Venezuela Imports 74,000 Tons Of Food To Avert Crisis

[Judi Lynn]

Source: AHN

Venezuela Imports 74,000 Tons Of Food To Avert Crisis
January 22, 2008 10:15 a.m. EST

Caracas, Venezuela (AHN) - To avert a food crisis facing Venezuela, the Latin American nation imported 74,000 tons of food items. The state is tapping the government-owned oil corporation Petroleos de Venezuela to oversee the distribution of the food import across Venezuela.

Oil and Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez formed a subsidiary, the PDVSA Alimentos, which would be in charge of distributing the imported food, topped by powdered milk. Ramirez said 30,000 tons will be distributed by PDVSA Alimentos, 24,000 tons through the Makro supermarket chain and 16,000 tons dispersed through municipal markets.

Because of powdered milk shortage, sales is limited to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) per person. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in his Sunday radio broadcast, promised more milk supply in the coming months. The bigger portion of Venezuela's milk requirements is sourced overseas, while 60 percent of its food is imported.

Aside from milk, PDVAL is also bringing in from abroad beef, canned tuna, wheat, soy and sunflower oil, margarine, mayonnaise and tomato paste.

Venezuela had been experiencing food shortages since 2003, a result of the imposition of price and currency controls by Chavez. He blames hoarders and speculators for the food scarcity. A survey in early 2007 by pollster Datanalisis showed nine basic food items are difficult to find, namely sugar, beef, powdered milk, chicken, eggs, rice, corn flour, sardines and beans.





Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009793809

[SpiralHawk]

1. The UN has warned the whole planet to be on the alert for food shortages

Coming soon to a planet near you...

Will poke around and see if I can find the link...

[SpiralHawk]

3. Here it is. US corporate media buried this important news. As usual.

UN Warns: World food stocks dwindling rapidly

By Elisabeth Rosenthal – International Herald Tribune
December 17, 2007

ROME: In an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the top food and agriculture official of the United Nations warned Monday.

more...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/europe/food.

[AdHocSolver]

37. Any connection between dwindling food stocks and converting corn into ethanol?

Another problem is the connection between global climate change causing changing weather patterns that are leading to reduced rain fall in previously fertile areas of our planet and causing drought.

[SpiralHawk]

44. yes

lots of stuff coming out on that now...

[Bacchus39]

80. no because Venezuela doesn't have a sufficient agriculture industry

the US and Colombia and other food exporting nations are not experiencing food shortages.

[Lorien]

81. Along with continued population growth

the World Wildlife fund stated ten years ago that at current consumption rates all natural resources would be gone by 2050. Consumption rates have jumped in China and India since then.

[Bacchus39]

83. Colombia is double the population of Ven. and they have the same area

Colombia produces sufficient food supply (not that there isn't abject poverty in either country), Ven does not. neither ethanol production in the US, Brazil, or population growth are the MAIN reasons for the food shortage in Ven.

(yeah, if Ven. had a third of the population they have now and the same food production I'm sure they would be fine. )

[Ikonoklast]

2. If you put price controls on any commodity

It will become scarce. Artificially lowering the price below what the market will bear insures that.

You cannot legislate the price or the availability of things like foodstuffs in a world-wide marketplace, especially if your country has to import basic foodstuffs..

You can blame 'hoarders and speculators' all you want for the shortages, but in actuality it is simple economics.

[EFerrari]

14. Neither. It's economic sabotage from the opposition.

Especially in the dairy industry.

[AdHocSolver]

33. You actually believe that there are free markets in international trade? Do you also believe in...

the tooth fairy? With NAFTA, GATT, the IMF, the World Bank, MFN agreements, not to mention the secret agreements among the multinational corporations, in what alternate reality does your free competitive market exist?

How can we expect the rest of the country to understand the problems with our economy, trade deficits, and international trade when so many here on DU haven't a clue about how the economic system REALLY works.

[Greyhound]

100. This is exactly why I like you. n/t

[robcon]

4. At least Venezuela had enough foreign exchange to import the food.

The runup in the price of oil saved them.

North Koreans are not so lucky.

[SpiralHawk]

45. The USA will not be so lucky either

Thanks to the way Bush & his republicon cronies have run the economy into the ground, and our debt into the sky...

[bemildred]

5. Damn, what a dictator, spending public money to feed people! nt

[onyxred]

84. Good point

The definition of "dictator" has changed dramatically over time.

[fascisthunter]

6. Well... It's Good To See the Propaganda Getting Dispelled

Thanks Judi

[robcon]

7. This is another indictment of Chavez.

He's seizing private farms and wholesalers, and the result is lower production. As usual, socialism can't feed the people.

Unlike North Korea, he can afford to import the shortfall in food that his policies have created.

[fascisthunter]

8. If You are a Fascist Corporate Type, Then Maybe

I see this as a way of FEEDING HUNGRY PEOPLE.

[hack89]

11. They are hungry because of his price controls. nt

[EFerrari]

12. That must be it.

lol

[hack89]

15. Basic economics

if producers can't make a profit then they stop producing. Venezuela has a double whammy of price controls and high inflation.

[EFerrari]

18. Not basic economics. The food supply chain is still in the hands

of the oligarchy -- or, to be accurate, some parts of it are, like transportation and like the dairy industry.

It's sabotage and a lot of people saw this coming. Too bad this "dictator" hasn't nationalized those trucks and cows yet.

[hack89]

22. I see you have made up your mind - bye. nt

[EFerrari]

23. In general, that's what thinking people do.

They gather facts and arrive at a conclusion.

[harmonicon]

31. but you've gathered the WRONG facts!

Didn't you know that when it comes to latin american governments, Socialism = BAD!! Ronald Reagan will destroy the communists with with cod-piece-mounted rocket launcher!! "Mr. Chavez!! Tear down this equality!!". Those are the RIGHT facts.

[EFerrari]

32. LOL! Oops!

:)

[water]

24. If this wasn't market-based, then someone would come in and offer food at lower prices.

The fact is that this always and only happens in countries with price controls on foods.

[papau]

27. starvation via high price does fix the supply/demand imbalance

[EFerrari]

29. No sale, water. n/t

[papau]

26. of course there may be payments from the US to offset losses from not selling food-CIA influence??

[reggie the dog]

42. no

just nationalize production at the same time.

[hack89]

47. You assume that the government has the ability

to efficiently manage food production. What if all the present owners decide it is time to head for Miami? Experience and skill is vital. Feeding a nation is not a simple thing - look no further than what happened to Zimbabwe.

There are few, if any, good example of any country nationalizing food production.

[reggie the dog]

68. I am confident

that if the people working the land were kept after nationalization there would be little problem feeding the nation, providing that the previous owners did not ruin the soil.

