Hugo Chavez cracks down on dissent

http://www.nma.tv/ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continues to go to silly lengths to silence his critics in the media. He has banned a Colombian soap opera from his country's airwaves that stars a devious woman named Venezuela and her dog, "Little Hugo." Chavez recently took issue with another TV dog, Brian from the cartoon "Family Guy". That show got the boot too, as did The Simpsons. Chavez has told his officials to create a "map of the media war" to weed out those outlets who pose a threat to his authority, referring to his enemies as "squealing pigs" and "little Yankees." He is also tightening the state's grip on the internet, especially on social networks, which have been used to organize dissent in other countries. Chavez has even taken the fight to America, rejecting the new US ambassador to Venezuela for his comments linking Chavez to Colombian radicals. Chavez's suggestions for a new ambassador include Oliver Stone, Sean Penn and Bill Clinton. The Venezuelan congress recently granted emergency powers to Chavez that border on dictatorship in order to spur flood relief efforts. Though he claims he will relinquish his new powers in May, many feel the damage to democracy has already been done.