Obama Declares Venezuelan Democracy a Threat to US National Security (tags)
Venezuela
Assad Fears US Aggression (tags)
Syria
Destabilizing Venezuela: Longstanding US Policy (tags)
Venezuela
Playing the Venezuelan Anti-Semitism Card (tags)
Venezuela
A ‘mixed’ economy brought down Sandinistas; same danger exists for Venezuela (tags)
The question of who owns, controls and/or manages production and distribution is what will be decisive. Venezuela’s economy remains mostly in the hands of capitalists, and that represents a threat to the Bolivarian Revolution.
Chavez Succeeded Where Obama Failed (tags)
When President Obama campaigned in 2008 in Portland, Oregon over 70,000 people came to hear his speech. And although I missed the event, I was intrigued by the raw emotion that the candidate’s words inspired in my community. Obama re-visited Oregon during his 2012 campaign, but the inspiration had faded from his voice, and the audience had drastically changed.
Chavez
FAIR v. Scoundrel Media Misreporting on Venezuela (tags)
media
Chavez
Anti-Chavez Media War Rages (tags)
propaganda
Chavez Inauguration Postponed (tags)
Chavez
Venezuelan Leadership Up for Grabs? (tags)
Chavez
Chavez Struggles to Recover (tags)
Chavez
Egypt’s Revolution Stumbles (tags)
The call for a new constitution was a key political demand of the Egyptian people when they overthrew the thirty-year dictatorship of Mubarak. Motivating this was the desire to begin dismantling the repressive bureaucratic state machinery they had suffered under and replace it with a democratic government that would be guided by their needs and hopes. Such aspirations served to unite the divergent forces that made Egypt’s political revolution and encourage their grassroots organizing efforts.
Complex Chavez Recovery (tags)
Chavez
Uncertainty about Chavez's Health (tags)
Chavez
A tale of two elections: Venezuelan accountability and U.S. irregularities (tags)
Venezuelan voting machines have verifiable printouts, all parties participate in vote-security preparations and results are available minutes after the polls close. Compare that with U.S. elections that feature voter suppression and unaccountable voting machines.
Why Chavez Won BIG! A Comparison Between the Presidential Elections in the U.S. and Venezu (tags)
U.S. workers and those who are unemployed are frequently told that the current presidential elections are among the most important in this country’s history. With continuing high unemployment and underemployment, declining wages, and looming massive cuts to social programs that help workers, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, we are at a grave point regarding the direction of this country. However, the policies of both presidential candidates and their parties have perpetuated the devastating effects of the Great Recession for workers. Wall Street, the banks, the corporations, and the wealthy have been the beneficiaries of these policies while the only thing workers have received has been more sacrifices.
Venezuela: Interview with Rafael Uzcátegui (tags)
* Rafael Uzcategui is a member of the group that publishes the anarchist newspaper El Libertario in Caracas (Venezuela). As antimilitarist, he is also a member of the War Resisters’ International and works in a Venezuelan human rights NGO called Provea. He is author of the books “Heart of Ink” and “Venezuela: Revolution as Spectacle” in which he reports the so-called Bolivarian process of Chavez and the true face of his “revolutionary” government. Taking advantage of his conference tour in Germany, we interviewed Rafael for the magazine Gai Dao.
President Hugo Chávez, backed by South American Presidents, Condemns the Attack on Libya (tags)
"Oppressed people around the world have only recently begun to unite in opposition to empire as awareness of the horror grows. In North Africa and the Middle East it began as a revolt against US backed dictators in Tunisia, then Egypt and spread to Bahrain, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. In South America the rebellion grew out of the Bolivarian Revolution, spreading over the last decade from Venezuela to other Latin American states. Tonight, behind President Chavez' condemnation of the monster on VTV, Venezuela National Radio and TeleSur, Venezuelans have gathered en masse in Caracas and at the US and French embassies to declare their rebellion against the imperial war on the sovereign state of Libya."
Venezuela's New Social Responsibility Law (tags)
media
Democracy promotion: America’s new regime change formula (tags)
"By the 1980s, the reign of terror that blazed across Latin America was too much for most people to stomach. From death squads to torture chambers and various massacres, the Latin American generals who trained in the US to spread democracy around the world quickly gained reputations for major human rights abuses. To replace the overt support for dictatorships, a new concept for regime change was born; one that sounds and looks better – democracy promotion."
Wikileaks Scandal Hits paraguayan president Fernando Lugo (tags)
Wikileaks scandal explodes in Paraguay: president Lugo is an U.S. and USAID agent
Desperate to stop the "truth telling" (tags)
"The imperialists of the world are desperate to stop the "truth telling" of wikileaks. To do so they have thrown away the cover of respect of "freedom of speech" in particular and "support of democratic principals" in general. They are naked now in their hatred of democracy. Organize, resist, do all that you can to protect these true heros from attack. Most importantly, aid them in their efforts to reveal the truths that just may "set us free."
