VENEZUELAN AMBASSODOR PUTS OIL OUT OF MIND: Houston visit focuses on people

By Paul Fitzgerald Bennett

Venezuelan United Nations Ambassador, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera has got to have one of the hardest jobs on Earth. Just last year his boss, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called American President George Bush the "Prince of Darkness" during a September 20, 2006 speech at the U.N. Who could forget these words? "The Devil came here yesterday. And it smells of sulfur still today." Add in the fact that Mr. Herrera's job is in the country where Satan allegedly dwells and it's always 'hot in the old town' for the ambassador.

"Well, let's not forget there's been rhetoric on both sides," said Mr. Herrera during a July goodwill tour in Houston. "And don't forget he said that at the UN which is an international forum."

Mr. Herrera's visit to Houston last month focused on the commonalities between his native Venezuela and Houston's minority communities. He admitted that most of his visits to Houston have centered on business.

"This is a non-oil visit to Texas. And this is important because Texas is much more than oil to us," he said. Like President Chavez who made visits to New York City minority communities during his U.N. visit, Mr. Herrera followed suit by visiting Houston's barrios and ghettos.

"Imagine the connections you can make in America if you have the African and Latino American community come together," he said. It's an undertaken that's already been accomplished in Venezuela genetically. Eighty percent of Venezuelans are identified as "Negro E Indio" or "Black and Indian". President Chavez is the first elected "Negro E Indio" president in the 197 year history of the nation.

Black and Latino were the persons who dominated the food lines at St. John's United Methodist Church's "Bread of Life" when Mr. Herrera paid a visit to the downtown predominantly African American Church.

"What you are doing here is wonderful," the ambassador told Pastor Rudy Rasmus. "I would like to invite you to Venezuela to see what we are doing to address the needs of the poor."

Mr. Rasmus accepted the invitation to Venezuela as well as Mr. Herrera's pledge of fiscal support for "Bread of Life" from CITGO, the Venezuelan owned oil company.

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From Publisher

The New Majority is not a politically correct publication.The New Majority seeks to have open and honest dialogue. No issue will be subjugated to the outer realm of political and social discussion for fear of offending someone. TNM will expand on those things which all New Majority persons have in common and bring to light those things which brings us at odds with one another.
Paul Fitzgerald Bennett

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