Photos courtesy of Jennifer Caldwell

TRANSCRIPT

(An article based on this transcript is in part one of this

coverage.)

August 26, 2005: The report back on the 16th World Festival of Students is taking place in ANSWER's headquarters in Hollywood, California. The host and moderator is Stephanie Beacham of ANSWER. Seated at a table are four of the delegates who attended the World Festival, Carlos Alvarez, Marcial Guerra, Jennifer Caldwell, and Muna Coobtee.

Many other delegates are sitting in the audience and will share some of their information during the question-and-answer session.

STEPHANIE BEACHAM: [W]elcome to tonight's meeting. My name is Stephanie, and I'll be your chair tonight. This is ANSWER's report back meeting from the ANSWER Coalition delegates to the 16th World Festival of Youth and Students at Caracas, Venezuela.

. . . Tonight we will be hearing from four of the delegates sent by the ANSWER Coalition to the festival this month. The delegates will report on their experiences, including what they did, what they saw, and what they learned about the progressive movements throughout the world and about the revolutionary process in Venezuela. There will also be a lot of time for discussion and questions after the reports.

. . . Another goal is to build solidarity with the struggle of the people of Venezuela, Cuba, and Latin America in the face of rising U.S. threats. Our various delegates tonight will tell you about their experiences while in Venezuela and what you can do to get involved in solidarity work with Venezuela, Cuba, and Latin

America. So we hope you will enjoy tonight's forum.

. . . Our first speaker is Carlos Alvarez an organizer with Youth and Student ANSWER and a student at El Camino College. Carlos will talk about what it was like to attend the festival in Venezuela and about our role as members of the U.S. anti-war movement.

Please help me welcome Carlos. [Applause.]

CARLOS ALVAREZ: Hi everyone. How are you doing tonight?

ARRIVING IN VENEZUELA (ALVAREZ)

On Saturday night of August the 6th, few of the over 700

individuals that made up the U.S. delegation were welcomed by over 50 Venezuelan volunteers as well as many other delegates from as far as Tanzania. This first blast of dancing, drumming, singing, [and] political and cultural exchange would set the mood

for the historic week-and-half that was to follow. We would be stationed in the military barracks of Los Teques, an hour away from Caracas. We would share the barracks with the volunteers and soldiers, who would also share with us both the joys of the festivities, be it workshops or parties, and the grief of trying to organize all 700 delegates into buses so we could all leave at the same time.

The daily rides to and from the different festival locations would tell the story of the beginning steps of a popular revolution and an admired leader, through political graffiti that read "Viva Chavez" and "Only in socialism is a new world possible," as well as the names of the many different political organizations and parties that wholeheartedly support President

Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias and the Bolivarian Revolution.

URBAN FARM (ALVAREZ)

Having arrived earlier than the rest of the ANSWER delegates and because of logistical problems that would cause us to be housed 15 minutes away from each other for the first part of the week, we would momentarily be set on different paths. That Sunday

morning, about 10 of us U.S. delegates would go to the

working-class barrio of St. Augustin. We walked past the community gardens that were once landfills before there was a government that cared about taking care of not only how the community looked, but potential health hazards of having tons of rotting garbage in the middle of the city.

CIVILIAN RESERVISTS (ALVAREZ)

We were then greeted by the First Battalion Reserves, a squad of about 25 militant civilians organized and disciplined to carry out the numerous social missions and to come to the defense of the countless social gains that have either already been obtained or are on their way towards becoming a reality. The First Battalion Reserves were also those that registered to vote the thousands that for centuries were ignored and thusly massacred and that for the first time in their lives became participants in the political process.

THE MISIONS PROVIDING FOOD, HEALTHCARE (ALVAREZ)

We walked into mision Mercal, where food was sold at 50% at what it would normally cost or free if 50% was still too much or even sent to your home by the reserves if you were either handicapped or elderly or had some sort of disability that prevented you from

getting to the food.

We also visited the mision Barrio Adentro sector of St. Augustin, the program that focuses on one of the most important and universal needs: health. We met with two of the Cuban doctors of that particular location and talked with them about the hundreds of patients that rely on them on a daily basis, only to be interrupted by a spontaneous yell of "Viva Chavez!" coming from

some home, followed by a burst of applause and cheering all down the street.

We also visited one of the many government-funded sports and music schools throughout Venezuela, where anyone can delve into productive recreational activities such as basketball, soccer, piano, guitar, etc.

THE FESTIVAL COMMENCES (ALVAREZ)

Then there was Inauguration Day. From Venezuela to Cuba, from Vietnam to Brazil, from Colombia to North Korea, the solidarity to defeat imperialism was strong and evident. ANSWER did mass leafletting as the interest for the anti-imperialist movement in the U.S. was extremely high. We marched with our banner and

chanted as we were received with the participation of those along the way. People from around the world joined our chants of "Viva, viva Palestina," [Others, inaudible.] The evening would culminate with Chavez's speech, of which Muna will talk more about.

The following day we would be stationed at the Friendship House, an area open to the different organizations and parties around the world to table and leaflet. In the same room as the Vietnamese delegation, the FMLN of El Salvador, the Cuban

delegation, the Venezuelan Committee to Free the Five, the Brazilian Socialist Party, and the Colombian Communist Party, we did an enormous amount of outreach. Exchanging contact information with a number of groups, important steps were taken to solidify our international perspective. The conversation of an hour-and-a-half with the family leading the Committee to Free the Five in Venezuela would set up an opportunity to visit the mision Ribas later in that week.

The opportunity to talk on a Venezuelan radio station literally walked up to us a reporter walked up to our table curious over the anti-war movement in the U.S. Our run-ins with international media would continue into the next day as a reporter from Cuban television met up with us to get our statements on the recent

appeal of the case of The Cuban Five. We drove with them to an open field from where the camera could catch the layered houses of the barrios in the background.

MISION RIBAS (ALVAREZ)

They interviewed us, and we were on the way to mision Ribas. This mision focused on education, but unlike mision Robinson, which has obliterated illiteracy in so many villages and cities throughout Venezuela, mision Ribas was meant for what would be

the equivalent of a high school education. The teacher at this particular site was once helped by mision Robinson. She, too, was once illiterate.

We visited the storage room of the mision so we could see the television sets, VCRs, and videos used for the courses and provided by the Bolivarian government. The students were all ages, and exchanges with them are something that I'm sure none of us will ever forget. Meanwhile, the reporters from Cuban television captured the whole thing.

