Are we poised to invade Venezuela?

[chasqui]

They are trotting out the usual suspects in drumming up a case for it:

Analysis: Venezuela's Islamic links

CARACAS, Venezuela, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Intelligence agencies are investigating links between Islamic terrorist networks and the Venezuelan government. While U.S. counter terrorist efforts in Latin America have until now tended to concentrate on the "tri border area" of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, it's believed that al-Qaida suicide bombers could also be hiding in Venezuela.
Investigators name two Venezuelan based al-Qaida suspects: Hakim Mamad Al Diab Fatah who was deported from the U.S. on suspicion of involvement with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and Rahaman Hazil Mohammed Alan who is jailed in the U.K. for smuggling an explosive device onto a British Airways flight. American and British officials complain that their investigations are stymied because the government of President Hugo Chavez has dismantled U.S.-trained intelligence units which tracked terrorist connections among the half-million strong Venezuelan Arab community.

<snip>

Read the rest:
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030901-023555-6981r

[FlashHarry]

1. Gee... what ever does Venezuela have that we could want???

Welcome to DU chasqui! :hi:

For future reference, when posting articles, please use the published title of the article as the title of the discussion thread.

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[Voltaire99]

2. Newly liberated Iraqi oil pumping slowly...

And Venezuela would be much easier pickings for appropr--er, liberation.

[rocketdem]

3. With what are we going to invade them?

Our military is already overextended. Even if he had just cause to invade Venezuela I don't believe that we could pull it off.

Silly me, I mentioned "just cause." Under the Bush Doctrine just cause doesn't exist beyond beltway politics. Duh.

[DuctapeFatwa]

6. The same mercenary co's they've had in Colombia for years

Colombia doesn't make the news too much, it's just business activity, no lisping toddlers on Fox talking about daddy killing bad guys to make the world safe.

[unblock]

4. al-qaeda suicide bomber hiding in yet another oil country

now why would they hide in countries that just happen to have oil that we want to take over?

isn't that conveeeeeeeenient?

[FlashHarry]

5. Great quote

FBI officials express concern over "a lack of cooperation on the part of Venezuelan authorities."

Hmm. I guess they're not 'cooperating' by giving us their oil. Better invade, I guess.

[punpirate]

15. Gee...

... I guess our behind-the-curtains help with the last coup has made them a bit wary....

[Nottingham]

7. Its the same idea! Rumsfeld has put the idea on the table!

We went into Liberia!

We can go into Venuzuela with the idea that Chavez must go!

Or we bomb the hell out of your country!

:bounce:

It works! and Americans just go Go Bush GO!

The Days of PreEmptive strikes are here and we need only Terrorism as the reason to invade you!

[dudeness]

8. what total bullshit

chavez has been elected democratically..fuck i am sick of US hegemony..

[Fovea]

9. OMG!!!!!

I was all the way into the second paragraph before I realized it was NOT an article from the Onion!

[searchingforlight]

10. I just read the part about ousting Chavez in Will Pitt's book yesterday.

Looks like we are just looking for another way to do it. It's oil, oil, oil.

Did you notice it was UPI? Wonder if Moon is pushing for this?

[Minstrel Boy]

11. Not an invasion, I think, but

another coup. Since Iraqis are burning their oil given half a chance, and Chavez announced his intention for petroleum transactions to be based on the Euro rather than the dollar, you can bet Venezuela has been shortlisted for "regime change." Again, that is. But next time, they won't leave so much to the local stooges.

[bemildred]

12. This is drool.

Old drool.
They don't like Chavez at all, but there is squat
the can do about right now but make whining noises such
as this article here. Might be straight from the wordsmiths
at the State Department.

[chasqui]

13. I have been following this Venezuela deal for a little while.

Hugo Chavez has been on a populist tear, and the powers that be in that country do not like this.
Read the following article from Narconews:

http://www.narconews.com/Issue31/article858.html

Growing up in Bolivia I was well aware of the presence of Muslims in South America, even went to school with a kid who was Lebanese. He was a dork, and we used to tease him mercilessly. He was also venezuelan.
What I find most interesting is that there is, along with the oil idea, the problem of the rising rebellious attitudes towards the Drug War. Just google 'Evo Morales.'
There are many reasons for a regime change in that country, and it has been attempted before.

[bemildred]

14. They have failed twice, spectacularly.

Lula and Chavez are openly "consorting with Cuba" at this
point, and working on their own trade group, Mercosur. Most
of them are sick of the drug war too, although Chavez is not for
decrim last time I checked.

[abb9]

16. Venezuela

Hey,maybe our US intelligence,will also indicate that they have strong and irrefutable evidence,that Columbia is also harbouring Al-Quieda suspects,this way they could get their latin american War started and then segway into regime changes in Cuba and possible Brazil.Nah,they already have their hands filled,plus they still have Iran,Syria,and possible Libya next on their hit list of regime changes as per Israel,they also have N.Korea which is no Iraq,or Afghanistan,or Grenada,or Panama.N. Korea can "Represent".
I think the best thing they could do now,is to keep searching for the WMD,they claimed that they were sure is in Iraq,that Saddam could deliver in 45 mins..
And also since they have already killed Bin Laden about 4 times,and Saddam about 3 times they could try killing them again.
They had also killed chemical Ali one time,but he is now captured,they might capture him again,and again too.

[Fridays Child]

17. The corporate-run Ministry of Truth is rolling out those post-Labor Day...

...products, right on schedule.

[VolcanoJen]

18. LBN Rules... locking

Rules for posting within the Latest Breaking News Forum require that when the poster is linking to an article, the exact headline of the article be used as the subject line. In this case, the subject line should have read:

Analysis: Venezuela's Islamic links

Please feel free to start a new discussion using the authentic subject line. It might be helpful to link to this now-locked thread as well, so that others can read the already boisterous discussion.

:-)
Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator