Hugo Chávez, Simon Bolivar and the ‘cult’ of Maria Lionza

Uwe Siemon-Netto

In the late 1970s, Princeton historian Bernard Lewis came across Ayatollah Khomeini’s short book, “Islamic Government,” which later became known as the Islamic cleric’s “Mein Kampf.” It detailed what Khomeini planned to do with his country once he came to power. “I tried to bring this to the attention of people here. The New York Times wouldn’t touch it,” Lewis told the The Wall Street Journal. Underestimating long-term strategies of sinister leaders seems endemic in the Western media. The quasi-religious fervor with which Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez pursues his plan to resurrect Simon Bolívar’s empire, Grand Colombia, is largely overlooked.

http://www.freepressers.com/2011/04/faith-matters-hugo-chavez-simon-bolivar-and-the-cult-of-maria-lionza/