Picture of the Day 12/4

- Johan Santana, perhaps baseball's best pitcher, accepting award from the president of his native Venezuela, the demented Hugo Chavez.

Santana is the jewel of MLB's winter meetings, and is sure to command close to $20m/ season when he's a free agent in 2008.

I'm sure he'll let Chavez and his Communist party re-distribute that money to Venezuela's poor.

Hat tip to the Mick (who also designed our handsome new header) for the photo

The Cat's Out The Bolso!

Staying true to his communist, and thus, dictatorial, fashion, Venezuelan President Chavez has proposed that his nation's constitution be amended to reflect an indefinite amount of terms for the president. Hence, unlimited reelections. Also proposing an extra year to the presidential term (now at six), the AP has the Jefe denying any attempt to entrench his position as leader of the Latin American OPEC giant. After nationalizing critical industries and limiting one of the most basic human rights, that to express political, and other, thoughts freely and without government restraint, why would we doubt El Presidente's assertion against entrenching his and his cronies' political clout?

Can anyone really say they didn't see this coming? Let me go out on a limb here and predict that Castrinho will...wait for it...cancel local, regional elections and enforce the central government's will. This will involve further restrictions of liberties, but that is the ultimate communist characteristic: To do for your fellow man, because you don't trust your fellow man.