Venezuelan Opposition On The Road To Victory

I was wondering how long it would take the Venezuelan people to wake up and realize that Hugo Chavez's Socialist 'Chavismo' movement was far from the promised utopia, and was actually keeping them impoverished and desperate. I guess they finally got tired of the food rationing, and the toilet paper shortage.

It took a good long 16 years, but things are looking up for the Venezolanos. It seems that even Chavistas were finally so fed up that in the latest elections the opposition Democratic Unity won a whopping 99 seats versus 46 seats the Socialist party won in the National Assembly.

About time!

There is also renewed hope that the next presidential elections will see an opposition leader take the reigns of the country and bring back economic and political stability. Henrique Capriles perhaps? You might remember Chavez's smear campaign against Capriles during the 2012 elections. Current president Nicolas Maduro can't be too happy.

More on the story here.

Congratulations to Venezuelan people for finally making the right choice!

And we have fools here who are actually pro-socialist Bernie Sanders.

Lefty Idiot Of The Day- Professor Smokes and Rants On Airplane About Love Of Chavez

An idiot gringa lefty professor started ranting about U.S. imperialism and her love of Venezuela's dead President Hugo Chavez, her hero, on a recent plane trip back from Nicaragua.  She was arrested upon arrival at Miami airport since she happened to also be smoking on the airplane, which is verboten.

Karen Bettez Halnon teaches sociology at Penn State, and says on a YouTube video:

“The United States has declared war on Venezuela. ” “Venezuela has been declared a national security threat.”

She said she had just woken up after an American Airlines flight from Nicaragua to Miami.

“So you’re aware the police are meeting the aircraft to take you out,” a flight attendant can be heard saying.

Halnon responded, “I already know that so I’m gonna say my piece before I’m arrested.”

Jailed for disorderly conduct, she's back in Pennsylvania, and had this to say about her conduct:

“I was speaking loudly, that’s often interpreted as yelling when a woman speaks loudly,” she said.[snip]
She says she had just returned from a work trip helping single mothers in Nicaragua.

“I felt it was necessary to speak for not only the Venezuelans but the rest of the poor of the world that are constant victims of US military global domination,” she said.

As for her smoking on a plane:

“Yes, that was me and I was actually smoking a cigarette briefly. I took a few puffs out of it and then I put it out and then I joked that the guy next to me made me do it, but that was just a joke,” she said. 

“Every other revolutionary smokes. Fidel, Daniel Ortega, Tomas Borge, Che Guevara, etc. And so that’s one of the significance… to identify with a revolutionary spirit.”

Miss Revolutionary maybe needs to move to Venezuela so she can be closer to her dead hero.

Regarding U.S. imperialism:

"Imperialism has to stop. And people have to use their voice. We have to act up. It’s necessary,” she said.

How about taking action against Islamic imperialism, which is a far more probable and worse threat, Miss Revolutionary.

The rest here, including a video of her rant.

What an idiot.  And this is the kind of person teaching our kids.

Ahmadinejad Will Return With The 12th Imam Claims Iranian Spokesperson

Gholam Hossein Elham, Iranian spokesman (for what I'm not sure), has said that soon-to-be ex-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will return with the Hidden Imam, whenever that might be.  Also known as the 12th Imam and Imam Mahdi, the Shia Muslims have been breathlessly waiting for his return to save the day since the 10th century. But Ahmadinejad predicted that the dead-resurrected Hugo Chavez would return with the Mahdi hand in hand with Jesus Christ, so I'm not quite sure how Mahmoud will return if he's not dead. But Elham is hoping he will.

"God willing, with the manifestation of Imam Mehdi, Ahmadinejad will also return and work for the establishment of pure Islam."

You might remember that Hugo, when he was still alive, was a firm believer in the return of the Mahdi and Jesus, at least according to this chat. 

So, I guess, dead or alive Mahmoud will join Chavez, the Mahdi and Jesus when they return. 