On the same day, other ANSWER delegates visited the hip hop summit. Performers came from throughout the U.S. and Latin America. They, too, had a great opportunity to do outreach with hundreds of people, most of which were from Venezuela.

WORKSHOP ABOUT U.S. IMPERIALISM (ALVAREZ)

That Thursday we went to a workshop on how to combat U.S. imperialism. On the panel was Felipe Perez Roque, the foreign of minister of Cuba. Talking from the experience of having had to combat U.S. imperialist aggression for decades, Roque spoke of

the need of Venezuelans to prepare themselves to defend against a momentum of the Bolivarian Revolution. Also attending the workshop was Jose Vincente Rangel, the vice president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. ANSWER was also able to give a packet of literature to the vice president, much to his surprise and joy.

WORKSHOP ON ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS (ALVAREZ)

Another important workshop we attended was one on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. On the panel were representatives from LGBT rights groups from Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Spain. A member of the Bolivarian government of Venezuela also spoke about the important seeds within the Bolivarian constitution to build a society intolerant of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. Most speakers also emphasized on the need to understand bigotry such

homophobia from the perspectives of the class struggle. The audience of many hundreds was made up of people from around the world, but most importantly, the largest group represented there was from Venezuela.

ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIBUNAL (ALVAREZ)

The Anti-Imperialist Tribunal that culminated this event was truly representative of the type of society that was being presented to us during our stay. Speakers from around the world brought cases against imperialist regimes most specifically targeting and condemning the U.S. government, deservedly so, for atrocities committed around the world, including the U.S. itself

in the name of freedom; liberty; and perhaps most absurdly, democracy. It also represented the celebration of life in a society that is just beginning to understand what it means to truly value it.

ENCOUNTER WITH A HOMELESS WOMAN (ALVAREZ)

But lastly and most personally before I left, I was reminded of one woman I had met earlier that week when we were on Cuban television. She was the homeless woman that had picked up the bag of one of the ANSWER delegates after we had forgotten we set it

down in that open field where we were interviewed. I remembered how she walked us back to the van we were in, she walked with me holding onto my arm, she was barefoot and had trouble walking, but what I really remember is what she told me. She leaned into my body as we walked and told me, "You know, ever since the Cuban doctors came, they've been able to heal my feet."

Thank you. [Applause.]

INTRODUCING MARCIAL GUERRA

STEPHANIE: . . . Next we will be hearing from Marcial Guerra, who will tell us about the role of Cuba at the festival and our delegates' representation of the U.S. Committee to Free the Cuban Five.

So please welcome Marcial. [Applause.]

COOPERATION BETWEEN CUBA AND VENEZUELA (GUERRA)

MARCIAL GUERRA: It is impossible to talk about the Bolivarian process without speaking about the decisive role of revolutionary Cuba and Venezuela. Long before other countries could begin to understand what was happening in Venezuela, Cuba's president,

Fidel Castro, at the risk of creating a diplomatic crisis with the Venezuelan government, invited Hugo Chavez to Havana, days after his release from the Venezuelan prison. Chavez led a failed insurrection against the corrupt government of Carlos Andres Perez in 1992.

In his visit to Cuba, these two leaders spoke about Chavez's future vision for Venezuela. Today the Venezuelan process is intimately related to Cuba's revolution. When we went to the World Festival of Youth and Students, we were witness to some of

the achievements that the Venezuelan society is obtaining with the direct cooperation of revolutionary Cuba. Both countries are at the forefront of the anti-imperialist struggle. Cuba has been under siege for the last 45 years and Venezuela more than five. The fierce determination of the Cuban people to resist

imperialism continues to inspire millions around the world, and in Venezuela, it has taken the form of mutual cooperation.

The Cuban delegation was the second-largest delegation, about 1,500 people. For Cuba's sisters and brothers, this was more than just another festival. It signified the consolidation of the friendship that keeps growing stronger every day that goes by. In the ceremony in Cuba to send off the Cuban delegation,

President Fidel Castro addressed the delegates by saying, quote: "There are many important matters at play right now in Venezuela. It's not about what we can lose but what we can win. It's not about losing some human rights but the human rights that we can win for the whole region. Our countries are under the threat of

being devoured by the empire that has not recognized any right of self-determination or any concepts of national sovereignty. Venezuela is playing an extraordinary role in the unification of Latin America and is leading the struggle for our second independence. [Inaudible sentence.]" End quote.

Fidel's words show how Cuba sees Venezuela, not just as an economic trading partner but as leaders in the fight for a better world. This attitude is taking hold throughout Central America and South America and was evident throughout the festival.

CUBAN ADVISORS IN VENEZUELA (GUERRA)

Right now there are approximately 30,000 Cuban advisors workin in social programs to ensure progress in Venezuela's revolutionary process. Fourteen thousand are doctors, 10,000 are medical assistants, and the rest are teachers, physical education instructors, and social workers. By the end of 2005, there will be an additional 10,000 Cuban advisors in Venezuela. Cuba is also providing Venezuelans with the necessary training skills to organize entire communities, teaching them how to bring people into the revolutionary process.

The Bolivarian process is structured in such a way that most of the progressive organizations have incorporated themselves into the process. Organizations like the Frente Francisco de Miranda

and many more send their members from Cuba to specialize in social work.

WORKSHOPS ABOUT CUBA (GUERRA)

I'm going to tell you more about the ANSWER Coalition's participation in the festival. ANSWER has always been a proud supporter for both Cuba and the Cuban people. We have initiated numerous actions in solidarity with Cuba, and we have played a very significant role with the National Committee to Free the

Cuban Five. Many ANSWER volunteers are leading members of the committee. ANSWER has always kept the case of the Five at the forefront of the anti-war movement and supported the wives and the mothers of the Five to obtain visas so they can visit their family members in jail. We have also mounted massive

letter-writing, publicity, and protest campaigns to pressure the Bush administration to extradite anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. This is just a small list of what we have done to support Cuba.

First, I was in [inaudible] to interact with the Cuban delegates and exchange experiences.