[mbperrin]

76. What do you think the USDA is? A social club?

There's your nationalization of the food supply. The government sets production limits, determines prices, buys food above market price, stores some, gives some away to select groups, tells farmers what, when and how much to plant and writes checks for non production.

How is this not a nationalization of the food supply?

[Bacchus39]

82. better a food supply surplus than a deficit

the USDA also purchases excess idle farmland to be held in "reserve" in case of future necessity. a very sound policy indeed. better to have a secure food supply and an excess than a shortage (not to mention a diversified economy in general)

[mbperrin]

93. Okay, so why is a nationalized food industry a problem, then?

If ours has produced huge surpluses and it has, what's the problem?

[Greyhound]

101. Well, there you go again.

introducing though and fact into a debate of idealogical fantasy.

You fuckin' liberal dirty hippie types...

[izquierdista]

99. So denationalization is the answer?

Worked very well in the Ukraine. :sarcasm: Since the breakup of the USSR, per capita meat consumption is down to 1/3 of what it was before. Apparently, even with those long lines shown in the Western press, people had kolbasa to eat. Now, it is a luxury reserved for the rich.

[eridani]

50. If they are making profits in their own countries, but can make higher profits elsewhere

--they move. The world labor market is set at gunpoint. Cheaper labor isn't good enough--it has to be cheapest labor.

[fascisthunter]

16. WRONG... Big Business Doesn't Want to Sell to Venezuela

to avoid price controls. It's also because the same big businesses are the OPPOSITION and want to create a rift between Chavez and his base and you know it!

[Andrushka]

9. My,

how misinformed can someone get...

[EFerrari]

10. Can you supply a link for that?

Thanks.

[bitchkitty]

13. Did that hurt?

When you pulled it straight out of your ass?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. The system isn't anything like North Korea's or even the USSR's, and you know it

:eyes:

[AdHocSolver]

34. As in Africa and the rest of Latin America, the "private" farms are really plantations....

set up as agribusiness by wealthy land owners on lands seized from the local populations. The agribusinesses are manned by the peasants who formerly farmed the land before it was taken from them. Instead of farming to grow food for local consumption, the plantations are used to grow crops for export. The peasants are paid barely subsistence wages.

What Chavez did, essentially, was to take over these agribusinesses and return the land to the peasants. One reason there is "lower" production is that the once fertile land has been exhausted by "overproduction" by the agribusinesses . Another reason is that the smaller plots don't lend themselves to the mechanized farming techniques used by the mega-plantations. Another problem is that the single crop plantation farming has driven out local plant species that were better suited to intensive labor farming.

Over time, the land can be reclaimed. This is the reason why production is lower since Chavez began returning the land to the people. It has nothing to do with market economics. This phenomenon is true for the rest of Latin America as well as Africa.

[Bacchus39]

49. wrong, most of the crops are raised by small farmers

http://www.bioneers.org/node/1548

Miguel Altieri, Ph.D., a pioneer in developing the concept and best practices of Agroecology, was born in Chile and teaches at UC Berkeley. He is the General Coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme's Sustainable Agriculture Networking and Extension Programme and the author of many articles and books on agroecology including Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture and other books.


AM: You do a lot of work in Latin America with farmers. How are Latin American farmers dealing with the pressures of globalization?


Miguel: In Latin America we have a dual agriculture. There is large-scale commercial sector of agriculture and also what we call the peasants, or small farmer sector. The small farmers are responsible for the food security of the region. About 60 percent of the corn, beans and potatoes—most of the food crops—are grown by the small farmers. The large-scale farmers are basically trapped in the agro-export model. They are the biggest users of the pesticides and fertilizers and also now the transgenic crops, particularly soybeans in Brazil and Argentina.

Globalization forces countries to embrace the agro export model putting importance on the so-called comparative advantage of the country. The comparative advantages of developing countries are the climate, the off-season in relationship to the North, cheap labor and cheap natural resources. The market sends a signal, which is the demand for products, and which determines what is grown In Latin America—coffee, wine and so on. But that model doesn’t do anything for food security.

Latin America has a large population and it’s becoming more and more urbanized and there are large numbers of poor people. The big challenge is how we’re going to feed them. This is where the peasant farming sector comes in. First of all it’s a model for food security. It’s also a model for pushing an alternative agenda for development that is based on knowledge and local resources. This is not something that the government started pushing, with the exception of the new governments in Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, which are talking about these issues now and support small-scale agriculture as a basis of economic development. What has been driving the whole farming revolution in Latin America is the farmers themselves. It’s the right of the countries, the people, the farmers and consumers to grow what they want and to have access to food. There needs to be big political changes. One of those big political changes is access to land through land reform. And that’s exactly what is happening in Brazil, not because the government is doing a large-scale land reform, but because there’s a large grassroots movement called the Landless Workers Movement or the MST, which takes over land. One million farmers have already taken more than 10 million hectares of land. And now in countries like Bolivia and Venezuela, land reform is part of the policies of the governments.

[ronnie624]

52. That interview does not contradict AdHocSolver.

In fact, it specifically mentions the large scale farmers and their focus on exporting their crops, a practice that probably plays a major role in the food shortages in Venezuela and other Latin American countries. The need for land reform is also mentioned by Miguel Altieri, and how reform is being instituted in countries such as Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela.

What exactly are you trying to say here? How interesting that you chose to cite material that contradicts the vague thesis that you bring to these threads on Venezuela.

[Bacchus39]

54. private farms are NOT mostly plantations as you claimed

the interview states most of the food crops are produced by small farmers. this is obvious if you've ever traveled there.

most of the food is produced by small farmers. Venezuela is not self-sufficient in food production. there has been little if any agricultural development under Chavez. thus, the food crisis.

"What Chavez did, essentially, was to take over these agribusinesses and return the land to the peasants. One reason there is "lower" production is that the once fertile land has been exhausted by "overproduction" by the agribusinesses ."

wrong. the land he has taken is NOT existing productive farm land (that would be really stupid), but ranch type land. but no-one is farming it.

[ronnie624]

55. Miguel Altieri says

that peasant farmers produce most of the food consumed by Latin Americans, not that they produce most of the food crops.

"In Latin America we have a dual agriculture. There is large-scale commercial sector of agriculture and also what we call the peasants, or small farmer sector. The small farmers are responsible for the food security of the region. About 60 percent of the corn, beans and potatoes—most of the food crops—are grown by the small farmers. The large-scale farmers are basically trapped in the agro-export model. They are the biggest users of the pesticides and fertilizers and also now the transgenic crops, particularly soybeans in Brazil and Argentina."

