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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=5 color="#A80000">Military trains
students to use rifles; study guerilla tactics in the case of an external
threat to Venezuelan national
sovereignty</font><font face="georgia" size=3> <br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4><a href="http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=25845">http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=25845</a></font><font face="arial" size=3>
<br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b>VHeadline commentarist Carlos
Herrera writes:</b></font><font face="georgia" size=3> The threat
of intervention in Venezuela’s sovereign affairs ... either directly from
the US beach head in Latin America represented by Plan Colombia
<b><u>or</u></b> direct intervention using US troops, cruise missiles,
smart bombs etc., <b><u>or</u></b> the constant stream of distorted
statements from US State Department spokesmen laying the ground to
“prove” that Chavez is consorting with terrorists are all elements of the
growing US hostility from the government of George W. Bush towards the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its sovereign people. <br><br>
The latter strategy has been implemented with the connivance of corporate
US media outlets such as Fox News, <i>CNN en español</i> and the help of
deluded extreme right-wing journalists such as Mary Anastasia O’Grady
writing in the Wall Street Journal, Michael Rowan in various
Caracas-based publications such as El Universal and The Daily Journal,
Phil Gunson operating out of Miami ... as well as other paid hacks.
<ul>
<li>US attorney Eva Golinger stated that more than 50 articles ... all
with the same negative tone ... had been published in recent weeks in the
US mass media, when Venezuela <b><u>NEVER</u></b> receives this amount of
coverage. </font>
</ul><font face="arial" size=3><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3>Such coverage is limited to Chavez
funding the Colombian guerrillas, buying arms from Russia, being friends
with Fidel Castro, troops taking over private property, more poverty than
ever in Venezuela and any other negative aspects these hacks could dream
up in their servile roles of supporting the Bush doctrine of combating
terrorism, real or imagined, at any cost. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=4 color="#A80000"><i>In the case of
Venezuela, like Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s all about “black gold” or
natural gas <br><br>
</i></font><font face="georgia" size=3>Suffice to say that no mention is
made of respecting the democratic will of the Venezuelan people after 9
elections or referendum victories in six years supporting Chavez himself
and his policies ... or the fact that social policies implemented by the
Bolivarian Revolution via the Missions are specifically aimed at
restoring basic human dignity, human rights and self-esteem to almost 20
million Venezuelans who had never had access to anything.
<ul>
<li>Since these accomplishments cannot be measured in dollars and cents,
they do not exist for the one-dimensional mentality of the US corporate
mass media and their Venezuelan off shoots.
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b><u>This is more than sad. It is
tragic. </u></b></font>
</ul><font face="arial" size=3><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3>On February 29, 2004, there was a
massive march and rally on the main freeway that passes through Caracas
near the botanical gardens, the theme of which was “No to Yankee
Imperialism.” Chavez spoke for nigh on 2½ hours to almost one million
Bolivarians plus a nationwide TV audience and it was at this point that
the national defense of Venezuela against US intimidation and threats
began to take shape. It was then that the Bolivarian Revolution was
declared “anti-imperialist”. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=4 color="#A80000"><i>What measures are
being taken? <br><br>
</i></font><font face="georgia" size=3>Since one of the cornerstones of
the social transformation of Venezuela as exemplified in the context of
the democratic Bolivarian Revolution is based on civic-military union and
cooperation, not only in order to strengthen ties but also actively
working together on projects to improve the lot of the majority poor,
Chavez invited the <i>“pueblo”</i> to go to the local garrisons and
barracks to receive training in self-defense. This was the first
important step to gradually mobilize the mass of the population.
<br><br>
Last Sunday in the President’s weekly radio and TV program “Alo
Presidente,” Chavez called on the “revolutionary squads” to prepare
themselves and organize the local populace. This is the first time he has
mentioned this strategy to my certain knowledge. <br><br>
Previous to this ... about two years ago ... the abandoned military
reserve had been reactivated consisting mainly of men and women who had
once served in the military and who had been trained is the use of arms.
