Hugo: Preparing for Hell, packing lite.

Hugo Chavez weeps and calls on God to spare his life

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wept and asked God to spare his life during a pre-Easter Mass on Thursday after returning from his latest session of cancer treatment in Cuba.

9:47AM BST 06 Apr 2012

Very little is known about the 57-year-old socialist leader's condition, including even what type of cancer he has. Chavez has undergone three operations in less than a year, and received two sessions of radiation treatment.

He says the latest surgery was successful, that he is recovering well and will be fit to win a new six-year term at an election in October. Yet big questions remain about his future, and on Thursday the strain appeared to show.

In a televised speech to the Catholic service in his home state of Barinas, Chavez cried and his voice broke as he eulogised Jesus, revolutionary fighter Ernesto "Che" Guevara and South American independence hero Simon Bolivar.

"Never forget that we are the children of giants ... I could not avoid some tears," the former soldier said, his parents and other relatives looking on from the church rows.

"Give me your crown, Jesus. Give me your cross, your thorns so that I may bleed. But give me life, because I have more to do for this country and these people. Do not take me yet," Chavez added, standing below an image of Jesus with the Crucifix.

[To read more, click on the link above]


Hugo, sorry old chap, He is not inclined to give you anything.  Not the crown, not the thorns, and he certainly will not listen to anyone who invokes political bullshit with his egocentric tirade about being saved so he can continue the revolution.

You can save some money on  your campaign - you will not be around in October to be elected by the few who stuff the ballots and chase away those who would vote contrary to your wishes.

Good luck in Hell and enjoy your time with Che and Saddam, Osama, and Adolph, along with the other dictators of history.

Chavez and His Last Days

Chavez returns to Venezuela amid rumors -


"Perhaps to prove the point, in January he gave what may have been the longest ever presidential speech, talking for almost 10 hours nonstop, assuring Venezuelans that he was “completely cured” from the cancer he was diagnosed with last June."

10 HOURS.  Even Biden can't talk that long.  And the Venezuelans, do they buy his 'completely cured' diagnosis?

“We’re all praying for a speedy recovery for our Comandante,” self-confessed diehard chavista Glenda Colmenares said outside a church in central Caracas. “This is a difficult time for us but we have to have faith that Chávez will be OK. Without him there is no revolution.”

Yep.

An educated populace.

It is not a matter of wishing.  They believe.

Change?  Not when they are consumed by such ignorance.

Thankfully the man will be dead soon and they can get over their naivety.  Perhaps even grow up.










venezuela

 Youthful Challenger takes on Chavez in Venezuela

Feb 13, 9:11 PM EST

By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER and IAN JAMES
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan presidential candidate Henrique Capriles on Monday called for "balanced elections" and criticized the use of government money and slanted coverage in state media as President Hugo Chavez seeks re-election.

Capriles is expected to face a tough race against Chavez, who even after 13 years in office remains a hero to many of his supporters and maintains a visceral connection to a significant segment of the poor in Venezuela. Chavez also will likely use a bonanza of public spending as he seeks re-election in the Oct. 7 presidential election.

Capriles complained that government-run television coverage is tilted against him.

"Let's have some balanced elections," Capriles said at a news conference a day after handily winning the opposition's first-ever presidential primary.

The 39-year-old candidate, who is governor of Miranda state, also strongly criticized Chavez's economic policies. He condemned the government's expropriations of hundreds of businesses, apartment buildings and farms over the past decade.

"All the expropriations have been a failure," Capriles said. "The companies that have been seized by the state must be reviewed one by one."

He said some of those businesses could be privatized if he defeats Chavez.

Capriles warned that newly stiffened price controls won't work and predicted many items will become scarce. He said deodorant could start to vanish from stores, laughing as he said that Venezuelans might need to start to live with body odor.

Capriles touted the turnout of about 3 million ballots cast out of 18 million registered voters as a major achievement.

"Venezuela woke up with a new political reality," Capriles said.

Vice President Elias Jaua said that it was positive for the opposition to have recognized the authority of the National Electoral Council. Some Chavez opponents have questioned its independence in the past.

"We hope that this same recognition exists Oct. 7 when Hugo Chavez wins the elections," Jaua said on state television. He said the opposition should respect the electoral council as an impartial arbiter, as well as the role the military will play in maintaining security during the vote.

Chavez has said no one can question the fairness of the country's electoral system, and that his government's spending is aimed at promoting the country's development and addressing the needs of Venezuelans.

[Especially if the government spends $4 billion in the two weeks leading up to the election and only $1 billion the other 350 days of the year.  Of course no one can question the government.]

About 16 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the primary, far surpassing the opposition's goal of 10 percent to 12 percent.

Venezuelan pollster Luis Vicente Leon called the turnout historic, both for the opposition and for the country. He said previous primaries by Chavez's party haven't drawn so many voters.

Venezuela has grown heavily polarized, with most either admiring or despising Chavez. About one-fourth of voters are in neither political camp, though, and in that group about 10 to 15 percent are likely to cast ballots, Leon said. Many of the swing voters are young people who have grown up during Chavez's presidency, Leon said.

In order to compete, Capriles will likely need to win over voters who leaned pro-Chavez in the past, who have grown disillusioned with the government and don't strongly identify with either side.

Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the opposition seems to be on solid footing.