Claiming that peasant farmers produce more food crops than corporate exporters, such as Con Agra, Chiquita International and Cargill is ridiculous.

You should read all of the material you cite before posting it, lest you end up contradicting yourself.

[Bacchus39]

56. Good God!!! you just posted a exerpt that says small farmers produce most of the food crops

About 60 percent of the corn, beans and potatoes—most of the food crops—are grown by the small farmers.

when has contradicting yourself ever bothered you??????

[ronnie624]

57. Please, learn how to read.

"There is large-scale commercial sector of agriculture and also what we call the peasants, or small farmer sector. The small farmers are responsible for the food security of the region."

What is so difficult about understanding the difference between 'large-scale' and 'small-scale'?

[Bacchus39]

58. YOU learn how to read

what the hell are you talking about? the NUMEROUS small farmers are responsible for the majority of the food crop production as the interview states and directly contradicts what Judi claims, which isn't surprising.

here is what Judi says: "that peasant farmers produce most of the food consumed by Latin Americans, not that they produce most of the food crops."

here is what the interview says:

"In Latin America we have a dual agriculture. There is large-scale commercial sector of agriculture and also what we call the peasants, or small farmer sector. The small farmers are responsible for the food security of the region. About 60 percent of the corn, beans and potatoes—most of the food crops—are grown by the small farmers. The large-scale farmers are basically trapped in the agro-export model. They are the biggest users of the pesticides and fertilizers and also now the transgenic crops, particularly soybeans in Brazil and Argentina."

[Judi Lynn]

59. Oh my good gawd, ronnie624! My post #51 says that a lot of the rural poor work on the farms of the

big landowners.

http://www.scottaerator.com.nyud.net:8090/images/shocked.jpg

I think that makes sense, don't you?

Really appreciate your perceptive posts, as always.

[Bacchus39]

60. too bad there is no post number 61 yet

well, your lack of Spanish proficiency is a minor problem compared with your difficulties in English

[Judi Lynn]

61. What are you attempting to communicate? n/t

[Bacchus39]

64. that you need to read slowly and carefully before insulting someone

to attempt to hide your lack of knowledge on the subject.

do you want to take back that attack where you said I contradicted myself when in fact it was you???

[ronnie624]

67. It was I who "insulted" you, not Judi Lynn.

You, as always, are very confused.

[Judi Lynn]

63. Maybe you'd be good enough to point out a particular problem I have with English.

Please, be my guest.

[Bacchus39]

65. no, its too fun watching you make a fool of yourself

n/t

[ronnie624]

66. I would love to post some actual figures

on exports from Latin America vs those food crops which are consumed by local populations, but I must go to work very soon. Perhaps someone else would be so kind.

[Judi Lynn]

51. Sounds about right! Here's more which supports your remarks:

Rural poverty in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
A country rich in resources, including vast oil deposits that were the mainstay of its economy, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been shaken in recent decades by waves of political unrest, economic crisis and deep divisions in society. Plummeting oil prices in the late 1990s sent a shock through the country, setting off riots and attempted coups. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela faces the progressive impoverishment of its population, as long years of economic decline add crushing weight to poverty that has traditional and historical roots.

~snip~
Between 1990 and 2000 the number of poor rural households more than doubled, and poverty spread to an even greater number of villages. Most rural people live in homes made of adobe, many with earthen floors. Two thirds of their dwellings are without running water or electricity. For the extremely poor, including the majority of the country's indigenous people and ethnic minorities, it is common for an average of six family members to live in one room. Their access to schooling, health care and markets is severely limited or non-existent. Yet almost half of the country's poorest people are children under the age of 14.

Agriculture generates about 5 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and satisfies about 40 per cent of domestic demand. Only one tenth of the country's 2.7 million ha of arable land is irrigated, and it is in the hands of large farm owners. Most crops are produced in semi-arid lands by small farmers who are vulnerable to cyclical variations in the climate. Smallholders commonly have no title to land, and they lack access to irrigation, technical assistance and markets. Because their income from agriculture is not sufficient to meet their basic needs, farming households sell their labour for wages. About one third of the active poor population, including members of small-scale farming households, work for wages in agricultural or non-farm activities.

At the roots of rural poverty in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is lack of:

• access to productive resources, including land, good-quality soils and irrigation
  
• access to basic services, particularly education
  
• access to markets
  
• access to technical and financial services tailored to the needs of rural poor people
  
• job training and support for access to formal employment

Among rural poor people, women and indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable. Only 1.6 per cent of economically active women work in agriculture, yet women account for 14.2 per cent of Venezuela ’s rural labour force. They work as wage labourers in medium-size and large farms and industrial enterprises. Women are hired in large numbers to harvest traditional crops such as coffee, cocoa, fruit and vegetables. They work as graders and dryers during the tobacco harvest, and in livestock production, processing and marketing.

http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/americas/ven/index.htm

[reggie the dog]

41. yeah, right

The Socialists control all but one region of France, we are not starving.

[eridani]

43. Communist Kerala, India is doing reasonably well on that score

Of course they redistributed the land they seized to the peasants who farmed it.

[Peace Patriot]

71. Care to provide a link? ("He's seizing private farms and wholesalers...") Or,

is this just the "bully pulpit" that good presidents use to pressure "organized money" (as FDR put it) who threaten the lives and welfare of the poor, and the security of the nation that they profiteer within?

But, hey, if you CAN provide a link to the "private farms and wholesalers" whom Chavez has been "seizing," then we can discuss whether or not this is a good policy. But I know your past posts and their lack of sources, detail and evidence, and their short, unsupported accusations, often from a point of view that is distinctly callous toward the poor, and always anti-Chavez, so I cannot trust your word. If you can support it, then I'll discuss it.

[mbperrin]

75. So when the US government pays billions in subsidies to prop

up prices and production in this country, that's not socialism? What else would you call this corporate welfare? Check and see why the price of milk in this country depends on the producer's distance from Wisconsin, for a starter.

[NYC]

95. If not too much trouble,

can you tell me briefly what the price of milk has to do with distance from Wisconsin? I'm very curious.

Thanks in advance. :hi:

[Judi Lynn]

36. As no doubt you've noticed, stories with depth are always BURIED under tons of crap stories.

As long as fascists are in charge of our country's policy toward Latin America, we're all screwed!

Our only hope is that eventually we start getting some enlightened, or at least conscientious Congresspeople, if it's not too much to ask. In the meantime, if they don't mind, we will just continue looking for the truth about these things ourselves! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Mika]

17. Milk? Remind you of RW crap about Cuba, Judi? Milk is always involved in RW demonization.

:wtf: :crazy:

[EFerrari]

19. They are a soap opera waiting to be writting. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

35. So familiar, isn't it, Mika? The right-wing blowhards and truth inventors were all over the place,

trying to inform people that the Cuban government was, alternatingly denying Cuban children as much milk as they desperately needed, then other times claiming that when a child reached a certain age, the Cuban government cut him/her off milk completely, or also claiming no one could get milk at all, etc., etc., etc. They attempted to screw up everyone's understanding of rationing, etc., and our own government makes it easy to do, since it absolutely forbids almost everyone here going to Cuba, to get the straight story!

What a shame they haven't found a way to assassinate everyone in the States who DOES get to go for professional reasons, etc., or immediate family reasons, and brings back his/her experiences to share with others, or some way to keep people in other countries like Canada from telling us what they learned when they were there. If they could get those items managed, they could tell us rivers flow uphill in Cuba, and people walk on all fours, and dogs sing sweetly, and we'd have no way to avoid believing them other than our own common sense.

Hoping enough information finally gets out before our own government finds a way to nail the internetS shut to all non-government controlled sources to awaken enough Americans to the fact they need to get busy doing their research as quickly as possible in order to finally know what they've been lying about to us all these years!

It's so cool so many DU'ers have already started putting the pieces together! It's absolutely thrilling to behold, isn't it?

[dipsydoodle]

46. Milk is an issue in the USA too

and ocasionally gets mentioned here on DU usually in comparison with the price of fuel - milk is dearer / gallon. See here for note regarding price increase across solely 2007 :

in the para which starts - The food and beverages index rose 0.3 percent in November :

"Since the beginning of the year fresh milk prices have risen 23.2 percent.
http://www.rivaluta.it/economia/inflationusa.htm

Not sure what the increase has been across 2003 - 2007 in the USA but its likely to be way beyond whatever poor Venezuelans could have afforded in the absense of price controls.

In the absense of price controls price becomes a rationing mechanism - milk is an essential and the necessity of price control.

[organik]

53. milk is poison anyway

we've been subsidizing the dairy industry for ages. Large scale animal agriculture is extremely inefficient, wasteful, polluting, and it's products are unhealthy to boot.
No adult animal has any need for mother's milk. Milk is nutritionally perfectly suited for babies to grow into adults.
For adults, it's too much protein and too much fat, and even without added grown hormones, too many growth hormones!

I can tell you dropping dairy is the best decision I ever made for my health...not to mention being the environmentally responsible thing to do.

The true cost of milk if you included all the disease caused and environmental degradation dairy farms cause I'm sure would be astronomical.
Watch out for big agribusiness - they wrote the four food groups chart after all. Two of those groups you have absolutely no need for, ever.

http://notmilk.com/

http://theveganpost.com/wp-content/downloads/environbooklet.pdf - Veganism and Environmentalism (pdf)

[stillcool]

20. Wow..that didn't take long...

somebody's slipping. Usually they can get ahead of a story like this, apply the appropriate slant and pound it home before the Venezuelan side sees the light of day. I'm liking this one!!

[UTUSN]

21. Venezuela had been experiencing food shortages since 2003, a result of the imposition of price and c

I'm really REALLY surprised that a CHAVEZ supporter would post this. I'm sure the explanation is coming!1

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. In other words, the food produceres (who are in private hands) are

engaging in a capital strike.

They are selling their produce overseas.

[struggle4progress]

25. It would be interesting to compare to food imports elsewhere: say US or Saudi Arabia

US imports seems to be growing rapidly

[Tempest]

62. The U.S. became a net importer of food goods back in 2005

And the food trade deficit is growing bigger every year since.

[Judi Lynn]

38. Canadian authorities impressed with growth of Venezuela’s Food Missions

Canadian authorities impressed with growth of Venezuela’s Food Missions

March 17th 2006

A delegation of Canadian authorities headed by the Vice Minister for Agriculture, Andrew Marsland, Canadian Ambassador in Caracas, Rene Wielgosz and a numerous group of industrial representatives visited the Venezuelan Food Ministry. Vice Minister Lt. Colonel Rafael Coronado received the Canadian delegation and views and experiences were interchanged with the aim of lending more “added value” to the Food Ministry.

At the meeting the growth of Mercal was discussed in detail. Mercal is a network of government food stores selling basic food stuffs at reasonable prices, and the “Soup Kitchens” (Mercal Maximum Protection) which cater for 900,000 Venezuelans, the most vulnerable in society, such as street dwellers, pregnant women living in poverty, abandoned children, alcoholics and drug addicts. Also on the agenda was genetic technology in order to increase meat and milk yields and an overview of the buying strategy of fruit and vegetables carried out by CASA (State Food Services Purchasing and Packing Company) from Canada.

“This week I am being accompanied by producers from the agricultural sector. We are looking for ways of increasing cooperation with Venezuela especially in the area of agricultural products. For example, Canada is a recognized world-wide as a producer of bovine genetics both for dairy products and beef production. We want to be able to work with the Venezuelan meat industry to help them increase milk and beef production”, stated Vice Minister Marsland.

After the meeting the delegation was invited to visit the Endogeneous Development Center “Fabricio Ojeda” in Gramoven in the west of Caracas, where a “Supermercal” is located. Vice Minister Marsland was very surprised by the modern characteristics and size of the Supermercal but what surprised him even more was the speed with which the Venezuelan Food Ministry had been able to set up a network of food distribution with such a wide range of products in less than three years.

More:
http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org.uk/ven/web/2006/articles/canada_impressed_food.html

[Peace Patriot]

72. They print the Venezuelan Constitution on the Mercal food bags, too. I love that! nt

[Judi Lynn]

85. Unique in all ways, isn't it? And people are reading those wrappers who could not read before they

were taught by the new mission programs, people of ALL ages who had been ignored and kicked to the side, earlier, in the society which benefited only the favored few, comparitively, and had resigned themselves to their own isolation and helplessness in illiteracy.

[Judi Lynn]

39. United States continues destabilizing campaign against Venezuela

United States continues destabilizing campaign against Venezuela
Posted: 2008/01/23

Caracas , Jan 22 ABN.- 'The recent accusations made by United States about a supposed back of Venezuela to drug trafficking is due to a media strategy that tries to destabilize and creates a malicious public opinion, which is not true,' said colonel Néstor Luis Riverol, director of the Anti drug National Office (ONA, by its Spanish acronym).

At a press conference held in the ONA, Riverol said that Venezuela has reached, for three years in a row, to keep as the third country with the mayor drugs confiscation in the world, which completely contrasts with the false accusations made by Bush administration.

ONA director added that the US government uses false arguments by saying that Venezuela does not cooperate with the alleged anti drug battle that promotes the White House, which is used as a political arm against the independent peoples that reject foreign interference.

