Venezuela arrests police, guard in synagogue attack

[EFerrari]

Source: Reuters

08 Feb 2009 19:45:13 GMT

CARACAS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Venezuelan investigators on Sunday said seven police agents and four civilians were arrested in connection with an attack on a synagogue that sparked international condemnation.

The Venezuelan public prosecutor's office said the civilians included at least one security official from the synagogue and that all had been captured in raids over the weekend.

"These people were apprehended during raids carried out between Saturday and the early hours of Sunday in different parts of Caracas. They will all be charged by the Public Prosecutor's office," the office said in a statement.

Armed men broke into Venezuela's Tiferet synagogue last week, daubing the walls with slogans like "Jews get out" and destroyed religious objects.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08458628.htm

[oberliner]

1. The attack was carried out by police officers?

Am I reading this correctly?

[EFerrari]

2. It looks like some police, some civilians and some help from one of the two guards

that were on duty at the synagogue. Or, that's who has been arrested at this point.

[oberliner]

3. That makes an unfortunate situation even worse in my opinion

Police and security guards are supposed to serve and protect, aren't they?

[EFerrari]

4. No one should be above the law. ETA:

Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas, is not a Chavista, btw. He belongs to the opposition.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Antonio Ledezma is also one of the Caracas coup plotters.

He also worked to prevent the referendum from passing last time. He's has made it his business to spending his time as an enemy of the people's choice for their President: he doesn't respect their right to vote for their preferred Presidential candidate.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com.nyud.net:8090/_0YQ5ZoDfd34/SJ11PE3Nu2I/AAAAAAAAE6M/dpZiWsLgV_g/s320/LEDEZMA%2BCON%2BTEXTO.jpg http://www.ustar.net.nyud.net:8090/Merchant2/graphics/00000006/lewis929e.jpg

Antonio Ledezma, Al Lewis: separated at birth?

[EFerrari]

10. It's a match!

lol

[atreides1]

31. One Would Think

But even here in the US, the some police tend to forget about the serve part, and the protect part too.

[The abyss]

5. It has become increasingly difficult for the “machine”

to hide behind subterfuge! I have watched and waited this past week for a break in this story. Thank you for this quick post!

I am also sure this rabbit hole goes very deep. The Venezuelan authorities are not stupid, they will find the bottom line. I just hope that we are allowed to view it.

[oberliner]

6. Can you elaborate on this?

It's difficult to follow what you are saying.

[EFerrari]

8. The opposition has left no dirty trick undone, oberliner.

These are people who will use anything, even their own kids, to try to unseat the popular government to regain control for the oligarchy.

For example, they sent their kids out to protest during the coup when there were stressed out police and the national guard all over the capitol. :shrug:

They used to get a lot of support from the Bush administration whose oil buddies hate Chavez with a passion.

[The abyss]

11. The politics of this nation are in a unique state of flux.

The upcoming referendum that Indianagreen referred to last week is a political flash point here. The perpetrators to this action could, and IMHO, go well down into the state and city governments. There are powers at work here, the US government being one of many, that do not want to see that referendum passed.

Eferrari did a better job in his comment.

[EFerrari]

13. I tend to believe that in the absence of daily White House support,

those who would manipulate the referendum at any cost will resort to cruder and cruder measures.

But, the violence done to the Jewish community is real, regardless of who or what is behind it. I hope these arrests help reassure people who were upset by this attack.

[IndianaGreen]

41. Venezuelan elites are RW Catholics, with a long history of anti-Semitism

Why not a little pogrom to blame Chavez for, afer all Jewish life is cheap to these mother frakkers?

The fact that the 15 or so attackers were heavily armed, told all of us that they were either part of the government (unlikely since the attack did not benefit Chavez) or part of the opposition, the two groups with weapons in Venezuela.

[ronnie624]

48. I hate to be a busybody,

but EFerrari is a female.

One of my favorites here. :loveya:

[EFerrari]

7. It's good to see this case being pursued with vigor.

I knew that there would be arrests. It's awful that one of the very people guarding the synagogue may be involved. That can't be making the community feel better right about now.

[Prometheus Bound]

12. Thanks for the update. (first report in DU link here)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3716964

I've been very interested to see what the investigation would reveal, especially the interview with the security guard.

