Chavez: Venezuela Acquires Thousands of Missiles

[smittycolt]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9CEQGF82&show_article=1

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said Monday that Venezuela has received thousands of Russian-made missiles and rocket launchers as part of his government's military preparations for a possible armed conflict with neighboring Colombia.
"They are preparing a war against us," Chavez said during a televised address, repeating a charge he has been making for months. "Preparing is one of the best ways to neutralize it."

Both Colombia and Washington deny having any plans to attack Venezuela, but Chavez argues they are plotting together a military offensive against Venezuela. Chavez says his government is acquiring more weapons as a precaution.

"Thousands of missiles are arriving," Chavez said. The former paratrooper-turned-president did not specify what type of missiles, but said Venezuela's growing arsenal includes Russian-made Igla-1S surface-to-air missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Chavez, who has been feuding with Colombia for months, claims an agreement between Bogota and Washington allowing the U.S. military to increase its presence at seven Colombian military bases poses a threat to his country. Colombia says the deal is only to help it fight the war on drugs and insurgents inside its territory.

Chavez also said Monday that Russian tanks, including T-72s, will be arriving "to strengthen our armored divisions."

Venezuela has bought more than $4 billion worth of Russian arms since 2005, including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, dozens of attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. In September, Russia opened a $2.2 billion line of credit for Venezuela to purchase

[Richman]

Will someone in the CIA put poison in his drink already? Jeez....

[Just Another Guy]

Where's JFK when you need him?

[smittycolt]

Could get stinky if we don't show some diplomatic spine soon.

[Overland]

Question: Is this build-up really about the US, or is the US just a convenient excuse?

If I were a dictator (err, excuse me-- President For Life) that wanted to extend his reach I wouldn't point to rivals on my borders and tell them that I'm building up this hardware so I can bully them about for the next 50 years. Instead, I'd tell them it was for the bully up the street.

Does anyone have any good links on the situation down there?

[smittycolt]

Question: Is this build-up really about the US, or is the US just a convenient excuse?

If I were a dictator (err, excuse me-- President For Life) that wanted to extend his reach I wouldn't point to rivals on my borders and tell them that I'm building up this hardware so I can bully them about for the next 50 years. Instead, I'd tell them it was for the bully up the street.

Does anyone have any good links on the situation down there?

Old info, but:

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49140

[Tracy]

Phbbbbt....

I think it's fantastic that Chavez is blowing money on weapons.

1. The more money he spends on weapons for him; the less captial he has to spread his Bolivarian Revolution.

2. Look at their economy: Annual inflation right now sits at 30% (http://www.indexmundi.com/venezuela/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices).html).

3. They are a net importer of refined petroleum products.

4. We (Colombia and the USA) are the most battle-hardened state actors in the western hemisphere.

5. Chavez is counting on "Bread and Circuses" to keep Venezuelans preoccupied with so-called "external threats" vice looking at their state of affairs.

Go Hugo!!!

[Carl Spackler]

We sold a bunch of shit to iran back in the day...its junk then as is now. Chavez is a gorilla in the mist.

[Bravo_One_Three]

With things going the way they are for Venezuela, and with Chavez' desire to be President for life what are the chances he'll create his own Gleiwitz incident? It's not that he'd have a shot in hell at taking Colombia, or even achieving any kind of small but long term military victories. But if played correctly by his machine, he becomes the savior of Venezuela from Colombian military aggression.

[smittycolt]

With things going the way they are for Venezuela, and with Chavez' desire to be President for life what are the chances he'll create his own Gleiwitz incident? It's not that he'd have a shot in hell at taking Colombia, or even achieving any kind of small but long term military victories. But if played correctly by his machine, he becomes the savior of Venezuela from Colombian military aggression.

All those popinjays down south think they're Bolivar.

This guy's claiming bigtime Russian support; if that's true, it puts him in a different threat category, I'd think.

