Posted on 01/20/2006 3:12:57 PM PST by Flavius
Venezuela is planning a "buying spree" for military equipment that goes beyond the country's legitimate needs, the State Department said Friday.
In recent days, the United States has sought to block proposed sales of military planes and other equipment to Venezuela by Spain and Brazil.
The transactions are part of what "we would consider an outsized military buildup in Venezuela," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
We should probably invade...for the sake of democracy.
Squandering their oil wealth.
Morons.
Yeah and we overspend on government. Whats the issue?
If, perhaps, Mr Chavez decides to pull a Falkland's on, let's say, Puerto Rico I think his purchases will be for not.
We could take that country over in a day and dump our garbage there for 1000 years.
Yeah, U.S. is in position squawk...
ahm they process 12% of our gasoline
excess oil will be bought by china
A friend went on a medical mission to Maricaibo (sp?) a couple of years ago. The people they were on a mission to were literally living on the edge of the dump and got their daily sustinence out of what other people threw in the trash. Chavez is showing how much he really cares about them by pissing away the people's money on military hardware so he can be the next Hitler.
Yep.
Classic Socialist.
Chavez is spending beyond even the means of his vast oil wealth.
I am of the opinion that if a free and fair election were to be held today, Chavez would lose, as evidenced by the huge voter boycott in the last election.
He spends billions on weapons and bailing out his socialist buddies in other countries while his poor people become even poorer and the Venezuelan economy is driven to tatters.
The next six months will be a huge turning point in either direction for Chavez, with his ally Iran being in the forefront and Caracas being effectively crippled by the collapse of the only major highway to it's sea and airport, he will probably make an even harder turn towards a pure dictatorship.
The final steps will be total censure of the media and internet and his congress essentially declaring him president for life.
"naught" not "not"
(Say that three times fast... not.)
:)
His neighbors should be more worried about this than us.
Funny I "new" that.
LOL, bad analogy, most of us would say they can have it.
Nah, I say for $hits -n- giggles we send a couple shiploads of corn and coffee to Venezuela!
hahaha!
I'm ok with that.
All Latin America is going communist while the greatest fighting force ever assembled is bogged down "fighting" cave dwellers and street gangs.
The Monroe doctrine is all we need. Nations outside of the Western hemisphere are influencing a country inside our hemisphere against the U.S.
Venezuela by China, Cuba by China and N.K.
Plus they are messing around with Panama.
Unfortunately there's the little question of Iran before we can get around to the "easy ones".
high technology and a million man militia? watch out colombia. With this kind of build up he could support farc with an allied all out incursion to overthrow the pro american government in colombia placing it just a few miles from the panama canal. They would also have no problem attack simultanously taking over suriname and both french guyana and guyana kicking the french off of the continent and creating a venezuelan empire across northern south america. Since we are preoccupied with Iraq and potentially a showdown with Iran we would be in no position for the time being to do anything more then sanctions. All the while he could consolidate his gains and grow stronger. This is not alarmist this is what dictators especially communist ones do. He will create "People Revolutions" all across south america by force if need be placing himself at the top of that revolution. Our free market allie chile is about to fall to socialism. Its like the 70's and 80's all over again.
And the Venezuelans are bringing in Russian (Spetsnaz) and Chinese Special forces to train the Venezuelan special forces.
Also don't forget Russia...Err the new USSR.... They have their hands in this as well.
and shipped by Russian container ships and Russian oil companies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.