Iranians Tried, Venezuelans Silenced

While Hugo Chavez criminalized free speech in Venezuela today, his tyrannical brethren, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, tried more than 100 pro-democracy activists in Tehran on charges of rioting and conspiring to topple the ruling system, according to Iran's state media.

Naturally, the accused Iranian activists did not have access to lawyers, nor any semblance of transparency or due process.

Both lessons can be found in Chapters 3 and 6 of Fidel Castro's "Manual of Absolute Power."