Free Republic

LA PAZ, Bolivia A vaguely worded military pact between President Evo Morales' government and Venezuela ran into resistance Thursday in the opposition-controlled Senate. The accord, presented May 26 during a visit by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, would bring armed forces under the two leftist administrations closer together and have Venezuela help Bolivia construct a military base in the northern city of Riberalta and a river port on its border with Brazil. "Disarm who? Control of what forces? It could mean anything — whatever you want is in there," Carlos Borth, senator from the conservative opposition party Podemos, told the...

Hugo Chávez and the Non-Aligned Movement. By Mario Loyola Behind the spectacle of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s insults against the West lurks something more sinister than meets the eye. Chávez seeks to lead the Non-Aligned Movement in a new cold war of race, class, and nationalism, to be fought everywhere on earth, chiefly against the United States. And before he’s done, he may hurt his people and ours more than he can imagine. In the 1950s, from the ashes of Europe’s colonial empires, there arose a wave of new “nations,” soon to be called the “third world.” Usually defined by...

BOSTON - For 42 years, Agnes Crosson has lived in the same three-bedroom house in Quincy, Mass., where she is often visited by her 14 grandchildren. Heating her high-ceiling home has become increasingly expensive for the former social worker. Enter Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Last winter, Crosson enrolled in a heating oil program backed by Venezuelan government-controlled Citgo Petroleum to fill her 250-gallon heating oil tank. She saved $200 on the purchase. Despite the savings, Crosson is having second thoughts about reenrolling this year after reading about Chávez's speech last week at the U.N. General Assembly. Chávez called President Bush...

Rosales Promises to Exchange Arms for Vouchers of 5 Million Bolivares1 Caracas -- The unitary opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales, formulated today the security plans which form an integral part of his governing strategy and promised to create and preside over a National Council of Justice and Security. He explained that this body "would render an accounting of the security of the country and will incorporate within itself the President of the TSJ [Supreme Tribunal of Justice], the General Prosecutor of the Republic, the Public Defender,2 and the Ministers of Defense, Interior, and Justice." Furthermore he announced a "true disarmament...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A South Florida lawmaker wants the state to remove Citgo gas stations from Florida's Turnpike. State Representative Adam Hasner is raising the issue following last week's comments by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the United Nations, who said President George W. Bush was "the devil." Citgo is owned by the national oil company of Venezuela. In a letter to the state Department of Transportation, Hasner asks whether the state can terminate the contracts of Citgo gas stations at toll plazas along the Turnpike. In his letter, the Delray Beach Republican said a clear message needs to be...

Politics: It's good to see Democrats put country above politics, as many did in repudiating Hugo Chavez's lunatic attacks on our president. But too many are still in the thug's debt and must dissociate with more than words. That's important because Chavez's crazed speeches this week, declaring President Bush "the devil," leave the scent of political blood in the water for plenty of Democrats. They know their own anti-Bush ravings could come back to haunt them on Nov. 7, given the enormous wave of public revulsion at Chavez's words in the U.S. After all, potential GOP TV ads featuring Democrats'...

AP 7-Eleven Dropping Venezuela-Backed Citgo Wednesday September 27, 12:16 pm ET 7-Eleven Dropping Venezuela-Backed Citgo As Its Gasoline Supplier DALLAS (AP) -- Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel. The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp.

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that Venezuela will summon the U.S. ambassador to issue a diplomatic protest because the foreign minister was temporarily detained by authorities at a New York airport. Chavez warned Venezuela could take similar measures if it happens again. Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro says authorities at John F. Kennedy International Airport attempted to frisk and handcuff him Saturday as he tried to catch a flight after attending the U.N. General Assembly session. "We're going to put out a protest note, and the U.S. ambassador in Venezuela will be called," Chavez told reporters. "And in...

In nine states Rosales surpasses the President Elvia Gomez El Universal (Caracas) Jose Vicente Carrasquero, manager of the campaign command of the opposition candidate, announced that next Wednesday Manuel Rosales will present his government plan in the matter of citizen security, while later he will expound upon ideas in matters of housing construction and about the treatment the military sector will have which, he put forth, will be strictly attached to that which the Constitution forsees. In a press conference, accompanied by the ex candidate for the presidency of the republic, Roberto Smith (Venezuela First Party), Carrasquero explained that,...