Differences between this report and the first one:
1. The original said one security guard. This report says "at least one security official from the synagogue".
2. The original said took the recordings from security cameras with them. In the new one, Chavez said "investigators had found a videotape of the assailants in the temple and predicted arrests would quickly." follow.

The men stayed there for five hours. That sounds very strange for some basic vandalism. Even stealing the computer and files should take a few minutes, not five hours.

Fascinating!

[EFerrari]

14. Notice that it is the public prosecutor making those statements.

Our media usually portrays Venezuela as if it has no government with multiple layers of infrastructure -- as if Hugo Chavez is a one-man operation. lol

It will be interesting to see what turns up.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Thanks for making that critical point. We get treated to a cartoon view of the Venezuelan people's

government, and strictly for generating emotional reactions to a leftist, making it easier to move against him without protest if and when it's possible.

The movement toward freedom comes from the bottom up in Venezuela, and it will have to work that way here, regardless of the radically severe attempts in our media to control mass perception. At some point the right-wing will learn it's impossible to dominate an entire country this large and bend it to their will even if they DO own and control our mass communication.

[The abyss]

18. The cartoon view is finished.

Thanks to the internet, thanks to sites like DU, thanks to an increasing number of individuals that have migrated away from the MSM.

This “machine” has existed for a very L-O-N-G time. I mentioned Smedley Butler on an earlier topic. People would do well to review his writings.

[EFerrari]

20. That's an optimistic view. American news consumers, anyway, are trained

in cartoon. Well, let's see how we do. :)

[The abyss]

25. LOL, oh yeah!

Keep putting the truth out there!

No one is going to quarter and hold a building for… hours?! Just to paint a bunch of crap on the walls?

Sell me a bridge, please!

[EFerrari]

27. Welcome to DU, The abyss.

lol

[The abyss]

32. Thank you!

This site is good! Keep speaking the truth!

Do not let anyone convince you differently.

[EFerrari]

16. AP: Venezuela detains 11 suspects in synagogue attacks

Venezuela detains 11 suspects in synagogue attacks
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer Christopher Toothaker, Associated Press Writer – 5 mins ago

CARACAS, Venezuela – Authorities arrested 11 people, including seven police officers, suspected of carrying out an attack on a Caracas synagogue that raised concerns of rising of anti-Semitism in Venezuela, officials said Sunday.

The Attorney General's Office said an agent of the federally controlled investigative police force and one of the synagogue's security guards were among the 11 suspects arrested during raids over the weekend. The suspects are scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

Elias Farache, president of the Venezuelan-Israelite Association, applauded Venezuelan authorities for responding rapidly.

"We thank the authorities for the quick detention of the suspects," he said in a telephone interview. "We also want to thank all of those who showed their solidarity with us."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090208/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_anti_semitism_1

[Peace Patriot]

17. I wonder if a "police agent" is the same as a "police officer."

The article says that seven "police agents" were arrested. Paid agents? Agents provocateur? Police spies? Police thugs? Or actual officers?

Of course, any police force can have a lawless cabal within it. I was just struck by the word "agent."

And I'm very curious about, a) their motives, and b) how organized they are, who their bosses are (if any), etc.

Attacks on a synagogue harm Chavez--are played up in the corpo/fascist media all over the world, to imply a false impression of Chavista anti-semitisim--and would likely be aimed at somehow helping the opposition, and their corporate masters, who don't want Chavez to run for office again (because he would likely win). This could be what's behind this attack. Or it could just be a nest of skinheads and neo-nazis within the police department.

I am VERY GLAD there was such swift action on identifying suspects. If it's political, I hope the arrests bust it open, and Venezuelans and the rest of us find out what's going on with this. If it's just thugs, I hope the arrests put a stop to these vile attacks. It's hard to believe it would be Chavistas, since they would have absolutely nothing to gain from it. But peoples' motives get twisted sometimes, so it's not entirely impossible.

