Chavez reports attempted coup Wed Feb 11, 11:46 pm ET CARACAS, (AFP) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reported an attempted coup against his palace by army troops in contact with "a soldier on the run in the United States," but said the government had everything under control. "We've arrested some active duty soldiers who were in contact with a soldier on the run in the United States... sending messages about a so-called 'operation independence,'" Chavez said in a government-run television interview Wednesday. "They're trying to infiltrate the Miraflores presidential palace, sending messages to military units located in some states governed by the opposition," Chavez said without saying how many people were arrested. He said some military officers who received the conspirators' messages and did not report them promptly to their superiors have been interrogated and placed under arrest. "We've also seized weapons of war: rocket launchers, rocket-propelled grenades and C4 explosives" during raids in Valencia, 100 kilometers (62 miles) southeast of Caracas, and other areas in the western part of Venezuela, Chavez said. The leader said the government has "the situation under control." "The country must remain calm. It has a government that is alert and a good guardian and capable of stopping this outrage," he added. The alleged coup attempt comes days ahead of a Sunday referendum on constitutional reform Chavez has been seeking since 2007 to lift term limits for the president and all elected officials, which would allow him to seek a third term in office in 2013. The virulently anti-American president has often accused Washington of plotting to overthrow him, most recently in September, when he blamed the US government and media of backing an assassinaton attempt against him by retired and active duty Venezuelan military. Several arrests were made at the time, according to the Interior Ministry. Chavez on Wednesday warned "those looking for a military uprising" to stop, because the response by his government "would be very firm." "They would regret it," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090212/wl_afp/venezuelacouppolitics/print LOL, it would quite pathetic if this little charade of his got him the extra votes to extend his term.
Well it is certainly possible that some are plotting a coup against Chavez. Hopefully this is not encouraged by the US like the last one. It is certainly possible that Chavez uses the fear of another coup for political purposes, much as Bush whipped of fear of terror and the conservatives in Israel constantly seek to stoke fear of another Holocaust. Hard to tell.
I'm guessing it's the latter. Gas prices has not been friendly to his socialist programs. The US would be idiotic to foment a coup when Venezuelans are getting increasingly tired and unhappy of him.
Yes indeed, along the same line as the liberals and their messiah's prophecy of financial armageddon aka Great Depression II if we do not sacrifice a trillion to the Gods of Porkulus. Anyhow, talk about Chavez, this despicable scum of the earth should be glad we haven't sent him to the same fate as Saddam Hussein. His crimes against the people of Venezuela are no less than that of a terrorist. Before all is said and done he will be removed from power by the very curruptocracy he so adamantly created.
This may not be the correct thread, but if you'd like to point out which parts of the bill you feel are pork, pleas feel free to do so in one of the other threads on the topic. Chavez is definitely a weasel and trying to grab more power than his is due. But he is not like Hussein. He is lawfully elected, and has been repeatedly. He has greatly helped the poor of his nation. As awful as he is, he is better for his nation than his predecessors. If the U.S. is in the business of overthrowing lawfully elected officials who aren't a threat to the U.S. then it would be a bad sign indeed. I'm not a fan of Chavez, but I'm even less of a fan against paranoia and made up stories posing as facts.
CIA sponsered.....no doubt about that. They smell Chavez's fear since oil prices are falling. One thing I hate about these regime changes is that whoever is installed is usually more cruel to its people in order to maintain control.
Chavez will, ultimately, do anything to remain in power, in my opinion. I think this is clearly made up election propaganda. He hopes to influence the electorate with this BS.
