Chavez was not Stalin

The March 4 cartoon celebrating the death of Hugo Chavez by comparing him to Josef Stalin was not just repugnant, but revealed your appalling ignorance of history.

Stalin was an evil dictator responsible for the deaths of millions. Chavez was a popular, democratically elected president who never killed anybody. He may have said some nasty things about the United States, but the U.S. government did conspire with Venezuela’s oligarchy and military to overthrow him in a coup in 2002.

Such destruction of democracy in Latin America has a long and sad history and, if the precedent of Chile …

The March 4 cartoon celebrating the death of Hugo Chavez by comparing him to Josef Stalin was not just repugnant, but revealed your appalling ignorance of history.

Stalin was an evil dictator responsible for the deaths of millions. Chavez was a popular, democratically elected president who never killed anybody. He may have said some nasty things about the United States, but the U.S. government did conspire with Venezuela’s oligarchy and military to overthrow him in a coup in 2002.

Such destruction of democracy in Latin America has a long and sad history and, if the precedent of Chile in 1972 was followed, it would have led to the killing not just of Chavez, but of thousands of innocent Venezuelans. He was therefore entitled to some bitterness.

Graham Andrews

Spokane