Rumors swirl over Venezuela's Chavez (Gone Missing?)

[tritsofme]

Caracas, May 29 (EFE).- Rumors swirled Sunday about the whereabouts of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who did not deliver a scheduled address to supporters a day earlier and whose weekly show was replaced by a volleyball match.

"The president's program yielded its spot to the match between Venezuela and Brazil because of prior international commitments with the World Volleyball League," Communications Minister Andres Izarra said during a brief appearance on state-owned Venezolana de Television.

The minister said Chavez's weekly show would return next Sunday.
Izarra's statement at 11:35 a.m. (1535 GMT) was intended to put an end to the rumors and speculation in the Venezuelan media about the whereabouts of Chavez, whose show did not air in its regular Sunday time slot of 11:00 a.m. (1500 GMT).

The rumors started Saturday, when Chavez did not show up for a previously scheduled appearance at a march in Caracas to demand that the United States extradite anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles, a suspect in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner.
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel announced at the last minute Saturday that Chavez would not be taking part in the march.
"Chavez will not be with us this afternoon. I understand your reaction, but we have to get used to the fact that Chavez is human, that he can't permanently be in all places," Rangel said, without explaining the reasons for the president's absence.

http://www.efenews.com/includesasp/noticias.asp?opcion=0&id=8153316

[genius]

1. Is anyone else worried?

[alittlelark]

2. I am not familiar w/ the source, so I'm 'not worried'

:scared:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. I don't know the source either

However after a quick glance at their site, it seems to be legit.
http://www.efenews.com/

They were also listed on Global Media Monitor
http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmm/news.html

I'm worried.

[alittlelark]

11. Shit!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. I can find nothing else about this anyplace

AP mentions below that EFE is related to Global Vision News. I don't think we need to be overly concerned yet at this point.

I'm leaning toward waiting this out, it is after all just a rumor.

[BlueIris]

17. My first reaction, too.

Grrrr. I love Chavez.

[Maple]

3. Roh-oh

It could simply mean that he's ill...but given the current situation, it could mean something much worse.

[Blue Belle]

43. Yeah well, remember when we thought Victor Yushchenco....

was "just ill"... turns out someone tried to poison him.

[Al-CIAda]

4. You know what CIA says, third coup attempt is the charm... n/t

[tritsofme]

5. Especially with Goss now at the helm

And Negroponte heading up "counterterrorism" I think they are starting to feel like they are back in the "good ol' days"

[Fridays Child]

6. May he remain safe from all harm.

[genius]

7. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyone have a fast way to contact Greg Palast? I know he's done a lot of research on Chavez and he likes him.

[BattyDem]

9. Oh ... this is not good

:-(

[MadisonProgressive]

10. Bushco got him!

[AP]

12. I believe, but am not certain, that EFE is part of Globo Vision, which

is anti-Chavez, so they'd like to create the pereption of instability.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. That would make sense

After you mentioned this I googled Chavez and Global Vision and received EFE news links.

You are quite likely correct and this is no more than a tactic to create a perception of instability.

[David__77]

14. The U.S. will try to assasinate him if they have not done so yet.

Chavez will surely be a target. Hopefully he has surrounded himself with those who will fight to the death to defend him and defend the people. And hopefully the people will mobilize to further the revolution and crush the rightists into the ground if they dare raise a finger against Chavez. The people's militia and progressives within the regular military must be vigilent and prepare to wage protracted guerrilla war against fascism and the U.S. in the case of a coup or other U.S. subversion.

[mirandapriestly]

22. yup, I keep waiting to hear something like a helicopter crash

or a phony mass demonstration as an excuse to overthrow him. I know this administration wants to get rid of him. I hope this turns out alright, I really do. He's a very courageous man.

[Massacure]

28. If Chavez dies, Venezuela stops pumping oil until a new leader is elected.

30 to 60 days without or a shortage of oil would not be a pretty picture for quite a few U.S. refineries.

[reprobate]

36. Remember not long ago he said if anything happened to him,....

....plans had been made?

I wonder is there is already a hit squad in place in DC to avenge him? Is Bush a target right now?

And if the people of Venezuela rise up, I believe it will spread to the rest of Latin America. Columbia, Bolivia, Equador, Mexico and Brazil are already powder keqs, with the people starting to demand reforms and ready to kick the capitalists out.

I think Latin America a year from now will bear little resemblance to that of today. The thought also occurs that if that happens, will Latin America unite in a power structure? What will that do to US power in the hemisphere?

