[Cincinatus' Wife]

Venezuelan VP (and former coup partner of Chavez) claims media helped stir protests Soto's whereabouts were unknown. National Guard Capt. Pedro Jose Flores, believed to be involved with Soto, also was missing.

Soto said most of the armed forces resent Chavez's uncompromising style of governing and his verbal attacks on the news media. The government described Soto as a disgruntled colonel passed over for promotion to general.

Vice President Diosdado Cabello assured the nation that no coups were stirring and that this South American nation "is in complete and total calm."

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Interesting perspective, coming from the former co-coup plotter of Hugo Chavez.

[PhilDragoo]

Chavez styles himself a mini-Fidel. This oil-rich, anti-U.S. regime just concluded an arms-and-"friendship" deal with China.

Where's a C.I.A. hit team when you need it?

[flanew]

good post

[waxhaw]

This is an interesting post. Venezuela was going through economic meltdown while I was living there from '93 - '96. And while there was "freedom" of the press the government controlled access to dollars and the newspapers required dollars in order to buy their print paper. Any paper which was critical towards the Caldera government did not receive dollars... so you never read any criticism of the government's handling of the financial crisis. The few television reporters who attempted to criticize the Caldera government found their offices trashed and their journalists beaten. There were some television journalists who had to flee Venezuela because they genuinely feared for their lives - one reporter in fact was sentenced to prison in absentia. Meanwhile over 80 "banqueros" - the bankers who robbed Venezuela's 19 major banks and then fled with the loot, were living luxurious lives in Miami and Switzerland. The Caldera government made no effort to go after them... but journalists were prime targets.

[ken21]

good post.

i saw an article similar to this in the newspaper today.

i hope they get rid of chavez and his castroites.

[Travis McGee]

It looks like Fidel has been a good teacher in how to handle the media.

[Nik Naym]

My previous post seems to have disappeared so I will give it another try.

Venezuela has been a concern for some time. Particularly when we consider the oil supplies they have, and the fact that they are dealing with China for those supplies, and seem intent on us not getting to buy any of it.

But as for the title of the article: It makes it sound like the place has been overrun by plumbers working on sink traps!

Nik

[SunkenCiv]

"Last week, unknown assailants planted a bomb outside the offices of the independent newspaper Asi es la Noticia, which damaged the building without causing injuries. The newspaper had the previous day published details of a video showing members of the Venezuelan Air Force with a Colombian rebel group."

I'm curious about that detail. Is Chavez supporting the rebels with Venezuelan troops? Did these troops defect? Were they captured?