CIA BASE-TURNED-COMMUNITY CENTER (GUERRA)

There were many, many workshops at the festival. It was impossible for us to be at every single one of them, but we did make an effort to have a presence at all the presentations where are Cuban sisters and brothers participated. The first workshop that our delegation attended was on the second day we arrived to Caracas. It was titled State Terrorism in Latin America: The Posada Carriles Case. This workshop took place at Fuerte Tiuna, a military base that was the operations center of the CIA in Venezuela before the Bolivarian process was initiated. Today Venezuelans have regained control of the base. They have transformed it into an enormous community center where many cultural and political events take place. Being at that rehabilitated CIA stronghold, that is now used for the people, blew us away. But nothing could prepare us for the great surprise and victory that was coming.

GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE CUBAN FIVE (GUERRA)

As we made our way into the workshops, we were told the breaking news that the convictions of the Cuban Five were overturned, and they had won a new trial. [Applause.] As you may know, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the previous trial that took place in Miami as unfair and granted the Cuban Five a new one.

This is a huge victory for the Cuban Five, Cuban people, and all of us who have been working so hard over the past four years to win the freedom of the Five.

Right after we heard the news of this great victory, we moved into the same room with the wife and daughter of Rene Gonzalez and the son of Antonio Guerrero. Rene and Antonio are two of the Cuban Five. I don't remember ever feeling so proud to be part of the progressive movement as I did that day. Along with the Cubans and hundreds of other activists throughout the world, we have worked very hard for a victory like this. The room in Caracas was full of excitement. The Cuban delegates and the panelists had pride and courage written all over their faces.

Elian Gonzalez's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez; Percy Alvarado, a Cuban intelligence agent who infiltrated the anti-Cuban terrorist groups; and Olga Salanueva, Adriana Perez, and Anita Gonzalez, the wife and daughter of Rene Gonzalez, composed the workshop

panel. Much of the discussion focused on the news of the new trial. After the presentation of the panel, the floor was open for discussion, and we were able to make statements.

I spoke on behalf of the ANSWER Coalition International Committee to Free the Cuban Five. Right after I mentioned who we were, the whole room applauded because they knew of our work supporting the Cuban struggle and the Five.

We spoke about our struggle inside the United States, about how we are mobilizing for mass anti-war demonstrations on September 24th and protesting Luis Posada Carriles on August 29th, which is next Monday. After the panel we were surrounded by the Cuban media, Venezuelan media, and the relatives of the Five, who thanked us for all the work we are doing.

People from the audience wanted to talk to us. Some of my statements were printed in Granma International, the main nationalist newspaper in Cuba. The ANSWER coalition was also interviewed on Telesur, the new continent-wide television station

set up by the Venezuelan government to combat the right-wing corporate media domination. They interviewed me for several minutes, in which time I addressed our role in the case of the Cuban Five and told them that we came to Venezuela to show solidarity and support for the process. This broadcast reached the whole South American continent.

A similar scene was repeated in many of the other workshops we were able to attend. Every time we said who we were and that we came from the United States, people gave us a warm welcome. At another workshop we met Aleida Guevara, Che's daughter. On two occasions we met with the president of the National Assembly of People's Power in Cuba, Ricardo Alarcon.

A WORKSHOP FOR PLANNING ACTIONS (GUERRA)

The last of these workshops was held in downtown Caracas at the city hall, which was a special meeting arranged by the Venezuelan Committee to Free the Cuban Five. We shared the room again with Ricardo Alarcon and the relatives of the Five. This was a very

special meeting because it was a session to propose concrete actions by different international committees. There were many important commitments made during that meeting. The Venezuelan Committee took on the challenge to take the case to every city in

Venezuela. The Argentinians are organizing a demonstration at the U.S. embassy, and we proposed August 29th and September 24th to be international days of action. We encouraged every country to mobilize on those days at their respective U.S. embassies. Our proposal received very positive response, and we have already received messages of solidarity and endorsements from many countries. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Roque and Cuban

President Fidel Castro.

At one of the major workshops at the festival, Felipe Roque denounced the U.S. government for its continued policies of violence. He said quote, "The most powerful empire can drop a nuclear bomb and kill millions of people in a matter of minutes, but it's incapable of sending a single doctor to cure an illness

in another part of the world." End quote. As progressives and revolutionaries in the U.S., we know this statement is true, but we are working to change this. We want a world where the U.S. government will no longer kill people or launch imperialist wars, we want friendship and cooperation with Cuba, Venezuela, and people throughout the world.

CUBAN EXPORTS VS. U.S. EXPORTS (GUERRA)

Meanwhile, the tyrants of imperialism are focused on Venezuela and Cuba. The media and the Bush administration have continued to accuse Chavez and Fidel of destabilizing the region. But while Cuba and Venezuela train doctors, the U.S. government trains

mercenaries and paramilitaries. While Cuba and Venezuela build schools and hospitals, the U.S. government is busy building more military bases in the region. While Cuba and Venezuela work to create more jobs, the U.S. is trying to impose criminal

free-trade agreements on poor countries in Latin America. Who's really destabilizing the region?

For his part, Fidel Castro has answered this question. He has said about the U.S. government the following, quote: "The empire continues to vilify Chavez and Fidel. They accuse us and condemn us in their desperation to stop the peoples of these regions. Well, condemn us all you want. It matter not, history will

absolve us."

Thank you. [Applause.]

INTRODUCING JENNIFER CALDWELL

STEPHANIE: Next we have a slide show presentation of photos from the festival. It will be presented by Jennifer Caldwell.

Jennifer is an ANSWER organizer and member of the National Committee to Free the Five. So help me welcome Jennifer. [Applause.]

JENNIFER CALDWELL: It's really hard to re-create the amazing spirit of strength and solidarity that was present there at the festival. To somehow impart a sense of what it was like, the excitement of being part of an historical process that is indeed taking place in Venezuela right now, to witness the determination of the people and the courage of the people, but at the risk of being too cliche, I'll say that a picture tells a thousand words.

So I'm hoping that the slide show that we have here tonight will give you a sense of that.

[Shows slides.]

INTRODUCING MUNA COOBTEE

STEPHANIE: Muna Coobtee [is] an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition and member of the Free Palestine Alliance. Muna will give an update on the political situation in Venezuela and what members of the Chavez government, including Chavez himself, have

to say about the current threats against their country. Please welcome Muna. [Applause.]

