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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

What Hugo Chavez has been up to

Colombia recently scored a coup against FARC terrorists when they killed a FARC guerrilla leader and 16 of his followers inside the border of Ecuador. Hugo Chavez jumped to criticize Colombia for violating Ecuador's sovereignty. But Colombia has been able to blunt Chavez's phony outrage by revealing what they found on the laptop of the FARC terrorist, Raúl Reyes. And it was quite an illuminating haul about what Hugo Chavez has been up to.
The war bluster is especially phony because Mr. Chavez is already waging his own guerrilla campaign against Colombia through his support for the FARC. The FARC's "foreign minister," Rodrigo Granda, was nabbed three years ago by bounty hunters in Caracas, where he was living comfortably, and a former Venezuelan military officer told us years ago that the army was instructed not to pursue the FARC in the Venezuelan jungle.

What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation.

General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.
Venezuela has been threatening war against Colombia. Chavez probably would prefer to have an issue that he can demagogue to distract his own populace from the economic shortages that they have been suffering despite all of Venezuela's oil wealth. But he has to worry how an army that has supported him so long but which he has weakened by purging any military leader whose loyalty he doubted would really perform in an outright war.

And I wonder how Sean Penn, who has expressed his admiration for the Venezuelan president, feels about Chavez's dealing with narco-terrorists.

As Anne Applebaum wrote last fall, Chavez has provided an easy way for celebrities like Sean Penn and Naomi Campbell to stick it in the eye of President Bush and demonstrate their disdain for the United States.
In fact, for the malcontents of Hollywood, academia, and the catwalks, Chávez is an ideal ally. Just as the sympathetic foreigners whom Lenin called "useful idiots" once supported Russia abroad, their modern equivalents provide the Venezuelan president with legitimacy, attention, and good photographs. He, in turn, helps them overcome the frustration John Reed once felt—the frustration of living in an annoyingly unrevolutionary country where people have to change things by law. For all his brilliance, Reed could not bring socialism to America. For all his wealth, fame, media access, and Hollywood power, Sean Penn cannot oust George W. Bush. But by showing up in the company of Chávez, he can at least get a lot more attention for his opinions.

As for Venezuelan politics, or the Venezuelan people, they don't matter at all. The country is simply playing a role filled in the past by Russia, Cuba, and Nicaragua—a role to which it is, at the moment, uniquely suited. Clearly, Venezuela is easier to idealize than Iran and North Korea, the former's attitude to women being not conducive to fashion models, the latter being downright hostile to Hollywood. Venezuela is also warm, relatively close, and a country of beautiful waterfalls.

Most of all, Venezuela's leader not only dislikes the American president—so do most other heads of state—but refers to him as "the devil," a "dictator," a "madman," and a "killer." Who cares what Chávez actually does when Sean Penn isn't looking? Ninety years after the tragedy of the Russian revolution, Venezuela has become the "kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer" for a whole new generation of fellow-travelers. As long as the oil lasts.
Labels: Foreign Policy

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:45 AM 0 comments

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Colombia recently scored a coup against FARC terrorists when they killed a FARC guerrilla leader and 16 of his followers inside the border of Ecuador. Hugo Chavez jumped to criticize Colombia for violating Ecuador's sovereignty. But Colombia has been able to blunt Chavez's phony outrage by revealing what they found on the laptop of the FARC terrorist, Raúl Reyes. And it was quite an illuminating haul about what Hugo Chavez has been up to.

The war bluster is especially phony because Mr. Chavez is already waging his own guerrilla campaign against Colombia through his support for the FARC. The FARC's "foreign minister," Rodrigo Granda, was nabbed three years ago by bounty hunters in Caracas, where he was living comfortably, and a former Venezuelan military officer told us years ago that the army was instructed not to pursue the FARC in the Venezuelan jungle.

What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation.

General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.

Venezuela has been threatening war against Colombia. Chavez probably would prefer to have an issue that he can demagogue to distract his own populace from the economic shortages that they have been suffering despite all of Venezuela's oil wealth. But he has to worry how an army that has supported him so long but which he has weakened by purging any military leader whose loyalty he doubted would really perform in an outright war.