I think it's interesting that the attack on the synagogue followed Chavez's remarks criticizing Israel for its attack on Gaza. The corpo/fascist 'news' monopolies tied to two together, even though a lot of other countries' leaders also criticized Israel. It feels like the rightwing was writing a scenario for the Associated Pukes to report--'Chavez criticizes Israel, and inspires attack on Jews.' We'll see what the motives of these vandals were. But that's what I suspect at the moment--some twisted effort to avoid dealing with issues, and sidetrack the discussion into anti-semitism. An awful lot of people--including many Jews--were appalled at Israel's attack on Gaza. Opposing that attack has nothing to do with anti-semitism. U.S. attacks on civilians in Afghanistan are equally appalling--and those were ordered by a guy whose middle name is "Hussein." (Sorry!) The vandalism of the synagogue muddies it all up, within Venezuela anyway. And I tend to think that is why it was done.

[EFerrari]

19. Chavez doesn't control the Caracas police.

:shrug:

The anti-semitic charge has been and is being pushed very hard even though Chavez did not criticize Jews or even Israelis but only the current Israeli government. It's a clumsy attempt to tar him and it makes me mad for the people in that community who were frightened by this disturbance.

[Peace Patriot]

23. EF, note the phrase "agent of the federally controlled investigative police force"

in the article you posted above. I speculate about it, below.

One other thought about it: Is it accurate? We can't know, with AP (or any of them, really). Are they interpreting? Are they exaggerating? Does this particular "agent" have anything whatever to do with the federal government? Maybe they have a grant from the federal government, and AP says "federally controlled."

It drives me nuts that I can't trust these fucking so-called 'news' agencies. For me, it's like somebody suddenly transformed the Oxford English Dictionary into Swahili, and I have to parse every word--and still can't be sure of what I'm reading. Culture shock. I used to think reporters were at least trying to be accurate. But I've read so much bullshit about South America in purported 'news' articles that I can't trust a single word they print.

[EFerrari]

24. Yes, I hear that! n/t

[davidinalameda]

39. what did he say in his Christmas address a few years back

"Some minorities, descendants of the same ones who crucified Christ ... took all the world's wealth for themselves,"

and we shouldn't forget his alliance with the current government of Iran-the president of which is a Holocaust denier

and did Chavez ever denounce the views of Norberto Ceresole, who I believe was some sort of adviser to him back in the mid-90s?

[Peace Patriot]

51. Venezuela's Jewish leaders were the first to debunk that charge against Chavez

(the Jesus remark). They said it had been misinterpreted and mistranslated, and they wrote an angry letter to the Simon Weisenthal Center in NY denouncing their use of that lie.

Iran? Yeah, and the U.S. has excellent relations with Saudi Arabia, where errant women are stoned to death, and with Colombia, where union leaders are chainsawed and their body parts thrown into mass graves. Iran doesn't even come close to these U.S. allies in evil. They are a member of OPEC. So is Venezuela. Chavez was democratically elected--in elections far, far more transparent than our own--to do just this: create foreign policy for Venezuela; do deals that benefit Venezuela; meet with world leaders, whoever they are, for the benefit of Venezuela. That's a big part of the job description of president! Whether you or I agree with that policy is irrelevant. The people of Venezuela agree with it--giving Chavez 60% to 70% approval ratings, rescuing him from a coup attempt, and electing and re-electing him. It's their choice, and they are a sovereign people who can associate with whomever they please.

Anyway, U.S. policy on Iran is as nuts as its policy on Venezuela. What would you do, if you were in charge of the safety of the Iranian people, and you had virtually the entire U.S. war machine camped on your border, and they had slaughtered a million of your neighbors to get their oil? Do you think you might consider getting nuclear weapons as a deterrent? Iran would never use them. They're not stupid. They know they would be wiped out instantly. They're scared, and they have reason to be. And it's not as if Israel has been innocent in its machinations against Iran, going way back to the mid-1950s, when Israel colluded with the U.S. and England to destroy Iran's democracy, and install the horrible Shah, who inflicted the Iranian people with 25 years of torture and oppression. You wonder why Iran has pulled into itself, and grown insular and dependent on mullahs? That is why. They have no reason to trust Israel or the U.S.

As for, "...and did Chavez ever denounce the views of Norberto Ceresole, who I believe was some sort of adviser to him back in the mid-90s?," I have no idea what you're talking about, but I know a "senator, when did you stop beating your wife?" question when I see one.

Please note that the President of the largest Jewish organization in Venezuela has said that Chavez had NOTHING TO DO with the synagogue vandalism, and the Chavez government is liberal and supports minorities.

