CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – President Hugo Chavez urged soldiers on Sunday to prepare for a guerrilla-style war against the United States, saying that Washington is using psychological and economic warfare as part of an unconventional campaign aimed at derailing his government.
Dressed in olive green fatigues and a red beret, Chavez spoke inside Tiuna Fort – Venezuela’s military nerve-center – before hundreds of uniformed soldiers standing alongside armored vehicles and tanks decorated with banners reading: “Fatherland, Socialism, or Death! We will triumph!”
“We must continue developing the resistance war, that’s the anti-imperialist weapon. We must think and prepare for the resistance war everyday,” said Chavez, who has repeatedly warned that American soldiers could invade Venezuela to seize control of the South American nation’s immense oil reserves.
U.S. officials reject claims that Washington is considering a military attack. But the U.S. government has expressed concern over what it perceives as a significant arms build-up here.
Chavez – a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro – told soldiers the Washington was trying to weaken and divide Venezuelan society, including the armed forces, without resorting to combat.
“It’s not just armed warfare,” said Chavez, a former army officer who is leading what he calls the “Bolivarian Revolution,” a socialist movement named after 19th-century independence hero Simon Bolivar. “I’m also referring to psychological warfare, media warfare, political warfare, economic warfare.”
Under Chavez, Venezuela has recently purchased some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia, including 53 military helicopters, 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 24 SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets.
Last week, Chavez said he is considering arms purchases, including submarines and a missile-equipped air defense system, as he prepares for a tour of Russia, Belarus and Iran.
“We are strengthening Venezuela’s military power precisely to avoid imperial aggressions and assure peace, not to attack anybody,” he said Sunday.
Opposition leader Julio Borges condemned the president’s interest in acquiring weapons, saying the government should focus on reducing violent crime in Venezuela, which has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America.
“This isn’t resolved with military purchases and foreign tours,” Borges said. “This is resolved with the determination of having a country with justice.”
Wild Thing’s comment…………
All Hugo has to do is send 5 million troops to the U.S.A. and Bush, Graham, Kennedy, Reid, Lott, Kyl and McCain will give them permanent resident status with the Z-visa.
hmmmmm is this a multiple choice????
“Fatherland, Socialism, or Death!
I will pick death for YOU Hugo. How about that.
Chavez Warns of Resistance War With U.S.~ Get a life Hugo!
What the hell is this man doing?
Don’t we already buy his oil?
Don’t we send him our movie stars to fight on his behalf?
This man MUST be bipolar!
So let’s boycott Citgo.
He owns that.
Socialism doesn’t work.
Look what he did to that one tv station. Just
because he didn’t like what they said.
And he blames us for his younger people yearning to breathe free air.
Socialistic sack of crap he is.
Bad waste of skin, if you ask me.
Chavez is a clown. Maybe there will be a coup in Venezuela or a revolution. Anyway, he is an interesting goofball right now. He can buy all the military hardware he wants. Without lots of tech people with expertise, those subs and jets are worthless. He is just bankrupting his country.
El Loco – Hugo A Go Go – is a Castro wannabe! Boycott CITGO and this pain in the gas dictator looney! Boycott the Hollyweirdo Danny Glover too – Hugo’s buddy, eh?
It’s been said to much of a good thing will not
only make you go blind and grow hair on the
plam of your hand it makes you tink u da king!
Is Vladimir behind this like he is in Iran? Chavez sounds more and more like Muammar Gaddafi. Must we send him a bright and shiny surprise gift too?
Hey Jack – if we ignore Chavez, 90% of his rhetoric is quashed. He exists and is the dictator only because he promises the US will invade. If we ho-hum him, he may dry up.
And of course Putin is backing Chavez. Putin’s reason for existence is also to undermine America. Russia is financially insignificant and needs money from selling junk armaments to folks like Chavez and Iran. All are basically a nuisance, dangerous to a degree, but if we got really serious they would be a weekend event. Each of them also teeter on the edge of having their own dissendants topple them.
Where did his pilots go for training Russia ? Maybe if we send a couple of our Top-Guns it could be modern day version of the ‘Great Mariana’s Turkey Shoot’ then, our guys, took out over 400 Jap planes in a day, but with two Top-Guns, that ought to be fair.
Hugo, dial back on the meds m’kay.
Lynn, LMAO this is so funny……”Bad waste of skin, if you ask me.”…..I agree Lynn!
Tom, I wonder if he is doing all of this to scare off anyone that might disagree with him in his own country.
Darth, I would love to see Danny Glover kicked out or the next time he visits Hugo not let Glover back in to America. grrrrrr
Tincan Sailor, hahahaha ” tink u da king!”…. he sure does.
Jack I agree I think Vladimir is backing him not just with weapons but feeding Hugo’s sick brain with stuff too.
I hate it when I see Bush all buddy buddy with Vladimir. It is one thing to have to meet with these people but Bush makes it like he just loves the guy like best friends.
Tom, yes Hugo craves attention and so far our government has been ignoring his BS.
Mark, I wonder if his pilots are being trained in Russia………maybe.
razOr, heh heh