"They have a charismatic, credible candidate who - since he has spent most of his adult life in Chavez's Venezuela - doesn't carry the baggage of the corrupt governments that came before Hugo Chavez," Isacson said. "And the opposition no doubt benefits from a bout of 'Chavez fatigue' in Venezuela: even many voters who think fondly of Hugo Chavez may feel that 14 years is enough, and his cancer has made many start to envision a post-Chavez Venezuela for the first time in a while."

Chavez's approval ratings have topped 50 percent in recent polls, and his struggle with cancer doesn't appear to have hurt his popularity. The 57-year-old president says he's cancer-free after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy last year, and has been energetic in his hours-long television appearances, apparently trying to show he can still keep up with a younger challenger.

Steve Ellner, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said he thinks one significant hurdle facing Capriles is to try to "challenge Chavez's claim to being the president of the non-privileged as well as the defender of Venezuelan nationalism."

"Capriles needs to come up with a set of concrete measures that are innovative and reach out to the popular classes," Ellner said.

Capriles is a moderate who describes his views as center-left.

He said he expects personal attacks from Chavez to increase, and suggested that he, too, might become more confrontational in response. So far, Capriles has largely avoided direct or personal barbs.

Capriles said he's ready to confront Chavez, but wants the discussion to focus on issues related to Venezuela's most pressing domestic problems.

"If they want me to get into the ring, I'll get into the ring, but my objective is knocking out corruption, unemployment, the hospital infrastructure that doesn't function," Capriles said.

Capriles said he would welcome a televised debate. Chavez didn't immediately respond to that challenge.

The leftist president said before the primary that all of his rivals represent the interests of the rich and the U.S. government.

Chavez has already kicked his campaign machinery into gear. He has increased spending by launching new social programs that offer cash benefits for the poor and invested heavily in new railways, public housing and cable car systems in Venezuela's hillside slums. As the election nears, he will inaugurate other big-ticket projects that grab attention, including the planned launch of Venezuela's second Chinese-made satellite shortly before the October vote.

[This point is well worth noting.]

Capriles might not be able to compete with Chavez's spending nor his ability to take over the airwaves of all TV and radio stations when he deems appropriate. But Capriles can count on ample campaign funding from anti-Chavez donors, as well as high visibility in opposition-aligned media including the television channel Globovision, private radio stations and newspapers.

Chavez has warned voters that if they don't re-elect him, his social programs called "missions" would vanish. That threat, though disputed by Capriles, could have an influence on some in the run-up to the vote.

Many working-class Venezuelans say they still believe in Chavez and his socialist-inspired program, even as some "Chavistas" openly complain of inefficiency and corruption within his government.

"There are good things and bad things because nobody's perfect, but ... he's helped poor people a lot," said Heidi Lopez, a 33-year-old who raves about the discounted food at government-run markets and plans to vote for Chavez again.

Some of Capriles' supporters say they think he has a good chance of winning over Venezuelans who otherwise might lean pro-Chavez because he has taken a largely non-confrontational approach while promising solutions to problems including 26-percent inflation and one of the highest murder rates in Latin America.

Diego Prada, a 23-year-old marketing manager, said Capriles' inclusive approach resonates among many.

"People are tired of so much confrontation," Prada said.

So ... why was that paragraph worth noting?  Hmm. 

What is wrong with the Chinese buying US debt?  What is wrong with the Chinese buying European debt?  Yet our political system could reject demands made by the Chinese and the American people could reject Chinese ultimatums.  Our political system has checks and balances, has a process that permits opposition.  We have a healthy political system where two parties thrive and opposition is very vocal.

In Venezuela there is no legitimate opposition - even the opposition candidate is a left of center figure.  It is a matter of two lefts, one further than the other.  The government, run by Chavez, dominates everything - and control is total.  Within that system the Chinese have begun their advance, and there is no structure in place to prevent them from rolling through.  The Chinese will splash around money, and opportunity to stick a finger the eye of the US, and the obedient troglodytes will do as they are told, even if they believe they are articulating independent thought. 

There is no structure to prevent the Chinese from buying off the top 2-3 people and Chavez mandating whatever the Chinese demand.  In time, the wealth and proximity to power will swallow them up, leaving Venezuela as a puppet of China, and Chavez is intellectually incapable of recognizing this advance by the Chinese and Iranians.  He thinks they all hate the US and he welcomes them.  He believes he has the control, but he is losing it, and Iran is gaining inches, China is gaining feet, and Venezuela is losing, while Chavez prances around.

venezuela

Chavez: Colostomy Bag and then Death

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.



Chavez Has Colon Cancer, Infected Abdomen, El Periodico Says




By Daniel Cancel
Jul 2, 2011 5:30 PM PT .

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is battling a colon cancer that has perforated his intestinal wall and infected his abdomen, Spanish newspaper El Periodico said, citing unidentified Venezuelan diplomats.

Chavez will have to use a colostomy bag for at least three months, the Barcelona-based newspaper reported. Chavez, who is recovering from two surgeries in Cuba, isn’t able to begin chemotherapy due to the infection, the paper said. The situation is serious because the tumor may have metastasized, El Periodico reported, citing the diplomats.

The first operation for a pelvic abscess was performed by a Cuban surgeon while the second operation to remove the tumor was performed by a Spanish surgeon in Havana the newspaper said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
chavez

Libya: Yet another nut believes it is a conspiracy

Everything that happened in Tunisia must have been inspired by the US and Jews, to spill over into Egypt, in order that it catch fire in Libya - all a plot to invade.