He's in a position to pop big smoke on Columbia and drag us in.

[Tracy]

All those popinjays down south think they're Bolivar.

This guy's claiming bigtime Russian support; if that's true, it puts him in a different threat category, I'd think.

He's in a position to pop big smoke on Columbia and drag us in.

Look at the geography of Venezuela:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Venezuela_rel93.jpg

All we (COL and USA) have to do is talk to Guyana. We don't have to invade, just blockade and embargo. We can shut off his refined petroleum immediately; and make his ports of entry disappear overnight. Bolivia, Cuba and Nicaragua will mouth off, but one hurricane/La Nina season will shut them up.

All Russia can do is reinforce via air bridge; so cratering the runways when they're 30 minutes out from Caracas will "seal the deal" on that aspect.

If Hugo Chavez wants to get President Obama re-elected, all he has to do is a military provocation.

[Carl Spackler]

If Hugo Chavez wants to get President Obama re-elected, all he has to do is a military provocation.

THAT got my attention:eek:

[Greenhat]

You would think that nations would figure out that playing muscle games with conventional forces against the USA is a losing proposition. T-72s? Sukois? How long do they last in an actual military confrontation with the US? 10 minutes?

Agree with Tracy's first post (2d too).

[bobofthedesert]

Chavez the former paratrooper-turned-president

Venezuela has paratroops? :biggrin:

[ET1/ss nuke]

Venezuela has paratroops? :biggrin:

Of course, assuming that PARA is used as in paralegal or paramilitary.

[Spinner]

You know things are slipping when your president tells you to take shorter showers.

Could there be a return to the bad old days of the late 80s, with food riots breaking out all over the country?

http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14803155

Mr Chávez has called on Venezuelans to take quicker showers. “Some people sing in the bath for half an hour,” he told a recent cabinet meeting, broadcast live. “What kind of communism is that? Three minutes is more than enough!”

[smp52]

T-72s?

I laughed when I read this. They're not importing the latest Russian MBT T-90 and two dozen Sukhois without the bells and whistles are just HUGE targets. Even with the latest technology, Sukhois are still huge targets.

I think he's preparing to hunker down against his own people in an iron fisted way if they should step out of line. Use the USA as a foreign threat to justfiy the purchases, but buy all the gear with oppressing your own people (and harrassing neighbors) in mind.

[smittycolt]

You know things are slipping when your president tells you to take shorter showers.

Could there be a return to the bad old days of the late 80s, with food riots breaking out all over the country?

http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14803155

I thought you were referring to the POTUS. What's surprising is, I was surprised that you weren't. ;)

[SOTB]

With things going the way they are for Venezuela, and with Chavez' desire to be President for life what are the chances he'll create his own Gleiwitz incident? It's not that he'd have a shot in hell at taking Colombia, or even achieving any kind of small but long term military victories. But if played correctly by his machine, he becomes the savior of Venezuela from Colombian military aggression.The recent devaluation isn't likely to cause a huge amount of problems with his supporters -- but if another one happens? Also, oil prices just aren't going through the roof -- although this recent cold spell might cause some spikes. Without oil revenues, what the hell else has he got to generate income?

I agree with B13, that he acts like a number of other political leaders when pushed against a wall -- divert attention from yourself, and an easy way (especially in LATAM) is via some sort of nationalistic fervor. So does he figure what the hell, nothing to lose, and starts a shooting match with Colombia? Does his DAMNEDEST to capture some Americans that he can then parade as CIA or Special Forces?

I think the dude is a loon, and loons do some crazy shit....

[MakoZeroSix]

Will someone in the CIA put poison in his drink already? Jeez....

Well they had their chance when the coup was launched against him....but fagged out.

[C-M-R]

Phbbbbt....

I think it's fantastic that Chavez is blowing money on weapons.


Go Hugo!!!

What's the phrase? Steel on target? You nailed it.

