Archive for the ‘South American Politics’ Category
by Erik Rush
The law of the jungle is so hard to break, When death walks behind you with each step you take…
- Gary Moore, guitarist and songwriter of Thin Lizzy fame
Some readers may remember that during the 'Seventies and 'Eighties it was a fairly regular occurrence to hear media reports of Israeli intelligence (Mossad) agents kicking in the doors of a fleabag flat, hotel room or safe house in some obscure (or sometimes not-so-obscure) European city and introducing the head of a known terrorist hiding there to around half a dozen or so large-caliber lead projectiles.
Israel's government never offered any denials nor apologies about doing so. They located a threat to their national security, so their operatives clandestinely gained entry to the necessary country, made contact, and terminated the target with extreme prejudice. Of course there was also their awesome attack on Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactors when he attempted to do what we've blithely let Iran get away with.
Lack of transparency and accountability encourages impunity
WASHINGTON – Higher oil revenues have enabled mismanagement and abuse of power in Venezuela, leading to record levels of corruption, argues a new policy analysis by the Cato Institute. In the study released today, "Corruption, Mismanagement, and Abuse of Power in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela," author Gustavo Coronel, member of the first Board of Directors of Petróleos de Venezuela from 1976 to 1979 and Venezuelan representative to Transparency International from 1996 to 2000, details how the Chávez regime is squandering the country's wealth through rampant official and personal corruption.
Dubbing Chávez's government "hypercorrupt," Coronel identifies four main reasons for the nation's rapid decline to the bottom of global corruption and economic freedom indices. Misused oil income, mediocre management, Chávez's determination to play a "messianic" role in world affairs, and political populism designed to garner the affection of the people rather than promote the creation of new wealth have also contributed to the rise of graft.
Recently, 7-Eleven convenient stores has decided to discontinue selling Citgo gas at their pumps. Citgo is owned and operated by Chavez, the dictator in Venezuela. Instead they will be buying their fuel from American owned company, Valero.
Chavez has being saber rattling giving strong anti-American speeches, including his last one at the UN two weeks ago. He has called President Bush the devil and an alcoholic and has threaten to dispose of our country's heritage. He has nurtured a strong alliance with the terrorist group Hezbollah which operates out Venezuela for over the last ten years.
7-Eleven spokesman Margaret Chabris said that, "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez." (Breitbart.com)
And recently, Florida State Rep. Adam Hasner has expressed strongly that he doesn't think CITGO should be selling gasoline on the Florida Turnpike system.
Last month, Susser Holdings Corp of Corpus Christi, Texas, is radically downsizing its 18-year relationship with CITGO. And like 7-Eleven, they will be getting their gas from an American owned Valero.
Republican George Pataki, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said he has had more than enough with the Venezuelan leader bad mouthing the American commander-in-chief.
"This person has no right coming to our country to criticize our president. He can take his cheap oil and do something for the poor people of Venezuela," said Pataki during an interview with Fox News.
When asked if he would patronize Citgo, the gas company owned by Petroleus de Venezuela, the state-run oil company, Pataki told Fox News, "I have no plans to." (CNSNews.com)
The terrorist group Hezbollah is no longer just operating in the Middle East, but are now in South America. They are openly operating in Venezuela, as Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has proved to be a strong ties to Syria and Iran. Chávez has just returned recently from a visit to Syria.
Hezbollah has two websites on Yahoo and MSN. Both websites have incorporated the AK-47 Russian designed assault rifle as part of their logo. In a recent article in Venezuela Today, Gustavo Coronel describes how Hezbollah are importing their terrorist activities to the Americas:
On the Venezuelan side of the Guajira Peninsula, a territory shared with Colombia, the members of the tribe of the Wayuu walk across political boundaries without restrain. They were there before Venezuela and Colombia existed and they think of themselves as a nation. Recently a disturbing group has appeared, as alien visitors, in their desert landscape: Hezbollah. The Islamic fanatics of Hezbollah are rapidly infiltrating the tribe of the Wayuu. They are indoctrinating the members of this tribe, to convert them into Islamic fanatics in charge of disseminating the terrorist message that has already created chaos, death and misery in the Middle East. The Hezbollah group invading Venezuela is doing its work openly in the Venezuelan side of the Guajira Peninsula. They are disseminating, via Internet, a strategy "to change Venezuela," including:
While these gangsters roam at will in a country that has become a tropical version of Gotham City, Hugo Chávez is touring the world looking for allies in his quest to create an anti-U.S. coalition. President Bush has said that he "does not consider Chávez as a threat" ("Chávez's War of Words," By Jackson Diehl, The Washington Post, August 7, 2006). In this article Diehl reports in detail the attempts Chávez is making at creating the alliance but dismisses these attempts simply as a "war of words."
