What is happening in Venezuela?

[dansolo]

I heard on NPR this morning that the enemies of Chavez are attempting, hold on to your hats folks, a recall. Has anyone heard more about this story?

[punpirate]

1. There was a report a few days ago...

... that said that the elections office of the government determined that there were enough invalid signatures on recall petitions that there would not be a recall election. Don't know if Chavez's opponents are going to try again.

By Venezuelan law, a recall election is permissible once an office holder has completed fifty percent of his or her term in office. That point was reached by Chavez in June.

Cheers.

[htuttle]

2. The 'opposition' submitted the signatures...

...and had collected less than half of the number needed. In addition, a number of the ones they did manage to turn in appeared forged. The Venezuelan courts said, "No".

No doubt, the upper class in Venezuela will keep demanding a recall election anyway...

[bicentennial_baby]

3. And this...

"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.

Chavez has instead brought in Cuban and Libyan advisors to run his security services according to American, British and other European diplomatic officials in Caracas."

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


Sounds like somebody's headed for the new Axis of Evil title!!

[htuttle]

4. To be honest, if I were Hugo Chavez

I would trust Cuban and Libyan advisors more than US ones, too.

(If anyone is confused by Libya appearing in this, keep in mind that Venezuela is a leading member of OPEC -- probably second only to Saudi Arabia in importance).

[graphixtech]

5. few facts,

Venezuela is No.3 producer in OPEC.
US gets 14% of its oil from Ven.
Fourth US importer of heavy crude oil

[sistersofmercy]

6. Geez...I tried to clue ppl into venezuela thing a little while back...

Remember the massive strike that shut down the ports, sent the country into turmoil, bushco met with the elitist, the cruel oligarchy that having been controling the country for years prior to the massive strike. Chauvez is a man of ppl nationalized oil which is what saddam did in 70's. Not surprised at all by the fictionous terrorist connection. Yeah I think they've tried to dispute his presidency before.

[Isome]

9. I probably wasn't posting then sister...

But I wish I was. This has been going on since Chavez was DEMOCRATICALLY elected. This administration, as is usual for the US, has been giving a wink & a nod to the righwingers of the country who attempted the first coup. Thank GOD it didn't work that time. For whatever reason, Mr. Chavez was more cunning than the bastards who plotted against him and made it out alive. I am not entirely confident of his ability to remain alive if things continue as they are.

If anyone notices, Chavez's supporters are overwhelmingly black & brown skinned and terribly poor. When Chavez, like Mossadegh of Iran, saw the importance of nationalizing oil, so all of Venezualeans could benefit, the greedy, cheap labor rightwingers in their country and in the US began scheming in earnest. That "national strike" was a sham. It wasn't workers who walked off the job, it was BUSINESS OWNERS -- large business owners -- who shut down their businesses.

When reports of righwing demonstrations make into US papers or tv news, it's never mentioned that a considerably greater number turn out in support of Chavez. (Think of the anti-war rallies earlier this year.)

This makes me sick, literally I feel physical discomfort!

[Zuni]

10. it depends on where in Venezula you go

Many areas are more pro-chavez, while others are very hostile to Chavez. This is not just a small phemoneon. Millions, literally, were marching against him on any given day. It should be remembered that many people in venezula are afraid of Chavez--his internal security services and Bolivian guards are quite overzealous. Chavez has also assumed increasing dictatorial powers and many are afraid that he will try to create a dictatorship in Venezula (after all, he has tried to rewrite the constitution).
He also has some sort of involvement with FARC, and possibly even drug cartels.
I personally have no opinion of Chavez--as he has done things for poor Venezulans, but also has come dangerously close to becoming a dictator.
He was democartically elected--but he also increased his term limits. But he also tried to force a coup of his own about ten years ago when he was a general.

[terryg11]

12. agree

have seen contrasting things on Chavez. He's probably no saint but damn if I don't have a hard time not siding with him when you see Bush trying to meddle against him

[Zuni]

13. Bush has no

buisness there. Actually, I do not think Bush has a right to do most of the things he does here! Actually--he shouldn't even be president.

[AP]

7. Listening today to a radio program re 9/11/73--coup in Chile

and the parallels between what Allende was doing in Chile and what Chavez is doing in Venezuela are striking (except that if Allende were alive today he'd probably think that Chavez wasn't liberal enough and wasn't more adventurous in working for change).

[9215]

8. Chavez should launch an investigation into this

SHIT!!! Get the UN to intervene and keep the UN out of Iraq until they are given COMPLETE control of the region.

Fucking goddamn fascist bastards want to play hard ball????

Then play hardball!!

Haul the sons-of-bitches who started this treasonous act before a tribunal and have them tell all about how they were financed, coerced etc. These motherfuckers are a threat to Venezuelan national security, THEY ARE!!

You know goddamn well this is a CIA operation. Well, who the fuck needs more evidence? If Bush doesn't need hard evidence to invade a country as he did Iraq, who can argue Chavez needs it to protect his country from a CIA onslaught? Circumstantial evidence, based upon the knowledge that the CIA has been trying to destabilize the Chavez presidency from DAY 1 is evidence enought. It is obvious that the US is behind all of this shit and those who work for the CIA are traitors to Venezuela. You will find this out after you get a couple of the weasels before a tribunal. Fascist imps tumble easy IF YOU PLAY TOUGH!

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. James Carville is helping out in Venezuela

Venezuela is heating up again. This summer the oil-rich nation is due to hold a midterm referendum to decide whether President Hugo Chávez Frias should complete his term. While shoestring-budget Venezuelan groups, such as Citizens for the Defense of the Constitution, are forming well-organized get-out-the-vote drives for Chávez, the deeper pockets of government opposition groups have lured James Carville, Bill Clinton’s former campaign manager, to help them craft a strategy to defeat Chávez, who has never lost an election or a referendum.


http://baltimorechronicle.com/jun03_carlton.html