Venezuela Breaks Relations with Colombi (tags)
“There is no evidence, not a single piece of proof, of where those photographs were taken”, said Chaderton, adding that the “evidence” presented by Colombia was “confusing, imprecise and non-convincing. Last year Colombia opened its territory to seven US military bases in an agreement that the US Air Force claimed was necessary in order to conduct “full spectrum military operations” throughout South America to “combat the constant threat of anti-American governments in the region.”
Venezuela: Coup and Countercoup, Revolution (tags)
"But the coup resistance grew to millions of people, flooding the areas surrounding the presidential palace, and the presidential guard, still loyal to Chavez, moved to retake the palace. Word of the resistance reached military barracks throughout the country, and one in Maracay, outside of Caracas, acted quickly to locate and rescue Chavez and return him to the presidential palace.??By the early morning hours of April 14, Chavez had returned, brought back by the will and power of the Venezuelan people and the loyal armed forces.??These events changed Venezuela forever and awoke the consciousness of many who had underestimated the importance and vulnerability of their Revolution."
Internet revolution in Venezuela and No Going Back (tags)
"There's an Australian journalist and documentary film-maker, John Pilger, who said that, 'What you're seeing is really an unprecedented propaganda campaign that's being waged against the Chavez government' – FF: It's a media war – KJ: It really is a media war. And I think if you go to Venezuela and see what the media says, this will become clear immediately. You often hear the claim that there is no freedom of speech and so on, but internally in Venezuela there are more than 50 daily newspapers and about 45 of those newspapers support the opposition and are constantly attacking the government everyday – including having front page headlines calling for the military overthrow of the government... Then you have those 4 newspapers that support the Bolivarian process; and then you have one newspaper that, you know, presents itself as being neutral. So, on the level of the print media, the opposition to the government is overwhelmingly dominant... A lot of the television stations are extremely hostile as well. The other important aspect to note is that, as a result of the Bolivarian process, you actually have a massive explosion of community media in Venezuela, in particular community radio stations in the Barrios...but also a number of community television stations and other independent media websites and so on. So this is like the first time where a lot of the grassroots groups and Venezuelan poor are actually getting to participate themselves in the production of the their own media; whereas prior to the Chavez government, they didn't have a voice in politics or the media."
Permanent Aggression, War on the horizon in Latin America (tags)
"A military conflict is not initiated from one day to the next. It’s a process that involves first influencing public perception and opinion – demonizing the target leader or government in order to justify aggression. Subsequently, armed forces are strategically deployed in the region in order to guarantee an effective military action. Tactics, such as subversion and counterinsurgency, are utilized in order to debilitate and destabilize the target nation from within, increasing its vulnerability and weakening its defenses. This plan has been active against Venezuela for several years. The consolidation of regional unity and Latin American integration threatens US possibilities of regaining domination and control in the hemisphere. And the advances of the Bolivarian Revolution have impeded its “self-destruction”, provoked by internal subversion funded and directed by US agencies. However, the Empire will not cease its attempts to achieve its final objective, and a potential military conflict in the region remains on the horizon." "The time to defend Venezuela is now. The empire is preparing to destroy this beacon of hope. Certain nations have the potential to lead the world away from destruction. Venezuela with it’s progressive leadership, a well mobilized working class, and other “conscious” sectors, in addition to abundant natural wealth which includes oil, can any one doubt what U.S. planners are preparing? No serious person who wishes to help preserve our world can deny her need to take this stand and become involved in this work. You out there who were involved in the Central American solidarity actions are called upon again now. Your efforts then in the face of the empire helped make this day possible. We did not save the world then. We helped keep it alive. We should rejoin the effort now. How beautiful the outcome may be this time."
The Accusation that Links Chávez with ETA and the FARC is Fraudulent (tags)
"The computer in the hands of the Colombian authorities survived a missile attack which killed several people in the encampment and, by chance, confirmed all the arguments of President Alvaro Uribe to enable him to increase his bellicose internal campaign. Strange as it may sound, the “magic bomb resistant” computer has never been shown in public."