The US antidrug tsar, John Walters, during his visit in Colombia , said that the Venezuelan government was indulgent with drug trafficking. The accusations was condemned by the Venezuelan government by saying that Walters' remarks belong to a destabilizing campaign promoted by the United States against Venezuela and other countries of the South.

http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=579129

[Judi Lynn]

40. PDVAL started to distribute 74 thousand tons of food in the country

PDVAL started to distribute 74 thousand tons of food in the country
Posted: 2008/01/23

Maracasibo, Jan. 22^nd . ABN.- An amount of 74 thousand tons of food started to distribute this Monday 21^st the company Producción y Distribución Venezolana de Alimentos, PDVAL (Venezuelan food network), informed the minister for People's Power for Energy and Oil and president of PDVSA, Rafael Ramirez, on the occasion of the PDVAL's launching, in Zulia state.

At the moment of the declarations, there had already been sold 1.5 tons of food in that sector. “This has run very fast and we have the capacity to set out 200 tons, because those are big installations prepared by PDVSA for this food distribution.

Ramirez stressed that this initiative is part of the solutions that the Venezuelan Government will use to solve the problems of supplying products essential for the country, caused by hoarding, smuggling or diversion of the production.

PDVAL’s launching include the participation of the Food, Agriculture and Lands, and Energy and Oil Ministries and PDVSA, in order to support during the beginning of the food distribution.

More:
http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=579128

[Judi Lynn]

48. US spokesman denies international campaign against Venezuela

US spokesman denies international campaign against Venezuela
Posted: 2008/01/24

Caracas, Jan 23 ABN.- He stressed that the acquisition of weapons by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) ' it seems to be contraband that moves either with the knowledge of officials in the region or in some instances done by weapons trafficking organizations .'

As part of a dirty war against Venezuela, the media included once again false informations to accuse the government of President Hugo Chávez of supplying weapons to the Farc and the ELN.

The New Herald published last Monday information based on 'Colombian sources' of 'military intelligence' and the statements made by a so-called Spanish professor to accuse Venezuela of delivering weapons to both groups.

http://mathaba.net/news/?x=579309



Thomas Shannon, Assistant Sec. of State, for Western Hemisphere Affairs

[Peace Patriot]

73. Know this: When Bushites make accusations, we are thereby apprized...

... of their own crimes. So, I think there can be little doubt that it is the Bush Junta that is weapons trafficking in South America. Same with drug trafficking. (--not to mention use.) (Chavez chews coca leaves, like millions of others in the Andes, where coca leaf tea is routinely served in restaurants, and has been used as a mild stimulate, like coffee, for thousands of years. But Bush snorts cocaine, and has poured billions of our tax dollars into military aid for Colombia, where the military and associated rightwing paramilitaries are known cocaine traffickers. Can't tell me the Bush Cartel doesn't have a piece of that action--and also of the resurgent heroine production in Afghanistan.)

[Judi Lynn]

87. It is interesting we've got our entire news industry breathing down his neck, but when they had a

previous user RUNNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY, all Dubya had to do, when asked ONCE about it is basically tell them to buzz off, and no one ever brought it up again, god forbid.

It's so true millions of people have chewed those leaves for THOUSANDS of years, and will as long as they grow there, and have never gotten disoriented and fallen off the mountain paths into the gorges, for crissakes.

Speaking of weapons trafficking, Carlos Menem, the man who drove the Argentinian economy into the ditch before being impeached, who IS a _Bush family friend, was also charged with weapons trafficking to an excessive and completely illegal degree.

I haven't seen anything which would ever deter the _Bush cabal from any underhanded pursuit. They truly operate as if they are no longer bound by rules, as the father did, working with Reagan, another man who had complete contempt for Latin Americans, apart from the corruptible ones who could be seduced into betraying their countries for American gain.

http://faustasblog.com.nyud.net:8090/uploaded_images/cocaleros-734360.jpg http://www.hollow-hill.com.nyud.net:8090/sabina/images/evo-condi-charango.jpg

Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, wearing coca leaves.
Evo Morales giving Condoleeza Rice a charango bearing the image of coca leaves.

[Judi Lynn]

69. Nicaragua to Supply Meat to Venezuela

Nicaragua to Supply Meat to Venezuela

Caracas, Jan 25 (Prensa Latina) Nicaragua is to begin providing Venezuela with 500 tons of meat, as well as agricultural products, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced Friday.

Upon his arrival at the Sixth Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), also comprised of Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela, Ortega reported all the necessary paper work was completed and signed.

The president described this year of his country's integration into that group as highly positive, and specified that Venezuelan cooperation in oil supply will give a boost to the agricultural potential of his Central American (snip)

