Associated Press June 25, 2007CARACAS, Venezuela
- President Hugo Chavez urged soldiers on Sunday to prepare for a guerrilla-style war against the United States, saying that Washington is using psychological and economic warfare as part of an unconventional campaign aimed at derailing his government.
Dressed in olive green fatigues and a red beret, Chavez spoke inside Tiuna Fort - Venezuela's military nerve-center - before hundreds of uniformed soldiers standing alongside armored vehicles and tanks decorated with banners reading: "Fatherland, Socialism, or Death! We will triumph!"
"We must continue developing the resistance war, that's the anti-imperialist weapon. We must think and prepare for the resistance war everyday," said Chavez, who has repeatedly warned that American soldiers could invade Venezuela to seize control of the South American nation's immense oil reserves.
U.S. officials reject claims that Washington is considering a military attack. But the U.S. government has expressed concern over what it perceives as a significant arms build-up here.
Chavez - a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - told soldiers the Washington was trying to weaken and divide Venezuelan society, including the armed forces, without resorting to combat.
"It's not just armed warfare," said Chavez, a former army officer who is leading what he calls the "Bolivarian Revolution," a socialist movement named after 19th-century independence hero Simon Bolivar. "I'm also referring to psychological warfare, media warfare, political warfare, economic warfare."
Under Chavez, Venezuela has recently purchased some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia, including 53 military helicopters, 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 24 SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets. Last week, Chavez said he is considering arms purchases, including submarines and a missile-equipped air defense system, as he prepares for a tour of Russia, Belarus and Iran.
"We are strengthening Venezuela's military power precisely to avoid imperial aggressions and assure peace, not to attack anybody," he said Sunday.
Opposition leader Julio Borges condemned the president's interest in acquiring weapons, saying the government should focus on reducing violent crime in Venezuela, which has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America.
"This isn't resolved with military purchases and foreign tours," Borges said. "This is resolved with the determination of having a country with justice."
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Is it me? Am I misunderstanding the amount of weaponry they intend to purchase? Does the visits to known terrorist-supporting countries bother only me?
*sigh* Number 3 is only beginning...
4 comments:
Preemtive warfare is such an ugly thing.
But yeah, Chavez is certainly not being subtle about it.
He definitly qualifies as "asking for it"
pre-emptive warfare may be ugly, but it sure beats watching another 9/11 unfold...
do threats of intent qualify as acts of war?
Chavez is a putz, fairly harmless. Pre-emptive strike against him would only bolster support for him at home. Man it'd be fun though!! He, like every other socialist, is rapidly destroying his economy, despite his oil revenue. Better to let his country collapse from within were he gets all the blame than to slap him down and give him the stage to point the finger of blame at us.
We don't need him, he needs us. Without the oil revenue, his economy would collapse. If you really want to hurt him, get serious about alternative fuels, drive the price of oil down, and watch him sink.
Later
patience is not one of my better virtues *wink* that's why i'll never be prez... just show me the button and get your key ready!
however, i shall defer to giving him enough rope to hang himself...
:)
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