So you can't add this to your little list of anti-Chavez "talking points," and you need to take the Jesus remark off your list, because the Jewish organizations in Venezuela have flatly contradicted both of them.

[davidinalameda]

52. google Norberto Ceresole sometime

you might be shocked but I doubt it

and bringing up the US/Saudi relationship is intellectually dishonest

why can't the Chavez supporters ever answer the question as to why he has such a close relationship with a country like Iran

how can a "progressive" leader ally himself with such a repressive reigme?

as for Chavez having a 60-70 percent approval rating-so did Bush at one point

[IndianaGreen]

54. The US allies itself with Saudi Arabia and the apartheid state of Israel

so what's new?

How can a "progressive" support and enable the Occupation?

[bvar22]

43. What the HELL kind of dictator is Chavez ???

Doesn't even control the police...

Lets the head of the Opposition who participated in a Coup run freely around Caracas...

Holding referendums and transparent elections.....

Man, that Chavez guy is giving dictators a bad name.

BTW: Both Hillary and Obama have made very hostile public comments about Chavez.
During the debates, they both included Chavez on a list of the Worlds Worst Dictators.

[EFerrari]

47. Yep. I've heard them both. They're embarrassing. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

55. As did Kerry in 2004

We have a yeoman's task in educating our political leaders as to what is really happening in Venezuela. Even then, our leaders are defending capitalism, the system most responsible for the poverty and social injustice throughout the world.

[Peace Patriot]

21. Just noting a couple of things posted above, since my comment:

An agent of the "federally controlled investigative police force" was among the suspects.

The suspects spent five hours (!) in the synagogue committing vandalism.

Police thought the vandals had taken the security camera tapes, but the tapes then showed up.

-----------

This gets a bit closer to Chavez--a "federally controlled" police investigator. Seems more like a mole operation--someone in the police force doesn't like Chavez, and wanted to embarrass him, after he criticized Israel, OR was simply paid to do it. (This is the sort of thing the CIA does. Purchases "moles," has them on the payroll, then, when an opportunity arises, they are activated.)

Five hours in the synagogue is very weird. I guess if they had the synagogue security guard with them, they felt safe. Still, that's a long time to presume that no member of the synagogue would happen by. And what were they doing all that time?

Sounds like somebody ratted out the tape. (--confessed, in remorse or seeking lenience; told the police who had the tape).

[EFerrari]

22. But that's like saying that a rogue FBI agent was directly ordered by Obama

to commit a crime, isn't it? Again, our North American myopia kicks in whether we want it to or not.

But, five hours? Who would stay at a crime scene for five hours? :shrug:

[Peace Patriot]

26. Yes, it would be. It's ridiculous.

Unless there were 5,000 missing emails that might connect Chavez, or somebody close to Chavez, to the crime. The DoJ attorneys DID commit crimes, on orders of Rove, for which Bush Jr. is ultimately responsible. But, no, if we're talking about a NORMAL government--not a fascist junta--it would be absurd to blame the top executive for a rogue crime of some underling, unless there was evidence for it, or if the executive or his/her government didn't act to investigate/inflict consequences.

I'm just saying that I think there may be a REASON for AP stressing "federally controlled" investigative police force--and I'm wondering if it's even true (because I don't trust them at all). The reason could be they have pre-written narratives, all set to go, when they get the word from the CIA or fascist operatives, to tie it to Chavez. As I said, I don't trust AP at all.

[EFerrari]

28. I couldn't agree more. The title may be significant (if accurate)

but it's more likely AP doing their thing, "Chavez bad, these guy were Feds". That's right!

[IndianaGreen]

42. Unlike what Cuba would have done, Chavez forgave the coup plotters

and people sympathetic to the coup remained on their posts. Cubans would have never been so stupidly merciful for they remember how the humanity of a Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala led to his downfall by the forces he refused to smash down.

Americans are finding out that you can't be nice to scum, like the GOP who will never make a deal for the collective good, preferring instead to pursue their narrow partisan goals.

[Peace Patriot]

29. BoRev's got a riff on this today, entitled: "Yesterday Once More."

http://www.borev.net/2009/02/yesterday_once_more_1.html

It's about how the Reaganites did this same kind of disinformation on the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, while they were slaughtering Nicaraguans to bring down the popular Sandinista government--tried to smear them as anti-Semites.