MUNA COOBTEE: Thanks, Stephanie, and thank you to all of you for coming tonight. There was really a lot of wonderful things that we got see while we were in Venezuela, and [we had] many great experiences. But really one of the most powerful parts of the trip for me was to stop and realize that we were standing in

Venezuela at a time like no other in its history, at a time when you can feel this sense of change in the air, and a feeling that you were witnessing a society that is on the verge of great change and progress. They've gotten this far not without a lot of struggle and a lot of opposition, though, and we should take time to analyze that and also the period ahead of them right now.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER HUGO CHAVEZ (COOBTEE)

Since the democratic election of President Hugo Chavez in 1998, great gains for the people of Venezuela have really been made. He based his government on the aspirations of more than 80% of the

Venezuelans who are living in poverty. Chavez led the effort to rewrite the country's constitution in 1999 and reshape the political structure in a more democratic way. For the first time, ordinary Venezuelans had access to the political system under which they live.

One of the greatest criticisms by the right wing, and we've all heard it--and we heard it a lot when we were in Venezuela as well--was that Chavez is merely a dictator that rules over Venezuela without allowing for the participation of others or allowing free speech. But one of the greatest lessons that we learned while we were in Venezuela was that the Bolivarian Revolution (which is what they call all of these gains that have

taken place over the last several years) is much larger than Hugo Chavez himself. Of course, the people have a lot of trust in him and his policies, but the revolutionary process is one that is much more widespread and engraved in the population than any

right-winger would care to know.

One of the major differences is the redirecting of the wealth of Venezuela's oil industry. Venezuela, as many of you know, is the fifth-largest exporter of oil in the world, and Chavez has rerouted a substantial amount of the oil revenues into social programs that Carlos talked about earlier, these things called misions that take place in the neighborhoods, in some of the most

deprived areas of Venezuela. The misions are truly a large step forward in Venezuela's revolutionary process because Chavez has decided to go around the right-wing opposition in his own government, who early on stood in the way of a lot of the progressive reforms, and decided to go straight to the people

themselves in Venezuela to be the organizers and leaders of these misions, with the great help of the Cuban people and the Cuban Five volunteers, who we got to meet as well. At every single one of the places we were staying, we were attended to by Cuban

doctors. Just through the regular wear of traveling, many of us had to go visit these doctors. It was very much of a relief while we were in another country to know that they were there to help us out.

There are other great gains that have taken place. Workers are taking matters into their own hands in workplaces. But the difference in Venezuela is that they're receiving support for doing so by the government instead of being crushed. Of course,

in Venezuela there existed for a very long [time], and still continues to exist, a right-wing, reactionary federation of unions called the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, the CVT. And in the past few years, workers have left the CVT after the pro-Chavez labor forces were unable to wrestle control of the CVT

itself. So they formed their own militant trade federation called the UNT, the National Union of Venezuelan Workers. And nearly one million workers have left the CVT and joined the UNT, where the

workers are increasingly gaining control of strategic areas of the economy like the oil industry, which is nationalized in Venezuela. Although the oil industry has been nationalized for a quite a long time in Venezuela, because of the former governments, the profits from the oil industry were still going to a few families in Venezuela and to the profit of international

corporations.

LAND REFORMS (COOBTEE)

Also, in the last year, the government has started to implement land reforms that gave large landholders a choice, "You either give up this unused land that is just sitting around in Venezuela or the army will take it away and turn it over to poor farmers." In Venezuela there are millions of poor and landless Venezuelans,

and so these land reforms are starting to take place.

Minimum wage, since Chavez has come into office, has increased by 30% for workers, and there is freedom of speech.

VENEZUELAN YOUTH (COOBTEE)

All of the hundreds of volunteers were Venezuelan youth and were eager to pull up a chair and talk to any one of us about their country. When you speak to them, it builds a lot of confidence in me and everyone else that was there is a lot strength in the people of the Bolivarian Revolution because the people defend it

so articulately and with such passion. That was true from the youngest volunteer to the oldest street vendor we met when we happened to be out.

U.S. ATTEMPTS AT STOPPING THE REFORMS (COOBTEE)

But it has not been easy to get to this stage that Venezuela is at right now. The U.S. government has made a large series of efforts to oust Chavez and to reverse the gains of the Bolivarian Revolution, many of which we know about. The U.S., of course, financially supported a coup that was mentioned earlier against

Chavez in 2002 that many of us already know about.

The anti-Chavez forces, with the assistance of the U.S., used the military to oust Chavez. Even with much of the military leadership and the Caracas Metropolitan Police on the side of the right wing, the people came out in the streets in massive numbers

to demand the return of Chavez, which they accomplished.

While we were at the festival, in the final two days, there was something held called the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal. It was in a huge stadium in Caracas [and] was presided over by Vice-President Rangel and also representatives of other countries. We heard testimony on the effects of U.S. imperialism on people in so many different countries around the world. This included testimonies of civilians who were a part of these massive demonstrations who were shot on by the Metropolitan Police and evidence of brutalityof this attempted coup of Chavez. So we heard a lot of their

testimony.

The U.S. financially supported the coup and so many other attempts to oust Chavez through--how many of you have heard of the National Endowment for Democracy? It's through this National Endowment of Democracy, this non-profit puppet of the CIA and the

U.S. government, that we're channeling in, and continue to channel in, money to right-wing opposition groups inside of Venezuela. Maybe some of you have heard of Sumate and the leaders of the coup itself.

In the same year as the military coup, in December of 2002, the U.S., through the Native Solidarity Center of the AFL-CIO, funded the right-wing labor federation, the CVT, that controlled the oil revenues by going on strike and closing down. So this whole oil industry, that was still controlled by these few families and big

corporations, shut down and severely affected the families living in Venezuela. This was something that, when speaking to Venezuelans, especially more middle class Venezuelans, deeply affected them and turned their families from anti-Chavez supporters to pro-Chavez. They saw how the right wing was willing

to hurt people in order to control their wealth and their power inside of Venezuela.

And of course, we know about the referendum that happened last year, but there have been eight popular referendums since Chavez was elected in 1998 that affirmed the government's revolutionary policies and the masses' desire for real economic and social change. And the biggest blow to Venezuela's right wing

opposition was last year on August 15th: this referendum. The referendum was to decide whether Chavez would carry out his term as president of Venezuela, which is up next year. The referendum

was introduced by this group Sumate, who was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy by the U.S., and of course it was defeated. That's why Chavez is still in power, and he's up for reelection next year.