And I wonder how Sean Penn, who has expressed his admiration for the Venezuelan president, feels about Chavez's dealing with narco-terrorists.

As Anne Applebaum wrote last fall, Chavez has provided an easy way for celebrities like Sean Penn and Naomi Campbell to stick it in the eye of President Bush and demonstrate their disdain for the United States.

In fact, for the malcontents of Hollywood, academia, and the catwalks, Chávez is an ideal ally. Just as the sympathetic foreigners whom Lenin called "useful idiots" once supported Russia abroad, their modern equivalents provide the Venezuelan president with legitimacy, attention, and good photographs. He, in turn, helps them overcome the frustration John Reed once felt—the frustration of living in an annoyingly unrevolutionary country where people have to change things by law. For all his brilliance, Reed could not bring socialism to America. For all his wealth, fame, media access, and Hollywood power, Sean Penn cannot oust George W. Bush. But by showing up in the company of Chávez, he can at least get a lot more attention for his opinions.

As for Venezuelan politics, or the Venezuelan people, they don't matter at all. The country is simply playing a role filled in the past by Russia, Cuba, and Nicaragua—a role to which it is, at the moment, uniquely suited. Clearly, Venezuela is easier to idealize than Iran and North Korea, the former's attitude to women being not conducive to fashion models, the latter being downright hostile to Hollywood. Venezuela is also warm, relatively close, and a country of beautiful waterfalls.

Most of all, Venezuela's leader not only dislikes the American president—so do most other heads of state—but refers to him as "the devil," a "dictator," a "madman," and a "killer." Who cares what Chávez actually does when Sean Penn isn't looking? Ninety years after the tragedy of the Russian revolution, Venezuela has become the "kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer" for a whole new generation of fellow-travelers. As long as the oil lasts.

Labels: Foreign Policy

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:45 AM 0 comments

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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

