This Week in History, Mar 10 - Mar 16

Mar 10, 1959
Rebellion in Tibet. Tibetans band together in revolt, surrounding the summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of Chinese occupation forces. China's occupation of Tibet began nearly a decade before, in October 1950, when troops from its People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded the country, barely one year after the Communists gained full control of mainland China. The Tibetan government gave into Chinese pressure the following year, signing a treaty that ensured the power of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the country's spiritual leader, over Tibet's domestic affairs. Resistance to the Chinese occupation built steadily over the next several years, including a revolt in several areas of eastern Tibet in 1956. By December 1958, rebellion was simmering in Lhasa, the capital, and the PLA command threatened to bomb the city if order was not maintained.

Since all politics is local, a phrase coined by former US House Speaker and longtime Democrat Tip O'Neill, 52 year old Adolfo Carrión Jr, who is a City Islander asked his friends and neighbors to vote for him.

Carrión, a former NYC councilman, Bronx Borough President, who briefly worked for president Obama during his first term is the only Latino mayoral candidate. He acknowledged he is a long shot to win the Republican party primary, but added that he will be more effective as a third-party candidate in his bid for Mayor of New York City.

US Congressman José E. Serrano today mourned the death of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Serrano says he met President Chavez in 2005 when he came to The Bronx at his invitation. Congressman Serrano says. “His focus on the issues faced by the poor and disenfranchised in his country made him a truly revolutionary leader in the history of Latin America. He understood that after 400 years on the outside of the established power structure looking in, it was time that the poor had a chance at seeing their problems and issues addressed. His core belief was in the dignity and common humanity of all people in Venezuela and in the world.

“When he visited, President Chavez offered a new type of program to the people of the Bronx. He had harnessed the power of his nation’s oil resources and was using their profits—through Citgo—to enact social spending programs. Now he offered people in the Bronx that were struggling economically the same deal. He would provide home heating oil at a huge discount, provided the savings were reinvested in programs that benefited the underserved and underprivileged. I am proud to report that we have benefited from that program ever since, with millions invested in our community through this program and through a grant program he set up.

“Though President Chavez was accused of many things, it is important to remember that he was democratically-elected many times in elections that were declared free and fair by international monitors. Even today, people in North America seem unable to accept that Venezuelans had taken our admonitions to have democracy to heart and elected the leader of their choice. President Chavez carried out the programs that his constituents wanted enacted, and won reelection. This too was revolutionary in the history of Latin America, where coup d’etat have been historically a way of power changing hands—especially during the times of controversial leaders.

Serrano adds that, “President Chavez was a controversial leader. But at his core he was a man who came from very little and used his unique talents and gifts to try to lift up the people and the communities that reflected his impoverished roots. He believed that the government of the country should be used to empower the masses, not the few. He understood democracy and basic human desires for a dignified life. His legacy in his nation, and in the hemisphere, will be assured as the people he inspired continue to strive for a better life for the poor and downtrodden.”

Congressman José E. Serrano has represented The Bronx in Congress since 1990.

Following an almost Fidel Castro-like reign of 14 years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez died after a 14 years long reign in Venezuela on March 5, 2013. He had won a fourth term on October 7, extending his presidency to 2019, but cancer cut him off.

His funeral is being held today, but his final resting place will not be a cemetery. He will be on public view for everyone to see. The Venezuelan strongman will be embalmed, like Lenin and Mao Zedong. His remains are being laid to rest at a military museum where generations of Venezuelans can theoretically visit.