So these attempts by the opposition that were instigated and supported by the U.S. have really only served to make the people of Venezuela realize their revolutionary potential. It has also emboldened the people to realize that there will soon come a time

when they will need to defend the revolutionary gains they've made so far.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE (COOBTEE)

After the time that Chavez was initially elected back in 1998, there were a lot of progressive laws and provisions of the new constitution that were put into place that would have dramatically changed the lives of the Venezuelans and still could. But they had not at the time because the opposition within Chavez's own government--they're still in the government--and the National Assembly had prevented them from doing so. So there's a lot of block between what could really happen and what's being put on paper.

THE DELEGATES ENCOUNTER THE RIGHT WING (COOBTEE)

When we were away from the festival just on a couple of occasions, we got a small taste of the right wing that still exists inside Venezuela. When we went to go see Miraflores, the presidential palace where the people came to converge and demand that Chavez be put back into power at the time of the coup, we met a lot of people. We were obviously with the festival. We had our credentials and everything, and you could tell that we were most likely not Venezuelans as well. We'd get a lot of words of support, but then there were words [that] the right wing was yelling at us as well.

Also, we stayed in a couple of different places while we were there, and one of them was a military academy, and soon this military academy is going to be turned into a university as well. So we stayed there, and on one night there was a right wing demonstration outside of the barracks that came to greet us. Of course, they hate the pro-Chavez forces in Venezuela, but they hate them in the United States as well.

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE (COOBTEE)

So people realize the gains that they've made [and] that they have the potential for even greater ones, [but] there is the opposition that stands in their way. And they have a lot to lose if the opposition wins. But after making these gains for the past seven years and the people, through defending them again and again, they've realized the potential to get even more.

Despite the great wealth of the nation of Venezuela--as I said, they're the fifth-largest exporter of oil--there's still a disproportionate amount of people who live in poverty in Venezuela, even though there have been such great improvements in their lives, based on their ability to get health care, the alleviating of illiteracy, and all of these projects. So many members of the Venezuelan government, including Chavez and Vice President Rangel, have talked about the next phase of the revolutionary process.

The head of the Women's Institute that Carlos mentioned earlier [and] who we got to here speak, talked about the first phase of the revolution being called the Constitutional Phase, where they were able to achieve getting a progressive leader, Chavez, in

power; getting their new revolutionary constitution into place that provided for the people and empowered them to put more and more laws into place that help the people; the misions established to begin to providing basic relief for people in Venezuela in education and healthcare. This was the first phase. The laws on paper are starting to be implemented, but it is really the next phase that is really the critical one, as said by Chavez and the Venezuelans while we were there.

First, there has to be sweeping domestic reforms that take place. For example, there are laws that have been on the books for decades for the protection of consumer rights, for tenants' rights, all of these things, but they've never been implemented. So large monopolies still control things like paper, they control

food products, basic necessities that are expensive for ordinary Venezuelans. So now is the time to take this drastic move and break up these monopolies inside of Venezuela. This is also the same of the more massive redistribution of land, so it's more equitably apportioned amongst the population of Venezuela. These are very large reforms that really the right-wing opposition or the ruling elite inside of Venezuela will not be looking forward to.

ALBA (COOBTEE)

Second, Venezuela is still living under the threat of U.S.

neoliberalist policies, just like all other Latin American

countries. So the Venezuelan government of Chavez has put forward an alternative. Being the fifth largest exporter of oil in the world, Chavez has now created something called ALBA, which is the Bolivarian alternative for the Americas. [It's] an alternative to what we know as FTAA, that's Free Trade Area of the Americas, that the U.S. is trying to push forward. [It] would allow the U.S. and other western countries to come in with their corporations and more easily exploit the resources and the people of Latin America. So Venezuela and Chavez, in these negotiations, are saying: "Well this isn't so good for us. It isn't fair. And

anyway, in our constitution in Venezuela, we cannot approve unless it's passed through a vote of the people." So the people of Venezuela have to vote for the FTAA before it can be passed.

But anyway, Chavez is putting forward things like ALBA as an alternative to build a way for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to trade amongst one another without U.S. interference. This is very big.

THE FUTURE OF VENEZUELA? (COOBTEE)

And where is this all headed? During the first speech, where we all got to march by Chavez and the heads of Venezuelan government, and then we got to hear Chavez speak for quite a while, he talked about the history of U.S. intervention in Venezuela and in Latin America. And he said that really where Venezuela is now is on the road to socialism. This was a theme

that was echoed by leaders of Venezuela throughout the week, including Vice President Rangel, the head of the Women's Institute, and it was an overwhelming sentiment coming from the Venezuelan youth that were participating. Why is this the case?

Well, the current form in the government, as I said before, is really standing in the way of the relief that's needed for the people of Venezuela, and that is constantly putting them under the threat of attack. So as long as Venezuela has a form of government that they do now, there's always this strong opposition from the ruling elite inside of Venezuela that is always going to be trying to get at the gains and to reverse the

gains that people are trying so hard to achieve. And the threat is from outside as well. The U.S. will continue to try to interfere with the gains of the revolution and reverse them.

CUBAN AID WORKERS NOT IMPOSING IDEOLOGY (COOBTEE)

Also, the Cuban doctors-volunteers that are totaling in 15,000, stressed--and we witnessed--that they aren't there to teach their ideology, and they really, truly aren't. They're just trying to provide services in Venezuela. But it's easy to see for any Venezuelan that the people of Cuba have so much more in the ways of basic goods and services than the people in Venezuela, a much richer country, simply do not have. And they're starting to ask, "Why is that the case?" So this is what is facilitating the introduction and the continuing education about socialism as an alternative to the form of government they currently have.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY IN LATIN AMERICA (COOBTEE)

The people in Venezuela, especially their leadership, realize that they will not be able to maintain the revolution without international solidarity as well. This was a big lesson that the Cubans were bringing to the conference. This was the main topic of conversation of the [Cuban] Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs, Felipe Roque. In his address to the festival, [he] said that it

is through cooperation and through this continued international solidarity that Cuba has been able to thrive. Cuba sent tens of thousand of volunteers to South Africa to throw over Apartheid. They led as an example of what international solidarity and the

strength of it can do.

Also, in Chavez's second speech that we got to hear in the closing--and he's talked about it before then and since then--he talked about selling oil directly to oppressed or impoverished countries, which, as we saw on the news, to two other countries in the Caribbean. [He's] selling directly at a fair price to other countries who are in deep need of this oil.

