Venezuela Challenges US with 2M Voluntary Soldiers

Zaman Online ^ | March 5, 2006 | Foreign News Desk

[Hill of Tara]

"He's building small arms plants. He's getting help from the Russians and the Chinese."

Uh oh, thats not good.

[El Gato]

Conscription is inefficient.

Not always. It worked fine for us in WW-II. It depends on both the current military conditions and state of the art, and upon the social and political conditions in the country at the time.

[El Gato]

The best they can arm these guys is the cheapest hand gun in the world (Found at your local Dollar Store) and perhaps a Hockey Helmet, Jock Strap and a Army Uniform. I

I'm sure that if you buy a few hundred thousand, Chinese clones of the AK-47 are pretty cheap, cheaper than that handgun bought at retail in the US most likely. There are after all dirt simple weapons, designed to be operated by uneducated peasants, and produced on the crudest of tooling.

Mikhail Kalashnikov is a brilliant designer,, working with some really tough constraints.

[El Gato]

In the "American continent"? What's that?

Technically North, Central and South America are a single landmass. IOW, the American continent. Monroe Doctrine applies. Red Chinese not welcome.

[spikeytx86]

This reminds me of something I heard on t.v. when I was a kid "what if someone threw a war and no one showed up?" This dude has been preparing his people for the imminent "Imperialist Invasion" yet he is not even on the U.S. radar that much anymore. This sounds like another socialist jobs program to me. Gotta keep the subjects on there toes and afraid that the outsiders are gonna get them so they don't pay attention to the emperor who has no clothes.

[TeddyCon]

Venezuela Challenges US with 2M Voluntary Soldiers

Repeat after us Hugo. Operation. Desert. Storm.

[Hunble]

Is this an American "wet dream?"

[Thunder90]

And Russia wants to arm each one with a Kalashnikov.

Also, Chavez wants to rebuild the Nicaraguan military for the Sandistinias.

[Thunder90]

PING

[Thunder90]

"What the article fails to mention is that 20 Venezuelan regulars are roughly equivalent to one US soldier from any branch of service-- including coast guard and boy scouts"


And any American gun owner with an assault weapon...

[highlander_UW]

Every time I see Hugo Chavez he seems to be doing a bad impression of Richard Dreyfuss in Moon Over Parador.

[roaddog727]

The best thing to do with Chavez is to let him bluster away and completely ignore his efforts. He'll self destruct soon enough.

[x5452]

Wow what a site it'll be seeing 2 million soldiers surrending to reporters.

[Thunder90]

So, you discount Hugo Chavez as a threat?

[x5452]

I think he's an idiot, and I think we'd wipe the floors with him if he tried to act on even 1/1000th of his idiotic threats.

[FreePaul]

Send Jimmy Carter down to try to calm Hugo. Have Carter tell him if he persists our next envoy will be Pat Robertson.

[N. Theknow]

About 500,000 voluntary civilians began the four-month military training program on Saturday. Venezuela will have the largest reserve army, double the size of US armed services reserves, in the American continent by the summer of 2007.

With that many trained soldiers, Chavez better take care of everybody or he is training the cadre of a very large coup.

[Doohickey]

First, it's nice to see that the Venezuelans have found something to keep them busy.

Second, isn't Venezuela on a different continent? (rhetorical question)

[proud_yank]

First, it's nice to see that the Venezuelans have found something to keep them busy.

Yes it is, but unfortunately their new 'hobby' will most likely result in a huge wave of Venezuelan immigrants to Miami.

Second, isn't Venezuela on a different continent? (rhetorical question)

Same hemisphere though :-)

[Barnacle]

Technically North, Central and South America are a single landmass.

Still, North America and South America are two distinct continents.