sino que acentuar la exclusión social y el mercantilismo en la educación.


Ojalá en Europa " otros Chávez " fueran capaces de ver el mundo con los ojos de las grandes mayorías y ponerse al servicio de ellas y no como sometidos a los dictados de los monopolios y círculos restringidos del poder. No olvidemos que es el pueblo venezolano quien a través de más de diez contiendas electorales, ha manifestado su apoyo al gobierno actual y aprueba los cambios en curso. Recordamos respetuosamente, a las autoridades de la Unión Europea que


Venezuela es un país democrático, independiente y soberano -a pesar- de que nos visiten, renegados que sueñan con intervencionismo e intromisiones en los asuntos internos de ese país. Nosotros como belgas y europeos, aspiramos al respeto del derecho a la autodeterminación del pueblo venezolano a escoger su propia vía para mejorar su suerte.


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