Toilet Paper Shortage In Venezuela

It seems that things aren't going so great in the utopian socialist land of the late Hugo Chavez. Nope. There have been shortages of all sorts of goods, but now the people are having a devil of a time finding toilet paper. Naturally, current Prez Nicolas Maduro blames the opposition, when it actually has to do with Chavez's implementation of price controls.

Either way, the people are not happy about the idea of not having something to wipe their bums with.

Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on toilet paper Thursday as fears of a bathroom emergency spread despite the socialist government's promise to import 50 million rolls.

After years of economic dysfunction, the country has gotten used to shortages of medicines and basic food items like milk and sugar but the scarcity of bathroom tissue has caused unusual alarm.

"Even at my age, I've never seen this," said 70-year-old Maria Rojas. She said she had been looking for toilet paper for two weeks when she finally found it at a supermarket in downtown Caracas.

Thousands of rolls flew off the store's shelves as consumers streamed in and loaded up shopping carts Thursday morning.

"I bought it because it's hard to find," said Maria Perez, walking out with several rolls of paper.

"Here there's a shortage of everything — butter, sugar, flour," she said. But the latest shortage is particularly worrisome "because there always used to be toilet paper."

Economists say Venezuela's shortages of some consumer products stem from price controls meant to make basic goods available to the poorest parts of society and the government's controls on foreign currency.

The country is a mess.  But it has been for a long time, thanks to Chavez and socialism.

Read more here.

As for the TP shortage, maybe they should follow Sheryl Crow's 'one square' per restroom visit.  Or better yet, vote the Chavistas out come next election.

Hugo Chavez: Jesus Will Return With The 12th Imam/Mahdi

The late Hugo Chavez dreaming and chatting about the speedy return of Jesus and the 12th Imam, with some buddies.

 I re-translated the video because the subtitles are, in some cases, incorrect.

The video starts mid-speech, I assume he is referring to Jerusalem.

" ....sacred land for us true Christians. Sacred land.   [Unintelligible, there might have been an edit] Ahmadinejad... we were recalling here.. that one day- the Quran says-  they will return. Christ holding hands with the 12th Imam- Mahdi- They will come together- Mahdi. And on that day there will be peace in the world. Now we must ask them...the Mahdi and Christ to hurry up.. that they come quickly.. that they hurry.. that they come quickly. How many dangers, my God, there are in this world. In this new world that is being born, that pushes, that is being born. In the end, I think that all of the fights.. of all times.. of all places.. are concentrated in the Gaza Strip.. today. And in Jordan [I think that's what he said].. today.  There are concentrated all the fights.. of all places..of all centuries. We fight for Palestine. [because] It's fighting for Venezuela, it's fighting for Latin America, it's fighting for ourselves."

If Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's prediction is correct, Chavez will be joining hands with Jesus and the Mahdi when they return to earth.

US "Far-Right" Wants To Kill Capriles", Chavez Helped Pick Pope and Other Maduro Lunatic Thoughts

More fun stuff from Venezuela.

Hugo Chavez will not be embalmed and permanently displayed for all to see after all. It looks like they started the process too late, which means he has probably started to decay.  Apparently, it wasn't Hugo's idea in the first place. According to an embalmer from Colombia, Camilo Jaramillo, Chavez just wanted to be buried in his hometown of Sabaneta. Vice President (now acting Prez ) Nicolas Maduro also mentioned that the idea of permanent display had been suggested by visiting leaders and his own love for his comandante.

Maduro also happens to think that Hugo had something to do with the latest Pope pick.

"The debate was between an African and a South American pope," Nicolas Maduro said, after taking part in a group prayer at a book fair in Caracas.

"I don't know, but we know that our commander ascended to those heights and he's face-to-face with Christ," said Maduro. "He had an influence for the choosing of a South American pope. Some new hand came in and Christ declared: 'Well, South America's time has come'."

Of course Pope Francis I, formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is actually of Italian heritage. His dad was born in Italy, and although his mum was born in Argentina, her parents hailed from Italy.
Maybe it had more to do with the fact that 40% of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics live in South America. Besides, I sincerely doubt Chavez is hanging out with the angelic crowd.

And last but certainly not least, Maduro has already demonstrated how unhinged he is by accusing the West (most notably the U.S.) of poisoning Chavez, now the man is claiming that the U.S. "far right"  have their sights set on opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski. Yes, Republicans are plotting to assassinate Capriles.

Venezuela's acting president said on Wednesday that "far right" figures in the US were plotting to kill opposition leader Henrique Capriles in an increasingly volatile atmosphere ahead of an April 14 election.

"We have detected plans by the far right, linked to the groups of (former Bush administration officials) Roger Noriega and Otto Reich, to make an attempt against the opposition presidential candidate," Nicolas Maduro said.

Maduro is so concerned about Capriles's well being that he sent one of his men to meet with Capriles's people.  Right. This is the same man that Chavez launched a vicious smear campaign against during the last Venezuelan elections. The same man the U.S. right was rooting for. I know I was.

Noriega dismissed the whole thing as "absolute nonsense", saying:

"They call you what they are and they accuse you of doing what they do. That is the way they operate."

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Maduro and his henchmen were planning on killing Capriles, and then blaming it on the evil right-wing Yankees.

So lets see, Maduro thinks Chavez was poisoned by his U.S. 'enemies', persuaded Jesus to get a Latino Pope elected, and is convinced the U.S. "far right" wants Capriles dead- when it's more than likely it's Maduro they want out of the picture. And this man could be the next official Venezuelan President?

God help us. He's as wacko, if not more so, than Chavez.

Ayatollah Blasts Ahmadinejad For Chavez/Jesus/Mahdi Return To Earth Remark

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in trouble for claiming that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will rise from the dead and return to earth in the company of Jesus Christ and the revered, long awaited Hidden Imam (Mahdi) to "bring peace, justice and perfection for all."

Iranian Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami berated Mahmoud, saying:

“It would have been sufficient to simply send a diplomatic message without getting involved in ideological issues” or “religious connotations,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, Tehran’s Friday prayer leader, was quoted as saying. Ahmadinejad’s message was an “exaggeration,” he added. [snip]

Khatami criticized the president for carelessness, knowing that such a remark could provoke reactions within Iran’s religious institutions.

However, that won't stop him from saying more stupid and provocative things.

Hugo Chavez To Be Displayed In Glass Coffin, Forevermore

UPDATE: 3/14/13: Chavez will not be embalmed after all.

So the Venezuelan people "will always have him", Hugo Chavez's embalmed corpse will be placed in a see-through glass casket and permanently displayed at the Museum of the Revolution. So says, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who is now acting Prez. That way his doting, now mourning, Chavistas, Hollywood elite- the likes of  Sean Penn, Michael Moore and Oliver Stone- and people like Jimmy Carter, who admired him can have look-see whenever they want.

He will join other communist luminaries in being publicly displayed. In perpetuity.

The tradition of displaying socialist leaders began with Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union, upon his death in 1924.

The practice was repeated with his successor, Joseph Stalin, in 1953, though the Georgian strongman’s body was later removed removed from Lenin’s tomb in 1961 at Premier Nikita Kruschev’s urging.

Other communist leaders such as Mao Zedong in China, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and both successive patriarchs of the “Kim Dynasty” in North Korea (Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il) have also been put on permanent display.

Not unexpected for a narcissist. After all, if he placed his image on cans of tuna that he shipped over to Peruvian quake victims back in 2007, he would make sure he was remembered forevermore.

Chavez Poisoned By Enemies- Says VP Maduro

Although the world was finally told of the passing of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez,  I have a feeling it might have happened a tad earlier than officially announced- considering the veil of secrecy surrounding his illness towards the end. When a series of photos of Chavez surfaced after his most recent cancer surgery, an L.A. based digital animator posted on Youtube his 'evidence' that the photo of Chavez with his daughters reading a dated 'Granma' newspaper were, in actuality, photoshopped. So we still don't have any definitive proof how long he was alive after the last surgery, not that it matters now. He died of his cancer, and all the loons are blaming the U.S.