Well Chavez won the vote today. It gives the people of Venezuela the option to vote for Chavez again after his present term expires in 2013. Whether he win in 2013 is of course largely dependent on whether he can maintain his popularity at that time. If the price of oil stays low that could be problematic. When the majority of folks are desperately poor and the leader actually does something about it it makes him popular. It is how democracy is supposed to work. The news that the referendum passed to eliminate therm limits. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/world/americas/16venez.html?_r=1&hp Here is a exerpts from a good article detailing how much Chavez has helped the majority. It expalins his popularity, though he does not seem to be too popular with the minority well off who ruled before or many who post on this bbs. ***************** During the current economic expansion, the poverty rate has been cut by more than half, from 54 percent of households in the first half of 2003 to 26 percent at the end of 2008. Extreme poverty has fallen even more, by 72 percent. These poverty rates measure only cash income, and does take into account increased access to health care or education. Over the entire decade, the percentage of households in poverty has been reduced by 39 percent, and extreme poverty by more than half. Inequality, as measured by the Gini index, has also fallen substantially. The index has fallen to 41 in 2008, from 48.1 in 2003 and 47 in 1999. This represents a large reduction in inequality. Real (inflationadjusted) social spending per person more than tripled from 1998-2006. From 1998-2006, infant mortality has fallen by more than onethird. The number of primary care physicians in the public sector increased 12fold from 1999-2007, providing health care to millions of Venezuelans who previously did not have access. There have been substantial gains in education, especially higher education, where gross enrollment rates more than doubled from 1999/2000 to 2007/2008. The labor market also improved substantially over the last decade, with unemployment dropping from 11.3 percent to 7.8 percent. During the current expansion it has fallen by more than half. Other labor market indicators also show substantial gains. Over the past decade, the number of social security beneficiaries has more than doubled. Over the decade, the government's total public debt has fallen from 30.7 to 14.3 percent of GDP. The foreign public debt has fallen even more, from 25.6 to 9.8 percent of GDP. Inflation is about where it was 10 years ago, ending the year at 31.4 percent. However it has been falling over the last half year (as measured by threemonth averages) and is likely to continue declining this year in the face of strong deflationary pressures worldwide. The current situation and challenges: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4182
This is how democracy is supposed to work? glynch, this election is an example of the worst aspects of democracy. A demagogue who is doing everything in his power to stay in power. A demagogue willing to lie, cheat, and steal, in my opinion, and an election designed by Chavez to keep himself in power indefinitely. That is not democracy, but a tragic farce played upon the people of Venezuela. It is democracy bent into a puppet show, with the Venezuelans dancing to the strings. Honestly, if you want the average Venezuelan to come out of poverty with democracy intact, I am at a loss to understand why you see Chavez as the vehicle for that needed change. If twisting democracy all out of shape in order to create what will, in time, be an absolute rule by a megalomaniac, would you consider that worthwhile in the United States? In Britain? In France? In any of the successful democracies around the world? I wouldn't. I would take to the streets before I'd see that happen here. Is Chavez a Stalin? No, but he is well on his way to being a South American Putin. Is that something you are looking forward to? If so, I am astonished.
How has he cheated to stay in power? Is it not the case that the majority of Venezuelans support him? You say it is an example of the "worst aspects of democracy", and then you say it is "not democracy". How should a democracy work?
Chavez is neither Satan nor Jesus. There are in-betweens. And when you come down to it, even Hitler had fine public works projects like the Autobahn and a very successful state jobs creation projects. Chavez is a classic populist narciscist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long He's a little more violent than Long though that could be a function of a more violent country. Like Long, Chavez may even truly believe that his narcissism is selfless virtue.
Perhaps if the coup attempts were real instead of fearmongering along the lines of Bush and his Iraqi WMD's that might make sense. I mean, except for the one that he unsuccessfully attempted. That one was real.
LOL ... dude, let me help you out. Try think about NBA All-Star game voting. You see, NBA All-Star voting is designed to be a democracy, where players get voted to be All-Stars by fans. The "problem" is, as you yourself has been insisting all these years, that votes in some parts of the world are worth more than others. If you can understand the analogy, you will see the ground that you stand on to question Deckard is pretty shaky.
He has done the same thing that Putin did. Anybody who opposes him magically happens to run into a gang of neighborhood ruffians. Any media source which is remotely critical is guilty of treason and shut down.