The Coups d'État in Latin America and the Dangers Facing Venezuela (tags)
"For its part, the CIA provided Special Operations Group personnel under the command of a lieutenant colonel assigned by the Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, N.C. They had been in Venezuela since 2001 and belonged to the U.S. Special Operations Intelligence Support Activity. They reportedly made contact with high-ranking officers in the Venezuelan Armed Forces, including Gen. Lucas Rincón, Vice Minister of Security; Gen. Luis Camacho Kairuz; businessmen and labor union leaders from the Venezuelan Workers Federation, among others. “The coup was also supported by Special Operations psychological warfare (PSYOPs) personnel deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They put together Spanish-language television announcements, purportedly from Venezuelan political and business leaders and aired by Venezuelan television and radio stations, saying Chavez "provoked" the crisis by ordering his supporters to fire on peaceful protesters in Caracas. U.S. electronic warfare technicians also helped to jam cell phone and radio frequencies in Caracas and other major cities in co-operation with the Intelligence Battalion Brig. Gen. Andrés Ibarra of the Venezuelan Army's high command.” The threat against Venezuela is certainly not a bizarre idea. It is up to all of us, as this year begins, to redouble our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and the defense of their Revolution." ----- 10,000 US Troops just arrived in Haiti... Are we sure their mission will be pruely a humanitarian one? Please spread widely. General Joe
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on How to Tackle Climate Change (tags)
"Obama is a big frustration. In my opinion, Obama can become one of the biggest frustrations in the history for many people, not for me, but the people of the United States that voted for him and saw him as a symbol of hope for change. But he has given continually to the most aggressive Bush policies, the imperialist policies. Amy Goodman: What example of that? President Hugo Chavez: [translated] The war. I told Obama, when he took the initiative to come visit us in the Summit of the Americas—we talked for a few minutes. I told him, “Obama, let’s work for peace in Colombia. That’s what I am proposing. Let’s get a team together to analyze the problem.” But absolutely nothing. He is now installing seven military bases in Colombia. That’s just one example. And in Iraq and Afghanistan, policies of war. Guantanamo, it is a great frustration. And I feel sorry, not for me. You are from the United States. I feel sorry for you, because you deserve a government that takes care of the problems of the people of the United States and stops thinking about dominating the rest of the world and just governs over the United States, eradicates the problems of the United States, the poverty, the inequality, which gets bigger every day, the unemployment, families on the street, homeless, without Social Security, diseases. I wish for you to get a government that truly takes care of you first and then works towards peace for the rest of the world."
Obama Is Preparing for War in South America (tags)
"The first and foremost important achievement during the Chávez administration is the 1999 Constitution, which, although not written nor decreed by Chávez himself, was created through his vision of change for Venezuela. The 1999 Constitution was, in fact, drafted - written - by the people of Venezuela in one of the most participatory examples of nation building, and then was ratified through popular national referendum by 75% of Venezuelans. The 1999 Constitution is one of the most advanced in the world in the area of human rights. It guarantees the rights to housing, education, healthcare, food, indigenous lands, languages, women's rights, worker's rights, living wages and a whole host of other rights that few other countries recognize on a national level. My favorite right in the Venezuelan Constitution is the right to a dignified life. That pretty much sums up all the others. Laws to implement these rights began to surface in 2001, with land reform, oil industry redistribution, tax laws and the creation of more than a dozen social programs - called missions - dedicated to addressing the basic needs of Venezuela's poor majority. In 2003, the first missions were directed at education and healthcare. Within two years, illiteracy was eradicated in the country and Venezuela was certified by UNESCO as a nation free of illiteracy. This was done with the help of a successful Cuban literacy program called "Yo si puedo" (Yes I can). Further educational missions were created to provide free universal education from primary to doctoral levels throughout the country. Today, Venezuela's population is much more educated than before, and adults who previously had no high school education now are encouraged to not only go through a secondary school program, but also university and graduate school.??The healthcare program, called "Barrio Adentro", has not only provided preventive healthcare to all Venezuelans - many who never had access to a doctor before - but also has guaranteed universal, free access to medical attention at the most advanced levels. MRIs, heart surgery, lab work, cancer treatments, are all provided free of cost to anyone (including foreigners) in need. Some of the most modern clinics, diagnostic treatment centers and hospitals have been built in the past five years under this program, placing Venezuela at the forefront of medical technology.??Other programs providing subsidized food and consumer products (Mercal, Pdval), job training (Mission Vuelvan Caras), subsidies to poor, single mothers (Madres del Barrio), attention to indigents and drug addicts (Mission Negra Hipolita) have reduced extreme poverty by 50% and raised Venezuelans standard of living and quality of life. While nothing is perfect, these changes are extraordinary and have transformed Venezuela into a nation far different from what it looked like 10 years ago. In fact, the most important achievement that Hugo Chávez himself is directly responsible for is the level of participation in the political process. Today, millions of Venezuelans previously invisible and excluded are visible and included. Those who were always marginalized and ignored in Venezuela by prior governments today have a voice, are seen and heard, and are actively participating in the building of a new economic, political and social model in their country.??2 MW---On Monday, President Chavez threw a Venezuelan judge in jail on charges of abuse of power for freeing a high-profile banker. Do you think he overstepped his authority as executive or violated the principle of separation of powers? What does this say about Chavez's resolve to fight corruption?"