When he was alive, Chavez was convinced that the U.S. gave him and other leftist Latin leaders cancer, including Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, until it turned out her thyroid wasn't cancerous at all. And just prior to the announcement of Hugo's demise, Vice President Nicolas Maduro accused "enemies" (like the U.S.) of having poisoned his comandante, after it was revealed that Chavez had developed "a new, severe" respiratory infection.

“We have no doubt that Commandant Chávez was attacked with this illness, we have not a single doubt,” Maduro said. “The established enemies of our land specifically tried to harm the health of our leader.”

Maduro said he will order the creation of a “scientific commission” to look at this alleged conspiracy that Chávez was sickened through medical means.

“We already have leads, which will be further explored with a scientific investigation,” Maduro said.

Arafat died in 2004, less than a month after coming down with “flu-like” symptoms. Conspiracy theorists and some Palestinian leaders suggest that Arafat was poisoned medically by Israeli operatives.

“There have been too many cases throughout history, including the most recent, of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, it’s widely known that was poisoned medically.”

Of course, the fact that there was no access to Chavez by foreign operatives prior to the respiratory infection means naught. And no mention of the fact that Yasser Arafat died from HIV/AIDS, at least according to his personal doctor Ashraf al-Kurdi.

And these people rule countries. 

Chavez Will Resurrect With Jesus and the Mahdi Claims Ahmadinejad

You have to love Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his wacky notions. If nothing else, they're good for a hearty laugh.

So, get this, the Iranian president- who is mourning the passing of his best buddy Hugo Chavez- has elevated the Venezuelan leftist loon to a position of messiah-ship. Yes, Mahmoud actually believes Chavecito is returning to earth in a second-coming, along with Mahmoud's Hidden Imam and Jesus Christ.

"I have no doubt that he [Chavez] will return alongside Jesus Christ and the Mahdi [the Hidden Imam] to establish peace and justice in the world," Ahmadinejad wrote in an emotional condolence message posted on his personal website. The Mahdi is a revered figure among Shi'ite Muslims, many of whom believe he will return to save humanity.

Chavez will now have his very own 'national day of mourning' in Iran, and Ahmadinejad is even thinking of heading on over to Venezuela to bid his BFF adieu.

He also concurs with Chavez's equally delusional Vice President Nicolas Maduro that the dead Venezuelan president was given cancer by the U.S.

Ahmadinejad also wrote in his website eulogy:

"Hugo Chavez is a name known to all nations. His name is a reminder of cleanliness and kindness, bravery...dedication, and tireless efforts to serve the people, especially the poor and those scarred by colonialism and imperialism."

Hugo Chavez Talking Doll Selling On eBay

Apparently, you can buy Hugo Chavez (made- in-China) talking action figure dolls in Venezuela- red hat, fatigues and all.

But if you'd like one of your own, you can buy one right here in the U.S. on ebay for a mere starting bid of $100.00, or if you don't like the bidding process, you can buy him for $250.00. Bidding ends on March 12.

Maybe Sean Penn will bid, unless he already has one.

H/T WIOD

Sean Penn Pops In On Hugo Chavez Vigil In Bolivia

Hugo Chavez was back in Cuba for more cancer surgery, his fourth, but he's not blaming the U.S. just yet.  And just to lend support, one of  the Venezuelan president's best buddies- lefty actor Sean Penn- popped over to Bolivia (another lefty-led country) to participate in a candlelight vigil for poor ailing Chavez.

Chavistas along with Bolivian officials and the Venezuelan ambassador to La Paz, Crisbeylee Gonzalez, gathered at some diplomatic venue and were delighted to have Sean Penn show up wearing his snazzy Venezuelan flag jacket.

“Thank you, Sean,” said Gonzalez, “for joining us and for wanting to be here. We know President Chavez is a good friend of yours, and you didn’t hesitate one second about coming here with us to this vigil."