The left is holding a conference at the UW law school, and they are bringing in Juan Barrento, the mayor of Caracas, Venezuela. They are also bringing the who's who on the left here in Madison and from Chicago, including CPUSA, WWP, and RCP members This is from the website http://www.localdemocracy.org/ ------------------------------------ This Autumn, September 28 through October 1, gather with community organizers and pro-democracy activists in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin, to share and learn from these and other important democratic successes. Network with others working on common issues. Strategize together about how to build the democracymovement in this country, from...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note: Since this is a "portal" site, to specifically locate the original article in Spanish select "Judicial" from the menu bar at left, then scroll down to the article entitled "Las Farc ofrecen defender a Venezuela en caso de invasión estadounidense" and then click "Ver mas" just below the article title and to the right ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colombia's FARC offers to defend Venezuela in case of a U.S. attack (Translation) The active armed group made its offer to Venezuela to fight against the United States if it eventually invades the nation. In a document of greetings released by the FARC1 to...

Bachelet's price for supporting Chavez After the speech of the Venezuelan president, the critical comments of the [Venezuelan] Ambassador in Santiago Victor Delgado are what has endangered the inclination of the Chief Executive for this country [to support Venezuela's candidacy for a seat on the UN Security Council] By Sergio Espinosa V. When Hugo Chavez abandoned the podium of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday the 20th, the echo of his inflammatory speech against the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and his histrionic gestures still resounded in the ears of incredulous listeners. The members of...

This is from the thread over at DU... "Please join me in adding the Chavez debunking thread to your signature. Just enter the code with bracketsOfficial DU Hugo Chavez Right-Wing Falsehood Debunking Thread!!! Thanks to JohnnyCougar, the OP of that thread, for put Official DU Hugo Chavez Right-Wing Falsehood Debunking Thread!!! Thanks to JohnnyCougar, the OP of that thread, for putting it together. This is the first tool we have to combat the Chavez lies. Someone says that he's a dictator? FALSE! Someone agrees that he is destroying the economy? Well, you know what to say. And you'll be able...

Translation: Chavez: "You are a devil, you smell like sulfur, you are a drunk, you are the demon, you are a dictator, you are an assassin Mr. Devil, you are..." Bush: "Yeah! yeah! everything you say, filler up, boy!"

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Detained at JFK Airport 'We Were Detained, Threatened by Police With Being Beaten' By IAN JAMES, AP NEW YORK (Sept. 24) - Venezuela's foreign minister said he was illegally detained for 90 minutes by officials at a New York airport and accused them of treating him abusively by trying to frisk and handcuff him. U.S. officials called Saturday's incident regrettable and said they had apologized to Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. Maduro called that insufficient and said Venezuela would seek a legal challenge through the U.N. to what he called a "flagrant violation of international law" and his...

Tehran, 8 Sept. (AKI) - Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Caracas, Venezuela, on an official visit after taking part in a United Nations General Assembly in New York on 19 September, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez announced friday. The Islamic Republic and Venezuela have together with Cuba, Bolivia and Syria led international criticism of US foreign policy. Late July, Chavez travelled to Tehran where Ahmadinejad gave him the highest honor of the Islamic Republic.

President Hugo Chávez suggested in a recently broadcasted speech that the US Government itself planned the terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. The ruler lashed out again at Washington due to the subsequent US incursion into the Middle East in retaliation. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Women's Bank, the head of state said that the reason for the attacks is not clear yet, nor have the identity of masterminds been unveiled. The events, he stated, were "an excuse of the US empire to attack the world with more cruelty and fury,...

HAVANA (Reuters) - Washington's biggest enemies, from communist Cuba to North Korea, called on developing nations on Saturday to challenge U.S. dominance through a revived Non-Aligned Movement labeled a Cold War relic by critics. More than 50 heads of state and leaders from over 100 Third World countries, among them Iran and Venezuela, rejected U.S. use of the "axis of evil" label and supported Tehran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful use. "American imperialism is in decline. A new, bi-polar world is emerging," Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez said. "The non-aligned group has been relaunched to unite the South under...

Hugo Chavez, in typically bad form, got up before the General Assembly at the United Nations and called President Bush the devil. Some of the UN lUNatics applauded him and so did the DUmmies as you can see in this THREAD titled, "'Bush is the devil' (Chavez)." Is it really any surprise that the DUmmies cheered the Chavez anti-Bush, anti-American rant? Such rants are commonplace in DUmmieland. And a fringe benefit is that Noam Chomsky got a plug in for his anti-Bush, anti-American book when Hugo held it up during his speech. Perhaps there should be a Hugo award...

All Freepers and lurkers in good standing are urged to join the D.C. Chapter tomorrow afternoon at the Embassy of Venezuela as we protest the government of Hugo Chavez, and Chavez's slurs against President Bush.Bring your 'Boycott Citgo' signs; anti-Chavez signs; signs supporting President Bush and American flags.PLEASE NOTE: This is not an anti-Venezuela protest.When: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (or shorter), Friday, September 22.Where: Embassy of Venezuela, 1099 30th St., NW, the Georgetown part of D.C.The D.C. Chapter's rules for protesting will be in effect. Briefly they are: No violence, no profanity, no racism, no provocations, obey the law...