Chavez threatens to cut oil exports if U.S. meddles in vote BY EDISON LOPEZ The Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez urged supporters Friday to approve constitutional changes that he said could keep him in power for life and threatened to cut off oil exports to the United States if it tries to meddle in Sunday’s vote. Speaking to more than 200,000 supporters, Chavez warned that his opponents at home could try to sabotage the vote with backing from Washington through violent protests on the night of the vote. “If ’yes’ wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan oligarchy, the violent Venezuelans — the ones who play the [U.S.] empire’s game — unleash violence with the tale that there was fraud … minister, that very Monday you order a halt to the shipments of oil to the United States,” Chavez said, addressing his oil minister, Rafael Ramirez. “Oil will not go out to the United States,” Chavez said, warning the opposition if they take to streets to deny a legitimate victory, “they’re going to regret it.” Venezuela was the fourth largest oil exporter to the United States in 2006. His opponents have called for close monitoring of results in what they expect to be a tight contest, raising tensions ahead of a vote on sweeping changes to the constitution that would have let Chavez seek reelection in 2012 and indefinitely. “If God gives me life and help,” Chavez said, “I will be at the head of the government until 2050!” — when he would be 95 years old. “To the Venezuelan oligarchy and the U.S. empire, from here I’m warning them that they won’t be able to stop the car of the Bolivarian Revolution, because on Sunday we will approve the constitutional reform,” Chavez said. There were no independent crowd estimates, but reporters estimated the crowd at more than 200,000. The government cites polls showing Chavez leading ahead of the referendum, while other polls have predicted a close race. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States hopes the referendum will be “a free and fair contest in which the will and desire of the Venezuelan people is reflected.” Speaking to the crowd from a stage, Chavez said: “Venezuela is going to be a world power, no matter whom it hurts!”
I wonder if all of these nations vying for the superpower role is doing so to gain the same status as the United States? (out of jelousy?) Or are they just sick of the United States controlling everything?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The leaders are just making a common enemy for their populace to 'hate', to bring them 'together' for power/force.......Mr.Chavez under the microscope is a pompous, egotistical, hormone filled statesman (person).......someone gave him the rule book on "how to move the masses".......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Venezuela's Chavez says US ambassador must leave By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
President Hugo Chavez ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave Venezuela in 72 hours and said he was immediately withdrawing his ambassador from Washington.
Chavez said Thursday night that U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy is no longer welcome, just as his close ally Bolivia expelled the American envoy from La Paz a day earlier.
"They're trying to do here what they were doing in Bolivia," Chavez said, accusing Washington of trying to oust him.
"That's enough ... from you, Yankees," he said during a televised rally, using an expletive.
The socialist leader said Venezuela's ambassador to Washington, Bernardo Alvarez, would return to the U.S. "when there's a new government in the United States."
The move by Chavez brings relations with Washington to a new low and raises questions about whether the diplomatic clash could hurt trade. Venezuela is the fourth-largest oil supplier to the United States, and Chavez threatened on Thursday to cut off crude shipments "if there's any aggression against Venezuela."
He has made similar threats in the past, but the United States is his No. 1 oil client and taking such an action would debilitate his government financially.
Chavez, long at odds with Washington, appeared to leave open the door for restoring full relations once President George W. Bush's successor is in the White House.
"Hopefully, sooner than later, (the U.S.) will have a government that respects the peoples and the governments of Latin America," Chavez said.
Chavez warned last month that Duddy could soon be "packing his bags" after the diplomat lamented that U.S. and Venezuelan officials have not been cooperating in the war on drugs.
Duddy has said that deteriorating diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington were giving drug smugglers the upper hand.
Chavez announced the decision to oust Duddy hours after saying his government had detained a group of alleged conspirators in a plot to overthrow him. He accused the group of current and former military officers of trying to assassinate him with backing from the United States.
U.S. officials have repeatedly denied Chavez's accusations of backing plots against him.
Asked about Chavez's remarks, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Jennifer Rahimi said: "We saw the speech and we're investigating, but we haven't seen anything official."
Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. grew this week after two Russian strategic bombers were deployed to the country at Chavez's invitation.
"The presence of those Russian planes in Venezuela is a warning," Chavez said. "There's nothing better to keep yourself from being attacked than to dissuade."
The president said that behind the conspiracy to overthrow him were "the same coup-plotters" who masterminded a failed 2002 coup — which he also blamed on the Bush administration.
Chavez ordered an investigation of the alleged plot, which he said involved an active vice admiral and other former military officers. He said his intelligence services had been "following this for some time."
Military prosecutors were questioning several officers about their alleged involvement, Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said.
Chavez ally Mario Silva, who hosts a program on state television, first played recordings of the purported coup plotters' phone conversations late Wednesday. It was unclear when they were recorded.
In one, a voice identified as an ex-officer said "we're going to take" the presidential palace. In another, a voice identified as retired air force Gen. Eduardo Baez Torrealba said "there is a pilot who has 1,000 hours in an F-16" — allegedly to be used in the plot.
Chavez said the authorities have known for some time that the conspirators were "looking for ground-to-air missiles ... to try to blow up the presidential plane ... or bomb the (presidential) palace with a plane."
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Associated Press writers Ian James and Fabiola Sanchez contributed to this report.
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