Sean Penn gushed:

“He’s one of the most important forces we’ve had on this planet." “And I’ll wish him nothing but that great strength he has shown over and over again. I do it in love, and I do it in gratitude.

“I just want to say, from my very American point of view, of my friend President Chavez: It is only possible to be so inspiring as he is, as a two-way street. And he would say that his inspiration is the people.”

Inspiring and one of the most important forces on this planet?  Whatever.

Okay, so Penn didn't fly to La Paz exclusively for the vigil, he was there for Jacob Ostreicher, an American capitalist entrepreneur who has been in jail (without a trial) for 18 months for money laundering, a charge he claims he's innocent of. The bizarre story reads like a movie, which is probably why Penn attended the release hearing. It's still odd, since Ostreicher is definitely a capitalist and Penn's sympathies obviously run decidedly left.

So why does Chavez fly to Cuba for all his medical work?  Isn't the medical care in his socialist country good enough? It should be.

Hugo Chavez Gets Another Six Years To Ruin Venezuela

Did anyone really expect anyone other than Hugo Chavez to win the Venezuelan presidential election?  I know I didn't, although I had hoped that Henrique Capriles Radonski would somehow manage to persuade the Venezuelan people he was a far better choice, considering crime has soared since Chavez took control of the country. With 19,000 murders last year, Venezuela has the dubious honor of being one of the most dangerous countries in the world. And what about the food shortages, which can be blamed on the strict price controls that are part and parcel of Hugo's Bolivarian revolutionary thought? I guess Chavistas don't care, after all the little they do get is cheap, and along with their free apartments why wouldn't they vote for Chavez again?  Sound familiar? It's a little like Mitt Romney's "47%" who will vote for Barack Obama for all the free goodies they get.

So, Chavez won by about 54% ( with 1 million plus votes), compared to Capriles'  45%.  Capriles did surprisingly well, in spite of a nasty smear campaign against him by Chavez and his goons.

Of course his Hollywood useful tools, including Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Harry Belafonte are elated, and Danny Glover was actually in Caracas to share in the joy.

Venezuela gets six more years of Chavez, so he can totally run that country into the ground like every other socialist/communist country.  That is if he lasts that long.

I hope the American people aren't as stupid as the Venezuealans.

Hugo Chavez Plans a "Guerilla Army" Against US Imperialist Invasion

Delusional Hugo Chavez has always had it in his head that the evil imperialist US Empire is planning an invasion of Venezuela- as if we have the resources, the means or the desire to take over his failing country. But he's convinced, and so the secret "Plan Sucre" was born, at least according to opposition Parliamentary Rep Maria Corina Machado of the centre right Justice First party who told El Universal news that,

"Plan Sucre" – apparently crafted with input from close ally and fellow US foe Cuba – covers the legal, logistical and other angles necessary to "transform a professional army into a guerrilla army."

Machado also believes that the Chavez government plans on involving the Venezuelan people in that guerilla war. Machado, who had an unsuccessful presidential bid, wrote a letter to the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, warning Venezuelans and members of the National Armed Forces (FAN),

"..of the contents of a secret document that will change our lives, and turn us all into defenders of the revolution, thwarting what is established in the Constitution. We will cease being citizens to become combatants."

She then goes onto say that the plan's strategic objective is apparently

"...to build a new Bolivarian military doctrine in order to successfully wage a protracted people's war" in response to "a supposition of war by the Empire against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela".

The "Empire" being the U.S. Machado goes on to explain that:

"the protracted popular war, in its basic concept, means maintaining the people's support and drawing the enemy to the interior of the country, where the population can bleed them...."

The plan also "favors the employment of the Territorial Militia over members of FAN," and the government intends on recruiting a million militia by 2013 and two million by 2019.

Machado added that by reducing homeland defense to deal with one single external enemy and one single threat, the government will make Venezuela unacceptably vulnerable, and that the whole plan smacks of Cuba. Apparently, it's very similar to that of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba.

