In the wake of the killing of the most wanted man on Earth, it is perhaps time to start to focus on our enemies that are closer to home. This title used to belong to the “president” of Cuba, Fidel Castro, but if you didn’t know already, he has officially retired from the Cuban Communist party. But no worries, Hugo Chavez has all the intention in the world to be just like Fidel; in fact he’s doing a pretty good job at it. Now, I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “why should I care what Chavez is doing?” and that question will be answered with much joy.

First, let’s look at what he’s doing here in America’s capital. He donated $1.5 million to CASA de Maryland, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization (that receives about $4 million from taxpayers), effectively works as a special interest group that advocates any legislation that supports amnesty for illegal immigrants and open borders. So it comes as no surprise that the director of CASA de Maryland, Gustavo Torres, said at an event in Washington that celebrated, yes celebrated, Hugo Chavez’ “achievements.”

Torres said that “[T]he development of a profoundly democratic and participatory process and an extraordinary investment in the poor” adding that, “[t]his has changed the dynamic in Latin America; there is now evidence that profound changes can come through democratic means.” Yes, democratic means, the same means that limit (in the best cases) the freedom of the press, but don’t tell that to Argentina, and the same means that jails anyone who so much as disagrees with state propaganda.

Surprisingly that wasn’t event the most shocking, or perhaps revealing is the appropriate word, at the event. Andrew Castro, National Coordinator for the ANSWER coalition, said that “[W]ith the financial crisis and recession in the US, with people losing their home and jobs, many Americans are realizing that Venezuela is trying to construct an alternative model to capitalism.” Yes, people are realizing that the alternative is socialism.

If this isn’t enough to make you question why people are lauding Chavez for his strides toward equality, let’s see what he’s doing in Venezuela. In January of 2011, the Venezuelan National Assembly passed “the law of the Defense of Political Sovereignty and National Self-Determination,” a mouthful as well as a law that diminishes the freedom of speech. Basically, the law does not allow groups that disagree with state rhetoric or propaganda from receiving foreign donations, or else they’re subject to a fine of “double the sum it receives from abroad.” This law is simply another tactic to silence the anti-Chavez speech in Venezuela and allow the Bolivarian– read Socialist– Revolution to continue smoothly.

Chavez is also trying to gain support for his policies here in the US among the poor by offering them oil at lessthanmarketvalue, a program he started in 2005.  Chavez says that “if you want to eliminate poverty, you have to empower the poor, not treat them as beggars,” basically figuring that people will act upon self-interest, so they’ll support him because he is offering them a good at a lesser value. The United States must not rely that just because our neighbors to the south haven’t been a cause for concern in the past; it means that nothing will ever come from Latin America. We must be actively monitoring the area and watching out for the values and virtues of liberty and democracy that this great nation was founded upon.