Chávez: Netherlands and U.S. Planning Military Aggression Against Venezuela from Dutch Ant (tags)
"Today each year about 9.2 million children die before reaching their fifth year and 99.9 percent of these deaths occur in poorer countries. Infant mortality is 47 deaths per thousand live births, but is only 5 per thousand in rich countries. Life expectancy on the planet is 67 years, in rich countries it is 79, while in some poor nations is only 40 years. Additionally, there are 1.1 billion people without access to drinking water, 2.6 billion without sanitation services, over 800 million illiterate and 1.02 billion hungry people, that’s the global scenario. Now the cause, what is the cause? Let’s talk about the cause, let’s not evade responsibilities, and let’s not evade the depth of this problem. The cause, undoubtedly, I return to the theme of this whole disastrous panorama, is the destructive metabolic system of capital and its embodied model: Capitalism."
Vetelca: The story of the first ever Bolivarian maquila factory (tags)
* This report originally appears in issue #57 of Venezuelan anarchist newspaper El Libertario www.nodo50.org/ellibertario [website in Spanish, English & other languages]. It is a detailed examination of the events behind the mobile telephone manufacturer Vetelca, in which the notion of a socialist industrial production model in Venezuela is unmasked.
U.S. Still Plans Assault on Latin America. Will We Stop this Madness? (tags)
"In an explicit attempt to hide Washington’s military objectives in South America, a U.S. Air Force document submitted to Congress in May 2009 that provoked deep concerns in the region has been modified and re-published on November 16, 2009. The official U.S. Air Force document, revealed and denounced by this author on November 4th, explained the justification for a $46 million request to improve the military installations in one of the seven bases Washington will occupy under the military accord signed on October 30th between Colombia and the United States. The modified document has eliminated all mention of war and military operations in the region, as well as offensive language directed at Colombia’s neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador."
Venezuela: The error of being Lusbi Portillo (tags)
* The latest demonstration of political criminalization of autonomous social movements by the Venezuelan government is exposed by Rafael Uzcategui, a member of the anarchist collective El Libertario.
The Steady Stream of Lies about Venezuela or The Killers and Liars Prepare (tags)
"The fourth big lie is saved up to the end, and follows on that grand tradition of the great human rights abusers accusing others to deflect attention from themselves. Chavez is said to be “cultivating” regimes that are characterised by “rigged elections, media censorship, the criminalisation of dissent and leaders for life”. Not a touch of irony, as the death squads in Colombia murder trade unionists and civil leaders unchecked, as the Obama Administration pussyfoots around the coup regime in Honduras (which deposed a Chavez ally), as election fraud and bloody war rages in Afghanistan and as the US launches missile attacks on Pakistan. It can be tedious to document such lies. They are so common and, no sooner is one lot done than the next day’s lies appear – if not in The Economist then in the Washington Post, The Australian or The Times. These monopolies count on the vulnerable, who do not have alternate sources of information, who do not read history and are able to be swayed by crude and often racist agitation. In the bigger picture, this is a delegitimising process, organised by the private media monopolies which, in their hatred for the sort of popular democracy led by Chavez (as also in the past by Allende), are preparing the ground for coups, wars of intervention and conquest. It has been done before and – while these monopolies remain unchecked – it will be done again."
The justification offered for the new military bases in Colombia is the "war on drugs (tags)
"The justification offered for the new military bases in Colombia is the "war on drugs." The fact that the justification is even offered is remarkable. Suppose, for example, that Colombia, or China, or many others claimed the right to establish military bases in Mexico to implement their programs to eradicate tobacco in the U.S., by fumigation in North Carolina and Kentucky, interdiction by sea and air forces, and dispatch of inspectors to the U.S. to ensure it was eradicating this poison-which is, in fact, far more lethal even than alcohol, which in turn is far more lethal than cocaine or heroin, incomparably more than cannabis. The toll of tobacco use is truly fearsome, including "passive smokers" who are seriously affected though they do not use tobacco themselves. The death toll overwhelms the lethal effects of other dangerous substances."
The drumbeat of fear mongering propaganda continues: What are State and the Pentagon plan (tags)
"The AUC were a phenomenon that was changed by drug-smuggling....so they looked for cultivation and smuggling zones, so this is what permeated the [border] zone, including today [the phenomenon] is still present in [Venezulean border state] Tachira with [paramilitary group] the Black Eagles." Venezuelan journalist Alberto Nolia, analysing the interview, said, "Its clear the Colombian government was completely involved in the conspiracy...Garcia has linked the government of Uribe with the paramilitaries and with drug smuggling."
Noam Chomsky Meets with Chavez in Venezuela (tags)
"Chomsky said the growing disappointment with the Obama administration in the U.S. was predictable because the corporate media marketed Obama's presidential candidacy on the slogan of "Change We Can Believe In" but omitted concrete proposals for effective changes, and the Obama administration has since shown an incapacity to institute such changes."