[C-M-R]

We sold a bunch of shit to iran back in the day...its junk then as is now. Chavez is a gorilla in the mist.

Are you implying we don't know about Hugo or don't understand him? I can tell you that you are wrong if you think that.

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Are you implying we don't know about Hugo or don't understand him? I can tell you that you are wrong if you think that.

The outcome of yesterday's elections in Chile are tangible evidence of LATAM's swing back right. Honduras just quit ALBA. Brazil feels a bit used and isn't happy over the Honduras stuff in general. As more non-indigenous career politicians move from their old parties into positions of leadership in Bolivia's ruling party, there are already signs of the indigenous folks turning on their own party. The "message" gets somewhat diluted when the same old oligarchy begins to infuse the revolution at the expense of the indigenous who voted Evo into office, I guess. Same stealing, different thieves.

As long as oil prices don't shoot through the roof, Chavez has enough issues to deal with at home. The rise in Mexico style kidnappings is a growing issue there as is the fact that Venezuela really doesn't produce anything internally anymore.

Chavez has a lot of influence..just ask him. :biggrin:

[JD Bobcat]

Psy-ops isnt workin' down in Hugo's backyard ? .. lmagine that ! .. Unless hes piping it thru his gov't radio ?

As long as our Colombian assets continue to look like Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz ...... they'll be safe in our hemisphere ..

l speak for myself .. lol .. anbd in behalf of the Miss Universe contestants from south and cental america .. (wink).

[HighDragLowSpeed]

As long as our Colombian assets continue to look like Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz ...... they'll be safe in our hemisphere ..

Even though Salma is Mexican and Penelope is from Spain, I still catch your drift. :tongue:

[JD Bobcat]

l knew that you would .....

[eyezweat]

As long as oil prices don't shoot through the roof, Chavez has enough issues to deal with at home. The rise in Mexico style kidnappings is a growing issue there as is the fact that Venezuela really doesn't produce anything internally anymore.

Chavez has a lot of influence..just ask him. :biggrin:

And now he wants to fake "chat" with Washington. Kiss and make up?

Chavez Seeks Improved Relations with US
January 18, 2010
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela --- Venezuela is seeking to improve diplomatic relations with the United States despite long-standing tensions with Washington, President Hugo Chavez said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Chavez said he has given Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Arias Cardenas permission to seek a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington to discuss forging better bilateral relations.

"Arias Cardenas asked for authorization to meet with an emissary from the U.S. government, and I gave it to him," said Chavez, speaking during a program broadcast on the local Televen television channel. "We want to talk, so there's a possibility of easing tensions."

Chavez didn't explain what prompted his decision to try to improve relations just weeks after he accused the U.S. of planning to invade his country.

But he also criticized U.S. humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

"It appears the gringos are militarily occupying Haiti," Chavez said. "Obama, send medicine, doctors and water --- not more Soldiers."

eyezweat: "Because we can obviously trust the general pop of Haiti to distribute them in a humanitarian way".

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas could not be reached for comment Sunday. There was no immediate reaction from the U.S. State Department or the White House.

Chavez has accused the United States and Colombia of spying on Venezuela and conspiring to topple his "revolutionary" government. Tensions have been exacerbated by a recent agreement between Washington and Bogota granting U.S. troops expanded access to Colombian military bases.

Balance of article:
http://www.military.com/news/article/chavez-seeks-improved-relations-with-us.html?ESRC=army.nl

[eyezweat]

Even though Salma is Mexican and Penelope is from Spain, I still catch your drift. :tongue:

I would shove Salma and Penelope aside for some of the girls I saw in Bogota, not that those two aren't hot. That place is filled with beautiful women, not to mention the other cities of Colombia. SHITE!:eek:

[JD Bobcat]

l agree .. the hottest latin girls in the world reside in Cali and Medillin ..

[HighDragLowSpeed]

And now he wants to fake "chat" with Washington. Kiss and make up?