We have been told how our leaders, particularly in the past, have always been eager for war - yet what evidence is provided - the word of various despots and dictators.  Who better to listen to.  Yet, if one believes what these loons have to say, you MUST to be intellectually honest, evaluate what they say and what must be accepted as preconditions to whatever rubbish may spill from their mouths.

The above first sentence, must precede what is to follow or it does not make sense.  The best airing of the following proposition would be the US is exaggerating the death claims (UN and Amnesty NOT the US).  The US is exaggerating what Kaddafi is doing, not Al Jazxeerra with a camera on 24/7.  These despots need to go back on their meds and the loyal subjects who elected them need to once more retrurn to staring at images of their dear leader.



Chavez: U.S. distorting situation in Libya 'to justify an invasion'
By Catherine E. Shoichet
CNN
March 1, 2011 9:52 a.m. EST



(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claims U.S. criticism of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has a clear aim: military invasion.


"Let's not get carried away by the drums of war, because the United States, I am sure that they are exaggerating and distorting things to justify an invasion," Chavez said Monday, according to Venezuelan state media.


...

"Instead of sending Marines and tanks and planes, why don't we send a goodwill commission to try to help so that they do not continue killing in Libya? They are our brothers," he said in a speech televised on the government-run network.


The only brothers you have in Libya Hugo, are the ones named Kaddafi - and their presence on this earth is limited.  As Vladimir Putin stated Moammar is a 'living corpse'.

I understand it is disappointing to you Hugo, to lose such a close ally and another, Iran - facing the likelihood of ever increasing protests that may topple your ally and friend (one of very few you have among the nations on earth).  It must be bothersome to you Hugo.  Worrisome.  The protests could spread to your despotic rule. 








 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
hugo

Chavez Speaks and Blames the US for Everything

Chavez is cutting power to businesses that have failed to reduce power usage.

Reuters, March 21, 2010


"Indeed, I would love to have the powers I'm accused of by the opposition to defeat this situation which not only hurts Venezuela but the whole world as a result of the destructive voracity of the capitalist system."








Chavez

When is a Dictator not a Dictator? When Sean Penn says so.

Sean Penn is a fool, all that pot from Ridegmont has given him some serious blowback in the form of a - his inability to distinguish between fact, fiction, reality, fantasy, dictators, and tyrants, credible elections, and farcical jokes called elections.

I pray, when the day comes that Chavez is removed from the office he has violated, that the Venezuelan people will demand Penn return to face the truth about Chavez so that Penn might live out the remaining years of his life wracked by guilt and shame.

You are seriously a fool Mr. Penn.  You have very little that is redemptive.  I will assume you are a good father, thus you have that one saving grace.  You are not a great actor, good enough, but not great; and you most certainly have no clue about reality.




Chavez thanks Sean Penn for slamming his critics



Fri Mar 12, 2010
Associated Press

 CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is grateful that actor Sean Penn has defended him against his critics within the U.S. media.

In an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" last week, Penn slammed Chavez critics who refer to the socialist leader as a dictator.

The Oscar-winning celebrity noted that Chavez has won repeated elections and suggested that media critics who call him a dictator should be jailed.

[What about in the US - should we jail everyone who called Bush a tyrant, dictator, or other scurrilous name?]

He says that "there should be a bar for which one goes to prison for these kinds of biases."

[The same level for a bar in the US when you and Sarandon and Fonda were accusing Bush of delusional crimes?]

Penn has visited Chavez several times and frequently defends the president's leftist political policies.

Chavez welcomed Penn's comments Wednesday and thanked the actor for standing up to his detractors.

Hugo Chavez: US caused the earthquake in Haiti

Leon Panetta's daughter, you know Leon - head of CIA.  His daughter, friendly with Hugo Chavez, and I mean friendly enough they hug and pose for photos.  In any case, the daughter of Leon Panetta has a relationship with the madman of Venezuela, who just recently opined on the disaster in Haiti.

(Perhaps Danny Glover and Chavez could work together and develop one theory that covers both their opinions.)


Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has once again accused the United States of playing God. But this time it's Haiti's disastrous earthquake that he thinks the U.S. was behind. Spanish newspaper ABC quotes Chavez as saying that the U.S. navy launched a weapon capable of inducing a powerful earthquake off the shore of Haiti. He adds that this time it was only a drill and the final target is ... destroying and taking over Iran.








Chavez

Honduras: Standing up to the US, for all the right reasons.

Honduran President to Briefly Step Down During National Elections


Wall Street Journal
NOVEMBER 19, 2009, 4:49 P.M. ET
By JOSE DE CORDOBA

Honduras' interim president Roberto Micheletti will step down temporarily from his post for a week during the country's coming national elections, the Wall Street Journal has learned.

The move, while largely symbolic, is an effort by the interim government to boost international legitimacy for the Nov. 29 vote, which the government hopes will put an end to a political crisis that began with the June 28 ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.

In a speech to be delivered late on Thursday, Mr. Micheletti is expected to say he will hand the reins of government to his council of ministers – basically, the cabinet – from Nov. 24 until his return to power on Dec. 2, according to a copy of a speech obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The president-elect is scheduled to take power in January.

In the remarks, Mr. Micheletti says his temporary absence from his post is meant to help Hondurans concentrate on the presidential elections instead of the political crisis, which erupted when the army kicked the president out of the country for allegedly wanting to extend his stay in power. Mr. Zelaya, a close ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, denies the charges, and has called on Hondurans to boycott the vote.

