Socialistic Insanity

CARACAS, Venezuela — Calm returned to the streets Thursday after three days of demonstrations touched off by President Hugo Chávez's refusal to renew the broadcast license of a Caracas television station. The government halted broadcasts by Radio Caracas Television on Sunday. Since then, police have repeatedly clashed with angry crowds. Opposition leader Manuel Rosales on Wednesday demanded the release of dozens of students jailed during clashes with the police. Rosales — the governor of western Zulia state who was defeated by Chávez in December elections — said protesters are demanding not only free speech but also the right to protest "peacefully and democratically."

Chávez accused RCTV of helping incite a failed coup in 2002 and violating various broadcast laws. He said his decision to replace it with a new state-funded public channel, TVES, was a step toward "democratizing" the airwaves. Earlier this year, Chávez moved to nationalize telecommunications and power companies. He recently ordered the government to take control of the last privately run oil fields and refineries. In recent months, his government seized hundreds of thousands of acres on several large farms and said it would redistribute the land to poor farmers as part of its "drive toward socialism."

• JJ Commentary: Socialism leads to communism which leads to oppression. Chavez is a lunatic who ultimately wants dictatorial powers.