Hugo's paranoiac fear of Yanqui imperialism might be one factor in his desire to increase a guerilla army, but let's face it, he wants to further strengthen his own personal militia corps- which is basically what his current "army of the public" is, since they report to him directly- because with a million to two million strong he can pretty much ensure his presidency for life. That is, if the cancer doesn't get him.

Sources: Notitarde

Hugo Chavez Cronies Lanch Smear Campaign Against Opposition Candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski

The Venezuelan presidential election is scheduled for October 7 this year, and it's already getting ugly. Hugo Chavez and his cronies, who will do anything to remain in power, have resorted to mudslinging to ensure the newly elected opposition leader, 39-year-old Henrique Capriles Radonski, has no chance of becoming president.

Surprisingly, Chavez (not the sharpest knife in the drawer) is letting his stooges do his dirty work for him, and it's nasty.  Capriles, whose maternal grandparents were Jewish, is actually a committed practicing Catholic, but that hasn't stopped Chavez associates from launching anti-Semitic attacks. Of course this is nothing new for the popular governor who won this latest nomination with an overwhelming 60 plus percent of the vote, and who is Venezuela's greatest hope for defeating Chavez in October. Since he became governor of the state of Miranda in 2008, he has been subject to  anti-Semitic slurs, and it looks like  that won't end any time soon. Since anti-Semitism isn't anything new in Venezuela, many believe bringing up his Jewish roots is a way to play into the anti-Semitic/anti-Israel feelings prevalent in that country.

Chavistas obviously fear Capriles' popularity so the attacks started almost immediately after winning the Coalition For Democratic Unity's primary.  First there were the claims that the he's a "bourgeois" and a "fascist".  Chavista Diosdado Cabello, Congress leader, said of Capriles,

'Now we know who is the candidate of imperialism, of capitalism and the right wing. The anti-patriotic candidate has a face. He won't have an easy election campaign.'

In spite of the fact that Capriles considers himself a centre-left 'progressive',  inspired by former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's form of government.

Then you have the sexual allegations from Mario Silva, the state media commentator on his The Razorblade TV show:

Silva insulted opposition leaders and then read out a purported police document reporting Capriles was caught in a car having sex with another man in 2000. Capriles denied the allegation and said the document was falsified. Police have not commented.

So far, Capriles isn't taking the bait:

'I wasn't elected to fight with anyone but to solve problems. 'The only confrontation I want is against violence, unemployment, corruption and other problems in Venezuela.'

Unfortunately, people are predicting Chavez will still probably win because of his huge support by the poor in Venezuela, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Good luck Henrique!!

His blog.

UPDATE:

Chavez has stepped into the fray. In a speech today he called Capriles a "low-life... pig" saying "you have a pig's tail, a pig's ears, and you snort like a pig."

His anti-Semitism rears its ugly head. Muslims have often called Jews descendants of apes and pigs.

Stay classy Chavez.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Claims HIV Created By West To Weaken Third World

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the fruit loop over in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, are two peas in a pod- they're both delusional. Maybe that's why they're best buds. Chavez is a tad more prolific when it comes to absurdities, but Mahmoud has come out with some equally good ones.  Take his latest claims that the West is behind the HIV virus.

"Today there is this outstanding question that why so many killer viruses, including the HIV virus, have spread all over the world. Many so-called experts say the spread has come as a result of vices and immoralities but we see that in the centre of the places that these viruses have emerged these immoral acts have not been reported." "Then how is it that at the same time in some African countries they find these viruses?

"It is obvious that the African countries must be plundered of their wealth and resources. The major powers and despots are behind the development of these diseases so they could then sell their drugs and medical equipment to the poor countries".

Huh?  What wealth and resources?

I guess he didn't get the memo that the bulk of African countries are piss-poor, and that HIV started in monkeys in Africa and was probably transmitted to humans not through "immoral acts" but rather through consumption of diseased meat.

