Can Hugo Chavez Be Ousted on YouTube, Blogs?

International boneheads have not been my forte when naming This Week's Top Scrooge every week. I figure we have enough wayward humans, "swimming" 90 miles in the wrong direction in our own country to spotlight.

But last week, I just had to go to South America. To Venezuela, where Mr. Hugo Chavez resides...and, by the way, rules the country in much the same way his pinhead friends Castro, Ahmadinejad, and the now-departed Hussein did.

Earlier last week, Chavez shut down Radio Caracas Television, accusing the station of violating broadcast laws and supporting a botched coup against him in 2002. He replaced RCTV on Monday with a state-run broadcast station.

RCTV, which had been on air for 53 years, aired soap operas, programs and news broadcasts with a decidedly anti-governmental perspective. It was one of only a handful of private broadcast stations in Venezuela that openly criticized the government. Another, Globovision, has received similar threats from Chavez regarding its right to broadcast.

How conve-eee-niate! Could it be the work of the...oh, let's say DEVIL? The devil which Chavez so assuredly pins constantly on others such as President Bush and even just plain ol' America?

This is an easy call. Hugo, the word terrorist (most publicized weapon of choice so far), is Last Week's Top Scrooge not only for his increasing flare for dictatoring, but because I wanted to mention something else...Chavez might go down because of YouTube, blogging, and democratic-loving college students taking a stand in Caracas.

The station silenced by Chavez, has found a way to continue its daily broadcasts -- on YouTube.

Although the station is officially off the air, U.S. reporters on the scene say its news department continues to operate on reduced staffing, and the three daily hour-long installments of the newscast "El Observador" are uploaded onto YouTube by RCTV's Web department.

In addition, RCTV's Colombia-based affiliate, Caracol, has agreed to transmit the evening installment of "El Observador" over its international signal. The program, which will run at midnight, could reach about 800,000 people in Venezuela.

I like stories with happy endings. And since I've been doing This Week's Top Scrooge, I like stories of hope and redemption even better.

Chavez has compared capitalism to Count Dracula, Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper and the Boston Strangler, but then added that capitalists are much worse than those monsters.

While manipulating the poor, recruiting "Chavistas", and siding with all that are anti-American, he is doing much more than just playing a word game. Chavez is out of control.

However, here's where the power of information can help squelch this guy. He is no longer just somewhere close to the equator, ruling without consequence. Now, us YouTubers and bloggers have no excuse about not knowing what's really going on.

There's plenty of blogs chronicling what's happening in Venezuela, but Fox News Channel's Adam Housley has a great blog while reporting. He has been in Caracas from the beginning of the protests. Check this reporter's blog here.

So, here's to those college students down in Caracas. Here's to those journalists broadcasting by whatever means they can. Keep fighting!

Even if it's just with words for now, so be it...better yet without bloodshed. Words can cut like a two-edged sword...especially when the words are truth.

This Week's Top Scrooge can be seen every week at TheScroogeReport.com.
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Past Scrooges:

Sex, drugs and the ol' 'You're going to do it anyway' excuse

A nation traumatized by Paris Hilton

Fleeing to the satellite waves, radio jocks Opie and Anthony reach even lower

Parents' child abuse includes dog cage, shock collar

Alec Baldwin tries cleaning pigsty with "Apology Tour 2007"

This week: no point in poking fun at boneheads and blunders

Knuckle-headed Dom Imus and Nebraska woman tie for top dishoner

Woman's home up for grabs as part of online hoax