what a contrast_______________________
"Chaos and Constitution
The populist former paratrooper has mobilized Venezuela's poor to participate in their own government
News: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez clings to power thanks largely to the passionate support of the nation's poor.
You can buy a plastic-bound copy of the Venezuelan Constitution for 60 cents, a leather-clad copy for $3, a coffee-table edition for $5. Not that you really need a copy of your own, since someone standing near you on the subway in Caracas will have one in his pocket. Or you can always listen to one of the ongoing debates at a downtown park. "Look at this article," someone will shout, and a half dozen people will flip through the constitution's 35,000 words and 350 articles to find the pertinent passage. "Yes," someone else will cry out. "But this one here is more to the point. . . "
full article:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2003/01/ma_208_01.html