Venezuela President Resigns in Tumult - asks for exile in Cuba

yahoo.com ^ | Apr 12, 2002 8:59 AM ET | JORGE RUEDA, AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[goldstategop]

Exile in Cuba. Another Communist symp flees the coop.

[KC_Conspirator]

Good riddance. I have no doubt in my mind that a life long dictator was removed from office today. Ordering snipers to deliberately fire on demonstrators is unacceptable.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I dunno. Cuba already has one dictator. Perhaps if Senior Chavez doesn't mind a bit of manual labor in the sugar cane fields...

[Sangamon Kid]

On the surface, this is great news. If some banana republic military junta doesn't take control they might be able to elect someone friendly to the U.S.

[Redleg Duke]

I don't hardly think that would be prudent to let him run home to Fidel. For those of you who don't remember, Cuba under Fidel was famous for its exports, of cigars, sugar and revolution. It sent thousands of "volunteers" to Africa and South and Central America to "liberate" the victims of these countries "suffering under the heel of the imperialist, capitalist oppressor".

I think this bastard should be kept in close-hold where the dogs can't bite him.

[marktwain]

Exile is too good for this Castro dictator wannabee. Try him, then shoot him for conspiracy to murder.

This is good news. The revolution of the people against socialist oppression continues.

Long live freedom!

[TLBSHOW]

Bump now why not get rid of Castro too!

[Stentor]

On the surface, this is great news. If some banana republic military junta doesn't take control they might be able to elect someone friendly to the U.S.

Chavez is partly responsible for the increase in oil prices and a "popular" uprising occurs. I think we should give credit where credit is due on this one.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Maybe Chavez could do for Cuba what he did for Venezuela!!

Business leader Pedro Carmona takes the reigns of a Venezuela in crisis - Fri Apr 12, 9:24 AM ET - [Full Text] CARACAS, Venezuela - Pedro Carmona Estanga, the president of Venezuela's leading association of businesses picked by the military as interim president, played a key role in the protests against ousted President Hugo Chavez.

Carmona, 60, is expected to rule this South American nation until new elections. "My only interest in these last days was the fight against the government of Hugo Chavez. But I didn't fight to arrive at this, (I fought) only because it was necessary," Carmona told reporters early Friday morning.

Chavez resigned under military pressure early Friday after a massive opposition demonstration ended in a bloodbath.

Carmona, an economist who studied in Venezuela and in Belgium, worked most of his life in private enterprise although he also represented Venezuela in economic and commercial missions abroad.

Since his election in June 2001 as the president of the association of businesses, Fedecameras, Carmona led a revolt within the business sector against Chavez in reaction to the former paratrooper's statist economic policies.

Between 1988 and 1989 Carmona was president of the Venezuelan-Colombian Chamber for Commerce and Industry. From 1995 to 1997 he presided over the Venezuelan Confederation of Industries.

Juan Calvo, an executive who has worked side by side with Carmona for over 30 years, described him as "a balanced and intelligent man, a leader, who knows how to resolve problems." [End]

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nice to see a S. American revolution without our fingerprints on it.

[Sangamon Kid]

Vasquez Velasco, the army commander, said 95 percent of army forces were under his control, as well as all airports and major military bases. Incoming international commercial flights were canceled until further notice...."We ask the Venezuelan people's forgiveness for today's events," said Vasquez Velasco. "Mr. President, I was loyal to the end, but today's deaths cannot be tolerated."

This is the kind of military junta members I'm talking about. This guy, along with all the top military brass, ought to be canned in a New York minute, as well as other high ranking government offficials

[miamimark]

Nice to see a S. American revolution without our fingerprints on it.

When Chavez said no to US planes "drug flights" & turned downed the IMF , his destiny was sealed.

[Dialup Llama]

Could some Freeper with specific knowledge of the situation answer me the following... All the poor people vote for Chavez. Now we had 150,000 people protesting against him. Who were those 150,000, why were they protesting and did any of them vote for Chavez in the first place?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

When Chavez armed thugs and denied others gun permits, when he re-wrote the school curriculum and the constitution and packed the judicary and congress, when he placed all his former coup-mates in high office and in miltary positions, when he started dictating rules for distribution of land and bleeding the Venezuelan oil company, when he started cuddling up to Castro and bringing in his teachers, trainers, advisors and doctors, when Chavez became an out of the closet communist, that's when he sealed his fate.

[Dialup Llama]

>>Nice to see a S. American revolution without our fingerprints on it.

>When Chavez said no to US planes "drug flights" & turned downed the IMF , his destiny was sealed.

From the article- "At 3 a.m. Friday, Chavez, wearing military fatigues and a red beret - as he did when he led a failed 1992 coup against then-President Carlos Andres Perez."

I just call it karma.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chavez Foes March in Venezuela, Head for Palace - 500,000 march

Hugo Chavez is Castro II

[Dialup Llama]

>When Chavez armed thugs and denied others gun permits,

That's when you can end up with a situation like in Sudan or many other places where people unarmed by the law are mysteriously subject to attack by roving, politically connected gangs amazingly not subject to the same gun control laws. Best to nip it in the bud.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Add to the list, Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc.