Reply #18: I've been following Chavez's statements and developments in

[Peace Patriot]

Venezuela for a long time now, in our own press, at www.venezuelanalysis.com, and in foreign press (in translation--can't read Spanish very well), and I have never known him to lie. Of course, any politician is capable of it, but I just haven't seen any evidence of deceitfulness. On the other hand, the Bush Junta cheered on (and probably instigated) the violent military coup against Chavez and against constitutional government in Venezuela, probably sent a Bush CIA team into the country to engineer a jail break for the only two perps (the main ones) who had been prosecuted, is harboring the perp of the Cubana Airlines bombing (in which Venezuelans were killed--Venezuela has asked for his extradition; the Bush Junta refuses), has used OUR money to fund the political opposition in Venezuela (the rich oil elite--no doubt including Rosales), against Venezuelan law, including the recall election against Chavez (which Chavez handily won, in the most monitored election in history), constantly badmouths Chavez and calls him a dictator for no cause (he is not a dictator), and even sicked Pat Robertson on him with the public suggestion that he be assassinated.

So, COULD this be true--is it plausible? It certainly is plausible. The Bushites and their fascist colluders in Venezuela are perfectly capable of it, and they have already repeatedly tried to remove Chavez by violence and by other dubious means. The problem for them is that he remains immensely popular in Venezuela, and all over South America, and South America is undergoing a vast, peaceful, democratic, leftist (majorityist) revolution--with leftist governments elected in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela and Bolivia, and soon in Ecuador (and also Peru in the not too distant future), and these nations are showing a new resistance to US and also World Bank/IMF interference, and new solidarity on regional self-determination. In Chile, for instance, they just elected their first woman president, Michele Batchelet, who was tortured by the US-backed dictator Pinochet. She in turn has resisted Condi Rice's efforts to strong-arm South American governments, Chile included, to oppose Venezuela's proposed seat on the UN Security Council next year. (Many South American countries are supporting that bid, in defiance of the Bushites--and have also given Venezuela full membership in Mercosur, the South American group working on trade, mutual projects of benefit to all, and political cooperation.) And can you imagine what Michele Batchelet thinks of the Bush Junta and its torture policy?

I've no doubt that the Venezuelan political opposition would try to assassinate Chavez. They've already tried violence (and were met with tens of thousands of Venezuelans pouring into the streets and demanding return of their elected president and constitutional government). And Chavez's opposition is even stupider than the Bushites. (In fact, their stupidity and their advocacy for a small minority (inability to propose anything of interest to the majority) is a major political problem in Venezuela. I would prefer to see Chavez have a competent opposition. I see no signs that he is dictatorial, but anyone with his popularity can be tempted.) But I actually think that the Bushites might hesitate to kill him, for the reasons I've set out above. The problem for global corporate predators in South America is by no means limited to Chavez. They are faced with a huge and unstoppable revolution throughout the continent, that would survive Chavez's assassination and would be strengthened by it. It's what the new South America expects from the Bushites (with also a long history of violent US intervention, and exploitation, which they all know very well). I mean, who knows what these criminal bastards might do? But their motive is greed (almost always), and assassinating Chavez would increase the resistance to US business interests throughout the continent--and that might stop them (if they have any smarts at all). There are no competent politicians opposing Chavez, but there ARE a lot of very bright people in his government, and a further result might be a cut-off of Venezuelan oil to the US (if the Bushites killed their president). I think the Chavez government would also survive his death and be strengthened. They now have markets in China and other places--and other South American countries would come to their aid. It might even result in a South American boycott of the US.

Most people know what a wreck the Bushites have made of Iraq. What they may not know is that Bush has "lost" South America. The chaos in Iraq, in my opinion, is not incompetence. It is deliberate. In that sphere, they are not stupid, as to their own purposes (which do not coincide with the interests of the American people OR the Iraqis--or Israel's, for that matter). But South America is another story. There has been a lot of hard work done in South America on democracy issues, especially transparent elections--and we see the result in all these leftist (majorityist) governments. I think it's kind of funny that now--NOW!--Diebold is down in Brazil, trying to sell electronic voting, using TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY software, owned and controlled by Bushites. They've got to stop democracy from happening in South America! But it's way too late. The Bushites' obsession with Mideast oil, and the effort they've had to put out to control the US population, have resulted in their utter failure to keep South American fascists in power to see to US corporate interests there--and the whole place has turned "blue." They were stupidly obsessed with Chavez, and lost control of the whole continent.

Chavez has also been smart to be very vocal about the threats against him, and to never let the world forget what the Bushites and the fascist opposition have already tried to do. This makes it certain that reaction to the Bush Junta killing Chavez (directly or by proxy) would be far worse for US (corporate) interests than his continuance in power.