Chavez Seeks Improved Relations with US
January 18, 2010
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela --- Venezuela is seeking to improve diplomatic relations with the United States despite long-standing tensions with Washington, President Hugo Chavez said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Chavez said he has given Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Arias Cardenas permission to seek a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington to discuss forging better bilateral relations.

Every time Chavez wants to kiss and make up, it's usually followed up by something whacky like this:

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez has once again accused the United States of playing God. But this time it's Haiti's disastrous earthquake that he thinks the U.S. was behind. Spanish newspaper ABC quotes Chavez as saying that the U.S. navy launched a weapon capable of inducing a powerful earthquake off the shore of Haiti. He adds that this time it was only a drill and the final target is ... destroying and taking over Iran. (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/01/21/chavez_us_weapon_test_caused_haiti_earthquake.html )

so, either the US didnt meet with his advisor or he took the full dose of crazy pills yesterday.

[Divot]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/01/21/chavez_us_weapon_test_caused_haiti_earthquake.html

[Snake]

Until Venezuela has the capability to deny the sky to the USAF and the littorals to the USN....they are simply aquiring lots of expensive target dummies. By the time the US Army or Marine Corps gets into the game, most of the high-end systems Chavez is aquiring will be smoking craters.

Remember Saddam in 1990? 4th largest Army on Earth, battle-hardened (right..) in a decade long war, protected by a sophisticated national AD grid? How'd that work out for him when he couldn't keep the sky or sea clear?

That's all, of course, if Colombia doesn't beat him down before we do. Of if he doesn't get another dose of his own medicine (aka "coup")....

[Carl Spackler]

So now Chavez and his lunatic fringe say we have a weapon that caused the earthquake in Haiti:rolleyes:

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Of if he doesn't get another dose of his own medicine (aka "coup")....

I think that, given what happened with Honduras, the U.S. sent a strong and clear message to opponents of left wing governments throughout Latin America that removal of leaders even when fully justified and supported by constitutional authority will not have public or private backing from the US.

Good luck.

[Billy L-bach]

he needs these weapons to defend against the American earthquake gun...

[Joe33]

he needs these weapons to defend against the American earthquake gun...

LMAO. Well-played! :biggrin:

Hey, Stalin tried to create half-man, half-ape troops in the 1930s. What's to say we don't have an earthquake gun?

[Carl Spackler]

We do have a earthquake bomb...methinks he need one up his ass;)

[HighDragLowSpeed]

The headline is likely a bit more ambitious than I might term it but, as I spoke to earlier in the thread, it's clear that all is not well in Bolivarian paradise

Chávez Is Losing His Grip
The end is near for his revolution.

By Mac Margolis | NEWSWEEK
Published Jan 29, 2010

In his 11-year rule, Venezuelan strong-man Hugo Chávez has outlasted all manner of angry foes, conspirators, and mounting chaos. Until now. As he loses control of a shrinking economy, his Teflon is wearing thin. Chronic blackouts and water shortages are darkening industries and forcing homes to ration electricity and baths. Inflation is 30 percent a year, the worst rate in Latin America, and despite an official price freeze, economists say it could double this year. Crime is soaring, with the murder rate tripling under Chávez. Discontent is rising, too.


Once hailed as a redeemer by the poor, Chávez has seen his approval ratings plunge below 50 percent. A year ago, two thirds of Venezuelans were upbeat about their country. Now the same number see the country in decline, says pollster Luis Vicente León. That may not be enough to topple Chávez, whose mandate ends in 2012. Like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe or Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai, he has twisted the rules of democracy—and controls enough cash, media, guns, and institutional clout to cling to power and crush any perceived threat, no matter how absurd. (Chávez recently banned Sony PlayStations and Barbie dolls as imperialist tools, and denounced Twitter as a vehicle for terrorists.) But the gathering turmoil in this nation of 29 million is like nothing the Bolivarian Republic has ever seen. Chávez's controversial project to build and spread 21st-century socialism may already be over.