BTL:Venezuela Transfers Private Radio Licenses to Community Media Groups (tags)
BETWEEN THE LINES Syndicated Radio Newsmagazine
Haiti, Honduras -- Occupation is the Crime (tags)
August 12 marked the two-year anniversary of the kidnapping of Haitian human rights activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, considered by many to be Haiti's next Aristide. Vigils were held around the world on this day: including in Haiti, London, Guyana, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Will Venezuelan Destabilization Follow the Honduran Coup? (tags)
Obama targets Chavez
OBAMA'S FIRST MILITARY COUP (tags)
[Note: As of 11:15am, Caracas time, President Zelaya is speaking live on Telesur from San Jose, Costa Rica. He has verified the soldiers entered his residence in the early morning hours, firing guns and threatening to kill him and his family if he resisted the coup. He was forced to go with the soldiers who took him to the air base and flew him to Costa Rica. He has requested the U.S. Government make a public statement condemning the coup, otherwise, it will indicate their compliance.] Caracas, Venezuela - The text message that beeped on my cell phone this morning read “Alert, Zelaya has been kidnapped, coup d’etat underway in Honduras, spread the word.” It’s a rude awakening for a Sunday morning, especially for the millions of Hondurans that were preparing to exercise their sacred right to vote today for the first time on a consultative referendum concerning the future convening of a constitutional assembly to reform the constitution. Supposedly at the center of the controversary is today’s scheduled referendum, which is not a binding vote but merely an opinion poll to determine whether or not a majority of Hondurans desire to eventually enter into a process to modify their constitution.
Interview with El Libertario (Venezuela – June 2009) (tags)
* From Madrid the anarchist group Star, linked to the Iberian Federation of Anarchists Youths (Federación Ibérica de Juventudes Anarquistas-FIJA-), has raised questions whose answers will let us know today and in detail what is doing and saying the known Venezuelan anarchist newspaper.
Venezuela: Why Unlimited Re-election is Bad for the Revolution (tags)
A supporter of Hugo Chavez' anti-imperialist efforts explains why he is nevertheless opposed to Venezuela's recent constitutional amendment abolishing term limits.
Bolivarianism Triumphs in Referendum Vote (tags)
democracy in Venezuela
AJLPP HAILS CHAVEZ VICTORY (tags)
The AJLPP learned from media sources that Venezuelan voters gave President Hugo Chavez a resounding victory Sunday on a constitutional amendment that will allow him to run for reelection indefinitely.With 94% of votes counted, the National Electoral Commission said "yes" votes outnumbered "no" by nearly 1 million, 54.3% to 45.7%.The AJLPP hailed Chavez victory as a victory for the people of Latin America and all countries that want to be independent and self-determined.
Bashing Venezuelan Democracy (tags)
The dominant media again on the rampage.
The Blame Game in Gaza: Covering for Israel, Concealing War Crimes (tags)
Israeli war crimes in Gaza
Media Response to Venezuelan elections (tags)
one-sided and inaccurate as usual
The October Surprise - Global Panic (tags)
It's not over.
Corporate Media Bash New Chavez New Enabling Law Decrees (tags)
Corporate media denigrate Venezuelan democracy.
Venezuela: The nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela (tags)
Bolivarian Revolution
Chavez Nationalizes Bank of Venezuela (tags)
In a television programme broadcasted to the whole of the country on July 31st, President Chávez announced the nationalisation of Banco de Venezuela, the Venezuelan bank owned by the Spanish banking multinational Grupo Santander. "We are going to nationalize Banco de Venezuela. I make an appeal to Grupo Santander to come here so that we can start to negotiate". He added: "Months ago I received the information through intelligence sources that Banco de Venezuela, which had been privatized for years, was being sold by its Spanish owners; that an agreement had been signed between Grupo Santander and a Venezuelan private banker, then the Venezuelan banker needed the permission of the government to buy a bank, this is not a small operation (...) and then I sent a message to the Spanish and the Venezuelan banker, to tell them that the government wanted to buy the bank, we want to recover it. Then the owners said ‘no, we don't want to sell it'. So now I say ‘no, I will buy it, how much is it? We are going to pay for it, and we are going to nationalize Banco de Venezuela'." The President continued: "From this moment the media campaign on the part of the Spanish and international media is going to start. They are going to say that Chávez is an autocrat, that Chávez is a tyrant, I don't care, we are going to nationalize the bank regardless". "Ladran, luego cabalgamos" (the dogs bark, therefore the caravan is moving), he said, quoting from el Quijote.
The New York Times v. Hugo Chavez (tags)
NYT vilification of Hugo Chavez
Haiti Event Marks Four Years Since the Coup Against Aristide (tags)
“[P]eople in Haiti tell us that all of this stuff has an impact. The more people are doing in other counties, even small events like this one, have an impact because the word is starting to get out to people. So any small thing that you can do really helps.” – Margaret Prescod
Big Oil and the War on Drugs and Terrorism (tags)
The "Big Oil" chessgame, aided and abetted by the so-called wars on drugs and terrorism, has made most of humanity its pawns and has expanded corporate control over our lives.