I remember when they first tried this against Chavez, the Venezuelan Jewish groups wrote a blistering letter to the Simon Weisenthal Center basically telling SWC they were lying about something Chavez said (that was grossly misinterpreted). I don't have that letter, but I think they also said something like they felt very secure in their rights and safety in Venezuela, and that Chavez was not anti-semitic. It would be quite strange if he was--and is extremely unlikely--since Chavez and his government have done more to eliminate discrimination of every kind than anyone in South America. He even proposed an equal rights amendment for women and gays--in a Catholic country with particularly rightwing Catholic clergy (--a progressive measure that likely sank his whole 69-amendment package last year, in a very close vote). One of his closest allies is Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, who just got a new Constitution passed, that grants equal rights to the indigenous--after centuries of discrimination--which won 61% of the votes--in the face of bitter, violent opposition from white separatists (who murdered some 30 indigenous, in their Bushwhack-sponsored riots, trying to prevent that vote). Chavez said he'd go punch the white separatists out himself, if they gave Evo any more trouble. He is also close allies with Rafael Correa, who got a Constitution with anti-discrimination--and equal rights for women and gays--provisions passed by nearly 70% of the voters.

These guys are no more anti-semitic than they are anti-American, or anti-Catholic. Ecuador enshrines "Pachamama"'s ("Mother Nature"'s) rights in the new Constitution. Is Correa anti-Catholic? Hardly. One of his best friends is former Bishop Lugo (now president of Paraguay). Morales' Constitution creates Bolivia as a secular state, with no special privileges for the Catholic Church (for the first time since Europeans arrived). He, too, is good friends with Bishop Lugo. Asserting secularism does not make you anti-Catholic; any more than criticizing Bush makes you anti-American, or criticizing Israel makes you anti-Jewish. In fact, when Lugo was elected last year, Morales sent him this message: "Welcome to the Axis of Evil!" (--a bit of anti-Bush humor; hardly anti-American). Recently, Michele Batchelet told a joke to a group of U.S. investors: "Why has there never been a coup in the United States?" Her answer: "Because there is no U.S. embassy in the United States." Is she anti-American? Not at all. She's a political moderate, not averse to "free trade." (--she was fresh from her function as chair of UNASUR, which strongly backed Morales' government, in the Bushwhack-supported attempted coup, in September, which was funded and organized out of the U.S. (Bushwhack) embassy).

None of these leaders are anti-anybody. They are running inclusive, democratic, social justice governments, highly sensitive to bigotry and discrimination, and they encourage maximum citizen participation. They have gone out of their way to include the excluded, and to support human and civil rights. Really, it is inconceivable that they are anti-semitic. There is no evidence for it--none! This is made up--invented, Reaganite-Bushite psyops.

And so, you gotta wonder about AP's and other corpo/fascist media handling of this vandalism of the synagogue in Caracas--and their slimy innuendos that Chavez is somehow responsible for it. And I think I am well-justified in raising the possibility of dirty tricks in coordination with pre-written corpo/fascist 'news.'

[DLnyc]

30. Since no one is saying the obvious, I will say it:

To whose benefit would a well-organized "vandalism" be? The nly answer that I can see is it would fuel fear, among not particularly well-informed Jews around the world, of antisemitism in Venezuela. To me, such an act is only likely to be organized by persons angry at Chavez for criticizing the policies of Israel's current (right-wing) government.

The theory that Chavez would organize such a theatrical "vandalism" doesn't pass the smell test: he has nothing to gain and everything to lose from it.

The theory that random skinhead wacko's bribed a guard and spent five hours in a synagogue doesn't make any sense either.

That pretty much leaves standing only the theory that right wing groups supporting Israel's current policies and/or opposed to Chavez organized and carried out the action.

[Peace Patriot]

33. Check out what happened at the OAS about this:

Venezuela and U.S. Clash in OAS Over Synagogue Attack
February 5th 2009, by James Suggett - Venezuelanalysis.com
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4174

-------

The U.S. asshole (don't know if Bushwhack or not--probably is) fulminates against the Chavez government, totally playing into this psyops campaign...

"During an ordinary session of the OAS Permanent Council, U.S. envoy Lewis Amselem echoed a throng of recent accusations that Venezuela is anti-Semitic and non-democratic.