The establishment of the reservists started with 50,000 and by July this
year should be in the region of 190,000-200,000. These reservists are
paid, armed and encouraged to form cooperatives so as to generate both
wealth and work in the function of the needs of the country. <br><br>
Venezuela’s armed forces consist of 120,000 men and women in all four
components - Army, Navy, Air Force and National Guard. These numbers are
due to be increased and fresh weapons purchased from Brazil and Russia in
preparation for the defense of the homeland against any external threat
as outlined above. Even though the official line is that the 100,000 AK
47 assault rifles from Russia will be used to replace outdated bolt
action weapons, the latter will still exist in order to arm the
population in the case of an emergency. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b>In a news report on Venezuelan
National Radio (RNV) last night, it was revealed that the Bolivarian
University of Venezuela (UBV) will be located in the barracks and
garrisons of the armed forces. <br><br>
</b></font><font face="georgia" size=3>To understand the significance of
this strategic move, it is necessary to grasp the ethos and purpose of
the UBV. This popular university was created in June 2003 so as to
guarantee university places to the sons and daughters of the poor who has
been historically excluded from the middle class dominated educational
elitist institutions such as the Central University of Venezuela (UCV)
and the Simon Bolivar University (USB). </font>
<ul>
<li><font face="georgia" size=2><b>In fact, it meant the mass-ification
of higher education and as such had to be nationwide. </b></font>
</ul><font face="arial" size=3><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3>Thus, the plan was to “municipalize”
classes all over the country, usually in the evening when school
classrooms are vacant, so that students could receive classes in their
own towns, and not have to travel. Effectively, this is the true
democratization of education with the poorest receiving monthly grants of
around US$100. The UBV will eventually have 400,000 students rivaling
Beijing University as the largest in the world. <br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>Most of the students now studying in the UBV entered through Mission
Sucre, designed to allow access of the underprivileged to university
education - thus most of these students will have received the benefit
of the Chavez social/educational policies and should be committed to the
process of change which has allowed them to study and make more of their
lives, especially as some in their early 30s had waited ten years or more
to secure a university place. <br><br>
</dl><font face="georgia" size=3>By extension, this “municipalization”
has been extended to military installations, where classes will still be
held, where students can learn and study the Bolivarian Constitution as
well as how to sow and plant in line with the policy of “endogenous
development” or self-sufficiency. Now, however, being under the wing of
the military trainers, they can also learn how to use a rifle and study
guerilla tactics in the case of the materialization of an external threat
to Venezuelan national sovereignty. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b>The long term plan is to mobilize
millions of citizens, students, reservists and professional soldiers to
be at the ready in case their is a direct intervention either via
Colombia or from US troops trying to take oil installations or wells.
<br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2 color="#A80000">Critics may whine that
Chavez is “militarizing” Venezuelan society - but what else do you
expect the government to do? </b></font>
<ul>
<li><font face="georgia" size=3>Disarm, as was the case in Haiti, and
allow Chavez to be kidnapped as was President Aristide?
<li>Or be like Costa Rica, where there is only a police force and no
military? </font>
</ul><br>
<font face="georgia" size=3>The Bolivarian military doctrine clearly
states that the armed forces are the people in arms and vice-versa -
that is everyone. I can personally vouch for the fact that many poor who
live in the barrios <i>(slum districts)</i> in the provinces, are already
preparing themselves for an invasion, even without the constant cajoling
of President Chavez. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=5 color="#A80000">Why? <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=3>Since they are conscious of what
happened In Guatemala in 1954, Brazil in 1964, Chile in 1973, Grenada in
1986, Panama in 1989, Nicaragua and El Salvador in the 1980’s and more
recently in Haiti in February 2004, without mentioning the human tragedy
taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan. They understand the implications of
the 1823 Monroe Doctrine.
<ul>
<li>No one really knows how many people are ready, and I am not one to
hazard a guess on this strategic matter </font>
</ul><br>
<font face="georgia" size=3>The US State Department must realize that if
their boss continues with this destabilization policy with a view to
invasion or assassination of Chavez, then the consequences could be
disastrous on a long, long term basis, as described in my article
published yesterday
<a href="http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=25822">“Let’s hope and
pray that US corporate greed does not trigger a blood bath,”</a> either
by invading or attempting to assassinate Chavez. <br><br>
</font><font face="georgia" size=2><b>International public opinion and
diplomatic moves in the OAS, UN could prevent a preemptive strike on
Venezuela, but rest assured, that the “pueblo” will always be on the
alert and prepared together with our armed forces. The US could
conceivably occupy Venezuela, but the word “surrender “
<i>(rendición)</i> does not exist either in Cuban or Bolivarian
vocabulary, for that matter. <br><br>
</b></font><font face="georgia" size=3>South American integration is a
huge obstacle to US hegemony in the region and has effectively stopped
the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) dead in its tracks, and thus
US corporate exploitation and greed at the expense of disseminating more
poverty in the region.
<ul>
<li>I propose reciprocal military defense alliances between all signatory
countries to the South American Community of Nations (CSN). This could be
discussed at the next meeting as early as April. </font>
</ul><br>
<font face="georgia" size=3>I am also certain that we can depend on the
support of international players such as China, Cuba, Russia and Iran as
the US continues to isolate itself on the geopolitical stage, simply due
to the war mongering mentality of the hawks in the Bush administration
driven blindly forward by US transnational corporations in their quest
for Nazi-like world domination, as Bob Chapman of the International
Forecaster has asserted in recent months. <br><br>
The days, weeks and months ahead could be tense and difficult but action
has to be taken and the population prepared. Bolivarians are peace loving
but we also demand respect for our right to self-determination and to
implement our own values and create a society based on human dignity and
equality. <br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>Venezuela is not a threat to the US and we do not possess WMD’s -
neither did Iraq - just dignity and free will to shape our own destiny
and that of our children and grand children. <br><br>
</dl>We will not shirk to defend ourselves and our country since this is
not just about Venezuela….but about all the underprivileged and excluded
in Central America, the Caribbean basin and South America, in fact the
poor on all continents who represent around 4 billion human beings at the
last count. <br><br>
<font face="georgia" size=5>Carlos Herrera<br>
<a href="mailto:Carlos.Herrera@VHeadline.com">Carlos.Herrera@VHeadline.com</a>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
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