CIA SET TO DESTABALIZE ARGENTINA (tags)
Operation "Pliers" intercept shows CIA set to stage coup in Argentina.
CIA Operation "Pliers" Uncovered in Venezuela (tags)
Last night CNN en Español aired the above image, which captions at the bottom "Who Killed him?" by "accident". The image of President Chavez with the caption about killing him below, which some could say subliminally incites to assassination, was a "production error" mistakenly made in the CNN en Español newsroom. The news anchor had been narrarating a story about the situation between Colombia and Venezuela and then switched to a story about an unsolved homicide but - oops - someone forgot to change the screen image and President Chavez was left with the killing statement below. Today they apologized and admitted it was a rather "unfortunate" and "regrettable" mistake. Yes, it was. On a scarier note, an internal CIA memorandum has been obtained by Venezuelan counterintelligence from the US Embassy in Caracas that reveals a very sinister - almost fantastical, were it not true - plan to destabilize Venezuela during the coming days. The plan, titled "OPERATION PLIERS" was authored by CIA Officer Michael Middleton Steere and was addressed to CIA Director General Michael Hayden in Washington. Steere is stationed at the US Embassy in Caracas under the guise of a Regional Affairs Officer. The internal memorandum, dated November 20, 2007, references the "Advances of the Final Stage of Operation Pliers", and confirms that the operation is coordinated by the team of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) in Venezuela. The memo summarizes the different scenarios that the CIA has been working on in Venezuela for the upcoming referendum vote on December 2nd. The Electoral Scenario, as it's phrased, confirms that the voting tendencies will not change substantially before Sunday, December 2nd, and that the SI (YES) vote in favor of the constitutional reform has an advantage of about 10-13 points over the NO vote. The CIA estimates abstention around 60% and states in the memo that this voting tendency is irreversible before the elections.
Venezuela: the counter-revolution raises its head (tags)
In Venezuela the forces of the counterrevolution are engaged in an all-out offensive against Chavez and the Revolution. Right-wing students stage armed provocations on the campuses and the streets. The bourgeois media, nationally and internationally, are whipping up a campaign of hysteria against "tyranny" and "dictatorship". US imperialism, with the help of Juan Carlos and the Spanish bourgeoisie, is striving to isolate Venezuela and create an anti-revolutionary bloc in Latin America, based on Brazil and Colombia, Chile and Argentina. As on previous occasions - the coup of 2002, the bosses' lockout, the recall referendum and the elections of 2005 and 2006, the reactionaries are using the slogan of supposed "defence of democracy" as a means of mobilizing the counterrevolutionary forces, creating a climate of fear and instability in order to prepare the ground for a right-wing coup. In the present battle who is opposed to the reform of the Constitution? Fedecamara, that is, the landlords, bankers and capitalists, the Episcopal Conference, representing the reactionary hierarchy of the Church, the right-wing media and imperialism. On the other side of the barricades are the workers and peasants, the poor and dispossessed, the revolutionary youth and the progressive intelligentsia: in other words, all the living forces of Venezuelan society. Why does the ruling class hate the constitutional reform? They say it is because Chavez wishes to introduce a dictatorship, to be a President elected for life and so on. But the reformed constitution does not concede such powers or anything like them. It merely removes the restriction on standing for President more than twice. In Europe there is no such limitation. Sarkozy and Merkel can stand as often as they like. So can Gordon Brown. And in any case, the reformed constitution only allows Chavez to stand for election. It will be up to the people whether they elect him or not.
Venezuela: Interview with an indigenous activist (tags)
* As part of the 2.300 delegates in the second Zapatista and indigenous community’s international reunion, which took place last July in Mexico, members of the wayuu community delivered a truly important message: Venezuelan indigenous community’s situation is very different than the declared by the government people in Caracas. El Libertario talked about the experience with Jorge Montiel, member of the Maikiralasa’lii.
America and Venezuela - Constitutional Worlds Apart (tags)
Real democracy in Venezuela compared to the fake kind here.
Caracas discusses Leon Trotsky on the anniversary of his assassination (tags)
Permanent REvolution
Venezuela: Workers control under attack-Struggle at Sanitarios Maracay (tags)
workers control
Reviewing Linda McQuaig's "It's the Crude, Dude" (tags)
War, oil, Iraq, Big Oil, global warming and more in one package.
The Record of the Newspaper of Record (tags)
Exposing the New York Times' shameless reporting on Venezuela.