“'This perturbing incident deserves condemnation in the strongest terms and serves as an unfortunate warning of what can happen in a highly politicized climate that permits intolerance to advance,' said Amselem. 'A climate of inclusion and respect is essential for a successful democratic government.'”

---

Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro says they suspect it was planned at the meeting in Puerto Rico:

“'We are sure they did this in a specific moment in order to stir up the waters and disrupt the climate of peace in which Venezuelans are living as we approach voting day,' said Maduro. 'Could it be part of the Puerto Rico plan?'”

--------

I'm going to research Amselem to find out if he's a Bushwhack. We need to know. If he is, they are poisoning the waters for any detente between Obama and Chavez. And if he isn't, we've got real problems with Hillary Clinton poisoning the same waters.

[Prometheus Bound]

35. I wonder why Amselem didn't add 'anti-Catholic' to "anti-Semitic and non-democratic".

..and anti-freedom, anti-American, anti-blah, blah, blah

Venezuela Catholic mission hit after Jewish attack
Wed Feb 4, 2009
CARACAS (Reuters) - Tear gas canisters were lobbed into the Vatican's diplomatic compound in Caracas on Wednesday, the head of the mission said, days after armed men vandalized a synagogue in the capital.

The Vatican's Nunciature had been the target of tear gas attacks in January blamed by some officials on hard-line supporters of socialist President Hugo Chavez who say the Roman Catholic Church meddles in the country's politics.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE5137K520090205

[Peace Patriot]

36. Best I can find out, Lewis Amselem was part of the delegation back in Dec '08,

so he's a Bushwhack. The plan becomes clearer. The opposition meets with Bushwhacks in Puerto Rico, to avoid scrutiny (but they got caught by an indy reporter), get U.S. money transferred ($2 or $3 million was mentioned), write the scenario for causing mayhem around anti-semitism--perhaps Act 1, scene 2, of a pre-election scenario (scene 1 was the protest the other day), bribe the synagogue security guard, pay thugs--including local thug group within the police force (and including one federal police agent)--to vandalize the synagogue (and tell them to be sure and take the security camera tape with them when they leave); god knows what the thugs and their cop cohorts do for five hours in the synagogue, but they vandalize the synagogue and escape (for the moment). Then the drumbeat begins: the Associated Pukes, Rotters, the whole gang start reporting it and linking it to Chavez's criticism of Israel's bombing of Gaza.

Enter Lewis Amselem, a Bushwhack appointee and some sort of assistant ambassador at the OAS--puts on a big show for the psyops campaign, about how Venezuela is anti-semitic and anti-democratic.

Come to think of it, it could have been this very asshole who met with the consipirators in Puerto Rico.

The U.S. ambassador to the OAS Hector Morales is also a Bushwhack, appointed back in April. Here's a statement of his for the Summit of the Americas. I haven't read it yet.
http://www.usoas.usmission.gov/heritage-remarks.html

Chavez and many of his officials condemn the vandalism and open at investigation. One of the thugs rats out the others, and coughs up the tape. Chavez is able to announce 11 arrests.

But the meme has gone out: Chavez = anti-semitism. The rabidly anti-American, friend-of-Fidel-Castro Chavez = anti-semitism. The dictator Chavez = anti-semitism.



--------------

So they're stirring up shit. All the shit they've stirred over the last eight years hasn't dented Chavez's popularity, so they've got to raise some other shit up; back to anti-semitism, which they tried before unsuccessfully (because the Jews in Venezuela got pissed off about it, and contradicted it), but this time they've got a better plan; they've had time to bribe policemen and really set this up, with AP and fellow rotters all briefed and ready to go, with their OAS scenario written. Smear, smear, smear. The objectives: possibly to make Venezuelan voters nervous about bad relations with the new Obama administration; to influence the referendum; to sour Obama plans for detente with Chavez.

I wonder what scene 3 is going to be.

One other thing: I think this Bushwhack campaign against referendum is not just about Exxon Mobil's desire that Chavez be gone, but it may also be about the Zulia civil war plan, which will be easier to implement with Chavez gone.