"It's symbolic, but the fact that Micheletti won't be presiding over the government when elections take place will help to some extent to help get other governments to come around to recognize the election," said Michael Shifter, an analyst at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank.

While the U.S. and some Latin American countries, such as Panama, have said they will recognize the new president, other countries, such as Brazil, Argentina, and those allied with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez have said they won't recognize the new government because Mr. Zelaya has not been restored to power.

Recently, Mr. Micheletti and Mr. Zelaya signed an agreement that called for the Honduran Congress to vote on whether to reinstate Mr. Zelaya as president, but Mr. Zelaya pulled out of the deal a few days after it was signed. The Honduran government is expected to vote on Mr. Zelaya's reinstatement after the election, but is widely expected to not allow him to return.

Mr. Micheletti said his temporary absence was not a "sign of weakness" by his government. "My action should be interpreted as a sign of strength and total and unquestionable confidence in the institutions of our country," Mr. Micheletti said, according to the copy of the speech.

During his absence, Mr. Micheletti said he expected the government to operate normally, but that he would immediately resume the presidency if there were some threat to the stability and peace of the nation, and "dictate with vigor and firmness the necessary measures to maintain order."








 
 
 
Honduras

Chavez: Venezuelans are FAT and need exercise.

Women do not get fat - they fill out, unlike the nearly 80% in the Gulf region who are not obese, but 'really filled out'.  I am waiting for him to blame the US for his weight issues.


He needs to swallow some arsenic.





The Chavez Diet: Venezuelans urged to lose weight



(AP)
November 13, 2009



CARACAS, Venezuela — Call it the Bolivarian battle of the bulge.

President Hugo Chavez said in a televised speech Friday that "there are lots of fat people" in Venezuela and advised his supporters to exercise and eat healthy to trim their waistlines.

"I'm not saying fat women, because they never get fat," he added. "Women sometimes fill out."

The 55-year-old leader said he himself has lost nearly 20 pounds (9 kilograms) by exercising and eating well. But Chavez, who still appears heavier than when he first took office in 1999, acknowledged that he could lose a few more pounds (kilograms).

"Doing sit ups," he said. "Eating well. One has to learn how to eat."

Chavez suggested rice pasta instead of spaghetti made from wheat, and recommended drinking soy milk, saying soy products help fight aging.

Chavez said his diet and exercise have made him feel stronger and "ready to continue commanding the Bolivarian Revolution" — the name he has given his socialist-inspired political movement.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
fat

Chavez Wins, Honduras Loses

Thank you Mr. Obama, for meddling in the internal affairs of another country in opposition to our laws, your own promises and public statements, and forcing a country to accept a man back, their Supreme Court, Congress, and the laws of that country did not want back.

And NO, Mr. Obama, it is not the people of Honduras who win - it is Chavez ... no one else.  No matter how hard you try to pretend, it is still only Chavez who wins.


With each passing day, and each decision you make, your inexperience and foolishness show.  What is worse, they will harm other people, in other countries.






Deal may return Zelaya

October 15, 2009


TEGUCIGALPA. Honduran negotiators have reached agreement on ending a political crisis triggered by President Manuel Zelaya's ouster in a June coup.

''We have agreed in a document on point No. 6, which relates to the restitution of the powers of state to where they were before June 28, 2009,'' Mr Zelaya's representative said.

Restoring the state to the situation before the coup would imply Mr Zelaya's return to office, which had been opposed by Robert Micheletti, the head of the coup-backed interim government.

Mr Micheletti and Mr Zelaya must now ratify the agreement reached by their representatives.





 
 
 
 
 
Honduras

Obama to Honduras: Collapse into a Civil War

Making the world safer, undermining one country at a time ...



Chavez, Lula, Obama Make Honduras Unstable: Alexandre Marinis


Commentary by Alexandre Marinis


Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- If Honduras descends into civil war, we can thank Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and credit Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with an assist.

Pushing the Central American nation to the brink is precisely what Chavez accomplished when he persuaded Lula to welcome ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, the capital, last month.

Reasonable people can argue whether Zelaya deserved to be tossed out of office. The fact is his ouster was legal, according to a detailed report issued by the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

The Honduran Congress has the authority to rebuke the president and decide constitutional intent, the report says. “In the case against Zelaya, the National Congress interpreted the power to disapprove of the conduct of the president to encompass the power to remove him from office, based on the results of a special, extensive investigation,” it states.

Chavez and Lula engaged in wise-guy diplomacy. Their actions violated international laws by helping Zelaya enter the country illegally. And they disrupted the economy of Central America’s second-poorest country, which was already reeling from the global economic crisis.

Besides acting unethically, the two Latin leaders showed they aren’t serious diplomats. We’ll see if this inaugurates a new era in which Brazil and Venezuela throw their weight around and increasingly interfere with their neighbors’ politics. If so, they will resemble the U.S., which Latin leaders have long criticized for butting into the region’s internal affairs by propping up or taking out national leaders.

Rough Transition

This much is already clear: Hondurans now seem farther away from a safe transition to a new democratically elected leader who adheres to the country’s constitution.

Don’t expect Zelaya to regain the presidency with full powers before the national election scheduled for Nov. 29. Less than 50 percent of Hondurans support their former leader and his approval rating has tumbled, according to a CID-Gallup poll taken two days after Zelaya was ousted in late June. Hondurans are evenly split about whether he deserved to be forcibly removed from office.

