PING – Hugo is at it again!
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HugoPing Archive
Posted on 08/16/2006 11:52:57 AM PDT by Kitten Festival
Latin America: Donald Rumsfeld once observed that Venezuelans had a way of fixing political problems on their own, with no need of U.S. intervention. The dramatic prison break of a union boss may be the first sign.
Carlos Ortega's escape Sunday from a Venezuelan maximum security military prison must have sent a shiver through the tyrannical leftist regime of President Hugo Chavez.
The tough union boss had crossed Chavez before and was serving a 16-year sentence for leading a vast oil-worker strike in 2002-03.
Like Lech Walesa of Poland, Ortega called for independent union leadership at Venezuela's state oil company against Chavez's efforts to politicize it. Ortega wanted more than just independence, though. After Chavez tried to void a union election, Ortega aimed to force Chavez completely from power.
During the two-month strike, Venezuelan oil output stopped, world oil prices spiked and the U.S. learned to get along without Venezuelan crude with a little help from added Saudi output.
Chavez fought back with ferocity against Ortega's striking CTV union, securing oil shipments from Brazil to break the strike. Then he fired 18,000 striking oil engineers, managers and workers. He confiscated their voluntary pension plans, put them on a no-work blacklist and vindictively read their names off on his TV show.
But Chavez reserved his worst wrath for Ortega. The CTV union boss was captured after about a year on the lam. Then he was sentenced to a long prison term — inside Venezuela's highest security military prison, where Chavez hoped he'd be forgotten.
Although Ortega is not a fresh face on the political scene, and probably not comparable to a classic democracy leader like Vaclav Havel, he's significant because he's different from Chavez's other foes. His bold prison escape was unexpected, and illegal.
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Ortega's prison break scares Chavez for...
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
So that's where Jimmy went.
The other parties have joined forces and nominated only one candidate to face Chavez Dec 15. That and this should keep Hugo busy until then.
Yep. It looks like the Thug of Caracas has opponents of all kinds these days. If they hate Chavez, I am all for them.
I'd like to think the CIA has actually managed to play a hand in this. Our capabilities are much better in Latin America than they are in the ME. Chavez is a serious threat. We need to keep him occupied in Bannanaville instead of letting him romp around the world creating an anti-american coalition.
Definitely not good news for Chavez. As long as Ortega is loose Hugo should be very aware of his surroundings.
Hugo needs a bullet through the head, and soon.
Viva la revelucion!
'His bold prison escape was unexpected, and illegal'
illegal prison escape. mmmmmmm
illegal was put in there because some of us might not realize that you can escape from prison legally somehow?
btw, is this Bush's fault? aiding and abetting?
Exactly! Yesterday would have been good.
Once the Communists take over they get rid of the private unions.
Truth is Venezuela is producing less oil due totally to the fact when Chavez pulled what he pulled with the oil industry all the know how guys left. Chavez brought in his own men in and they're doing a p*ss poor job. When oil goes down...Chavez will have a huge financial problem. And it's a comin' ... chavez is moving into trouble waters faster then most know...
This will continue for a season...and only for a short season...chavez...that is...
Not all in central america....Costa Rican President Arias dismisses Cuban's claim, says island needs change [democratization]
....paging Mr. D'Anconia.
This is news to me. I guess MSM didn't want the socialist pukes in this country to have something else to whine about. Chavez is causing a world of trouble and needs to be put down.
Finally, a union leader lefties can hate.
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