And one other possibility: Clinton (and Obama?) are perfectly content to have Bushwhacks stirring up shit against Chavez. Obama himself stirred some shit the week of his inauguration, wherein he took the time to give an interview bashing Chavez as "bad for the progress of the region." That certainly seemed to be aimed at Venezuelan voters. So when the White House spokesman came out the other day, saying that Venezuela's referendum was "an internal affair" in Venezuela (and said nothing else), he may not have been all that sincere. We've got Bushwhacks carrying out dirty tricks, and badmouthing Chavez--all under Clinton's (and Obama's) authority, but distanced from them, cuz they didn't appoint these jerks; but we've also got Obama badmouthing Chavez.

These are not good signs.

[justinaforjustice]

34. Break-In: Possibly a U.S. - Opposition Anti-Chavez Move.

The attack on the Jewish synagogue in Caracas should, perhaps, be viewed in light of recent joint U.S. - Anti-Chavez opposition plans to destabilize the Chavez government in the run up to the February 15, 2009 national referendum on a Constitutional Amendment to remove election term limits on the presidency and other government posts.

The English language website reported on January 16, 2009 that a Venezuelan reporter obtained a copy of an e-mail reciting a proposed agenda for a meeting between opposition party leaders and U.S. State Department representatives, including an official from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, to be held in Puerto Rico sometime in early January, 2009. The same reporter actually met the opposition leaders, accompanied by the head of the opposition supporting TV station, Globovision, at the airport as the men returned on a private jet from their meeting in Puerto Rico and confronted them about the nature of their meeting with U.S. officials:

The story first broke on Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), a government television channel. The brewing scandal has quickly become a centerpiece of a debate over U.S. interference in the internal affairs of the country as it prepares to vote on the re-election referendum in February.

Visibly surprised by Carvajalino's presence, the four individuals included three members of opposition parties: Jorge Borges a leader of Primero Justicia; Luis Planas, Secretary General of the Christian Democratic Party (COPEI); and Emilio Barboza, President of Un Nuevo Tiempo. The fourth was Alberto Federico Ravell, the director of Globovisión, a more strident local version of Fox News in Venezuela. Globovisión's editorial line and 24-hour programming are vehemently opposed to the Chávez government.

Ravell refused to give responses to Carvajalino's questions and then proceeded to verbally spar with the young reporter who repeatedly asked about the purpose of the trip to Puerto Rico. When Carvajalino labeled Ravell a “palangrista” (a journalist who receives bribes in exchange for published materials), the media mogul exploded and started yelling obscenities at the reporter, threatening him physically and reportedly blurting out homophobic comments. While this exchange unfolded, the other three leading figures of the Venezuelan opposition remained largely silent; one opted to take pictures with his cellular phones.

During the VTV interview that broke the story, Carvajalino produced an email allegedly from Ravell to Borges, Plana, Barboza, and another opposition leader, Henry Ramos Allup from the Acción Democrática (AD) party, who did not accompany the others on the trip. The email supposedly shows the meeting had been in the works for some time and was originally planned for Miami; though, it was subsequently moved to Puerto Rico. Carvajalino has not disclosed how he obtained the email and its authenticity remains a mystery.

Patrick Caulfield, the leading diplomat at the U.S. embassy in Caracas had left for Puerto Rico a few days earlier. An embassy spokesperson has confirmed that the Caulfield traveled to Puerto Rico, but insists that he was there on unofficial business to attend a wedding and take a few days of vacation.

[EFerrari]

46. So, this Patrick Caulfield was doing what -- he's the bagman?

And Ravell is filthy. We were running down his cv this morning. He used to run the spin room for Perez, the president that was run off by the Supreme Court for corruption. Ravell has been in PR his whole career, and developed media outlets, big ones like Globovision.

[Peace Patriot]

37. Official Jewish spokesman: Chavez not to blame; Chavez gov't liberal, always supports minorities.

Chavez and Elias Farache, the president of Venezuela’s Israeli Association, on an interview show:


"In this connection Chavez complained to Farache that too often individuals appearing or pretending to be spokespersons for Venezuela’s Jewish community come forward and accuse the government of having perpetrated the attack on the synagogue.

“'Immediately (after the attack) they come out and attack. No one disavows (those who) speak in the name of the Jewish community… This is bad for the climate in the country,” said Chávez to Farache.

