Chavez was brilliant on Nightline.

[Finder]

His preemptive defense against the charge that he is a "godless communist" has sent Karl Rove and Condi into editing mode.

Anyone familiar with the documents he mentioned?(Operation Balboa)

[sarahlee]

1. did you hear teddy's last question?

(from memory)
"So, are you promising that if the US doesn't invade you, you will continue to give us the same amount of oil."

That question just really hit me wrong - it was like saying

"you know that you only exist to help maintain the American Way of Life and we have the right to come get what we need if you don't want to give it freely."

[StellaBlue]

4. Kick

Hugo rocks!

Even my mother was won over.

:kick:

[1932]

5. I'm reading a biography of JK Galbraith.

Galbraith argued in the 50s that anti-monopoly laws were becoming difficult to use effectively because it was becoming a fact of the economy that, because the world is complicated and large, large complicated companies are required to do the tasks the world requires. His point was that the goal can't be to make everything large small.

Galbraith said that the economy provides another balance. He said that there were countervailing forces between large companies in the production-distribution chain which ensured that large companies restrained prices and tried to compete efficiently.

His examples included large retailers which had to deal with large manufacturers. The retailer (like WalMart) could bargain with the large manufacturer to keep prices low. He said another example (IIRC) is large unions, which could compete with the manufacturers to ensure wages were high.

Another example is, perhaps, movie production companies and theater chains. If all theaters were small and had no bargaining power, the producers would demand very high rental rates for films, which the theater would have to pass on to customers or eat.

Why bring this up? Because that question made me think of countervailing forces. What the US wants is to be the big company that doesn't have countervailing forces -- that doesn't have a supplier or consumer or laborer that has the power to demand a better price. If we accept that WalMart and Sony can bargain over the price of TVs while respecting each other mutually, and it isn't some crisis of government that they bargain on equal footing, then why is it such a problem for the US to have to bargain for fair oil prices with other countries?

Venezuela wants to sell the US oil. They just don't want to sell it at a price which guarantees that Venezuelans live in poverty while a few wealthy families get much wealthier.

This whole thing isn't about the ultimate price of oil to the retail customer. It's about who profits from the price the consumer pays.

[Gregorian]

11. Thanks for sharing that.

I saw the author give a talk on cspan about that book. Galbraith's wife is still alive.


I think it's China who has us spooked for the very reasons Galbraith stated. They have the power to rip the marketplace a new one. And the wealthy Bush empire knows it. They have their finger on the market pulse of the future. In fact, this has me thinking about how we can balance our political leaders between rich and poor. This rich administration is what is killing us. They're invading countries for what they feel are very good reasons. It's far from frivolous. But it's evil. China has that monopoly. We can't compete. So create disaster by dropping bombs, and grabbing resources.

I think Chavez gives us hope because we see him as the force of reason that attempts to level the playing field. A cooler head. I think it's because his country is essentially poor. Not having a lot to lose means not being terrified by China.

[Finder]

6. The important thing is...

if the US does invade, it is on record that oil is involved. Sigh...another war to protest(like we need another!)

I also think his being close to Castro, which he proudly announced, makes Washington nervous. They are anxiously awaiting Castro's death and if Hugo takes charge as he alluded arrangements to that effect have already been made to do, it will foil whatever plans are in the works.

[begin_within]

2. We need a Hugo Chavez here in the US

[DBoon]

13. His name is "Dennis Kucinich"

nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. And Bernie Sanders, and Maxine Waters, and ... Anyway we have them, but

they go largely unnoticed by their colleagues let alone the American Sheeple.

The Congressional Black Congress ripped ** a new one the other night and hardly anyone here on DU bothered to comment on it.

[TroubleMan]

17. Yep, Dennis is the man who can really reform the US

nt.

[AX10]

3. KICK

[WiseButAngrySara]

7. DUer Dover posted this thread last night about Operation Balboa...I had

just been wanting to Google it, when this thread caught my eye. I've copied and pasted the entire initial post, with appropriate DU link.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4800513

Operation Balboa - Bush's Plan to Invade Venezuela (according to Chavez)
Venezuela Discovers More Oil - Bush Plans Invasion
Clif Ross
07/11/05 Epicenter News Service

http://www.eastbaynews.org/stages/word_stage1.php?EBN=0...