The end is unlikely to be pretty. After independent channel RCTV declined to air a presidential speech late last month, Chávez ordered cable operators to drop the popular station's programming. Immediately, protests erupted nationwide, killing two and injuring dozens. Tear gas choked downtown Caracas. Undaunted protestors vowed to keep marching. "Keep this up and you will force me to take radical measures," warned Chávez in a nationwide broadcast.

This was not how the Bolivarian revolution was to play out. When Chávez launched it in 1999, he promised to wrest Venezuela's vast oil wealth from gringos and the rapacious elite to fuel 21st-century socialism, which would turn power over to indigenous people and the forgotten poor. And Venezuela would be just the beginning. With mythic Latin American liberator Simón Bolívar as his patron saint, Chávez set out to export the "Bolivarian alternative"—rejecting neoliberalism and the long shadow of the United States—throughout the hemisphere, and perhaps beyond. For a time, the new bolívarianismo stirred hearts across the Andes and in Central America. Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua formally signed on to the Chávez pact. Cuba and a few more islands in the Caribbean followed.

Now the ballyhooed Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America and the Caribbean has stalled. The first blow was the world economic crisis, which gutted oil prices and depleted the Chávista war chest that proved so useful in showering money on the slums, keeping cronies happy, and buying sympathy abroad. Then Chávez allies began angling to extend their terms in power, as he had. A turning point came in Honduras, where efforts by a Chávez ally, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, to hold an illegal referendum in the hope of extending his mandate ran afoul of the Supreme Court, the Congress, and finally the armed forces, which ousted him at gunpoint. At first the world diplomatic community joined Chávez in decrying what looked like an old-fashioned coup d'état—but most Hondurans wanted no part of Chávismo. Last November they elected a new anti-Chávez president, Porfirio Lobo.

Now a handful of nations, including the U.S. and Costa Rica, have recognized the new government in Honduras, while Zelaya has quietly departed for voluntary exile in the Dominican Republic. Chávez is increasingly isolated in the hemisphere. Even card-carrying lefties like Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Peru's Alan García have snubbed Chávez's vision and embraced what Chilean President-elect Sebastián Piñera, a conservative, has called "democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, alternation of power without caudillismo."

Don't count Chávez out yet. Oil prices are rising, and his opposition is in disarray. But 21st-century socialism has lost its allure. WHOEVER WORKS FOR A REVOLUTION IS PLOWING THE SEA, reads Bolívar's gravestone, reflecting the liberator's despair over his ultimately failed mission. It's a lesson Chávez might keep in mind.

from http://www.newsweek.com/id/232808

[Sltwtr1]

The headline is likely a bit more ambitious than I might term it but, as I spoke to earlier in the thread, it's clear that all is not well in Bolivarian paradise



from http://www.newsweek.com/id/232808

Although I am very happy his "ideas" of socialism etc are not working out and his support is eroding.... It to me is also a cautionary warning for those in the AO...

History is rife with desperate men, in an effort to rally the country, find an excuse to hold on to and consolidate power and take the focus of the domestic issues etc. They have a tendency to start wars or set up a reason to start one.

Colombia be wary.....

Sltwtr1

OUT

[HighDragLowSpeed]

Things just are getting worse for Chavez...Combine this with the constant power outages and he'll have a hard time convincing folks that Colombia is the enemy when 2 people are being murdered every hour in Caracas.


Venezuela murder-rate quadrupled under Chavez -NGO 11 Mar 2010 17:49:08 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Caracas most violent capital in Western Hemisphere

* Chavez's popularity affected by crime wave

CARACAS, March 11 (Reuters) - Homicides in Venezuela have quadrupled during President Hugo Chavez's 11 years in power, with two people murdered every hour, according to new figures from a non-governmental organization.

The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), whose data is widely followed in the absence of official statistics, said the South American nation has one of the highest crime rates on the continent, with 54 homicides per 100,000 citizens in 2009.