When we got to hear Chavez speak, he took out his paper and his pen, and he wrote down how much oil that Venezuela is sending to the U.S., which is quite a lot, and he calculated how much it costs people, all of us here in this room, to buy gas. But if we were to receive these goods from Venezuela directly, it would

cost us half the amount without having to go through our government.

So he was making an offer. It was this gesture from Chavez that "I am willing to sell to any progressive collective in the United States oil directly to you." [Laughter.] Maybe someday the ANSWER Coalition will be getting oil directly from Venezuela. [Extended

applause.]

NEW TACTICS BY THE U.S. (COOBTEE)

Well, really, the U.S. has had little to no success in indirectly trying to overthrow Chavez through the funding of these right-wing groups inside of Venezuela. Of course, these groups are still very powerful. We got to see a handful of them as I told you earlier. But the U.S. appears to be taking a new

approach towards Venezuela and Chavez as Chavez gains more and more international support, especially from other Latin American countries. In recent months, Washington has stepped up its anti-Chavez rhetoric. It appears that the U.S. is now taking it upon itself to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution, instead of through these right-wing groups, by trying to portray Chavez as

this rogue agent in Venezuela that needs to be eliminated. The U.S. government realizes that Venezuela only gets stronger through its relationships with other countries, so they're attempting to isolate Venezuela and make it appear to be out of step with the rest of Latin America.

On January 18th of this year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the senate that, quote, "we are very concerned about a democratically-elected leader who governs in a liberal way." She has described Chavez's government as being a, quote, "negative

force in the region," and Washington has repeatedly criticized Chavez for his close relationship with Fidel Castro. Threats have come from the CIA director as far as ALBA and the alternatives to trade with the United States. Chavez is really perceived as a threat to U.S. hegemony in Latin America because he represents

what can be achieved by a formerly-colonized nation that decides to break away from the U.S.-dominated economic institutions like the IMF, the International Monetary Fund. And millions of Latin Americans are seeing Venezuela now as an example of what truly

independent nations can accomplish, much in the same way that Cuba had been seen for the last 50 years. And at the festival, support was coming from so many movements in other Latin American countries, where people are struggling against the same neoliberal policies of the U.S. that have hurt the poor and working people of those countries.

Also, there was a very serious threat against the life of Chavez. At the festival, Chavez was giving testimony to the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal, [and] spoke about the evidence Venezuela has of numerous plots to assassinate him, to eliminate him. And he told the delegates at the festival that "if I am to be eliminated, the person that you should blame first, no matter what, is President George Bush." These are very serious threats. Not too far away, the CIA has tried to organize over 300 attempts to assassinate Castro, so it's something that is a reality. They have a very good reason to believe that this is a serious threat. It was this speech by Chavez at the festival that Pat Robertson was probably referring to last Monday when he called for the assassination of Chavez by the U.S. government, an escalation of outright hostility against the Venezuelan government.

VENEZUELA PREPARING FOR U.S. AGGRESSION (COOBTEE)

These threats are not taken lightly by the Venezuelans and Chavez. They realize that between the confrontations within Venezuela over the past several years, funded by the U.S., and through the direct threats from the U.S. government in various forms, they know that a confrontation is on the horizon. A

confrontation with the U.S. directly or through this ruling elite within Venezuela is something that is very much a reality and something we very much need to know about.

In his testimony during the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal, Chavez told the world, "I am not Allende." [He] was referring to Chile in 1973 where the military carried out a bloodbath and fascist coup that destroyed the gains of the people and murdered tens of thousands of workers and leftists. Salvador Allende, who had just

been democratically-elected by the people of Chile, had mistakenly believed that the military would be true to the constitution and was faithful to the government. The general view is that most of the military stands with Chavez today, even though there are still some hostile elements that Chavez is attempting to purge from the military. Another problem is that much of the Caracas Metropolitan Police, 21,000 strong and heavily armed, are in the hands of the reactionaries. [It's] the same in the second-largest city in Venezuela.

Chavez has reaffirmed the current attempt to strengthen the military. He announced earlier this year that he would create neighborhood popular defense units that would vary in size and function in various areas, too, not just as military but would help in farming and fixing roads and all sorts of areas. And more importantly, Venezuela is building its number of reservists to foster increasing ties between civilians and the military and encourage working people and poor people to participate in the defense of the country. So the reserves is supposed to increase

from 35,000 people to 100,000 people.

This was a message sent by the Cuban heads of government as well, that a confrontation with the Venezuelan ruling class or with the United States is definitely on the horizon because they have so much to lose with this example that's being set by the Venezuelan and Chavez government.

OUR IMPORTANT ROLE AS U.S. CITIZENS (COOBTEE)

We in the anti-war movement in the United States have a responsibility to educate people in the U.S. about Venezuelans and what is taking place there at this time. Time and time again, delegates from all over the world, from North Africa to Asia to Latin America, everywhere, were coming up to us and telling us (and this was Chavez's message at the beginning of the conference as well), "We are so happy to see that there are 700 delegates from the United States because we see you not as your government and the policies of your government but that you are fighting for

the same thing as we are, for a better life for our people and for greater gains for the people as a whole." And what every single one of them wanted to know, especially the people of Venezuela and Cuba, was that people here in the United States are struggling as well, that we're not just sitting back and watching what's happening because of the policies of the Bush administration and the U.S. government. They were so excited to hear that we were going to be having demonstrations, like on September 24th. So we need to continue to struggle in the United States, build international solidarity with the people of Venezuela, Cuba, and Latin America. Viva Chavez! Long live the Bolivarian Revolution! [Applause and shouts.]

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND ANSWERS

STEPHANIE: Now we are going to open up the floor for questions. What I'm going to do is take a round of questions, and then the speakers will come up and answer the questions.

QUESTION #1 (COMMENT): In this country it's against the law for a political party to accept money from foreign governments, but our country gives to political parties throughout Central and South America. It's against our laws, and yet [we're] doing that to try to overcome elections.

QUESTION #2: My question is for Carlos. In meeting with other delegates from around and the world with Venezuelan Youth and Students, [could you comment on] what are they doing?

QUESTION #3: I heard Muna fleetingly say something about the AFL-CIO intervening in unions. They're probably being bankrolled by the Bush administration. Could you comment on that a little bit more?

QUESTION #4 Yes, why is it that the ruling class in this country is so adamant to crush any social reform that takes place in Latin America? Also, could you draw that connection to the working class struggle here?