MÉRIDA, VENEZUELA - The State oil company of Venezuela, PDVSA, confirmed today the discovery of four billion square feet of natural gas in western Venezuela, believed in June to have only been 2 billion square feet. It also confirmed that it possesses the largest single reserve of oil in the world. In addition to the estimated 78 billion barrels of conventional oil reserves, there are 235 billion more barrels of heavy and extra-heavy crude, known as Orimulsion, in the Rio Orinoco region. This means that Venezuela possesses under her soil nearly fifty percent of the total amount of oil in the entire Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iran and Qatar have a combined total of 676 billion barrels while Venezuela´s total alone is 313 billion barrels.

This might go a long way in explaining why the Bush Administration has made extensive plans for an the invasion of Venezuela. Plans for a joint U.S.-NATO invasion of Venezuela date back to May 3, 2001, according to an article published in last week´s edition of Venezuelan weekly "Las Verdades de Miguel." The plan was dubbed "Operation Balboa" and drawn up by the Southern Command under George Bush, according to the report, written by José Luis Carpio. The invasion had as its objective to "remove Hugo Chavez from power, using the same strategy employed in the war against Iraq" with a massive midnight bombing campaign, followed by an invasion and occupation of the country.

President Hugo Chavez had mentioned Operation Balboa on Sunday, July 3, in his weekly television show, Alo Presidente, but without offering details. At that time Chavez said he knew "in detail" about the plan and he also proposed an "Operation Counter Balboa," an operation which may already be underway.

For several months now the Venezuelan Military has been conducting joint exercises with the civilian population in preparation for national emergencies like "earthquakes, tsunamis and invasions by foreign forces." They have also made recent purchases of 100,000 small arms and helicopters from Russia and begun developing plans to build up a national civilian defense force to repel any foreign aggression.

"Operation Balboa" appears not to have been implemented beyond the design stage, but neither have the plans been scrapped. According to Carpio, "The plans presented by the North Americans continue in effect and the possibility remains, according to the sources of information that have been consulted, of the appearance of unidentified groups attacking U.S. citizens or interests, which would give greater justification for an intervention." This latter scenario may already be in the works and has historical precedents dating back all the way to the Mexican American War...cont'd

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2005/07/1717188_comment.ph...

________________________________________________________


Chavez Stokes Confrontation Over U.S. Role in Venezuela

By Monte Reel
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, July 19, 2005; Page A15

CARACAS, Venezuela -- After the rumble of tanks died down and the last soldier high-stepped past the spectators' pavilion, President Hugo Chavez told the thousands attending Venezuela's Independence Day parade July 5 that no invading army could match the fighting force that had just marched by, "armed to the teeth."

The hypothetical invasion he invoked was patently clear: Two days before, Chavez had announced the discovery of evidence that the United States had drawn up blueprints to invade Venezuela, a plan he said was code-named "Operation Balboa."


American officials dismissed the claim as fiction, just as they have denied Chavez's repeated assertions that the CIA is trying to assassinate him, or that the Bush administration was behind the military coup that briefly toppled his government in April 2002.

..cont'd
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[Finder]

9. Thanks(nt)

[mshasta]

14. THANK YOU..

kick

[WiseButAngrySara]

8. kick!

:kick:

[killbotfactory]

10. What was with his translator?

They should have subtitled it. That guy sucked.

[sarahlee]

18. Yeah, the translator really was bad.

I think he was told not to put any emotion in the translations. But I guess that is standard procedure, but he sounded like a robot.

[StellaBlue]

19. I agree

As someone who understands a *little* Spanish AND wanted to hear Mr Chavez's delivery and tone and inflection, etc... I wish they had had subtitles instead!

[raysr]

12. He kept Koppel's mouth shut, I liked that.

[lostnfound]

15. Do they ever have replays? BTW he will be on DemocracyNow tomorrow. nt