Zelaya provoked his opponents by trying to bend the constitution so he could seek another term as president. He was dragged out of the presidential palace in his pajamas and flown out of the country.

Sneaking In

His ambition endures, which is why Zelaya snuck back into the country last month in advance of the national election. He had tried unsuccessfully to re-enter Honduras in the three months since he was booted out. His most recent attempt might have failed too if the Brazilians hadn’t welcomed him inside their embassy.

By opening the doors to Zelaya, Lula allowed himself and his country to be used to promote the individual aspirations of a foreign leader. Zelaya’s situation in Brazil’s embassy is illegal, according to Jorge Zaverucha, a political scientist who directs the Center for Study of Coercive Institutions at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil.

Brazilian authorities claim they aren’t violating international law because they didn’t welcome Zelaya as an exile. They have refused to define his current political status by arguing they are simply offering him “humanitarian shelter.”

The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations doesn’t say that a diplomatic mission should take in a legally deposed president and let him use the shelter as his political campaign headquarters.

Taking Advantage

More important, Article 41 of the convention states that anyone enjoying the same privileges and immunity as Zelaya in Brazil’s embassy has “a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs” of the host country.

A leader who disrespected his own country’s constitution can’t be expected to follow international rules of conduct.

Protected by the inviolability of the Brazilian embassy, which is considered foreign soil in Honduran territory, Zelaya has given speeches to his followers from inside the mission, made political phone calls, held numerous media interviews and even incited a rebellion against the de facto government.

In turn, acting president and former head of Honduras’ National Congress, Roberto Micheletti, has also committed his share of mistakes. By exiling Zelaya to another country, Micheletti clearly violated the Honduran constitution.

Suspending Civil Rights

Then in late September Micheletti ordered military troops to shut down pro-Zelaya radio and television stations, banned protests for 45 days and suspended other civil rights. As a result, Honduras has reached a political dead end.

The most obvious way out of the stalemate is for a member of the international community to mediate an agreement between the two men to respect the outcome of the election. Achieving even that modest goal seems difficult at this point.

Micheletti is expected to allow members of the Organization of American States to enter the country this week to attempt to mediate a solution to the crisis. Meanwhile, Hondurans grow increasingly indifferent about the coming election. Only 43 percent of eligible voters say they will cast ballots and almost half believe the elections will be fraudulent.

One of Central America’s most unpopular presidents -- second only to Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, another of Chavez’s pals by the way -- Zelaya knows he can’t win a presidential election any time soon. Micheletti is just an interim political figure supported by less than a third of the population and, thus, unsuited to run for president. Neither man has a stake in smoothing the way for elections.

Making things even worse, President Barack Obama’s administration, which correctly criticized Venezuela and Brazil for letting Zelaya into Honduras, says it won’t recognize the scheduled November election unless the political crisis is resolved.

That gives carte blanche to Zelaya. The more turmoil Zelaya creates, the closer to civil war the country will be.








honduras

One Little Indian, Two Little Indians, Three ...

Iran wants a nuclear weapon, Brazil now wants a nuclear weapon, and Venezuela apparently has found a great deal of Uranium with Iranian assistance.

What a world Obama has to deal with, with no experience.







Venezuela seeking uranium with Iran's help


By FABIOLA SANCHEZ
Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 25, 2009


PORLAMAR, Venezuela – Iran is helping to detect uranium deposits in Venezuela and initial evaluations suggest reserves are significant, President Hugo Chavez's government said Friday.

Mining Minister Rodolfo Sanz said Iran has been assisting Venezuela with geophysical survey flights and geochemical analysis of the deposits, and that evaluations "indicate the existence of uranium in western parts of the country and in Santa Elena de Uairen," in southeastern Bolivar state.

"We could have important reserves of uranium," Sanz told reporters upon arrival on Venezuela's Margarita Island for a weekend Africa-South America summit. He added that efforts to certify the reserves could begin within the next three years.

The announcement came as revelations that Iran has secretly been building a uranium-enrichment plant provoke concerns among countries including the U.S., Russia, France, Britain, Germany and China.

On Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged Iran in a statement to prove it is not seeking to develop atomic weapons, saying the undeclared construction of an enrichment facility flies in the face of U.N. Security Council demands for Iran to stop uranium enrichment at its only declared facility.

Iran is under three sets of Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze enrichment at what had been its single publicly known enrichment plant, which is being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said recently that U.S. officials also have "concerns" about a possible transfer of nuclear materials between Iran and Venezuela.

But analysts say Iran, which has significant uranium deposits, currently has no need to import uranium, although those deposits may not be enough to sustain its future enrichment goals.

Sanz dismissed suggestions that Venezuela could aid Iran with its nuclear program, saying Venezuela is only aiming to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Chavez has repeatedly said that all countries should end their nuclear-weapons programs, while insisting that Iran and Venezuela have a "sovereign right" to pursue peaceful nuclear ambitions.

Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington said that regardless of whether the uranium exploration efforts lead to nuclear cooperation, they are going to cause "a serious problem in the relationship" between Caracas and Washington.

Chavez's government has "clearly announced they're sort of beginning down this road," Shifter said. "It's going to be very difficult for the U.S. to really pursue any cooperation with Caracas on other issues because this is going to top everything else."

Chavez's project remains in its planning stages and still faces a host of practical hurdles, likely requiring billions of dollars, as well as technology and expertise that Venezuela lacks. Russia has offered to help bridge that gap, and Chavez has announced that the two countries have created an atomic energy commission.

But Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom, has said there are no concrete projects and that any joint work on mining deposits of uranium or the radioactive metal thorium would have to wait until Venezuela decides whether it wants Russian help exploring them and, if so, create a joint venture for the purpose.

Both Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are well-known for their anti-U.S. rhetoric, and have forged ties in everything from finance to factories, provoking concerns in Washington. Iran now manufactures cars, tractors and bicycles in Venezuela.

Earlier this month, Chavez sealed a deal to export 20,000 barrels of gasoline daily to Iran, giving Tehran a cushion if the West carries out threats of fuel sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.







Chavez

Carter, Chavez, and UFOs

Carter must be channeling the CIA to have such insight. Amazing isn't it.

Let's think about it rationally for a moment.

How does Carter know the US was involved?

Bush call him and tell him? Do you honestly think Bush had anything to do with Carter during his administration? So how would Carter know?

29 years after he left office, someone still in CIA called him up because he knew Carter would want to know years after the fact.

He is as bad as Dennis Kucinich who publicly stated that the US had troops in Iran.

Carter should be punished for his bad behavior.

And before you defend him by saying the headline says 'might have been' - why produce a column, publicize it around the world if it MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

We should also remember, Carter claims he saw a UFO ... not might have seen, but he claims he did see. He is surely aware of a great deal more than the average person ... maybe because he hears voices that tell him special things no one else knows!







US might have been involved in 2002 Chavez coup: Carter

Sep 20, 2009
AFP

The United States knew about an abortive coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002, and may even have taken part, former US president Jimmy Carter has told a Colombian newspaper.

"I think there is no doubt that in 2002, the United States had at the very least full knowledge about the coup, and could even have been directly involved," Carter said in an interview with El Tiempo published Sunday.

The former US leader said it is understandable that Chavez continues to blame the United States for the failed overthrow attempt.

The Venezuelan president, considered a bulwark of leftism in Latin America, was overthrown by a civilian-military junta for about 48 hours in April 2002, before returning to power.

Then-president George W. Bush denied any US involvement in the abortive coup and called on Chavez, a fierce US critic, to "learn a lesson" from the attempted overthrow.

Carter told El Tiempo that he believed Chavez was elected in a "fair" vote in 1999, had carried out necessary reforms for Venezuela and ensured that "those who are traditionally excluded are able to get a larger share of the national wealth."

But he also said he was worried by the Venezuelan leader's drift towards "authoritarianism."
He added that he felt Chavez's popularity at home and his influence abroad had been "diminished."

Carter said US President Barack Obama had told him he would eventually like to have normal relations with Venezuela.

"But he (Chavez) has made this almost impossible," Carter said, adding that "international relations would be better if he would stop his attacks and insults against the United States."






Carter

Chavez Pontificates: Oliver Stone sits attentively.

Busy Busy Busy. The genocidaires have been busy … says Chavez.




Venezuela's Chavez accuses Israel of genocide

Wed Sep 9, 2009


PARIS, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people, telling a French newspaper that the bombing of Gaza late last year was an unprovoked attack.

"The question is not whether the Israelis want to exterminate the Palestinians. They're doing it openly," Chavez said in an interview with Le Figaro published on Wednesday.

The Venezuelan president, who has just completed a tour of Middle Eastern and Arab countries, brushed aside Israeli assertions that its attack on Gaza was a response to rocket fire from Islamist group Hamas which rules the coastal enclave."What was it if not genocide? ... The Israelis were looking for an excuse to exterminate the Palestinians," Chavez said, adding that sanctions should have been slapped on Israel.

Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza Strip on Dec. 27 2008 with the declared aim of curbing rocket fire from the region into southern Israel.

The land, sea and air assault lasted 22 days, and left some 1,300 Palestinians dead, according to medical sources.

Chavez said he recognised Israel's right to exist, as with all countries, but added that the Jewish state must respect the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

The Venezuelan president said he wanted more clarity from the United States on its foreign policy, adding that he was disappointed by recent U.S. dealings in South America, including the installation of military bases in Colombia.

"Sadly, the arrival of Obama brought with it a lot of hope, but little change," he said.









Venezuela

Obama Hypocrisy: Honduras

The lists are endless - but immediately the question of - Americans are not special, we are no more special than anyone else, we should not and can not meddle in the affairs of other countries - and this is not meddling?

Honduras is standing up to enormous pressure. It is standing up for the rule of law, for democracy, and all Obama can do is turn on the people of Honduras and subject them to oppression in the form of Zelaya.

Obama has shown he does not care about freedom or democracy - he cares about promoting his values at the expense of all else.








US revokes visas of 4 Honduran officials

Jul 28, 2009
By MORGAN LEE and JUAN CARLOS LLORCA
Associated Press Writer

OCOTAL, Nicaragua (AP) - The U.S. government said Tuesday it has revoked the diplomatic visas of four Honduran officials, stepping up pressure on coup-installed leaders who insist they can resist international demands to restore the ousted president.

The U.S. State Department did not name the four, but a Honduran official said they included the Supreme Court magistrate who ordered the arrest of ousted President Manuel Zelda and the president of Honduras' Congress.


[To read the rest of the article, click on the title link]










Obama

Once there was a Honduras that was Democratic and .....

Surprise Surprise. Any doubt this would have been the outcome.

Obama involved himself in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state for political reasons - prompted Arias as the mediator. Arias is a friend of Chavez and Zelaya. Is it any wonder, as a leftist himself, Arias sought to return his friend to power in Honduras?

