** this was sent to me by a retired high school teacher, and Veteran For Peace, who along with other Veterans for Peace have gone down to observe fair elections in Venezuela and other South American countries. ****
VENEZUELA IS UNDER DIRECT THREAT AND WE NEED TO ACT NOW AND DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP PREVENT ANOTHER COUP ATTEMPT!!! We at the Venezuela Solidarity Network have made a commitment to not sending out more than one or two action alerts a month, except under extraordinary circumstances-and our track record has been great on this: We haven't. However, these are extraordinary circumstances.
Daily, new evidence is being uncovered about plans underway to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuela, and even to assassinate its president, Hugo Chavez. The time for American citizens who favor justice and non-intervention to spring into action is not the day after a coup, but the days before!
DEMAND THAT CONGRESS:
1) Intervene to stop US violations of Venezuelan sovereignty by the State Department and the CIA;
2) Respect the electoral decisions of the Venezuelan people;
3) Investigate recent evidence of a US sponsored and directed plot to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuela;
We are urging solidarity and pro-Democracy activists everywhere to call, email, and/or visit your members of the House and Senate and the US State Department and demand that there be NO US SPONSORED AND FUNDED, CIA DIRECTED, COUP ATTEMPT AGAINST THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA. We are urging people in other countries to also contact US Embassies and Consulates. Please email AND call Congress. While emails alone are less effective, emails combined with phone calls and/or visits to Congressional and other government offices are a powerful strategy to get the word out.
(For More Background on CIA Plans, Click Here)
SAMPLE EMAIL (Cut, Past, and SEND)
The Honorable (full name)
United States House of Representatives/United States Senate
Washington DC 20515
Dear Representative/Senator (last name)
I am writing you to express my urgent concern about plots already underway to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuela-plots which are being coordinated with sectors of the US government. Most distressing is the recent uncovering of a memo from CIA Officer Michael Middleton Steer to the CIA Director General Michael Hayden outlining details of "Operation Pincer" (aka "Operation Pliers"), an effort to interfere in the Dec. 2nd vote on constitutional reforms in Venezuela, and to encourage a coup against the Venezuelan government. The memo indicates that as much as $8 million dollars, funneled through USAID, have been given by the US government to finance the opposition's campaign against the reforms. The memo details strategies for interfering with and discrediting the vote, and calls for steps to be taken that would lead to an overthrow of the Venezuelan government, including support provided from US military bases in Curacao and Colombia.
This is just one piece of evidence recently uncovered indicating preparation for a US sponsored coup. Others include CNN briefly showing a picture of President Chavez with a caption, which read, "Who killed him?" Supposedly it was a technical error. There have also been reports that at a recent rally a laser pointer appeared on Chavez' chest and head, and recently a cache of weapons and US military uniforms were found at a private residence in Caracas.
There is one fact that every Congressperson and every citizen in the United States of America needs to know: democracy is alive and well in Venezuela. Whether we like it or not, the current government of Venezuela is an elected and popular government. Its elections have been certified by a number of international bodies, including the Carter Center, the Organization of American States, the European Union, and the NAACP. Any attempt by the US to support an overthrow of the Venezuelan government would be interpreted by the world as an assault against democracy and an abandonment of democratic principles.
I am writing to demand that you, as a representative of the people, take action NOW to contact the CIA, the State Department, USAID, and the Bush administration and let them know that another US sponsored coup attempt in Venezuela is unacceptable. Furthermore, I am writing to demand that a Congressional investigation be undertaken regarding this memo and other violations of Venezuela's sovereignty.
Here are some informative links that will help you better understand the current situation in Venezuela.
Regarding the current US sponsored threats to Venezuelan democracy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/the-cia-plan-to-destabili_b_74557.htmlhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7475For accurate information about the Constitutional Reforms:
Democracy Still Alive and Well in Venezuela,
http://www.cepr.net/content/view/1366/45/What is Venezuela's Constitutional Reform Really About,
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2890Venezuela's Constitutional Reform: An Article by Article Summary
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2890Sincerely,
(Your name and address)
To Call the State Dept.
1-202-647-4000
To Contact the White House
1-202-456-1111/1-202-456-6213
Or email Pres. Bush at
president@whitehouse.gov
CALL THE CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD TOLL FREE AT:
1-800-828-0498
1-877-210-5351
1-800-614-2803
1-866-340-9281