But a conspiracy theory is far more exotic to Mahmoud and Chavez than the truth. After all, Chavez was busy entertaining the notion that the U.S. gave him, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and several other Latin leaders the big "C".  It turns out, however, that Cristina didn't have cancer after all. 

Mahmoud also believes 9/11 was an inside job (though there are plenty of loonies in this country who agree with him:

"Some segments within the American government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime," he said.

Ha. That's a good one, since our economy is doing so well, Mahmoud!

Then there's also the fact that he's a holocaust denier, and claims they have no homosexuals in Iran. Of course, that's just wishful thinking on his part.  If Mahmoud wasn't so dangerous, he'd be funny.

U.S. Expels Venezuelan Consul In Miami, Livia Acosta Noguera, Over Iranian Cyber Attack Plot

The U.S. State Department has just given the boot to Venezuela's consul general in Miami. According to William Ostick, Livia Acosta Noguera has until Tuesday to leave the country after being declared 'persona non grata' for allegedly being a very naughty girl:

The State Department had said last month it was looking into “very disturbing” allegations that Ms Acosta was a participant in an alleged Iranian plot to launch cyber-attacks on sensitive US national security facilities.

According to the Spanish-language TV network, Univision, Ms Acosta was taped discussing the alleged plot with Mexican students who later sought asylum in the US. The discussions reportedly took place in 2007 while she was serving at the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City.

Ostick wouldn't give any details regarding the matter, but the allegations came to light after a documentary aired on Univision in December which highlighted her involvement in a plot to target the FBI, CIA and the White House. Naturally, Hugo Chavez denied those allegations, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if they were true, considering Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are best buds.

I can't wait to hear what Chavez has to say about the expulsion of one of his diplomats.

Hey Chavez, Argentina's President Never Had Cancer!

The good news for Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the surgery to remove her cancerous thyroid gland went swimmingly on January 4.  The bad news- it wasn't cancerous after all.

According to Eduardo Faure (thyroid cancer specialist, but not Kirchner's doctor) the papillary carcinoma diagnosis was a 'false positive', which can happen occasionally:

"The cells may originally appear to be cancer but in 2 percent of cases, after the operation, when a more thorough examination can be performed, it turns out they are not," the doctor said in an interview.

I'm glad it turned out that Fernandez de Kirchner never had cancer, and I'm sure so is she, but I'd be pretty pissed off if some misinformed doctors had removed my thyroid for no compelling reason, especially in light of the fact that the effects of being thyroid-less are not much fun. As expected the Argentine people are also pretty darn ecstatic that the popular lefty leader never had cancer. News of her upgraded  'cancer-free' diagnosis, by spokesman Alfredo Scoccimaro, was greeted with great jubilation by some fans who had kept vigil by the hospital throughout her ordeal.

But I have to wonder how idiot-boy Hugo Chavez feels about this new 'no cancer for Kirchner' status update. I wonder if he's bummed out. After all, Chavez was convinced that the U.S. was probably behind the rash of cancerous diseases besetting so many Latin leftist leaders, including his own and Kirchner's. Now he has to scratch one off his list.  I'd like to think he was alone in his lunatic thinking, but there are many equally delusional folk (see comments) who also entertained the notion that the U.S. has nothing better to do than give people cancer.  If that's the case, Ahmadinejad and others would be long gone.

Hugo Chavez Thinks The U.S. Gave Him and Other Lefty Latin Leaders Cancer

The always laughable Hugo Chavez, has come out with another doozy. This time, the loco Venezuelan President said he thinks that the U.S. might have given him, along with several other lefty Latin leaders, the big "C".  Yes, somehow the U.S. spread some cancer-inducing mojo their way, and voila.  Apparently, these thoughts came to him after he heard Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has thyroid cancer.

“It’s very difficult to explain, even with the law of probabilities, what has been happening to some of us in Latin America,” Chavez said in a nationally televised speech to the military. “Would it be so strange that they’ve invented technology to spread cancer and we won’t know about it for 50 years?”