That rate is only surpassed in Latin America by El Salvador where 70 in every 100,000 citizens were murdered last year, the OVV said, citing official statistics from that country.

Crime repeatedly comes first on Venezuelans' list of worries. It has also begun to drag on Chavez's traditionally high approval ratings as well as scare tourists who come to Venezuela.

"The problem is not so much the criminals, but rather the government's inaction and lack of policies," OVV director Roberto Briceno Leon told Reuters.

Chavez says he is doing his best to combat crime, which he blames on wealth inequalities caused by former governments.

He accuses foes of exaggerating the problem to foment fear, and has recently hiked pay for police officers, as well as launching a new national force.

The Interior Ministry, which last gave official crime statistics in 2004, declined comment on the OVV's new figures.

Briceno, a criminology professor at the Central University of Venezuela and at the Sorbonne in Paris, blamed a weak judicial system and ineffective and corrupt policing in Venezuela, where he said 91 percent of crimes go unsolved.

He collates his figures from police sources and media reports. When Chavez came to power in 1999 there were 4,550 homicides whereas in 2009 there were 16,047, the OVV said.

That means Venezuela experiences every month about as many deaths as occurred in the Gaza Strip during Israel's early 2009 offensive, Briceno said.

With a murder rate of 140 per 100,000 citizens, Venezuela's capital Caracas has the highest murder rate in South America, only exceeded in the hemisphere by Mexico's Ciudad Juarez.

Most of the deaths occur in crowded slums, but crime impinges on all sectors. In richer residential areas at night, cars shoot through red lights on often deserted streets and few people are willing to risk walking outside. (Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

From http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N11226112.htm

[Tracy]

Chavez' Problems = Me-->:smile:

I love the fact he is falling into the same trap. "Deja Vu all over again..."

[Spinner]

In his 11-year rule, Venezuelan strong-man Hugo Chávez has outlasted all manner of angry foes, conspirators, and mounting chaos. Until now. As he loses control of a shrinking economy, his Teflon is wearing thin. Chronic blackouts and water shortages are darkening industries and forcing homes to ration electricity and baths. Inflation is 30 percent a year, the worst rate in Latin America, and despite an official price freeze, economists say it could double this year. Crime is soaring, with the murder rate tripling under Chávez. Discontent is rising, too.

His day of reckoning nears. Who can forget the food riots of 1988? And much of that discontent came from the middle class.

[Spinner]

Who better to spell it out for some of these folks with the highest praise for Chavez than somebody like Guillen, who grew up in Venezuela, in pretty humble circumstances I suspect.

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/about-last-night/2010/03/ozzie-guillen-has-a-bone-to-pick-withsean-penn.html

You can add Sean Penn to the long list of people who have been called out by Ozzie Guillen.

The outspoken White Sox manager called Penn a "payaso" (clown) and "izquierdista estupido" (stupid leftist) on Twitter Friday for his praise of controversial Venezuela President Hugo Chavez.

"Oh my God, Sean Penn defended our President Hugo Chavez," Guillen, a Venezuela native, tweeted. "That's easy when you [don't] live in Venezuela and have money. LOL...shame on [you]."

Penn appeared on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" last week and was asked why he continues to defend Chavez.

"Every day this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it and accept it," Penn said. "And this is mainstream media, who should -- truly there should be a bar by which they -- one goes to prison for these kinds of lies."

Chavez addressed the Oscar-winning actor's comments during a televised rally in Venezuela's capital, Caracas (which has the highest murder rate in South America), on Wednesday.

"I was reading the declarations from our friend Sean Penn, the famous American actor," Chavez said. "Penn defended what he considers to be the truth."

Guillen, who received his U.S. citizenship in Jan. 2006, obviously disagreed.

"Oh God, you are very crazy," Guillen tweeted about Penn. "Go and move to our country. You will change your mind."