Richard Norton, a professor at the Naval War College, laments what he terms the passing of democracy in Venezuela (“Hugo Chavez: President for life?” Commentary, Jan. 28).

Democracy for whom: a coterie of monied elite willing to turn over Venezuela’s wealth to the depredations of the multinationals? An Iraqi democracy?

Ask the people of Venezuela if there is anything democratic about abject poverty amidst an abundance of oil, with little access to jobs, decent housing, and health care.

The people of Venezuela have chosen Hugo Chavez, and they have a right to self-determination free of outside interference. They don’t need arrogant, bellicose, and rapacious Americans writing fatuous commentaries, or eulogies to that which never existed. It only serves to fuel and justify a future U.S. intervention.

Also, before we criticize Venezuela, we need to look at our own democracy. We are borrowing $2 billion a day, while this administration is flipping-off the 1996 War Crimes Act, the Geneva Conventions and international law. The will of the populace is ignored, while society is increasingly militarized.

There is suppression of science, critical thought and dissent. We have “sneak-and-peek” warrantless searches, government surveillance of snail mail, e-mail, phone calls, bank accounts, student records, and political activists. There are signing statements, security letters, no-fly lists, data mining, and the jailing of journalists. There are legalized torture, legitimized pre-emptive war and “secret renditions,” and arbitrary and indefinite detentions, with the right to legal counsel being seriously undermined. And the writ of habeas corpus, a legal cornerstone, is being shredded. Is this the democratic model Venezuela should adopt?

JOHN St. LAWRENCE

Johnston