Now he wants a powwow with others who have had cancer, to compare notes. That would include Fernando Lugo (Paraguay) and Luiz Inacio Da Silva and Dilma Rousseff of Brazil. He also told other lefties to watch their backs:

“I’m just sharing my thoughts, but it’s very, very, very strange,” Chavez said. “Evo take care of yourself, Correa, be careful, we just don’t know,” he said, referring to Evo Morales and Rafael Correa, the leaders of Bolivia and Ecuador.

He also shared some advice that his commie buddy Fidel Castro gave him:

“Fidel always tells me, ‘Chavez be careful, they’ve developed technology, be careful with what you eat, they could stick you with a small needle,’” the Venezuelan leader said today. “In any case, I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just using my freedoms to reflect and issue comments on very strange events that are hard to explain.”

But Chavez has always been uber-paranoid and bizarre. He's convinced the U.S. is planning on invading Venezuela, although he shares those delusional beliefs with many others.  An article posted on Venezuelanalysis.com back in 2007 claimed that an invasion of Venezuela was imminent. Let's see-  it's been 4 years hence, and nada. In 2009, there was another article on this blog talking about a planned invasion by the U.S. through Colombia, and 2 years later- nada. Then in 2010 on the blog 'Postcards From The Revolution', award winning journalist Eva Golinger who is currently residing in what she terms "a country with a vibrant democracy and the largest oil reserves in the world"  [that would be Venezuela she's referring to] also talks about that invasion. I'm still waiting. But what's even more stupefying is that seemingly intelligent people actually buy into what he says.  Just take a look at the comments on Eva's blog and you'll see what I mean.  Pretty darn strange.

But I still think that the most laugh-inducing Chavez comment was when he claimed that capitalism killed the Martians.

I think I might actually miss him when he's gone.

Hugo Chavez Calls Barack Obama a "Clown"

For some reason Obama, who during the first three years in office has avoided publicly criticizing Hugo Chavez (although a tongue lashing was certainly warranted on many occasions), suddenly decided to blast Venezuela for its ties to Iran and Cuba. There is speculation by certain individuals that it might, indirectly, have something to do with the 2012 election, and that could very well be. Javier Corrales, an Amherst College expert on Venezuela, seems to think it's Obama's way of responding to an 

 ”increasing pressure by conservatives on [sic] the United States to sanction Venezuela, especially because of its ties with Iran. Under Bush, the Conservatives were tolerant with the administration's policy. Under Obama, this tolerance is waning. " 

Chavez has been best buds with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a very long time, this is not something new, so why Obama chose this moment to blast him is somewhat suspect, albeit justified.

Predictably, Chavez (who believes it has everything to do with next year's elections), blasted back at Obama calling him "a clown" and an "embarrassment", and essentially told him to butt out. On state TV Chavez told Obama to

“Focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster

"Mr. Obama decided to attack us. Now you want to win votes by attacking Venezuela. Don't be irresponsible. You are a clown, a clown. Leave us in peace … Go after your votes by fulfilling that which you promised your people.”

“Go and ask the black communities of your country what you are for them: the greatest frustration. Go and ask the poor people of your country what you mean for them, a great frustration."

As much truth as there might be in Chavez's words, can you say 'pot- kettle-black. Chavez is one of the world's greatest buffoons, an even greater embarrassment, and has managed to turn his country into a major disaster.

In an interview with the Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal, Obama said,

“It seems to me that the ties between Venezuela's government and Iran and Cuba have not served the interests of Venezuela and its people.”

He also expressed his concerns about the threat to democracy in Venezuela.  Those threats have been around way before Obama took office, so why the concern now is rather odd.

Of course there's also speculation that Chavez, who is also up for re-election in 2012, and isn't about to lose that one, was trying to get some election leverage out of his rebuke. Corrales said that while

"Obama's motives for doing the interview were less predictable [snip] Chávez response was predictable. ”Chávez seizes every opportunity he can find to have a fight with the U.S and his response to this interview follows that line faithfully."

It will be interesting to see if either of their tactics will work in getting them reelected.

I hope not.