FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE NOUNS... CHAVEZ ORDERS CRACKDOWN ON ENGLISH WORDS

*******UPDATE: WELCOME MICHELLE MALKIN READERS!
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE WHOLE GROUP BLOG WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE!

*******UPDATE #2: SEE BELOW...

IHT/AP:

President Hugo Chavez's government is taking its battle against U.S. "imperialism" into Venezuelans' vocabulary, urging state phone company workers to eschew English-language business and tech terms that have crept into the local vernacular.

Through a campaign launched Monday, newly nationalized CANTV hopes to wean employees and others from words like "staff" ("equipo"), "marketing" ("mercadeo") and "password" ("contrasena").

Stickers and banners printed up by the company exhort Venezuelans to "Say it in Spanish. Say it with pride."

The Communications and Information Ministry said in a statement that Venezuelans must recover Spanish words that are "threatened by sectors that have started a battle for the cultural domination of our nations."

Other English words targeted include "mouse" ("raton"), "meeting" ("reunion") and "sponsor" ("patrocinador") — all of which have become acceptable in business circles in various Latin American countries.

A frequent critic of Washington, Chavez has sought to counter what he calls U.S. cultural imperialism on all fronts, taking measures such as financing Venezuelan cinema as an alternative to the "dictatorship of Hollywood" and forcing radio stations to play more Venezuelan music.

• FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE NOUNS... LEFTISTS AND THE PC POLICE...
  
• SERIOUSLY, THIS IN NOT UNLIKE WHAT PAKISTAN IS DOING TO YOUTUBE.
• AND DO YOU THINK A SINGLE HOLLYWOOD ACTOR WILL PROTEST THIS ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH!?

OF COURSE NOT.

THEY'RE LIKE THE REST OF THE IRRATIONAL AND HYPOCRITICAL LEFT: MORE AFRAID OF THE "PHANTOM-PHASCISTS" LIKE "BUSHITLER" THAN THE REAL ONES LIKE CHAVEZ AND AHMADINEJAD.

UPDATE #2: BBC:

Russian freedom of speech is "shrinking alarmingly" under President Vladimir Putin, says Amnesty International.

The murders of outspoken journalists go unsolved, independent media outlets have been shut and police have attacked opposition protesters, said the report.

It also said "arbitrary" laws were curbing the right to express opinion and silencing NGOs deemed to be a threat by the authorities.

THIS IS A REAL TYRANT. BUSHITLER IS A PHANTOM-PHASCIST OF THE LEPHT.

BUT CRITICIZING SOCIALISTS - LIKE PUTIN AND FIDEL AND HUGO - IS UN-PC. WHILE ON THE LEFT, ANTI-AMERICANISM IS VERY PC.