Chavez decree strengthens pro-government militias

Source: AP


CARACAS, Venezuela – New rules authorizing Venezuela's military to distribute weapons to pro-government militias took effect Tuesday, raising concern among critics who say the armed groups could be used by President Hugo Chavez to cement his hold on power.

Rocio San Miguel, an anti-Chavez activist who heads Citizen Control for Security, a non-governmental group that studies military-related issues, said the decree could allow Chavez to turn the militias into "the armed branch of the revolution."

Militiamen had previously been trained to use firearms, but were not issued weapons. They used firearms only in training exercises and military parades under the strict supervision of military officers.

Venezuela's state-run news agency said the new system is aimed at "achieving the greatest political and revolutionary quality in the construction of socialism" within the Bolivarian Militia.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110323/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_militias

Chavez will use these people like Mugabe uses his batch of thugs.

He's following Ahmejinadad's model, I think. What's the name of the militia in Iran? The Basij?

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But this will mean he really just doesn't rule by decree because of the floods... he wants to rule as a dictator!

I'm so shocked :sarcasm:... and so will so many of his loyal supporters who really believed it was all about the floods.

Pro Chavez talk from people at a Democratic forum is damn confusing. How can they be that blind? Do these people support democracy or dictatorship?

have joined the Bush gang in smearing him. He was a favorite Democratic leader of a vast majority of Democrats, especially after the Bush gang tried to depose him after one of the cleanest elections ever.

It's so disturbing to see how Democrats, other than the rally progressive Dems in Congress, have switched sides on Democratically elected Latin American leaders.

The Wikileaks cables revealed where this kind of propaganda comes from, not that I was surprised, but it was the Right that hated Chavez and only relatively recentily that the left has joined them in their hatred for those Latin American leaders who threw out the Global Corps-backed regimes and then decided that their countries belonged to their people.

It's a shame to see you falling for this.

Next it will be Egypt and Tunisia, who have made it known that they will not accept any kind of Western interference in their affairs now. That's what Chavez did, that's why they hate him. I am sure he will be joined by Egypt and Tunisia once they have a true democracy in their countries. We don't like democracies. We like Dictators, and that is how you know someone is NOT a dictator, when they West hates them.

v

The howls of protest here at DU would be deafening. But because it's Chavez giving guns to people, and his motives are pure, his supporters here at DU will undoubtedly reassure us that either a) this is not a big deal, or b) it's actually a good thing.

I suspect that's what they'll do.

anti-government protests, what do you think the pro-Chavez supporters will say?

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Hmm interesting.

will they be wearing red shirts or the traditional brown?

of armed people in civilian dress who may well use those arms against anti-Chavez protestors. Stay tuned.

wow

:rofl:

It's not always easy for spoken humor to come through as a written quote.

please see the earlier thread on Chavez and the terrifying Mars statement:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=719373

He who laughs LAST, laughs best.

The standard excuse when someone says something stupid and embarrassing.

s

these militias are not - they are specifically to counter a potential army coup.

Though since there is training with weapons already going on it seems ambiguous, how much control or coordination there is. There is some ambiguity about who controls the NG here too, though in a pinch the federal gov't wins.

A government training up civilian militias to counter a military coup is a strange idea when you think about it, governments that lack the support of their own military don't tend to do well.

Or, if we're fighting them, "unlawful combatants". Think Hizbullah, or the (actual) IRA back in the 20's.

Only Chavez gets away with having paramilitary groups.

This has never ended badly before...

:sarcasm:

I guess the opposition party (as hampered as they are by Chavez) doesn't count as part of the government?

the national guard. Why should we not view America as a dictatorship. The guard has actually been used on peaceful protesters and strikers.

which didn't work out too well needless to say. this is a combination of Civil Defense Patrols and Nazi brown shirts as the people in this peasant army, as its known, are Chavistas.

as a contingency plan for its coming debacle in Libya.

The reaction from a country that has armed pro-government militiamen killing people at its borders is too silly for words.

....right on, Hugo,

"...distribute weapons to pro-government militias..."

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

....I'm telling ya, we need more Socialism in this country....

And ask yourselves this, you the Chávez haters!

Who offered to help the USA during Katrina? Chávez or Bush?
Who was cutting a birthday cake with McCain during Katrina? Chávez or Bush?
Which oil man offered free oil for transport during Katrina? Chávez or Bush?
Who offers cheap home oil to the US poor? Chávez or Bush?
Who allowed his cronies to get rich off Katrina? Chávez or Bush?
Who gave unaffected oil companies money destined for ravaged New Orleans? Chávez or Bush?

Until our "free" media get up of their dead arses and actually start asking questions W is far worse by comprison.

Check it out:

How many people died during Katrina?
How much did Bush's indecisiveness hurt our economy?
Did Bush allow a democrat stronghold to take a hit by LIHOP?

Why have militias of this sort? Venezuela has an Army as well as a National Guard already.

In the U.S. this would be akin to our president authorizing something like these guys to police protests and rallies.

Isn't a pro-government militia an oxymoron?

<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/militia>

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

And AP knows perfectly well how to use the word "paramilitary", uses it all the time in Colombia for example, and has no love for Mr Chavez.