QUESTION #5: One of you mentioned the community gardens there, and there's a big sustainability movement in Cuba. I was wondering if Chavez is supporting a sustainability movement in Venezuela.

ANSWERS:

VENEZUELAN YOUTH INVOLVED IN POLITICS (ALVAREZ)

CARLOS: The youth in Venezuela is really involved in the political process. What I mean by that is they have a vital roles within the larger structure. But as youth, many of them are going to Cuba and learning things like medicine [and] history. A lot of them are being sent internationally. Also, a lot of them are organizing within the universities and schools, that are organized and much more structured now. The more militant ones also go door-to-door and talk to families about socialism, how they would construct it in Venezuela, and the importance of socialism in Venezuela. So those are the major roles that they're playing right now.

AFLO-CIO MEDDLING IN VENEZUELA (COOBTEE)

MUNA: The Solidarity Center, which is a product of the AFL-CIO, has relations internationally with various labor unions. One of them, unfortunately, is this right-wing, reactionary trade union federation that exists in Venezuela at this time. This is one of the ways that the U.S. has been able to filter in money to the Venezuelan right-wing opposition. Sweeny [president of the AFL-CIO] had never spoken up in support of the Venezuelan people. Others in the audience may know about it. I would urge others to comment about it as well.

WHY THE U.S. ELITE IS CONCERNED ABOUT VENEZUELA (COOBTEE)

As far as the interests of the ruling class or the ruling elite here in the United States in what's happening in Venezuela, where does the United States generate its wealth? We generate our wealth in so many other countries in the exploitation of workers and the land in so many other countries. If the Venezuelans were to succeed, and if the Colombians were to succeed, and if the people in all these other places were to succeed, where U.S. corporations are using the workers and land, then they would have a lot to lose financially.

Secondly, they have a lot to lose because Venezuela is setting an example as I mentioned before. So if the people of Venezuela are able to struggle and achieve so much and take it so far and alleviate so much poverty and illiteracy and lack of healthcare in their country, then why can't we do it here as well? And that

is the point: as long as there is struggle happening in this country, there is always the hope that we can achieve so much more for the people of this country as well. So this is what international solidarity means: as long as people in the United States are also struggling with the people of Venezuela, then the Venezuelan people will know that even in the belly of the beast of the U.S., that people here believe in what they are doing and will continue to struggle with them because when they win, we do as well. [Applause.]

VENEZUELA ADOPTING A LESS WASTEFUL LIFESTYLE (GUERRA)

MARCIAL: One thing that we have to keep in mind is that the Cuban Revolution has been in place for 45 years. The Cubans have developed a new culture. They are one of the few people that don't waste anything; they don't throw away anything. It's really

incredible that they are able to manage every available resource that they have and stretch it and are able to make a lot out of it. In Venezuela there has been a culture of capitalism, of exploitation, and pillage for the last 50-100 years. It's a process that's still in its infancy. However, that is one of the things that the young people are doing in Venezuela right now.

Like Carlos was mentioning, different organizations are actually being sent to Cuba to be trained as social workers. We had the opportunity to talk to a few of them and one of the things that they kept saying was: "We want to be like Cuba. We're not necessarily talking about socialism, but we want to have what they have. We want to make use of all the resources we have because we have a very wasteful culture like they have in many other Latin American countries."

The Bolivarian process is actually encouraging people to develop this. There's all kinds of projects going on right now: there's cooperative projects, there are organic gardens. Actually, we were able to witness one of those in downtown Caracas. There was this big section of land that was pretty much abandoned. People used it to throw trash, but they cleaned it, and now they've turned it into an organic garden. Every season they change [to] a different crop. So there's all kinds of these projects going on.

TALKING TO PEOPLE ON THE STREETS (GUERRA)

Also, we talked with people outside the festival; we didn't just talk to the delegates. We wanted to hear from people outside on the streets. One of the things that they told us is that there is this abundance that they have never seen before. There is all this really, really cheap food and very high-quality products available for people. But there is a struggle, it's a process. Like I said, Cuba has been at it for 45 years; [in Venezuela] it's only been two-to-three years since they began consolidating, but it's very promising.

[Stephanie takes more questions.]

QUESTION #6: I noticed in the slide show that there were pictures of soldiers, and I think people here, not necessarily us, forget about the class component of the military and think, "Oh, it's all bad." I know that [Venezuela] is still a capitalist country, and the military can't be totally on the side of Chavez, but what were the conversations you had with these people if any? And what was the character of their feeling toward the Bolivarian process?

QUESTION #7: I talked with a family member yesterday in [inaudible] there was a great deal of indignation over components of the overthrow of Chavez. I think it would be very stupid if the United States killed him because they're going to have exactly the opposite effect. Can you elaborate a little bit more

about Latin American integration because I think that is an important thing?

QUESTION #8: First, I'm curious to know if any of you had a chance to talk directly with Elian Gonzalez's father and did he say anything about Elian and how he's doing in Cuba?

The other thing I want to ask quickly is how do people in Venezuela see President Lula of Brazil? I've had a number of questions myself [about him] lately. I hear that there are a lot of attacks against him and that the charges of corruption are false. Maybe you can enlighten me on that.

QUESTION #9 (COMMENT) (ANNA KUNKIN): I've got a challenge for all of us. I was in Venezuela and have a lot to say. All of our experiences were different, and it was an amazing, amazing experience. I'm facing a challenge now, and I need help. I'm getting e-mails from people because I'm putting out things that I'm writing and sending out report backs. [A]ll of a sudden I'm getting challenges from people. Today I got two articles that supposedly came from Human Rights Watch about people who had supposedly cooperated with Chavez in the coup and now are on trial for subterfuge against the Bolivarian Revolution. I don't know if that's true; I think it's probably propaganda. But I want to know how we can arm ourselves, how we can educate ourselves against this sort of thing, how we can answer people, because people are going to challenge us. People are going to go, "Hey, what's your answer to what's happening and blah-blah-blah?" And we go, "Well gee, look at Venezuela," and then they say, "Yeah, but the supposedly-constitutional court system in Venezuela is prosecuting people who are not anti-Chavista. [T]his isn't democratic." They're coming up with this stuff, and I don't know where they're getting it. How do we deal with that? How do we

answer that? How can we counter that to protect Venezuela and to protect our needs and our direction?

QUESTION #10: I was surprised to hear that there was homeless people there. I mean I love Chavez; maybe I've idealized him too much. I was really surprised to hear the story about the homeless woman. I wonder if they have a lot of homeless people. Did you see them like you do here in America? Do you know anything about what they're trying to do for them?