Thus, Ortega said Venezuelan oil supplies, thanks to ALBA agreements, have saved the Nicaraguan economy from collapse.

~~~~ link ~~~~

[bemildred]

70. Oh my goodness, they are conspiring to help each other.

:rofl::rofl:

[Peace Patriot]

74. "Venezuelans See Economy and Democracy More Positively Than Other Latin Americans"

"Venezuelans See Economy and Democracy More Positively Than Other Latin Americans"
January 17th 2008, by Pasqual Serrano - Rebelion.org

"The non-profit NGO Latinobarómetro released its annual poll surveying the development of democracies, economies, and societies in Latin America, applying attitudinal, opinion, and behavioral indicators. Its results are very eloquent regarding the Latin American people’s ideology and opinion, especially when referring to Venezuela.

(snip)

"According to the last Latinobarómetro poll, which included the following question: 'In general, would you say you are very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not satisfied at all with the way democracy works in (country)?,' in 1998 the indicator called satisfaction with democracy in Latin America was 37% (Answer shown ‘Very satisfied’ plus ‘fairly satisfied’), while it was below 35% in Venezuela.

"In the 2007 Latinobarómetro poll, Latin America’s average satisfaction with democracy has remained 37%, while it has increased to 59% in Venezuela. According to this indicator, Venezuela has become the second Latin American country with the highest satisfaction with democracy after Uruguay (Page 80 of the Latinobarómetro poll). (MORE)

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/3075

----------------------

And we wonder why the Bushites are pouring money into Venezuela for destabilization efforts, and revile them in the "news"?

[Bacchus39]

78. the December referendum was a great example

although I suspect Chavez is NOT done trying to remain in power indefinitely even after the "victoria de mierda".

[Peace Patriot]

92. I hope he's not done trying. Our own Founders opposed term limits because

they considered them undemocratic. And our own FDR ran for and won four terms as president of the U.S., and died in his fourth term. (He was "president for life"!) Further, the fascists also called FDR a "dictator." Anyone who opposes "organized money"--as FDR put it--in favor of the poor, is a "dictator," according to "organized money."

The Chavistas proposed 65 amendments to their Constitution--including equal rights for women and gays, a shorter work week (so ordinary people can participate in civic life), benefits for Venezuela's large informal work force, free university education for all qualified students, and many other such measures, as well as removing the term limit on presidents (so they can BE VOTED IN OR OUT by the people of the country--being repeatedly voted into office does NOT make you a "dictator"), and presidential control of the central bank.

It is unclear what the 10% of Chavistas who sat on their hands in this constitutional vote were voting against. The rightwing Catholic Church hierarchy was very active in opposing women/gay rights, and the fascist opposition put ads in newspapers saying that, if the amendments passed, the government was going to take children from their mothers. Chavez has a 70% approval rating in Venezuela. The amendments lost by a hair--50.7% to 49.3%. And many voters complained that the ballot was too complicated, and there was not enough time to understand all the changes. It is arguable that the Chavistas simply made a political mistake--trying to pile too much change onto one ballot. And it is by no means clear that Venezuelan voters were voting on only one thing--lifting the term limit--or even that 50.7% of them opposed that particular thing.

It is also very arguable--and I argue it--that the Chavistas made a serious mistake in not focusing on lifting the term limit and on gaining presidential control of the central bank, and that the voters made a serious mistake in not approving those provisions. The Bush Junta and global corporate predators are determined to topple the Chavez government, destroy democracy in Venezuela and other oil-rich South American countries where leftist governments have been elected as well (Bolivia, Ecuador), and re-install fascist rule in the Andes region, on behalf of Exxon-Mobile, Bechtel, the World Bank/IMF and other predators.

Look who's plotting against the South American leftist majority!?:

"The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez," by Donald Rumsfeld, 12/1/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html

It may be critically important to fending off Rumsfeld's economic warfare and U.S. military intervention plans, to maintain the threat of Chavez running again in 2012, and for the Chavez government to be in control the central bank, when the first world financial barracudas begin their destabilization plan.

I never thought that Chavez wanting to run again, in 2012, meant that he is a "dictator." All other evidence overwhelmingly contradicts that notion. It is Rumsfeld and the Bushites who are the "dictators." Chavez is a genuinely elected leader, and has strong support not only among his own people, and among the vast poor population of the region, but also among many other South American leaders--including Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, Rafael Correa, the U.S. educated leftist economist, who is president of Ecuador, Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, former and current presidents of Argentina, Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, Tamare Vazquez, president of Uruguay, and Daniel Ortega, president of Nicaragua. And the reasons they strongly support Chavez are, a) he is a genuine leader, not a "dictator," and b) his initiatives, such as the Bank of the South, are hugely beneficial to the region, and to its aspirations for independence and self-determination.

These countries are joined in common cause--social justice, democracy and peace. Rumsfeld, the Bush Junta and U.S. based war profiteers and corporate predators want UNFAIRNESS--profit to the super-rich, as well as torture and death to leftists and the uppity poor--fascist rule, and permanent militarization and war (including the corrupt "war on drugs").

I think it would have been a good thing for Chavez to have the option of running again in 2012, even he didn't do it. It would bolster his beneficial policies and initiatives over the next for years (of his last term). I also think that the fascist attack, when it comes, will include actions by first world bankers who are furious at the strength of Chavez's Bolivarian movement in squeezing the World Bank/IMF loan sharks out of the region. Venezuelans now face whatever Donald Rumsfeld has in mind with an encouraged fascist elite, and with inadequate presidential control of the banking system.

Bachus39, your simplistic "hit and run" posts, and "point scoring" type of comments, do not help people understand what's really going on in the world. While you gloat over this Chavez loss of the constitutional referendum, and narrow the issue down to your one gloat point--that, as of now, he can't run again in 2012, but, hey, this "dictator" will try again, because, ya know, the guy's a "dictator, " and, despite the fact that he puts everything to a vote, and puts his own power to a vote, he will be a "dictator" some day, even if he's not quite a "dictator" now, because me and Rummy need him to be--the bad guys of this world are planning to chainsaw Chavez supporters and throw their body parts into mass graves, as they do to union leaders in Colombia, and intend to regain control of South America, and turn it back into a bloody fascist playground, where they can freely steal the oil and other resources, and create pools of slave labor.

You have tunnel vision. You leave out context, history and political and economic reality. Your little gloating point is like a match thrown by a small boy, to see if it will burn the neighborhood down, like the adults promised.

[ohio2007]

77. Chavez accuses Colombia of plotting 'military aggression' against Venezuela

snip

“A military aggression is being prepared from Colombia against Venezuela by the United States,” Chavez said. He warned Colombia not to attempt “a provocation against Venezuela” and said his country would cut off all oil exports in the event of a military strike from the neighboring country.

Chavez did not offer evidence to support his claim.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0125venezuela-colombia0125-ON.html

history repeats in this hemisphere?

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/26/america/LA-GEN-Venezuela-Colombia.php

Hugo taking a war footing against the boogie man's puppet ? probably not but when inflation and high employment unrest in Iran was about to turn hot , Iranian president started his saber rattling and got oil to spike up .
Hugo could get it to $125 bbl if the MSM starts giving stories like those some front page coverage.