The World Bank's Customers Are Disappearing (tags)
Many developing countries that gained needed credits only on World Bank conditions are poorer today than before. The Good News is that the cartel of creditors is dissolving. Former debtors threaten to become independent.
Wall Street Journal's Looking Glass World (tags)
Made in Washington street protests threaten Venezuela
Video: Hugo Chavez recommends reading Thierry Meyssan’s investigations (tags)
NOTE video in link The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, has denounced in length the CIA-organized "velvet coups" attempts around the world, including against his own government, using techniques revealed by Thierry Meyssan.
Tomorrow! Worldwide demonstrations against the terrorist Posada (tags)
The people's mobilization is important to expose not only the U.S. government's hypocrisy of its "war on terror" but its active role in backing the Miami terrorists like Posada for over 45 years. More important than ever is the need for us to raise high the demand of immediate freedom for the Cuban Five Heroes...
The Shortwave Report 5/4/07 ¡Listen Globally! (tags)
A weekly 30 minute review of news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio. With times and freqs for listening at home. 2 files- broadcast and slow-modem streaming. Free to rebroadcast. China, Netherlands, Cuba, and Russia.
Posada’s release exposes Washington’s hypocrisy (tags)
The decision by the US authorities to release the terrorist Luis Posada Carriles exposes before the eyes of the world the hypocritical attitude of the United States government to terrorism. Posada Carriles Posada is the author of the 1976 attack that brought down a Cubana de Aviación civilian airliner off the coast of Barbados, which cost the lives of 73 innocent people. By releasing this criminal, the US authorities have admitted that they support terrorism when this is in the interests of US imperialism. Bush's so-called war on terrorism therefore stands exposed as a shameful deception. In an editorial of April 20, the Los Angeles Times condemned the decision:
I fully agree: “There IS a strategy against freedom of expression in Venezuela” (tags)
VHeadline en Español News Editor Jesus Nery Barrios writes: On Sunday, March 18, at the 63rd half-yearly meeting of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in Bogota, its chairman, Rafael Molina said that “there is a strategy against freedom of expression in Venezuela” ... a statement with which I fully agree.
Fugitive right-wing student leader requests political asylum at Vatican Embassy in Caracas (tags)
VHeadline en Español News Editor Jesus Nery Barrios writes: Fugitive right-wing University of The Andes (ULA) student leader Nixon Moreno requested political asylum and has sought refuge at the Vatican's Embassy (Papal Nunciature) in Caracas.
Venezuela's RCTV Acts of Sedition (tags)
Hugo Chavez within the law acting against a flagrant media lawbreaker.
Chavez forgives Nicaragua's debt to Venezuela (tags)
Chavez forgives Nicaraguas debt to Venezuela Lets see the rich first world behave as magnanimously! VIVA CHAVEZ
Venezuela 2006: Continued repression of popular protest (tags)
* El Libertario, the voice of the Comision de Relaciones Anarquistas of Venezuela, analyzes the how and the why of the increasing state repression against the growing social discontent that belies the pseudo-revolutionary discourse of the Chavez regime.
Join Revolutionaries Delegation to Venezuela (tags)
The objective of US - Venezuela Bolivarian Exchange is to build bridges between the Bolivarian movement in Venezuela and the social justice movement in the United States, facilitating exchanges of delegations between community-based organizations from each nation.
EVA GOLINGER'S NEW BOOK - BUSH VS. CHAVEZ (tags)
HOW THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO UNDERMINE HUGO CHAVEZ
Action Alert: Thank Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for Speaking Truth to Power! (tags)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls the Devil by his current name George Bush and Democrat Party leaders show their true colors...blue and yellow.
ALVARO VARGAS LLOSA SENDS HUGO CHAVEZ TO DANTE'S INFERNO (tags)
CONSERVATIVE THINK TANK WRITER SAVAGES HUGO CHAVEZ
JOURNALISM, WALL STREET JOURNAL-STYLE (tags)
HOW THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SAVAGES HUGO CHAVEZ
VENEZUELA LEADING THE RACE FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT (tags)
VENEZUELA AHEAD IN RACE FOR UN LATIN AMERICAN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT
Women, Autonomy & Creating a Caring Economy in Venezuela (tags)
Support for the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela continues to grow, including in Los Angeles where grassroots communities gathered June 24 for a public event on Women, Autonomy & Creating a Caring Economy in Venezuela.
"Americans for Chavez" Launched (tags)
We would like to announce the launching of the "Americans for Chavez" project by Bolivarian Circle 'Chief Tierra Blanca' in Denver, Colorado and its website found online at: http://www.americans-for-chavez.com
THE THREAT OF DEPLETED URANIUM EXPOSURE (tags)
THE DEADLY EFFECT OF EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM
LATEST CONFRONTATION BETWEEN US EMPIRE AND EVO MORALES AND HUGO CHAVEZ (tags)
US EMPIRE CONFRONTS EVO MORALES AND HUGO CHAVEZ
EVO MORALES' COURAGEOUS MOVE NOW MAKES HIM A US TARGET ALONG WITH HUGO CHAVEZ (tags)
EVO MORALES' DECISION TO SERVE INTERESTS OF HIS PEOPLE AHEAD OF THOSE OF US NOW MAKES HIM A US TARGET.