MORE ANSWERS:

MILITARY INTEGRATED INTO SOCIETY (CALDWELL)

JENNIFER: Actually, I would say that the military is one of the most visible ways in which the revolution has been consolidated. Muna or someone pointed out just a few moments ago the class nature of the military, which we tend to forget here in the U.S. because the military is kind of scary and very separate from the

people and doesn't seem to be part of the people. In U.S. history the military has even fired on the people many times. It was an amazing and touching thing to see soldiers doing things like passing out water and passing out food. There was a camaraderie between the military and the civilians that was really an amazing

thing to witness. We also interviewed several soldiers while we were there, most of them lower-ranking soldiers but also some higher-ranking military personnel. When we get our video together I'm sure we will have some of that footage on there.

I also wanted to point out [that] General Carneiro, who is the head of the military in Venezuela, talks in the movie that Aleida Guevara made, Chavez, Venezuela, and the New Latin America about the day of the coup. I thought it was fascinating how he talks about how that day culminated in a civil-military union, which he said was beautiful. You can really get a sense of it when he

talks about it, and you can get a sense of it when you're there in Venezuela. It seems very unusual, but it's definitely there. We were staying in a military barracks, so we were in touch with soldiers quite often, seeing them every day.

TOLERANCE OF GAYS (ALVAREZ)

CARLOS: As far as the workshop on discrimination against people for sexual orientation or gender, you get the sense just from talking to them that Venezuela was pretty open to sexuality before the process, and so were a lot of the other Latin American countries. That doesn't mean that homophobia didn't exist or that

violence against people who were of a sex orientation or gender didn't exist, absolutely not, but there was at least more of a dialog going on. Things like equality for LGBT aren't stated directly in the constitution, but the constitution talks about standing against all forms of discrimination of people. So that and having a representative of the Bolivarian government there, is a huge step in bringing this dialog into the consciousness of the people of Venezuela.

VENEZUELAN SOLDIERS (GUERRA)

I have a small comment to add about the soldiers. I'm originally from El Salvador, and every time we used to see these soldiers it was like, "Wooah, get away from them as fast as you can!" I kind of had some flashbacks when I was there because I was going around with this huge pile of literature [about] socialism, [and] antiwar stuff. I was taking it so we could distribute it, and here I am walking towards the room where the workshop was going to be in, and five soldiers rush me. They said: "How about the revolution? How about this? Give me, give me, give me!" [Laughter and applause.] It freaked me out for a second, but it was really inspiring. [After the presentation, Jennifer told this author that she saw some soldiers put activist stickers on their clothes.]

Another thing: Venezuela was under a dictatorship for a long time, and it was very interesting to see the way military bases were built. Most of the poor towns are at the bottom, and the military bases were always built on top of the hills. It was just to keep a check on the people. It was very creepy trying to imagine what life was like 10 or 15 years ago. These places have now been turned into community centers; they actually turned [some of] them into universities. That speaks for itself.

THE INTEGRATION OF LATIN AMERICA (GUERRA)

Another thing about the integration of Latin America is there are so many projects going on. One of the most important things, I think, is Telesur. The fact that they're breaking away with the imperialist ideology that is being broadcasted to people 24/7 by CNN, ABC, El Telemundo, and all that other stuff. The fact that they are now trying to re-create a culture of solidarity and

friendship among the people is an important step.

But there are many [other] things: there's Petro Caribe, which is cooperation between all the Caribbean countries and Venezuela to [inaudible] and drill for oil and take advantage of the resources for the people. There are numerous other projects.

HOMELESS PEOPLE IN VENEZUELA (GUERRA)

About the homeless people, they were very honest with us. They told us, "Yeah, there is a lot of people there." But they're trying to combat it, especially by sending the young people. They go to where people throw the plastic trash downstairs and take the people to shelters, try to tell them: "These are the services

available now. You don't have to fear, you don't have to sleep on the street anymore. There are free shelters you can come to."

There's a big problem with drug addiction, there's a big problem with alcoholism just like there is here, but they are taking tremendous steps to eradicate that. And you know, it's four or five years into the process. If things continue going like this...

A lot of the sentiment was "Chavez until 2021." Many, many people think that if this process continues the way it is right now until 2021, this is going to be a first-class country.

DEALING WITH ANTI-CHAVEZ SENTIMENT IN THE U.S. (RE: KUNKIN'S COMMENT) (GUERRA)

We are bombarded by this stuff every day. We don't have to reinvent the wheel here, but we can talk to people about our experiences. That's what we're trying to do. Look what Pat Robertson just said. That stuff is going to keep coming and coming and coming. We should not concern ourselves with that. What we should concern ourselves with is to speak to the people [about] what we saw, what takes place there, what we can do here to help them build a society there.

The way we can help them build a society is to fight against this administration, this criminal government that is killing hundreds of thousands of people. We cannot allow that to happen. That is the best thing we can do. We have to keep talking to people, we've got to bring it to the forefront of the anti-war movement. We're actually going to have a contingent of people to support

Venezuela and Cuba on September 24th. We have some flags that we brought here from the festival. If anyone wants to participate in our contingent, we're asking for a donation. We want to make sure that we have a big voice in support of Venezuela. [Applause.]

[A final round of questions is taken.]

QUESTION #11: I just wondered if there's any report on the strength of the right wing in Venezuela and what they have to bear on the revolutionary process. Is there any report of how strong they are or how weak? And what's the strategy for the movement? That's all, thanks.

QUESTION #12 (COMMENT): Whenever I hear about a country like Venezuela doing something that's extremely upsetting to the United States, I worry about the possibility of an actual military invasion. Of course, the United States has done this many, many, many times. I think maybe the anti-war movement in the United States is probably the most important revolutionary pro-people power in the entire world. I think you can quantify this by looking at Iraq. Because the anti-war movement was in place even before the war started, the U.S. hasn't been able to get more than 150,000 troops for this war. The United States managed to get half a million troops in Vietnam, but then the anti-war movement stopped it at that point. They couldn't [send] any more without risking incredible massive resistance from the American people. When there was no anti-war movement at all

during the second World War, do you how many troops the United States had in the field? Sixteen million. So we've brought the number down from 16 million to 150 thousand. And I don't think the U.S. has enough troops to invade Venezuela

The transcript concludes here:

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