Hugo Chavez's socialist "revolution" has found its latest victim - golf.

[HytrewQasdfg]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...f-courses.html

Hugo Chavez moves to close golf courses

Hugo Chavez's socialist "revolution" has found its latest victim - golf.

By Our Foreign Staff
Published: 6:39PM BST 12 Aug 2009

The Venezuelan president launched a tirade against the "bourgeois" sport recently during one of his infamous Sunday national television addresses which can last for several hours.

His government has also moved in recent weeks to shut down two of the country's best-known golf courses, according to The New York Times.

"Let's leave this clear," Mr Chávez said during a live broadcast. "Golf is a bourgeois sport."

Mr Chavez then went on to mock the use of golf carts used by some golfers and claimed this represented the laziness of those who played the game.

If the two planned closures go ahead the number of golf course shut down in the last three years will be nine, Julio Torres, director of the Venezuelan Golf Federation. told The New York Times.

The majority of closures have taken place in oil producing regions and were initially built for Americans who worked in the industry.

Mr Chavez sees the connection between the two as elitist.

In neighbouring Cuba, however, the government is allowing foreign investers to build several new courses as part of a determination to increase tourists revenues.

The president has said that he has no plans to make golf illegal in Venezuela. "I respect all sports," he said. "But there are sports and there are sports. Do you mean to tell me this is a people's sport?", he said.

Venezuela's government has been on a socialist drive, seizing the assets of foreign owned companies operating in the country and nationalising various industries.

Mr Chavez was accused of stifling freedom of speech when he recently announced that 34 radio stations would be closed.

[HytrewQasdfg]

I thought this was a joke at first, but apparently not.

[enduro]

It makes sense. If the courses were being mainly used for wealthy people then it makes sense he closes them since it isn't for the people. It would make it, as he stated, something for the bourgeois. And that is exclusionary and something he is against.

It's a different situation than here.

[Chilli Dipper]

Luckily, all this means is that once Chavez is no longer in power, those decadent capitalist Americans will parade in to build newer, more expensive, and more extravagant courses in their wake. Much like how real estate developers and course designers are salivating at the prospects of post-Castro Cuba.

[whetstone]

Did you really just take up for Hugo Chavez? Really?

It makes sense. If the courses were being mainly used for wealthy people then it makes sense he closes them since it isn't for the people. It would make it, as he stated, something for the bourgeois. And that is exclusionary and something he is against.

[enduro]

Did you really just take up for Hugo Chavez? Really?

No, I'm saying he's being consistent.

We don't live in a black and white world. There aren't "good guys" and "bad guys". There are many shades of gray. He has certain political views and some are good and some are bad imo. At least he's being consistent with his ideals and ridding his country of the exploits of the upper class. I don't have to agree with this. I do, however, love the many opinions people have of him without knowing anything about the country he leads, their needs, their leverage with certain things and desires and why some of the things he wants for his people might make sense for them, even though it seems insane for us. the real hatred for him is less ideological and much more has to do with free trade and the OPEC. Never go to a CITGO gas station if you're that anti-Chavez. He was elected by the people as well.

[Shindig]

Now I need to get my friends from Venezuela into golf. You know, to give them yet another reason to hate Chavez.

This guy's outbursts make me wonder if even the "president" of Iran has to tell him to become a mature adult someday.