"Farache thereupon responded, 'There are spokespersons and there are … those who are "fishing in turbulent waters." This is why I have come to this program.' 'And to the unauthorized spokespersons, we call on them to control (themselves),' he added.

"With regard to the government’s supposed culpability in the attack, Farache denied such considerations, saying, 'We do not accuse the government. It would not be logical for us to be attacked by a government that is liberal, … that has above all always been in favor of minorities.'”

------------

Chavez also said this, a bit earlier (as preface to the above):

"Chávez made the spontaneous call to the television program 'Dando y Dando' (Give and Give) while the show’s host was speaking to Farache about the recent attack on one of Caracas’s synagogues, in which unidentified individuals vandalized the temple and nearby offices.

"Chávez said that the attack had 'very strange' elements and reminded him of an attack a few years ago against the consulates of Colombia and Spain in Caracas, in which perpetrators tried to give the appearance of being Chávez supporters by leaving pro-Chávez fliers at the scene. Later, though, with the help of security camera recordings, two individuals were identified who had links to the opposition and are now living in the U.S."

----------------

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4179

[Peace Patriot]

38. I'm going to post this as its own OP in the Latin American forum.

I posted it here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x11460

[EFerrari]

45. "Fishing in turbulent waters" -- like the NY Daily News editorial today

sliming Chavez. Good find!

[IndianaGreen]

40. Will ADL's Abe Foxman apologize for sliming Chavez for the attack?

I doubt it. Foxman and his ilk never apologize for anything.

Those DUers that defended Chavez and pointed out that the attack on synagogue could have been part of plot to disrupt an upcoming referendum should feel vindicated, once again!

To the anti-Chavistas in DU, go FRAK yourselves!

[Judi Lynn]

50. I think last week he claimed this was the modern equivalent of Kristalnacht! Help!

Looks as if he could spend some time researching, or talking to a survivor.

[IndianaGreen]

44. Here are the names of the people arrested

Among them there is a homicide detective (Yadira Torres), a Caracas police inspector (Luis Eduardo Castillo Guerrero), and one of the synagogue's security guards ( Víctor Eduardo Escalona Lovera). They also arrested 5 members of the Metropolitan Police motorcycle division, including one with an American name, Edgar Alexander Cordero.

En un comunicado emitido por el Ministerio Público, se informa que el fiscal 41° nacional y su auxiliar, Cristian Quijada y Gustavo Li Chang, respectivamente, imputarán a los cabo segundos de la PM Frank Luis Piñate, Francisco José Pérez Díaz y a Edgar Alexander Cordero, éste último adscrito a la zona 6 de la PM; así como al distinguido Charlys Angelo, y al agente José Milla, también pertenecientes al mismo organismo de seguridad, por presuntamente incurrir en delitos tipificados en el Código Penal y la Ley Orgánica Contra la Delincuencia Organizada.

También serán imputados la detective del Cicpc, Yadira Torres (adscrita a la División Contra Homicidios); al subinspector de la Policía de Caracas, Luis Eduardo Castillo Guerrero (adscrito a la Brigada Motorizada), y al oficial de seguridad de la Sinagoga, Víctor Eduardo Escalona Lovera, quien había sido citado en calidad de imputado para el 13 de febrero, por el Ministerio Público.

También fueron detenidos tres ciudadanos, quienes responden a los nombres de Rafael Enrique y Harvey Enrique Colina Mogollón, y Orlando José Pérez Díaz. Tales personas fueron aprehendidas durante allanamientos realizados el sábado y madrugada de este domingo en distintas zonas de Caracas, e igualmente serán imputados por el Ministerio Público.

http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/02/08/pol_ava_detenidos-siete-func_08A2218609.shtml

[EFerrari]

49. Looks like robbery was the motive:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=405&topic_id=11460&mesg_id=11463

[Judi Lynn]

53. It's sublime seeing the slanderers all galloping to get their labels and insults hurled

at Hugo Chavez in the confusion following this crime, and, as always, getting the last word which proves, once again, how wildly desperate they are to win they will stoop to anything.

This matter appears completely solved, and here's a great summary of an article appearing in a viciously anti-Chavez newspaper in Caracas today, as covered by a completely fluent Spanish speaking new DU'er, in a post in the Latin America forum. This is a very clear summary of their findings:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x11460#11522