He still has over one year left to his "rule by decree" powers.

[Bacchus39]

79. these declarations oddly seem to coincide with US diplomatic visits in Colombia

last week similar accusations were made when the US drug czar was in Colombia.

strange that Chavez supports the FARC yet it is Colombia who is working to destabilze Venezuela.

[Flanker]

86. If Colombia wants stability then perhaps it is their leaders

that need a good look in the mirror.

[Judi Lynn]

88. Let's revisit recent Colombian history concerning Hugo Chavez, why not?

These events have been discussed extensively at D.U. by Democratic posters, who are NOT gullible, xenophobic, chicken hawk halfwits like right-wing tools who sometimes visit here hoping to get in the road long enough to disrupt traffic.

The Venezuelan elite imports soldiers
by Marta Harnecker
May 23, 2004

~snip~
Since 'the conspiracies against Venezuela do not end with the capture of mercenaries in Caracas,' there must be many other infiltrators in other areas of the country; since this is not an isolated action, but one whose efforts to stop the process continue, one can reach but only one conclusion: it is necessary to prepare oneself for self-defense. This is why the President considered it opportune to take advantage of the occasion and to announce three strategic lines for defending the country. The most radical proposal was a call for the population to massively participate in the defense of the nation.

A week earlier, on the 9th of May, on the outskirts of Caracas, a paramilitary force was discovered, dressed in field uniforms. Later, more were found, raising the total to 130, leaving open the possibility that there are still more in the country. The three Colombian paramilitary leaders of the group are members of the Autonomous Self-Defense Forces (AUC) in Northern Santander state in Colombia.

Some of the captured Colombian fighters have a long history as members of paramilitary forces. Others are reservists of the Colombian army and yet others were specifically recruited for the task in Venezuela and were surely tricked. Among these there are several who are minors.

A colonel of the Venezuelan air force was also detained, as well as seven officers of the National Guard. Among those implicated in the plot is a group of civilians headed by the Cuban Roberto Alonso, creator of the 'guarimbas,'<1> and Gustavo Quintero Machado, a Venezuelan, both who are currently wanted by the Venezuelan justice system.

What the real objectives were is now being discussed. One of them could have been to steal weapons so as to then attack the Miraflores presidential palace and President Chavez himself.

The government denounced the existence of an international plot in which the governments of the United States and of Colombian would be involved. U.S. Ambassador Shapiro denied that his country had any participation in the incident. And the Colombian president, for his part, solidarized himself with the Venezuelan government, affirming that he supports its actions against the members of the irregular Colombian military group, which then caused Chavez to publicly announce that he was convinced that President Alvaro Uribe did not have anything to do with the plot, even though he insisted on leveling charges against a Colombian general by the name of Carreño.

Even though the oppositional media conducted a big campaign to minimize the issue, trying to accuse the government of having organized a montage, so as to have a pretext for taking forceful measures that would impede a confrontation at the voting booth, every day more evidence surfaces that confirm the official version.

The Colombian attorney general's office has evidence that proves that paramilitary fighters were recruited and then transported to Venezuela and that extreme right-wing groups infiltrated intelligence services in the border town of Cúcuta. The proof was shown on the news program 'The Independent Network.' The program broadcast some intercepted recordings of paramilitary soldiers in Cúcuta, in which the operations they carried out in Venezuelan territory are reviewed.
(snip)

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=5579

By the way, the recently removed head of Uribe's national security department has ADMITTED recently he knew of this. It was discussed fully here, over and over.



Colombian paramilitaries captured at a ranch owned by Cuban right-wing “exile” Roberto Alonso

January 25, 2005

The Granda Kidnapping Explodes
The US / Colombia Plot Against Venezuela
By JAMES PETRAS

A major diplomatic and political conflict has exploded between Colombia and Venezuela after the revelation of a Colombian government covert operation in Venezuela, involving the recruitment of Venezuelan military and security officers in the kidnapping of a Colombian leftist leader. Following an investigation by the Venezuelan Ministry of Interior and reports and testimony from journalists and other knowledgeable political observers it was determined that the highest echelons of the Colombian government, including President Uribe, planned and executed this onslaught on Venezuelan sovereignty.

Once direct Colombian involvement was established, the Venezuelan government demanded a public apology from the Colombian government while seeking a diplomatic solution by blaming Colombian Presidential advisers. The Colombian regime took the offensive, launching an aggressive defense of its involvement in the violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and, beyond that, seeking to establish in advance, under the rationale of "national security" the legitimacy of future acts of aggression. As a result President Chavez has recalled the Venezuelan Ambassador from Bogota, suspended all state-to-state commercial and political agreements pending an official state apology. In response the US Government gave unconditional support to Colombian violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and urged the Uribe regime to push the conflict further. What began as a diplomatic conflict over a specific incident has turned into a major, defining crises in US and Latin American political relations with potentially explosive military, economic and political consequences for the entire region.

In justifying the kidnapping of Rodrigo Granda, the Colombian leftist leader, the Uribe regime has promulgated a new foreign policy doctrine which echoes that of the Bush Administration: the right of unilateral intervention in any country in which the Colombian government perceives or claims is harboring or providing refuge to political adversaries (which the regime labels as "terrorists") which might threaten the security of the state. The Uribe doctrine of unilateral intervention echoes the preventive war speech, enunciated in late 2001 by President Bush. Clearly Uribe's action and pronouncement is profoundly influenced by the dominance that Washington exercises over the Uribe regime's policies through its extended $3 billion dollar military aid program and deep penetration of the entire political-defense apparatus.

Uribe's offensive military doctrine involves several major policy propositions:

1.) The right to violate any country's sovereignty, including the use of force and violence, directly or in cooperation with local mercenaries.

2.) The right to recruit and subvert military and security officials to serve the interests of the Colombian state.

3.) The right to allocate funds to bounty hunters or "third parties" to engage in illegal violent acts within a target country.

4.) The assertion of the supremacy of Colombian laws, decrees and policies over and against the sovereign laws of the intervened country
(snip)

http://www.counterpunch.org/petras01252005.html

More captured Colombian paramilitaries

Published on Monday, May 17,
by the Agence France Presse
Thousands Protest Colombian Paramilitary Presence in Venezuela
Chavez to Set up 'People's Militia'

President Hugo Chavez announced his government would establish "people's militias" to counter what he called foreign interference after an alleged coup plot by Colombian paramilitaries Caracas claims was financed by Washington.

Chavez also said he would boost the strength of Venezuela's armed forces as part of a new "anti-imperialist" phase for his government.

"Each and every Venezuelan man and woman must consider themselves a soldier," said Chavez.

"Let the organization of a popular and military orientation begin from today."

The president's announcement came a week after authorities arrested 88 people described as Colombian paramilitaries holed up on property belonging to a key opposition figure.
(snip/...)

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0517-04.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12.30pm update

Colombian paramilitaries arrested in Venezuela

Jeremy Lennard and agencies
Monday May 10, 2004

Venezuelan police have arrested more than 70 Colombian paramilitary fighters who were allegedly plotting to strike against the government in Caracas, according to the country's president, Hugo Chávez.
