US Revealed to be Secretly Funding Opponents of Chavez

[G_j]

www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0313-01.htm

US Revealed to be Secretly Funding Opponents of Chavez

by Andrew Buncombe in Washington

 Washington has been channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the political opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez - including those who briefly overthrew the democratically elected leader in a coup two years ago.

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that, in 2002, America paid more than a million dollars to those political groups in what it claims is an ongoing effort to build democracy and "strengthen political parties". Mr Chavez has seized on the information, telling Washington to "get its hands off Venezuela".

The revelation about America's funding of Mr Chavez's opponents comes as the president is facing a possible recall referendum and has been rocked by a series of violent street demonstrations in which at least eight people have died.
His opponents, who include politicians, some labor leaders, media executives and former managers at the state oil company, are trying to collect sufficient signatures to force a national vote. The documents reveal that one of the group's organizing the collection of signatures - Sumate - received $53,400 (£30,000) from the US last September.

Jeremy Bigwood, a Washington-based freelance journalist who obtained the documents, yesterday told The Independent: "This repeats a pattern started in Nicaragua in the election of 1990 when spent $20 per voter to get rid of Ortega. It's done in the name of democracy but it's rather hypocritical. Venezuela does have a democratically elected President who won the popular vote which is not the case with the US."
..more..

[westerby]

1. That is a very important fact!

It shows that it is not "playing tricks" if the election committee meticulously checks the signatures, as our media wants us to believe.

[Gman]

2. Don't kid yourself...

There's plenty of tricks being played by the BFEE right now in Venezuela.

[westerby]

3. Sure

But it is rarely to be read in the Independent.

[Robbien]

4. The goon squads were sent out to force people to sign

According to this article
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1115
the people were either physically threatened or threatened with loss of their jobs if they did not sign the petition.

American taxpayer money hard at work I see.

[supercrash]

5. Using Bush logic....

Any kind of attack on the USA would be justified right now.....even a nuclear attack is justified

The US is threatening everybody, and a pre-emtive strike against us would make sense....using Bush logic

[G_j]

6. "This repeats a pattern started in Nicaragua..."

not surprised considering so many of the Iran/Contra gang are back.