Cuban celebrate Venezuelan president's return to power, term his victory his nation's 'Bay of Pigs'

A delegation of Cuban sports officials also traveled to Venezuela on Tuesday to visit with some of the more 600 Cuban sports technicians, physicians, physical therapists and other specialists working there.

HAVANA - With cries of "long live a free Cuba!" thousands of Cuban government supporters on Tuesday celebrated Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's return to power, terming it a Bay of Pigs-style victory.

Commemorating the 41st anniversary of the day that Fidel Castro declared Cuba to be socialist, about 4,000 people - workers, students, housewives and retirees - gathered at the street corner where Castro spoke on the eve of the April 17, 1961 invasion at the Bay of Pigs.

Participants drew parallels between the disastrous attack by a U.S.-backed exile army four decades ago and unsuccessful efforts by Chavez's opponents over the weekend to keep him out of power. Castro considers Chavez a friend and his closest political ally in the region.

Cuba closely followed the recent events in Venezuela, where Chavez was detained by the military early Friday amid wide protests. He was released and restored to power just two days later on Sunday.

"This commemoration acquires special relevance this year, when just a few hours before in a beautiful historic coincidence ... the sons of (independence leader Simon) Bolivar have written a page of dignity and honor by going out into the streets to overthrow the coup attempt," said Jorge Arias, a top local Communist Party official.

What happened in Venezuela is a "new Giron," said Garcia. Although many know the Cold War-era invasion as the Bay of Pigs, Cubans and other Latin Americans refer to the battle as Playa Giron, or Giron Beach, the name of the stretch of land facing the bay on the south-central coast of Cuba where most fighting occurred.

Forty-one years ago, as Cuba mourned the death of seven people killing in air bombings that preceded the invasion, Castro declared: "This is the socialist and democratic revolution of the humble, with the humble and for the humble."

Trained by the CIA in Guatemala, the 2506 Brigade invasion force was comprised of about 1,500 exiles determined to overthrow Castro's government, which had seized power 28 months before.

Without U.S. air support and running short of ammunition, more than 1,000 invaders were captured. Another 100 invaders and 151 defenders died.

During the coup attempt in Venezuela last week, Castro's government was concerned for the safety of its hundreds of technicians in areas ranging from sports to medicine who currently work there under agreements with the Chavez administration.

Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque made a lightning visit to Caracas on Tuesday to meet with Cuban Embassy officials and congratulate them on the courage shown when their mission was attacked by Chavez opponents following his ouster, embassy spokesman Manuel Alfonso said.

Hundreds of people surrounded the mission in the belief that members of Chavez's deposed administration were inside. Seven embassy vehicles were destroyed, firebombs were lobbed at the embassy and shots were fired through the windows of the ambassador's residence before order was restored, said Alfonso.

U.S. Cautioned Leader of Plot Against Chávez***Mr. Dodd expressed dismay that the administration had been slow to criticize Mr. Chávez's ouster. Administration officials erroneously reported on Friday that Mr. Chávez had resigned and said his antidemocratic behavior was responsible for his undoing. Only after Mr. Chávez had been restored on Saturday did the administration support a resolution at the Organization of American States condemning the interruption of democratic rule.

"While all the details of the attempted coup in Venezuela are not yet known, what is clear is that the vast majority of governments in the hemisphere lived up to their responsibilities under the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and denounced the unconstitutional efforts to take power from a government which had been freely elected," Mr. Dodd said.

Mr. Reich, who is a Cuban exile, warned Congressional aides that there was more at stake in Venezuela than the success or failure of Mr. Chávez. American officials accuse Mr. Chávez of meddling with the historically independent state oil company, providing haven to Colombian guerrillas and bailing out Cuba with preferential rates on oil.

In the closed door briefing, Mr. Reich said the administration had received reports that "foreign paramilitary forces" suspected to be Cubans were involved in the bloody suppression of anti-Chávez demonstrators, in which at least 14 people were killed, a Congressional official said today.***

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February 2002 - Chavez Tries Charm to Disarm Critics (Russian and Cuban security advisers in Venezuela) ***The official said he was also concerned at the growing role of Russian and Cuban security advisers in Venezuela. Egui Bastidas said he had experienced "the direct participation and the attempts at indoctrination by the Russian and Cuban intelligence services, who have direct and virtually unlimited access within the Helicoide (DISIP's headquarters building)." The official's lawyer, former DISIP Secretary-General Joaquin Chaffardet, said around 100 members of the Cuban intelligence services are currently operating in Venezuela. The new allegations would, if proven, further strain the already difficult relationship between the United States and Venezuela.***

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Remove Military From Venezuelan Politics, OAS Tells "feisty" Chavez***"This tradition that has been established in Venezuela in the last few years that military officers are important protagonists in politics ... is very unhealthy," Gaviria said. The coup plotters are under arrest but uniforms still loom large in Venezuela. Chavez has promoted many comrades and put ministries and key institutions in the hands of officers. Without urgent change, Gaviria said "it's going to be very difficult to preserve democracy in Venezuela."***

As in Swamp Fox?

Cuba, Venezuela Increasing Ties*** In June, Chavez decided to create citizens' groups charged with taking care of their neighborhoods. To some, the move evoked images of Cuba's infamous revolutionary block committees. Most criticism has been leveled by Venezuela's teachers, who oppose Cuban funding and Cuban-inspired curricula in public schools. A key Chavez program affords millions of poor children a chance to go to school. But many teachers condemned a course on the late Cuban revolutionary Ernesto ``Che'' Guevara, and a May protest ended in clashes with pro-Chavez activists in front of the Cuban Embassy.

What's really happening in Venezuela***To that effect an invasion of Cuban "workers" replaced many Venezuelan workers (leaving Venezuelans unemployed), started mingling in internal affairs, and introduced communist indoctrination. This indoctrination extends from children in elementary school through to university.

Cuba sent additional "teachers" and "doctors" to help in the proselytizing. And China -- notorious for violations of human rights and unfriendliness to America - also sent "workers" to help Chavez's regime.

As Castro did in Cuba after 1959, the armed forces of Venezuela were reorganized by putting Chavez's cronies in charge of all important positions in the military. And as in Cuba, promotions became conditional on political beliefs. Cuban military advisers and intelligence operatives descended on Venezuela to help organize the repressive apparatus necessary to keep the new dictator in place.

The so-called "Cubanization" of Venezuela was well underway when, on June 10, 2001, Chavez, following Castro's example and guidelines, created paramilitary battalions to repress and intimidate his political adversaries. While in Cuba they are called "Rapid Response Brigades" Chavez called his "Bolivarian Circles."***

Yes, it's a tip o' the hat to the indian-style fighter that was the scourge of the RedCoats during the revolution...he's my favorite American Revolution figure. "The Patriot" was loosely based on his life, but that movie kinda went down the tubes for me after the first half hour...Roland Emmerich ruined it.

Thanks for the 411 on Venezuela...

"A lot of interesting theories expatriot. I agree, terrorists shouldn't be in charge of the world's energy supply. Why not get rid of the terrorists, instead of the oil?"

Or just get rid of the need for oil....then all they can do is use it for cheap Ed Wood special effects...or have carcinogenic barbecues, I don't know.

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