Was there any doubt? Not for Obama.



Mediator’s Plan Would Return Honduran Ex-President

By ELISABETH MALKIN
Published: July 18, 2009

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — The mediator in talks seeking to break the deadlock between the deposed Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya, and the de facto government that exiled him urged both sides on Saturday to agree to a plan that would return the ousted leader and grant a general amnesty.

The seven points proposed by President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica during a second round of negotiations at his house in the capital, San José, would require the political elite of Honduras to recognize Mr. Zelaya as the country’s legitimate president, which they have yet to do. The talks adjourned at 8:45 on Saturday night, as the representatives of the de facto government asked for a 15-hour break to consult with Tegucigalpa.

Throughout the day Saturday, both sides appeared to play to their hard-line supporters.
Mr. Zelaya promised to return to Honduras soon, in defiance of promises by the de facto government to arrest him.

The government of Roberto Micheletti, who was named president by Congress after the coup, threw up a raft of legal objections to the idea of letting Mr. Zelaya return under an amnesty.

Although Mr. Arias’s plan would restore Mr. Zelaya, it would also sharply curtail his powers and focus much of the country’s political energy on an early presidential election.

A source close to the talks said Mr. Zelaya’s delegation had agreed in principle to all seven points. But a former Supreme Court president, Vilma Morales, who is one of Mr. Micheletti’s delegates at the talks, told local radio that it was up to Congress, the Supreme Court and election authorities in Tegucigalpa to decide on most of the proposal.

As the talks went on, Mr. Zelaya, who was in neighboring Nicaragua, told Honduran radio that he would return home, perhaps as soon as Monday. His statements could heighten tensions in Honduras, which has been paralyzed by strikes and protests since the June 28 coup.

Mr. Zelaya tried to fly into the Tegucigalpa airport two weeks ago on a small plane provided by the Venezuelan government, but military vehicles parked on the tarmac blocked his approach. One supporter was killed when soldiers pushed back those who had come to greet him.

The ousted president’s wife, Xiomara Castro, leading protesters in Tegucigalpa on Saturday, said he would return within hours, “no matter the bayonets and machine guns” his supporters might face.

As the talks began Saturday about 11 a.m., Mr. Arias warned both sides that Honduras was facing increasing isolation. Mr. Zelaya has been recognized as the legitimate president by the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the Obama administration.

The Arias proposal would move forward by a month the general election scheduled for the end of November. The military would be placed under the command of the electoral tribunal to prevent any attempt to meddle in the balloting.

Mr. Zelaya would also have to give up any attempt to rewrite the Constitution to remain in office. It was his insistence on holding a referendum on a proposal to amend the Constitution that precipitated the coup.

Mr. Arias’s plan would create a national unity government made up of members of all political parties until the new elected government took office, as scheduled, at the end of January.
The proposal does not specify that any members of the Micheletti government would be included, which Mr. Zelaya has ruled out.

Mr. Arias’s proposal would also grant an amnesty for all political crimes both before and after the ouster of Mr. Zelaya.

In his statement at the start of the negotiations, Mr. Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his role in negotiating Central American peace accords, spoke of the weight of history in a region where the overthrow of elected governments has frequently punctuated an uncertain transition to democracy.

If an agreement was reached, “it would be the first time in Latin American history that a coup d’état is reversed by the will of both sides,” he said.

Mr. Micheletti had said he would step down if it would help end the conflict, but he had emphasized that he would not make way for Mr. Zelaya.

The Honduran coup has presented an unexpected test of Latin American policy for the Obama administration, which has thrown its support behind the mediation effort by Mr. Arias.













Honduras

Chavez: Interested in Democracy!

Chavez contacted US over Honduras: official

Jul 10, 2009
AFP


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has contacted the US State Department's point man on Latin America to discuss the crisis in Honduras, US officials confirmed.

Chavez called Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon late Thursday "to discuss the current situation in Honduras and the ongoing negotiations mediated by Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias," the State Department said in a statement.

The call came in the midst of San Jose-brokered talks between aides of ousted President Manuel Zelaya and interim Honduran leader Roberto Micheletti.

The talks ended late Friday with no breakthrough.

In a sign of the pair's mutual hostility, the rival Honduran leaders never met face-to-face in a first session Thursday, preferring to speak to Arias separately before flying out of the country the same day.

Chavez said Friday that the negotiations, which are backed by Washington, are a "big mistake that come from the north."

The firebrand leftist leader, a top Zelaya supporter, warned that Arias receiving Micheletti amounted to a "trap" that was "very dangerous for democracy."

But State Department spokesman PJ Crowley countered that Chavez's statement was "premature."

"It's unclear what President Chavez thinks he's for and against. I believe at various times the Venezuelan government has been supportive of a process that would lead to President Zelaya's return," Crowley said.

"I believe that he has actually had some complimentary things to say previously about the role that President Arias might play."

Venezuela and the United States have moved to improve an often contentious relationship, following a summit of the Americas in April in Trinidad, where Chavez and US President Barack Obama met for the first time in their official capacities.

The United States returned its ambassador to Venezuela earlier this month, restoring diplomatic ties that were ruptured nine months ago with his expulsion in a row with Chavez.

The two countries earlier agreed to the return of their respective ambassadors, patching up a rift that opened September 12 when Venezuela declared US Ambassador Patrick Duddy a "persona non grata" and gave him 72 hours to leave the country.

Obama / Chavez - Oil and Auto Companies - Any differences.

Chávez seizures fuel Venezuela oil fears

By Benedict Mander in Caracas
Published: May 10 2009 12:41 Last updated: May 10 2009 18:27
Financial Times

A fresh round of expropriations in Venezuela has raised fears that the Opec producer’s already declining oil output could sink to its lowest level in the past 20 years.

Troops were mobilised over the weekend to assist Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, in seizing the assets of some 60 oil service companies, after a law was approved last week that paves the way for the state to take increasing control over its all-important oil industry.

“To God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” said Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez, as he presided over the expropriation of at least a dozen rigs, more than 30 oil terminals and some 300 boats.

“Today we also say: to the people what is the people’s,” the socialist leader said to roars of approval from red-clad supporters on the shores of Lake Maracaibo, the heartland of the nation’s oil production.

This move forms part of a broader assault against the private sector, which Mr Chávez has increasingly blamed as Venezuela slides into recession. Simultaneously he is engaging in what opposition leaders say is a campaign of persecution of his political foes.

Manuel Rosales, a former presidential candidate, has been granted asylum in Peru to escape arrest over corruption charges, while congress has removed almost all the spending powers of Antonio Ledezma, the anti-Chávez mayor of Caracas. Other opponents have been jailed or gone into hiding.

PDVSA, which is suffering from a sharp fall in export income, made the surprise move against the oil service companies in response to their threat that they would suspend operations until it paid a backlog of invoices. Some, including Helmerich & Payne and Ensco International, abandoned rigs this year.

PDVSA, which is under pressure to cut expenses by 60 per cent because of tumbling revenues, is estimated to owe as much as $12bn (€8.9bn, £7.9bn) to contractors since suspending payments to them last August, shortly after oil prices began their precipitous decline.

It has demanded that companies accept a 40 per cent cut in their bills, arguing that the decline in oil prices means they are charging too much.

The new law will also enable PDVSA to pay debts with bonds rather than cash, and compensate assets at book value.

The move is the latest sign of the deepening cashflow crisis that has bedeviled the state oil company for at least two years as it has become overburdened with responsibilities far removed from its core business – in particular funding and running the massive social programmes that have become the bedrock of Mr Chávez’s support.

But analysts say that by shifting its problems onto its suppliers, PDVSA is storing up even bigger problems for the future. Not only does it lack the ability to operate as efficiently as the service providers, but it sends a grim signal to companies considering investing in Venezuela. Consequently, future oil production is under threat.

Perhaps most worrying is the impact this could have on foreign companies’ interest in a major auction currently underway to develop the Carabobo block in the oil-rich Orinoco Belt, which is the first oil investment opportunity in Venezuela in the last decade, and represents the oil dependent country’s biggest hope for reviving sagging production. According to the IEA, production fell to 2.36m bpd in 2008, compared to 3.18m bpd in 1997, although PDVSA claims it actually increased to 3.27m bpd in 2008.

Some 19 companies – including BP, Chevron, Shell, StatoilHydro, and Total – have expressed interest in bidding for the Carabobo projects that could collectively produce over 800,000 bpd, and require investments of $25-30bn.

But adding to worries about the lack of legal security in Venezuela, intensified by recent developments, international oil companies are also concerned by prohibitively high start-up and financing costs as well as tight profit margins due to fiscal terms that were drawn up before oil prices began their precipitous decline last year.

David Voght, a director at IPD Latin America, which advises several international oil companies operating in Venezuela, said: “Venezuela’s aggressive fiscal terms and the country’s persistent trend toward nationalisation of oil industry activities will make it more and more difficult to attract foreign investment and competitive bids from qualified operators.”

Taxes and royalties have been hiked four times since 2004, with an 85 per cent windfall tax introduced last year, while companies were ordered to give up operational control over four multibillion-dollar projects in the Orinoco two years ago, prompting Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips to exit the country and opt for international arbitration.

Although most companies are keen to have a stake in Venezuela, which now claims to have 172bn barrels of proven oil reserves making them the second largest in the world after Saudi Arabia, the government’s unpredictability and inflexibility are a serious deterrent.

“It’s a great paradox. There are companies that want to invest in Venezuela and to remain on a long-term basis, bringing capital, technology and know-how, but they may not do so because the government is refusing to recognize that the outlook for oil prices has changed,” said an industry source in Caracas, who requested anonymity. “They have to face up to reality.”






Chavez

Obama and Chavez: Opposition? No Mas

Obama and Chavez hugging and kissing .... and then there was no opposition. And yes, there is a direct link.





Venezuela Opposition Leader Rosales Flees to Peru (Update3)

By Matthew Walter

April 21 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan opposition leader and Maracaibo Mayor Manuel Rosales, who was scheduled to appear in court yesterday on corruption charges, has left the country and is seeking political asylum in Peru.

The mayor is being “politically persecuted,” said his wife, Eveling Rosales, in comments broadcast by CNN’s Spanish- language channel. Manuel Rosales, 56, lost the 2006 presidential election to President Hugo Chavez.

“The fundamental problem is that there’s no credibility in the judicial system, which is a system that’s been completely politicized,” Leopoldo Lopez, a member of Rosales’s Un Nuevo Tiempo party and former mayor of the Caracas borough of Chacao, said in a telephone interview. “This is retaliation and selective repression.”


[To read the rest of the article, click on the title link]






Chavez