Alan Cisco: Venezuela's opposition has good reason to be desperate

A good rundown on the recall referendum situation,
the opposition riots, and what the Government is doing in
response. (All utterly biased Chavista propaganda, of course.)

Warp factor seven Scotty, all phasers set to stun.

The opposition has good reason to be desperate. If it can be shown that they didn't obtain enough valid signatures for
the referendum, they'll have no constitutional way to get rid of Chavez until 2006. Further, if their own deputies
are revoked ... which is likely ... the Chavistas will have much more than their current slim majority in the National
Assembly. The opposition could also lose several of their most prominent governors and mayors in the upcoming
July and August elections. From recent polls, and the number of petition signatures obtained support for the
opposition appears at less than 25%, and six months from now they could be considerably weakened as an effective
political grouping, so this may be their last best chance.

...

The oil company is now much more efficient after eliminating a bloated managerial class, and is producing and
expanding. Besides, the price of oil is up, and therefore the economy, which, owing to the strike, contracted
severely in the first semester of 2003, grew at a rate of greater than 9% in the last quarter.

A recent report from First Boston/Credit Suisse predicted a 9.8% growth rate in 2004.

In 2003 the Chavez government also began an extensive series of social programs directed at developing the 80%
of the population that live in poverty: campaigns to eradicate illiteracy, get people studying for high school
diplomas, new and urgently needed public universities, and paying thousands of Cuban doctors to live and serve in
the poor barrios. It is also giving out many micro-credits, especially to increase agricultural production.
Unemployment has gone down, and most sectors of the economy, except private construction are growing.

Vheadline

I hypothesis that the reason we took out Aristide is so that we have a nice base of operations to attack Venezuela after our election.

Tinfoil hat time!!!
:tinfoilhat:

Sounds like the Bushboys are bungling another coup. Too bad the whole world is watching now. If they bump Chavez off, everyone will know who did it.

But then, here lately it seems they don't much care who knows.

Hope Chavez has armored underwear!

if it comes down to a fight.

The whole world should stand up and be counted. That would be just too far beyond the pale.

Bushco is an absolute disaster in foreign policy. Bad enough to disengage from constructive relations with the entire planet, but to do it by pissing everybody off is insane!

My nightmare is a jungle war...in South America! There would simply be no end to it.

At the most they would "Salvador Allende" Pres. Chavez. That or maybe use our miserable Colombian stooge of a president to stir shit up. US troops are way over extended and the Bushies are too cowardly too pull that off since it would require much more convincing than Iraq. But then again you never know.

Then we criticize Castro for capturing, proving, sentencing, and executing the spies he finds. All of a sudden we are against execution when others do it. Castro had facts, and counter spies with evidence for all the charges made. Much more convincing evidence the what we use against those at GITMO ("thought to be", "alleged", "suspected" terrorists,) As long as the Cuban expats blow up, shoot down, and kill in the name of being against Castro, we never call it "terrorism."

from people that are incapable of realizing that the only way to end imperialism is to defeat the troops of the imperialist.

I won't support the troops in Venezuela anymore that I supported them in Iraq, or will support them in Cuba!

Our troops should not be used as agents of oppression and aggression.