I would not be so sure. Chávez has been under estimated for some time now. He is generally perceived as an uncultured clown, as a person with unrealistic dreams of grandeur and as a wasteful political leader with an obsolete ideology. This is all true but Hugo Chávez is also a very dangerous man, with a big bag of money and a deep inferiority complex rooted in social and racial components. I think he is willing to do anything to leave an imprint in history, no matter what, how or when. This is a scenario that has to be taken into account if very unpleasant surprises for the national security of the Western Hemisphere are to be avoided.
Today, Hugo Chávez is openly siding with North Korea, Iran, Syria and Cuba, four rogue, terrorist states. By creating a Mission Manager post for Cuba and Venezuela, something only previously done for Iran and North Korea, the U.S. government is finally assigning the Castro-Chavez axis the priority it deserves. This is a move that has both flattered and worried Chávez. Therefore he has decided to accelerate his efforts to create a global coalition against the U.S.
If Chávez is not considered a threat by President Bush, then what is he? You can judge Chávez by the company he keeps.
Hugo Chavez has threatened to arrest and detain any US Embassy official, especially military attachés, if suspected or found spying on Venezuela. He clams that the US officials have been in contact with Venezuelan military officers and are suspected of espionage for the Pentagon.
This is the latest in a series of Chavez saber-rattling tirades against the United States. In December, he threatened to expel US military advisers helping the Venezuelan military to combat drug trafficking in Venezuela. And recently, he has established diplomatic ties with first Cuba, then Red China and he has been buying arms form Red China that no doubt are coming through the Panama Canal.
He always refers to President Bush as "Mr. Danger" or to likes of Satan and he has repeatedly accused the Bush Administration trying to overthrow him. When the rabid leader survived a 2002 coup by anti-socialist Venezuelans, he claimed that the coup was backed by the US government, but he has yet to show any evidence of such "backing."
The National Ledger reports:
US intelligence officials say Chavez’s accusations of plots are populist rhetoric meant to shore up his support among poor voters. His critics South America and within the Beltway believe he’s a threat to democracy in Venezuela and overseas.
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel — no relation to Democrat Congressman Charlie Rangel — said several low-ranking Venezuelan army officers had been discovered leaking secrets to the United States.
But Chavez’s government has failed to reveal how many officers were actually involved or have officials confirmed that anyone has been detained.
In what appears to be headed towards a Stalinist purge, Alonso Medina, an attorney for one man detained in the investigation, said his client, Jacinto Nouel, is a former firefighter and dentist and he’s been jailed on charges of spying and threatening the security of the military.
Chavez is a dangerous man. He has threatened to cut his oil supplies to the U.S. Unfortunately there are many governments south of the border who are backing his left-wing ideas, including communisit Cuba and China.
We have problems brewing south of our boarder that will affect the United States.
First, in 1999, we gave up the Panama Canal under the Carter-Torrijos Treaties, signed in 1979. Immediately, 50-year leases were awarded to a Chinese Hong Kong corporation named Hutchison Whampoa operating under the name Hutchison Port Holdings, giving Red China complete control of both entrances of the canal.
Second, socialist Hugo Chavez was elected president of Venezuela in December 1998. Recently, he has established diplomatic ties with first Cuba, then Red China. Now he is saber-rattling against the United States while in the meantime he has been buying arms form Red China that no doubt are coming through the Panama Canal.
Then earlier this year, Socialist President Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay was elected. He wasted no time developing new alliances and co-operative agreements with Cuba and other pro-Cuban Latin American nations.
In Bolivia, Evo Morales, a self declared admirer of Brazil’s left wing President Lula de Silva and of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, is leading in public opinion polls published last week, for the December presidential elections. He is expected to win the election.
It is alarming when the trend is when political leaders openly calling themselves socialists and then getting themselves elected.
Chavez, a known supporter of terrorists, including al-Qaida, has helped Castro s form a bloc of Latin American countries opposed to the United States.
Chavez has been warmly received in travels to pre-war Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea, China and Libya.
The leaders of Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador are also on board with Chavez and Castro.
On his first day in office, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had breakfast with Chavez and dinner with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
This alliance has found and building new markets in China and elsewhere in Asia in an attempt to foil U.S. efforts to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas.