Chavez and the good people of Venezuela have only the best of intentions for USA

by Mary MacElveen

There are times when I read an article that borders on comedy ... where I actually sit there laughing, as well as shaking my head, knowing that an ill-informed public will actually believe it.

I first want to state to my readers around the globe and especially here within the United States, that if you think that Venezuela is a threat to you ... you really do need to get a life.

The piece I am referring to is Pentagon document mentions Venezuela as a concern and I want to ask: Are you really going to pay attention to what the United States Pentagon has to tell you?

You have seen their "brilliant" track record within the past five years, especially with regard to Iraq ... and it borders on insanity that they see Venezuela as being a threat to this nation.

The piece mentions: "A new Pentagon long-term planning document for the first time mentions Venezuela as a concern, reflecting Washington’s mounting sense that President Hugo Chavez’ fiery populism represents a challenge to US security."

Now let us look at this factually.

Just how many nuclear war heads does Venezuela own? None.

How many do we (USA) own?

In Towards a World Without Violence I was stunned to read: "Today the United States has over 10,000 warheads (including bombs), with over 6,000 deployed strategic (long-range) and 800 deployed non-strategic warheads."

"By 2012, after implementation of the 2002 Moscow Treaty, the United States will still have over 6,000 warheads, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council estimate. That includes 2,200 deployed strategic warheads with well more than 2,000 in reserve, and hundreds of deployed and reserve non-strategic warheads. The Energy Department says a new plant (the ’Modern Pit Facility’) to make plutonium cores for warheads will be needed."

While this only discusses nuclear war heads, we also have in our stockpile biological and chemical agents as well ... agents such as anthrax, white phosphorus and depleted uranium war heads.

We have used both white phosphorus and depleted uranium in Iraq.

We are the only nation to have ever used nuclear war heads ... Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the very proof right there. Today’s nuclear arsenal is far more powerful ... and yet we think a country such as Venezuela which has no nuclear weaponry is a threat to us.

The Quadrennial Defense Review says that poor income distribution and weak democratic institutions have led to "a resurgence of populist authoritarian political movements in some countries, such as Venezuela.’’

I want to make this abundantly clear ... Venezuela is not ruled by any authoritarian power, but governed by a democratically-elected President and Congress. How many times do these folks need to be hit over the head to set the record straight?

Yes, Venezuela does have a large poor population and President Hugo Chavez is addressing their needs. Have we, here in the United States, all but forgotten the poor made poorer through budget cuts and our failure at handling the Katrina disaster?

As I reported recently: "Over the past week the government has announced new social programs aimed at improving the condition of Venezuela’s poor and oppressed ... Chavez recently announced a 15% increase in the minimum wage and the introduction of a $200 a month stipend to poor homemakers. The stipend is a huge advance for women’s rights as it recognizes that household work, which women were traditionally confined to prior to the Bolivarian government, is an economic activity that generates wealth."

Does that sound like poor income distribution?

When QDR stated: "These movements ... are a source of political and economic instability’’ ... this is where I want to knock some sense into these folks.

President Chavez has been reaching out to many South American countries, such as Bolivia, in order to make life better for their people. Economic instability? While they are still poor countries, we should be worrying about our own economic health first instead of pointing to other countries. I would also like to state that these are not such movements, they are democratically elected governments.

But, if they want to go with the term ’movement’ ... at least those citizens are electing leaders who bring their concerns to the forefront. President Chavez in his weekly show ’Alo Presidente’ even takes calls from ordinary citizens. Does that happen here in the United States? Does Bush invite ordinary citizens to phone in while he is speaking on air? No, even at press conferences, he has hand-picked reporters ask him questions.

It amazed me where QDR stated: "leftist Chavez as an increasingly authoritarian ruler at home, a buyer of massive new weaponry."

This is simply not true.

As reported in a past article, the weaponry that President Chavez is in the process of acquiring is in order to defend his country: "Over the past year Venezuela has committed itself to buy 100,000 AK-103 and AK-104 automatic rifles, plus licenses to produce about 300,000 more, as well as 44 helicopters, and even MiG-29 fighters from Russia. In addition, Venezuela is buying four coastal patrol boats, some transport aircraft, and possibly even a couple of frigates from Spain, as well as about two dozen light tactical support aircraft from Brazil."

All of this will cost Venezuela US$2 billion.

Is this truly a massive amount of weaponry, especially given the tensions between the United States and Venezuela? I would say this is right on target since Venezuela has the right to protect itself from any invading force should that happen.

I truly had a laugh as a reporter questioned deputy undersecretary for defense policy, Ryan Henry, as to his concerns for Venezuela and he responded: "we think that that’s going in the wrong direction.’’

News flash to Ryan Henry: Do you really want me to go into chapter and verse as to how the United States is going in the wrong direction?

I really could, since I write about it constantly. Just ask the Katrina victims if they think this country is headed in the right direction. Some are still missing and you may have a problem tracking them down. Some are feared dead and you will get no answer from them. From personal experience, where I speak to the American people in the street and through various emails, I can tell Mr. Henry that it is America that is going in the wrong direction ... not Venezuela.

Venezuela’s ambassador to Washington, Bernardo Alvarez had this to add: "We are not a threat to the national interest of the United States.’’

He speaks the truth. I met him when covering the Bronx delivery of CITGO oil to the poor in that community. Is delivering low cost heating oil a threat to us? Is wanting to come to our aid (as Venezuela wanted to after Katrina hit) a threat to us?

America, that is for you to answer. Bush said, "NO!" to the Katrina aid package.

As the QDR cited: "The United States will attempt to shape these choices in ways that foster cooperation and mutual security interests.’’ I want to ask: Is that code for toppling the Chavez administration? President Chavez has asserted that the United States was behind the 2002 coup and, while the United States denies it, I want to recommend my readers to read Eva Golinger’s book "The Chavez Code" to learn the truth. We have used our own CIA to topple many governments in the past ... and I have written about that as well.

America, please take a good look around our own country to see that it is not Venezuela that is a threat to you ... but our own government. When you have Bush stating that he thwarted a terrorist attack back in 2002 and the target was Los Angeles, you will clearly see that the mayor of that city just came out and stated he was not informed.

It seems that Bush never informs anyone that their city is about to be hit.

He said that his illegal eavesdropping thwarted that attack but "Who has been arrested?" I’ve seen no reports in our media of people being arrested for these illegal wire taps.

Another example is that you have the former head of FEMA Michael Brown stating that he warned Bush of Katrina: "I expected them to cut every piece of red tape, do everything they could ... I didn’t want to hear anybody say that we couldn’t do everything they humanly could to respond to this!"

Let the Bush record speak for itself.

But, here is the true threat of all as we live in this dangerous world and that is when you have Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby stating that it was he (Cheney) who gave the go ahead to release the name of a CIA operative Valerie Plame’s name to the press.

If one looks up the very definition of treason, this is what it states: the act of levying war against the United States or adhering to or giving aid and comfort to its enemies by one who owes it allegiance.

So, by outing Valerie Plame: Did Dick Cheney give aid and comfort to any enemy? I would say so.

If anything, President Chavez and the good people of Venezuela only have the best intentions for the American people and their record proves it.

Mary MacElveen

mary@vheadline.com

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen