Venezuela - give me a break

[Demigorgon]

President Hugo Chavez on Sunday vowed to freeze oil exports to the United States and wage a "100-year war" if Washington ever tried to invade Venezuela. (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/07/venezuela.chavez.ap/index.html)

Pah-lease! More like 100 minute war.

[hgc]

If Saddam waged the mother of all battles, then Chavez will wage the bastard step-son of all battles.

[Wolrab]

At least we wouldn't have a shortage of translators.

[Skeptic]

Makes the black knight from Monty Python's "King Arthur and the Holy Grail" seem rational.

I'll bet the US is willing to "call this one a draw"...

[Tony]

A delusional leftist. What else is new?

[kittynh]

hey, free oil. I'm all for it!

[Sundog]

It WAS rather stupid for him to put it that way. As is evidenced by the uniformly idiotic responses above, all Americans will hear is some kind of schoolyard challenge, and we don't put up with such any more. We are on a Power Trip and won't put up with any backtalk.

How depressing. What if he's justified? Do any of you even CARE?

We don't care. We're America. Stand up to us and you're next on the list, buddy.

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

[Tony]

Originally posted by Sundog

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

Really? Really??


Sounds like you're just a pussy. :(

[DavidJames]

"Sounds like you're just a pussy. "

Your 11, right? That's how I talked when I was 11.

[hgc]

Originally posted by Sundog
It WAS rather stupid for him to put it that way. As is evidenced by the uniformly idiotic responses above, all Americans will hear is some kind of schoolyard challenge, and we don't put up with such any more. We are on a Power Trip and won't put up with any backtalk.

How depressing. What if he's justified? Do any of you even CARE?

We don't care. We're America. Stand up to us and you're next on the list, buddy.

Disgusting reaction from all of you. Screw you and the horse you rode in on.

Of course I thought about whether it was justified, and I concluded that it wasn't. There's no chance whatsoever, based on current information, that the U.S. will invade Venezuela. However it is obvious that Chavez is besieged domestically, and is striking out at imagined external enemies to try to gather for himself a scrap of credibility.

[Grammatron]

Originally posted by Sundog
It WAS rather stupid for him to put it that way. As is evidenced by the uniformly idiotic responses above, all Americans will hear is some kind of schoolyard challenge, and we don't put up with such any more. We are on a Power Trip and won't put up with any backtalk.

How depressing. What if he's justified? Do any of you even CARE?

We don't care. We're America. Stand up to us and you're next on the list, buddy.

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

Are we reading the same thread or are some posts hidden from me?

[Tony]

Originally posted by DavidJames
Your 11, right? That's how I talked when I was 11.


I'd like to see you support that with evidence.

[hammegk]

Originally posted by Sundog

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

Say what???

Have you registered as a paid agent for Cuba, Venezuela, or both? I didn't think the old KGB disinfo campaign was still around.
:p

[crackmonkey]

Chavez is always good for a chuckle.

[ASRomatifoso]

Originally posted by Sundog
It WAS rather stupid for him to put it that way. As is evidenced by the uniformly idiotic responses above, all Americans will hear is some kind of schoolyard challenge, and we don't put up with such any more. We are on a Power Trip and won't put up with any backtalk.

How depressing. What if he's justified? Do any of you even CARE?

We don't care. We're America. Stand up to us and you're next on the list, buddy.

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, reason, common sense, and a willingness to see both sides of an issue are often drowned out by cries of "we'll kick you ass because America's awesome". So much testosterone, so few brain cells.

[Tony]

Originally posted by ASRomatifoso


I agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, reason, common sense, and a willingness to see both sides of an issue are often drowned out by cries of "we'll kick you ass because America's awesome". So much testosterone, so few brain cells.

So much strawmen.

[Doubt]

Originally posted by Sundog
How depressing. What if he's justified? Do any of you even CARE?

We don't care. We're America. Stand up to us and you're next on the list, buddy.

Disgusting reaction from all of you.

What we have here are empty threats from a man who is trying to use smoke and mirrors to cover his ever-decreasing credibility.

The US may be involved in Venezuela, but an invasion? With what? The army is already over committed.

His threats are not justified. If they were, I might just care. As is, I don’t plan on losing any sleep over a threat based on hypothetical invasion which is not about to happen.

Chavez sounds a lot like the old Argentina junta that attacked the Falklands to distract the public from their economic failures. I would bet that Venezuela invades Aruba or the Antilles before the US would invade Venezuela. More likely Chavez is just being a blowhard and the threats are about domestic politics.

[kittynh]

the country is a mess. The best thing a government in trouble can do is find a common enemy for everyone to hate.

Castro used to do it with the homosexuals.

[Ed]

Haven't liked Chavez since he started that damn lettice boycott years ago. Troublemaker.

[gnome]

Ok I'm not one to get into pro-America hysteria, but I have to admit that these comments are a little over the top...

If you invade us, we won't sell you any more oil??!

How many countries are in the practice of selling oil to a nation that is invading them? I have just one thing to say: DUH.

[Number Six]

I think it was a pretty blantant political move by Chavez. There is no chance the US is going to invade Venezuela and he knows it. Chavez is trying to unite people by picking out a common enemy and since the US is the biggest kid on the block and has been throwing its weight around recently it was an easy mark.

From what I've been reading Venezuela has a very high threshhold to have a recall election and despite that the opposition got more than enough signatures but the commission, presumably sympathetic to Chavez, simply disqualified a huge chunk of signatures. He's in trouble and he's trying whatever he thinks will work.

I don't know what can be done to make Venezuela run more smoothly in the long run. I wish I did but in reality it's a mess. If this ploy helps then good, if not then bad. But I don't know which is true.

[SRW]

Originally posted by Ed
Haven't liked Chavez since he started that damn lettice boycott years ago. Troublemaker.

Lettice? It was grapes wasn't it? Don't tell me I have not been boycotting the wrong thing.

[Luciana]

Venezuela has plenty of oil and beautiful women. Are you sure the US shouldn't invade it? :D

Chavez sounds a lot like the old Argentina junta that attacked the Falklands to distract the public from their economic failures.

Just two or three years ago, in the midst of the economic crisis which threw 50% of Argentinans under the poverty level, their President (which? oh my, they had so many, at one point 3 in the same week...) said that the time had come to regain power over the Malvinas...

Don't think that the US is the only scapegoat. In South America, it's default to first blame Brazil. Whatever happens, Brazilians did it. If it's too far-fetched, it's a conspiracy, then it must be American.

[kittynh]

Maybe Venezuala WANTS to be invaded! sort of the "mouse who roared" type thing. Hey, we can send them our surplus cheese and lots of Marines will show up. In fact, I think enlistments will go up if the guys know they will be going to a South American nation full of hot babes.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by hgc
Screw you and the horse you rode in on.

Of course I thought about whether it was justified, and I concluded that it wasn't. There's no chance whatsoever, based on current information, that the U.S. will invade Venezuela. However it is obvious that Chavez is besieged domestically, and is striking out at imagined external enemies to try to gather for himself a scrap of credibility.

Given what happened in Haiti, his paraonia may have a little backing by reality. Aristide, apparently, was on Noriega's hit list from the moment he took power.

[peptoabysmal]

Talk about being out in left field.

Besides, all we have to do is wait a year or two and another banana republic will be in power. Why bother?

Then again Luciana has a point about beautiful Venezuela women... Maybe we could include Portugal in our mad quest for world domination? :p

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by a_unique_person


Given what happened in Haiti, his paraonia may have a little backing by reality. Aristide, apparently, was on Noriega's hit list from the moment he took power.

According to Aristide, he's still in power. You're right, these allegations have very little backing in reality.

Aristide insists he's still Haiti's leader (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/8138130.htm)

[Brian]

Originally posted by ASRomatifoso


I agree with you wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, reason, common sense, and a willingness to see both sides of an issue are often drowned out by cries of "we'll kick you ass because America's awesome". So much testosterone, so few brain cells.
Nope. We're smart, so we're on top. We get to tell the rest of the world what to do. Tough luck. Do better.

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by kittynh
Castro used to do it with the homosexuals.

:eek:

I always had my suspicions about Fidel...



edited: stupid smiley tag

[aerocontrols]

Texas, Venezuala, Norway, The Entire Persian Gulf Region... what is it about people who have oil underneath them that makes them freakin' nuts?

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by aerocontrols
Texas, Venezuala, Norway, The Entire Persian Gulf Region... what is it about people who have oil underneath them that makes them freakin' nuts?

Must be all the fumes and greenhouse gases.

[The Don]

Tried to post an obvious joke only to find I was too far behind the cirve

[Graham]

Originally posted by Brian

Nope. We're smart, so we're on top. We get to tell the rest of the world what to do. Tough luck. Do better.


F*** off a-hole.

[Frank Newgent]

Originally posted by Luciana Nery
Venezuela has plenty of oil and beautiful women. Are you sure the US shouldn't invade it? :D

Next to Columbia, too. Once the US gets its fill of cheap Afghani heroin, we might be ready for the next generation of smokable cocaine.