Venezuelan President Says Soldiers Have Orders in Event of Assassination

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB7XSCPR8E.html

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - In a vague threat directed at unnamed opponents, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday said that orders are in place for government officials and military personnel to follow in the event he is assassinated.

"The plan in case something happens to me, is already done," Chavez said during his weekly radio and television show. He did not elaborate with any details.

"If something happens to me ... our friends in the armed forces know what to do," Chavez said.

Earlier this year, Chavez accused the U.S. government of planning to assassinate him in an attempt to take over the country's oil reserves. U.S. officials, in turn, have expressed concern about the health of Venezuelan democracy and Chavez's close ties to Cuba's Fidel Castro.

[Cha]

1. It would be only smart to have anyone

in a position of importance like Chavez to make contingent plans in case anything deadly happened to them.

Viva Chavez! May you live a long and healthy life and be an outstanding leader for the People of your Country!

And may the USA get such a leader, someday:patriot:

[LifeDuringWartime]

2. lot of news out of venezuela today

i wonder why that is?

[GirlinContempt]

3. Chavez is finding his backbone

becoming stronger?

[Eloriel]

7. He's never had any problem with either that I could see

Backbone enough to share, and the strength to outsmart and survive several coup attempts now, including one that had to be retracted, LOL. I think he has nine lives.

[GirlinContempt]

11. I'd say he's had some backbone problems

mostly in terms of the bourgeois opposition. For a long time he tried to placate them, which doesn't work. It hindered the revolution enormously.

[pinerow]

4. I suspect that this may be another attempt to demonize Chavez...

so that the American political leadership can "rescue" the Venezuelan people...but then again...that's just me...

[K-W]

9. Chavez is making noise and so are the US for thier own purposes.

The US is softening up its population for some form of military action, probably through proxy, in venezuala if they should decide it is the only option.

Meanwhile Chavez, anticipating this, wants to keep this situation in the international news to keep scrutiny on the US's actions. He is also working with Castro to undermine the US's influence in Central and South America. By standing up to the US he is showing the regional leaders that it can be done.

The US will of course charecterize this as a communist plot to destroy us.

[killbotfactory]

10. I have a natural distrust for all politicians and people in power

But Chavez seems to be a one of the good ones, and capable of bucking our imperialist crimes against that continent.

[Richard D]

5. I had the most curious dream . .

. . . a few weeks ago. I was at a large rally, and Chavez was on stage speaking. A wonderful crowd of people who were really having a great, almost spiritual experience listening to him. Then, quite suddenly, the entire grounds were surrounded by soldiers, U.S. I believe, who simply opened fire on the crowd. I woke up then, but it was a haunting dream. I very very rarely dream of celebrity type people, btw.

[lovuian]

6. Chavez is playing mind games with Bush!!!

Chavez knows his the next Saddam !!!

[K-W]

8. vague threat my ass

Chavez doesnt have the luxery of niavete, he knows full well that the US will stop at nothing to keep control of those resources. He is letting the US and venezualan elites know that his allies have the military power to hold the nation even in the event of his assassination. He is making it clear that his death would not trigger a situation where a US backed force could take power. Although who knows if that is true.

There is nothing vague about it.

He is trying to build up leverage so he can take even more drastic steps to nationalize and democratize the venezualan economy.

[GirlinContempt]

12. It's true

This hasn't been a Chavez revolution, it's been a peoples revolution. Losing Chavez won't kill the revolution. It might even strengthen it.

[Tinoire]

14. Yeah but Bush and greedy imperialists don't think that thoroughly n/t

[bennywhale]

16. He should name a direct successor and make him/her known to the

world. Their views should be known, and it should be known that redistribution will carry on regardless.

www.handsoffvenezuela.org

[GirlinContempt]

17. Are you

a member of HOV??

[bennywhale]

19. Just got a card handed to

me the other day by the "socialist workers party" (in England.) It was for a meeting but i couldn't attend.

Feel strongly about this though. If this consensus is destroyed in Venezuela by outside forces there is no hope for any of us.

Viva Chavez

[bennywhale]

13. South America seems to be beginning to fight against the tide of

imperial corporate globalisation.

We need to support them.

www.handsoffvenezuela.org

[ngant17]

15. If Chavez is killed , he would be more than an Allende or Che

Che didn't have enough manpower to accomplish what he wanted to start in Bolivia, Pres. Allende didn't have enough time to get socialism on a protective footing in Chile, and Operation Condor quickly disappeared a whole lot of leftists after that. OTOH Chavez's martydom would have unpredictable and very serious consequences. If anything, the US gov. better be praying that he lives a normal lifespan.

In the worst case scenario, the US gov. simply wouldn't have any kind of military resources to commmit into bolstering a post-Chavez rightwing coup, let alone the subsequent civil war that will spill out of Venezuela. Smell the coffee, the Pentagon is locked into Iraq for the foreseeable future, they're damned it they stay and damned if they retreat, the Arabic resistance isn't getting any weaker over there. No way. And no way in hell can the Pentagon commit any large contingent of troops to anywhere in its backyard, in Latin America.

If I was to consider starting a communist revolution in South America, this would be a far better time than in the 60's or the 70's, or even the 80's in Central America. The best thing about it is that I wouldn't even have to rush it, because the slow but steady drain of GIs coming back in ziplocked body bags from Iraq will in theory only make my job a little easier each year that goes by. Although I don't want to see any more Iraqis being killed trying to defend their country from the aggressors, it's better than watching the US finance the mass murders again in Central and South America this time. Maybe the Bad Karma/s finally coming back to take its toll on Washington.

[AP]

20. Furthermore, who can blame him for building up an enthusiastic following.

It's assassination insurance.

If you're seriously afraid that you're going to be killed because you're trying to help poor people and people who work for a living, you BETTER make sure they love you.

[Alpharetta]

18. He has already armed the insurrection in case of a takeover

He's purchasing 100,000 automatic rifles and I believe the intent is to arm the people. He knows the people are on his side and by giving them weapons, he makes them difficult to rule if he is overthrown by either rich influences on the military or US meddling.

He has smart moves. Selling oil to China was smart too -- diversify your customers.