What Hugo Chavez has been up to

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HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. The truth about Avesil Cheap Hosting Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney Wikio Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights Online Bachelors Degree Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you. Site Feed		Tuesday, March 04, 2008 What Hugo Chavez has been up to Colombia recently scored a coup against FARC terrorists when they killed a FARC guerrilla leader and 16 of his followers inside the border of Ecuador. Hugo Chavez jumped to criticize Colombia for violating Ecuador's sovereignty. But Colombia has been able to blunt Chavez's phony outrage by revealing what they found on the laptop of the FARC terrorist, Raúl Reyes. And it was quite an illuminating haul about what Hugo Chavez has been up to. The war bluster is especially phony because Mr. Chavez is already waging his own guerrilla campaign against Colombia through his support for the FARC. The FARC's "foreign minister," Rodrigo Granda, was nabbed three years ago by bounty hunters in Caracas, where he was living comfortably, and a former Venezuelan military officer told us years ago that the army was instructed not to pursue the FARC in the Venezuelan jungle. What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation. General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992. Venezuela has been threatening war against Colombia. Chavez probably would prefer to have an issue that he can demagogue to distract his own populace from the economic shortages that they have been suffering despite all of Venezuela's oil wealth. But he has to worry how an army that has supported him so long but which he has weakened by purging any military leader whose loyalty he doubted would really perform in an outright war. And I wonder how Sean Penn, who has expressed his admiration for the Venezuelan president, feels about Chavez's dealing with narco-terrorists. As Anne Applebaum wrote last fall, Chavez has provided an easy way for celebrities like Sean Penn and Naomi Campbell to stick it in the eye of President Bush and demonstrate their disdain for the United States. In fact, for the malcontents of Hollywood, academia, and the catwalks, Chávez is an ideal ally. Just as the sympathetic foreigners whom Lenin called "useful idiots" once supported Russia abroad, their modern equivalents provide the Venezuelan president with legitimacy, attention, and good photographs. He, in turn, helps them overcome the frustration John Reed once felt—the frustration of living in an annoyingly unrevolutionary country where people have to change things by law. For all his brilliance, Reed could not bring socialism to America. For all his wealth, fame, media access, and Hollywood power, Sean Penn cannot oust George W. Bush. But by showing up in the company of Chávez, he can at least get a lot more attention for his opinions. As for Venezuelan politics, or the Venezuelan people, they don't matter at all. The country is simply playing a role filled in the past by Russia, Cuba, and Nicaragua—a role to which it is, at the moment, uniquely suited. Clearly, Venezuela is easier to idealize than Iran and North Korea, the former's attitude to women being not conducive to fashion models, the latter being downright hostile to Hollywood. Venezuela is also warm, relatively close, and a country of beautiful waterfalls. Most of all, Venezuela's leader not only dislikes the American president—so do most other heads of state—but refers to him as "the devil," a "dictator," a "madman," and a "killer." Who cares what Chávez actually does when Sean Penn isn't looking? Ninety years after the tragedy of the Russian revolution, Venezuela has become the "kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer" for a whole new generation of fellow-travelers. As long as the oil lasts. Labels: Foreign Policy posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:45 AM 0 comments Comments: Colombia recently scored a coup against FARC terrorists when they killed a FARC guerrilla leader and 16 of his followers inside the border of Ecuador. Hugo Chavez jumped to criticize Colombia for violating Ecuador's sovereignty. But Colombia has been able to blunt Chavez's phony outrage by revealing what they found on the laptop of the FARC terrorist, Raúl Reyes. And it was quite an illuminating haul about what Hugo Chavez has been up to. The war bluster is especially phony because Mr. Chavez is already waging his own guerrilla campaign against Colombia through his support for the FARC. The FARC's "foreign minister," Rodrigo Granda, was nabbed three years ago by bounty hunters in Caracas, where he was living comfortably, and a former Venezuelan military officer told us years ago that the army was instructed not to pursue the FARC in the Venezuelan jungle. What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation. General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992. Venezuela has been threatening war against Colombia. Chavez probably would prefer to have an issue that he can demagogue to distract his own populace from the economic shortages that they have been suffering despite all of Venezuela's oil wealth. But he has to worry how an army that has supported him so long but which he has weakened by purging any military leader whose loyalty he doubted would really perform in an outright war. And I wonder how Sean Penn, who has expressed his admiration for the Venezuelan president, feels about Chavez's dealing with narco-terrorists. As Anne Applebaum wrote last fall, Chavez has provided an easy way for celebrities like Sean Penn and Naomi Campbell to stick it in the eye of President Bush and demonstrate their disdain for the United States. In fact, for the malcontents of Hollywood, academia, and the catwalks, Chávez is an ideal ally. Just as the sympathetic foreigners whom Lenin called "useful idiots" once supported Russia abroad, their modern equivalents provide the Venezuelan president with legitimacy, attention, and good photographs. He, in turn, helps them overcome the frustration John Reed once felt—the frustration of living in an annoyingly unrevolutionary country where people have to change things by law. For all his brilliance, Reed could not bring socialism to America. For all his wealth, fame, media access, and Hollywood power, Sean Penn cannot oust George W. Bush. But by showing up in the company of Chávez, he can at least get a lot more attention for his opinions. As for Venezuelan politics, or the Venezuelan people, they don't matter at all. The country is simply playing a role filled in the past by Russia, Cuba, and Nicaragua—a role to which it is, at the moment, uniquely suited. Clearly, Venezuela is easier to idealize than Iran and North Korea, the former's attitude to women being not conducive to fashion models, the latter being downright hostile to Hollywood. Venezuela is also warm, relatively close, and a country of beautiful waterfalls. Most of all, Venezuela's leader not only dislikes the American president—so do most other heads of state—but refers to him as "the devil," a "dictator," a "madman," and a "killer." Who cares what Chávez actually does when Sean Penn isn't looking? Ninety years after the tragedy of the Russian revolution, Venezuela has become the "kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer" for a whole new generation of fellow-travelers. As long as the oil lasts. Labels: Foreign Policy posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:45 AM 0 comments Comments: Post a Comment