Macho Men and State Capitalism - Is Another World Possible? (tags)
* Latin America is boiling with revolutionary potential these days that could redefine economics, politics and social relations. But sometimos things aren't always as they seem. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is widely seen to be at the center of Latin America's transformation by building a regional trade bloc through the creation of ALBA and Venezuela's membership in Mercosur to oppose U.S. dominance and its constant push for free trade agreements with Latin American governments.
FIDEL ORDERED CHAVEZ' RESCUE (tags)
In the book "Fidel Castro, a two-voiced biography," published by the Debate Publishing House, the Cuban president told Ignacio Ramonet information not previously released about the events of April 2002 in Venezuela.
US PLANNING FOURTH ATTEMPT TO OUST HUGO CHAVEZ (tags)
US PLANS NOW UNDERWAY TO OUST VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ
THE WAR DRUMS ARE BEATING AND SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE (tags)
AN ACCOUNT OF LIKELY US MILITARY OR OTHER ACTION TO OUST HUGO CHAVEZ
WAR MAKING 101 - A USER'S MANUAL (tags)
HOW THE US IS MOVING FROM A REPUBLIC TO TYRANNY
The SHORTWAVE REPORT 1/13/06 ¡LISTEN GLOBALLY! (tags)
A weekly 30 minute review of news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio. With times and freqs for listening at home. 2 files- broadcast and slow-modem streaming. Free to rebroadcast. China, Netherlands, Spain, Cuba, and Russia.
VENEZUELA'S BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTION - ITS PROMISE AND PERILS (tags)
A review of the Bolivarian Revolution achievements and the threat to Hugo Chavez from the U.S.
The SHORTWAVE REPORT 1/6/06 ¡LISTEN GLOBALLY! (tags)
A weekly 30 minute review of news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio. With times and freqs for listening at home. 2 files- broadcast and slow-modem streaming. Free to rebroadcast. Netherlands, Cuba, China, and Russia.
WSF Caracas: Shroud for Venezuela’s social movements (tags)
* A member of the group promoting the Alternative Social Forum explains why the World Social Forum (WSF), taking place in Caracas during January 2006, is another attempt by the Chavez government to impede the autonomous development of social struggles in the country.
BTL:After Opposition Parties Boycott Vote, Hugo Chavez Wins Total Control of... (tags)
...Venezuela's Parliament ~ Interview with Gregory Wilpert, sociologist and journalist living in Caracas, conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus
Haiti, Venezuela, Benton Harbor, New Orleans: The Grassroots Mobilizes (tags)
LA public meeting a historic coming together of grassroots struggles in the United States with the movement against US/UN occupation in Haiti and Venezuela’s ‘peaceful and democratic revolution’.
The SHORTWAVE REPORT 12/9/05 ¡LISTEN GLOBALLY! (tags)
A weekly 30 minute review of news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio. With times and freqs for listening at home. 2 files- broadcast and slow-modem streaming. Free to rebroadcast. China, Russia, Cuba, and Netherlands.
The SHORTWAVE REPORT 11/18/05 ¡LISTEN GLOBALLY! (tags)
A weekly 30 minute review of news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio. With times and freqs for listening at home. 2 files- broadcast and slow-modem streaming. Free to rebroadcast. China, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, and Cuba.
Report Back From the 16th World Festival of Students in Venezuela (part 1) (tags)
"[The U.S. ruling elites] have a lot to lose because Venezuela is setting an example. If the people of Venezuela are able to struggle and alleviate so much poverty and illiteracy and lack of healthcare in their country, then why can't we do it here as well?" -- Muna Coobtee, delegate, World Festival of Students, 2005
The New Haitian Revolution: Resistance to U.S. & U.N. Occupation (tags)
". . . Why Haiti has been persecuted for the last 200 years? Because it is an affront to the colonial powers to have slaves rise up and defeat them. It is a bad example. [Applause.] There are a lot of lessons to be learned, and they don't want it ever to happen again. [Applause continues.]" -- Margaret Prescod, Pacifica Radio
Bolivarian revolution takes steps against capitalism expropiating factories-landed states (tags)
Bolivarian Revolution
UN cannot be reformed: Chavez tells people of US to fight for socialism (tags)
Bolivarian Revolution
Venezuelan trade union leaders discuss way forward for the revolution (tags)
Bolivarian Revolution
The Marxists in the World Youth Festival (tags)
Bolivarian Revolution
Two responses to Chavez' supporters (tags)