[A-List] Pelosi on Venezuela

[tony black]

> From: Venezuela Information Office <newsandaction at veninfo.org>
> Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 15:34:40 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: URGENT: Pelosi on Venezuela
> To: grok at resist.ca
> Reply-To: newsandaction at veninfo.org
> Message-ID: <355130049.624058831 at org.orgDB.mail.democracyinaction.org>
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> Please receive our apologies for the high-volume of action alerts that we 
> have been sending lately. Too much is happening and we need your immediate 
> action.
>
> Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement today that 
> criticized a recent decision by the Venezuelan government not to renew the 
> broadcasting license of RCTV. Pelosi's statemet: 
> http://speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0198
>
> We STRONGLY encourage you to email and call Speaker Pelosi to set the 
> record straight.  Please contact the following people:
>
> Pelosi's Chief of Staff/Policy Adviser: Terri.Mccullough at mail.house.gov
> Pelosi's Media Staff: Brenda.Daly at mail.house.gov
>
> Call Speaker Pelosi at 202-226-7616
>
> When you call or email, feel free to use the following TALKING POINTS:
>
> 1. There is no "Suppression of Media in Venezuela," nor was there a 
> "closure" of  RCTV. Instead its license to broadcast on the public 
> airwaves was not renewed.
>
> 2. The non-renewal of the license prevents RCTV from broadcasting on open 
> access channels, but the station will still be allowed to broadcast in 
> Venezuela through the internet as well as cable and satellite TV. Neither 
> does it affect the possibility of RCTV producing material for domestic or 
> international TV programming. Moreover, RCTV may continue to broadcast 
> using their two radio stations.
>
> 3. The non-renewal is due to RCTV's failure to abide by legal norms 
> established by the Venezuelan Constitution and the Law of Social 
> Responsibility for Radio and Television. The law  forbids public airwaves 
> licensees from inciting political violence and civil unrest. RCTV's 
> violations involve conspiracy to bring down the elected government of 
> Venezuela during the violent coup of April 2002 as well as the active 
> promotion of an economic sabotage later that year, which cost the country 
> more than US$10 billion in losses.  RCTV also has a long list of sanctions 
> imposed by previous governments for reasons ranging from pornography, 
> violations of laws prohibiting publicity of smoking and alcohol drinking 
> to transmissions of false information.
>
> 4. The non-renewal of RCTV's broadcasting license is not an example of 
> censorship, nor is it a strike against the private media in Venezuela. 
> RCTV was part of a majority; 79 out of 81 TV stations and all 118 
> newspapers in the country are privately owned. Most are vehemently opposed 
> to the democratically elected government of President Chavez. RCTV is 
> unique only in its editorial excesses and its history of violating legal 
> norms.
>
> 5. RCTV's large share of the open-access airwaves was assigned, upon 
> expiration, to a public broadcaster that is dedicated to presenting 
> programming that features independent operators and producers.
>
> PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR NETWORKS.
>
> Do your best to personalize your email, and make sure to send it to your 
> Congressional Representatives, as well. To find out who your 
> Representatives are, please go to:  http://www.house.gov/writerep/
>
> Please read VIO's fact sheet on "Press Freedoms in Venezuela: The Case of 
> RCTV" at: http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/downloads/RCTV.htm
>
> For more information, please call the Venezuela Information Office at 202 
> 347 8081, ext. 603 or email natali at veninfo.org
>
>
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