Terror Close to Home

[Say_What]

More of the demonizing of President Hugo Chavez, democratically elected leader of Venezuela:

<clips>

Clarification: The FARC's principal camp in Venezuela is in the Perija mountains near an Indian village called Resumidero, according to maps and testimony from FARC deserters (location: Latitude: N 10` 29'56''; Longitude W72' 44'56'')

The oil-rich but politically unstable nation of Venezuela is emerging as a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere, providing assistance to Islamic radicals from the Middle East and other terrorists, say senior U.S. military and intelligence officials. Bush administration aides see this as an unpredictably dangerous mix and are gathering more information about the intentions of a country that sits 1,000 miles south of Florida.

One thing that's clear is that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is fast becoming America's newest nemesis, U.S. officials say. He has forged close ties with Cuba's Fidel Castro and has befriended some of America's other notorious enemies, traveling to Saddam's Iraq and Qadhafi's Libya. Now, after surviving an attempted coup and a nationwide petition demanding his recall, Chavez is flirting with terrorism, and Washington is watching with increasing alarm.

"We are not disinterested spectators," says Roger Noriega, the new assistant secretary of state for Latin America. "Any actions that undermine democratic order or threaten the security and well-being of the region are of legitimate concern to all of Venezuela's neighbors." U.S. officials are monitoring three sets of developments:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/031006/usnews/6venezuela.htm

[denverbill]

1. Screw you Noriega.

I'm not a disinterested spectator in what YOU are up to either, and remember, asshole, if you assist in any terrorist actions against Chavez, you will be tried as a terrorist.

[Say_What]

2. Related vheadline article

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In a frightful anti-Venezuelan diatribe due to be published in the October 6 issue of the Washington-based US News & World Report, editorial writer Linda Robinson has apparently swallowed reams of Venezuelan anti-government disinformation in claims that "In oil-rich Venezuela, a volatile leader befriends bad actors from the Mideast, Colombia, and Cuba."

Robinson attempts to clarify that: The (Colombian) FARC's principal camp in Venezuela is in the Perija mountains near an Indian village called Resumidero, according to maps and testimony from FARC deserters (location: Latitude: N 10` 29'56''; Longitude W72' 44'56'')

She then goes on intemperately to claim that "the oil-rich but politically unstable nation of Venezuela is emerging as a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere, providing assistance to Islamic radicals from the Middle East and other terrorists." For legal jurisprudence she puts the words in the mouths of unnamed senior US military and intelligence officials adding that Bush administration aides "see this as an unpredictably dangerous mix and are gathering more information about the intentions of a country that sits 1,000 miles south of Florida."

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=11246

[Maine-i-acs]

3. Well well! According to the new US doctrine ...

We can invade right now. Cause they're terrorists and they're threatening the US goldurnit. Hell they could invade us any minute you know. Gosh it's only a coincedence that they are sitting on a sh*tload of oil.

North Korea? No biggie ...

[oneighty]

4. Yes

Invasion is getting closer and closer. We want that oil, for free.

180

[Say_What]

7. Venezuela calls for Opec price rise

Seems I remember that before Chavez, the oil industry in Venezuela served US interests and not the interests of the Venezuelan people.

<clips>

Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, said on Wednesday Venezuela had asked fellow members of Opec to agree a $3-$4 rise in the oil cartel's favoured price range of $22-$28 a barrel, but analysts said that other Opec members would be unlikely to accept.


"It's time to revise the existing band, place it a little higher, say at $25 to $32," Mr Chávez said at a press conference. Venezuela originally proposed the existing price range, which was accepted by other members of Opec in 2000.

Rafael Ramrez, energy minister, confirmed that Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, had already formally proposed the new price band, which was being studied by Opec's long-term strategy committee.

"We are in discussions at the level of deputy ministers, but we have not yet arrived at a conclusion," Mr Ramrez said.

<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1059480276203>

[radwriter0555]

5. Hub of terrorism my ASS. How about HUB OF PROFITABILITY THE GOP

hasn't gotten its MONEY GRUBBING HANDS on yet.

Give me a BREAK.

I just hate the bush regime. I really, really do. What a pack of lying, cheating, stealing, whoring filthy pigs.

[AP]

6. Unstable? Not even the CIA could depose Chavez. That's stability!

[Say_What]

8. Venezuela court orders arrest of GM executives

I can't help but think that the latest smear campaign against Chavez is related to the news coming out of Venezuela. Oil price increase and now the court orders for the arrest of US execs.

<clips>

CARACAS, Venezuela, Oct 1 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan court has ordered the arrest of three executives of General Motors Corp.'s (nyse: GM - news - people) Venezuelan unit for failing to obey a court summons in a commercial dispute, a state prosecutor said Wednesday.

Jose Benigno Rojas told Reuters the detention orders were issued last week for Michael Nylin, the U.S. president of General Motors Venezolana, and two other senior executives, Hugo Wieland and Luis Mejias Aleman. The company is the biggest vehicle assembler in the South American country.

"There is an arrest order out for them ... for contempt of court," said Rojas, who is handling the case.

A request had also been passed on to the international police organization Interpol to detain the three. Rojas said he did not know whether the three were still in the country.

http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2003/10/01/rtr1096257.html

[LevChernyi]

9. I called this earlier today..

[Say_What]

10. Bush administration supports counter-revolutionary aspirations of Venezuel

<clips>

Workers World News Service Leslie Feinberg writes: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has canceled his late-September trip to Washington, D.C., and to the United Nations. Members of Venezuela's security services charge they have "overwhelming evidence" of a CIA-backed plan to "bring down" the scheduled flight that would have brought the head of state of this oil- rich South American country to the United States.

Sources in Venezuela's Military Intelligence Directorate charge that "presented with overwhelming evidence of Washington's planned attack on the presidential flight, it was decided that the President's personal security was preeminent and that he should not go."

VHeadline.com -- Venezuela's Electronic News, which is affiliated to the Foreign Press Foundation, reported the news on September 23.

Chavez was slated to give a speech in Harlem, address the United Nations in New York and visit Houston, Texas. The Venezuelan President said he regretted only that he would not be able to deliver the speech in Harlem.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=11242