Opposition leaders, however, were quick to dismiss the president's claim, calling the raids on a farm less than 10 miles from the capital a ruse to divert attention from their efforts to oust Mr Chávez in a recall vote.

During his weekly radio and TV broadcast, Hello Mr President, Mr Chávez said that 53 paramilitary fighters were arrested at the farm early on Sunday and another 24 were picked up after fleeing into the countryside.
The country's security forces were uncovering additional clues and searching for more suspects, he said, adding that the arrests were proof of a conspiracy against his government involving Cuban and Venezuelan exiles in Florida and neighbouring Colombia.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,1213445,00.html



More captured Colombian paramilitaries

Three Venezuelan Officers and 27 Colombians Sentenced for Assassination Plot
A Venezuelan military court sentenced three Venezuelan military officers and 27 Colombians to two to nine years of prison for plotting an assault on Venezuela’s presidential palace and the assassination of President Hugo Chavez.Another 73 Colombians and 3 Venezuelan officers, who had also been suspected of participating in the plot, were freed after spending 17 months in prison.

118 Colombians were captured in May 2004 on a ranch just outside of Caracas, wearing Venezuelan military fatigues. Many of them appeared to be Colombian paramilitary fighters who had been recruited for a mission in Venezuela to attack the Chavez government and to kill the president. Six Venezuelan officers were also arrested in the course of the investigation.

Some of the Colombians were peasants who had been lured to come to Venezuela with the promise of jobs. Upon arriving, though, they were forced to engage in paramilitary training exercises and were forbidden to leave the ranch. 18 of the Colombians were released immediately after the capture and returned to Colombia because they were minors between 15 and 17 years. The ranch belongs to Roberto Alonso, a prominent Cuban-Venezuelan opposition activist. The highest level officer to be sentenced was General Ovidio Poggioli, who had been charged with military rebellion and was sentenced to 2 years and ten months of prison. The other two Venezuelan officers are Colonel Jesús Farias Rodríguez and Captain Rafael Farias Villasmil, who were each sentenced to nine years of prison. The 27 Colombians were each sentenced to six years prison.

When the group of Colombians were first arrested, many opposition leaders argued that the government had staged the arrests, in order to make the opposition look bad. They pointed out that no weapons were found with the paramilitary fighters and that the whole operation looked far too amateurish to have any chance of success. Also, it was argued that it is practically impossible to transport 120 Colombian paramilitary fighters undetected all the way from Colombia to Caracas, considering that there are numerous military control points along the way.
(snip)

http://www.voltairenet.org/article130297.html

[ohio2007]

90. May 23, 2004

Stay in the year 2008
k ?
Hugo's popularity is falling in the polls after his attempts at becomming president for life failed.

you can goggle it if you want


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6CC0DF52-0963-4235-BBD1-93B158D0F43A.htm

http://bp2.blogger.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/R1L7igJ0xjI/AAAAAAAAJaw/_tzVx6DUDoU/s400/no+chavez.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7123365.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7124547.stm

[Judi Lynn]

91. What on earth are you attempting to communicate? I was addressing a poster's implication

there is no basis in fact for anyone to imagine Colombia has been involved in destabilization operations.

In that situation, a YEAR makes no difference whatsoever, when the players are the same people.

Uribe's head of the D.A.S., Jorge Noguera, took off, ran away, and hid outside Colombia last year (There hasn't been enough TIME to "stay in 2008" for this evidence. How lame can one be?) when it was made public that he had been involved in an assassination plot against Hugo Chavez, himself. It was very well known, even made it to the U.S., and was discussed by Democrats here.

As for your links, they have NOTHING to do with the subject I was discussing. Completely unrelated.

On edit:

In addition, Alvaro Uribe met with Hugo Chavez for six hours in a meeting in which he apologized to him for the disclosure of a Colombian-born assassination plot against Hugo Chavez. It was discussed here by Democrats at the time.

[Judi Lynn]

89. What accusations accompanied the visit by Republican celebrity idiot, David Dreier, to the Colombian

national assembly, last August, when he hoisted his giant butt onto the lectern where simple, mortal men and women are forced to rest their notes when giving speeches?

http://www.pensitoreview.com.nyud.net:8090/images/photo-drprier-colombia.jpg

REUTERS/Jhonny Hoyos/El Nuevo Siglo

David Dreier (L), Republican U.S. Congressman from California, is seen seated on top of the wooden podium in Colombia's Congress in this August 28, 2007 file photo. Dreier said on August 30, 2007 he meant no offense when he hoisted himself onto the lectern of Colombia's lower house to address his Andean colleagues, some of whom were offended or simply amused by the faux pas.

http://media.washingtonpost.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/09/04/PH2007090402166.jpg

Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) decided to go informal while addressing lawmakers in Colombia. He later apologized, saying: "I simply wanted to demonstrate my warm feeling and affection."

Photo Credit: By Johnny Hoyos -- Associated Press

I don't seem to recall any similar accusations from Hugo Chavez coming at that time which would lend credibility to your personal claim.

[burrowowl]

94. Give the ignorant Hell!

You

:yourock: :loveya:

[Judi Lynn]

98. Hi, burrowowl. Great to see you around. You are really kind. You've probably noticed

they never seem to grow a bit, haven't you?

They still come back time after time, saying the very same things, as if they've all got amnesia. Sad! :cry:

http://www.zefrank.com.nyud.net:8090/web/32.jpg http://www.zefrank.com.nyud.net:8090/web/64.jpg http://www.zefrank.com.nyud.net:8090/web/114.jpg http://www.zefrank.com.nyud.net:8090/web/25.jpg

[ronnie624]

96. What a disgusting spectacle that was.

It was an expression of scorn for the Venezuelan government; symbolically shitting on the national assembly.

I can't imagine an official representative of a foreign government, behaving in a similar fashion before the U.S. congress.

[Judi Lynn]

97. He was talking DOWN to them, wasn't he? It was the same as telling them

"I don't have anything to worry about around you folks. I can really take a load off, relax to excess, let it all hang out, as there's no one here who outranks me."

I'm surprised he didn't pick his nose, or clean his fingernails. Have a smoke! Order out for a pizza.

It's that old Republican crap. If you think you're the most important person around, you think you're doing everyone a big favor if you become really informal, because, hey, it can only put them at ease, since they are so afraid of you, afraid of your great power, you're amazing importance! No reason to treat the occassion with respect, when you are a powerful right-wing asshole!

Condescention is a ridiculous insult. No one is as really as important as he imagines, when he tries to speak down to people. ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS!

http://www.networkofcitizens.org.nyud.net:8090/election/day4.jpg http://www.bradblog.com.nyud.net:8090/Images/NathanSproul_Returns.jpg http://frontier.cincinnati.com.nyud.net:8090/blogs/gov2/uploaded_images/mcconnell-742335.jpg http://news.bbc.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/olmedia/1505000/images/_1506014_helms300ap.jpg

Beloved Republicans Nathan Sproul, Mitch McConnell, Jesse Helms

[MarkR1717]

102. Food for thought.....

Children starve as Zimbabwes grain goes to make luxury dog food - Scotsman.com …
Jan 23, 7:11pm
Unbelievable! Grain made into luxury dog food for export to the West. Boycott those companies!

From the page: "THE state-run grain company in Zimbabwe has turned to making luxury dog food, while up to four million of the country's people starve.
Doggy's Delight is a new product from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), the only firm to which farmers are allowed to sell their wheat and maize.

It is supposed to supply millers with grain for flour to make bread. But, in addition to making dog food, the company has announced that it will focus on poultry feeds this year.

Recent figures show Zimbabwe has a 360,000-tonne shortfall of maize â€" used to make the staple mealie-meal â€" and a 255,000-tonne wheat shortfall.