Current Events ...

So, yesterday I was flipping through the channels, when I happen to catch Hugo Chavez speaking to the UN. And I stopped when I really registered what he was saying.
I admit. I was sat there in shock, in awe. The words he was saying were powerful to me - saying the US was on it's way down and will be done soon. I also caught the bit about the UN needing to be replaced with a different organization. And he kept talking about smelling sulfur!
[then the kids interrupted and I only read today about him calling Bush a devil].
I was so blown away by what he was saying ....
And apparently it has blown everyone else away too because it's all over the TV today (although I would like to note, I could not find any information about the story in my paper today but I did only get to glance through it quickly while the kids were eating breakfast, but I live by Chicago and I expected to see something. I will go back later and look again and see what I can find).
So today I have seen people say things like we need to stop using Citgo gas, since it is owned and operated by Venzuela and we don't want our money going there (of course, boycotting them has been something people have been calling for prior to the speech, but it's gaining ground now) and I've heard that only Americans should be allowed to criticize Bush, and I've also heard that his comments were "not becoming for a head of state," and blah blah blah.

But let's just stop and think for one minute.
Is calling someone a devil worse than calling people evil? Or accusing countries of being part of the Axis of Evil? I don't know ... certainly I want to say, yes! Of course it is! We are better than they are! But are we really? It certainly makes me want to stop and think.
And really, can only Americans criticize Bush? If that's the case, then we as Americans certainyl must stop criticizing other countryies' leaders as well, correct? Which means we should say nothing about Iran or North Korea or heck, for that matter, apparently we can say nothing about Saddam Hussein. Afterall, we do not live in Iran or North Korea or Iraq.
Or maybe that was the point of all of Chavez's speech ... we have one set of rules for us and another set for the rest of the world. Is that fair of us to do? Well, the toddler in me says no way! It's not fair ... if he gets to do it, I get to do it too!!
Let me state this very clearly though, I do NOT agree with what Chavez said or the way he went about doing it.
And yet, we are reacting as if we have never done any name calling of our own. Or that we have never criticized other countries.
Are we over-reacting? Do we as a nation hold other nations to different standards than what we feel we should follow?
I guess it's all food for thought .....

That aside, I do not like what Chazev is doing in his own country and I do not particularly care for him as a leader. But I think we have bigger concerns right now rather than worrying about his criticism of the US, Maybe I'm off base here.