I think we will see the disintegration of the American Empire if this happens. Strangely, I don't see that as a bad thing. We simply can't afford an empire anymore.

[Judi Lynn]

16. He spoke with the press last Thursday....

From an article:

.....Chavez, an outspoken critic of U.S. policies, did not mention Posada Thursday.

He said he held a cordial meeting Monday with a delegation of U.S. congressional lawmakers, including Indiana Republican Rep. Dan Burton.

"Burton himself said to me, 'There's no reason why we can't talk,"' said Chavez, who added he wanted "normal, respectful" relations with the United States.
(snip)

Chavez said Thursday he would not impose socialism on his country by force, as had occurred in the former Soviet Union, but would seek to introduce it through national debate.

He said those who compared his government to Cuba were "either ill-intentioned, ignorant or crazy."

"We're not going to copy either the Cuban model, or the Chinese model or the U.S. model. We're building our own model, which responds to the needs of Venezuela," he said.
(snip/)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8619953&pageNumber=0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm curious about what that goddawful hog Dan Burton is doing shoving his grubby snout into Venezuelan affairs.

From Dan Burton's site, concerning his mighty important interest in Venezuela in 2003. Here's a photo of him with his Cuban "exile" fellow right-wing extremists, Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, with short guy Robert Menendez standing behind Burton, nearly out of sight.

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN-5) held a press conference with Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), to voice their collective concern regarding the increasingly violent situation in Venezuela. Burton and his colleagues believe there is mounting evidence that the Chavez government is in violation of Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and are calling upon Secretary of State Colin Powell to make an official assessment of the situation in Venezuela.

“I am greatly concerned with the increasingly violent and anti-democratic actions of the government led by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela,” said Burton. “There is evidence that the Chavez government has open and active ties to enemies of the United States, including Iraq. Defectors from Venezuela allege Chavez has financially supported Al Qaeda and Hamas and is providing safe haven to Al Qaeda operatives.”
(snip/...)

http://www.house.gov/burton/ir.htm

Pop Quiz: Which photo shows Dan Burton?

[Andrushka]

18. Aw fer God's sake...

"Defectors from Venezuela allege Chavez has financially supported Al Qaeda and Hamas and is providing safe haven to Al Qaeda operatives."

What do these morans take us for?!

:grr:

[Judi Lynn]

20. Isn't Burton a load? He was one of the Clinton impeachment managers.n/t

[MADem]

23. Yeah, who had a child with his old girlfriend while touting family values

...and tried to blame his troubles on the LIB-RUL media!!

But sprinkled throughout Burton's hedges and acknowledgments were accusations -- charges that journalists' strings are being pulled by "friends of the president" who have been "spreading rumors" about his personal life. While it is entirely possible that the Clinton White House has been up to no good in this case, those who have participated in or covered Indiana politics over the past 25 years found Burton's conspiracy theory laughable for one simple reason: Tales of Burton infidelities, true or not, have abounded in Indiana political and journalistic circles for years.
After a few years in the Statehouse, recalls Ullmann, Burton was well-known in the bird-dogging department. Not that he was different from many of his brethren: "In terms of sex, the first place the '60s got to in Indianapolis was the Statehouse -- this was a time when hookers would come in and leave cards on legislators' desks," Ullmann says. "Getting a piece was rampant in the General Assembly then. And within that context, Burton had a major reputation."

Indeed, says Ullmann, Burton's reputation was so secure that the newspaperman once colluded with several lobbyists and legislators to play a joke on the legislator. "There was this night we knew it would be impossible for him to get away, and we told him we were putting together this party and some really great women would be there. He was going nuts, trying to get out of whatever he was locked into."

Though Ullmann says he's been bothered more and more in recent years at the hypocrisy of Burton's posture as a "family values" candidate, he still did not wish to delve into Burton's sex life. After all, Burton's public life provided more than enough fodder for tough stories -- on strange fund-raising relationships with Sikhs, on bizarre legislative crusades, on unique ideas like the use of nuclear weapons to win the Gulf War...
http://www.salon.com/news/1998/09/11newsb.html

Old reportage, but it holds up well.

[Al-CIAda]

21. Chavez supports Al-CIAda? Yes, and he and Zarkawi are golfing buddies.

As a matter of fact, they have a time share in Fiji.

This is pathetic.

[Blue Belle]

44. Next they'll say that'ts where Osama is hiding...

Osama bin laden holed up in a condo in Figi sipping Mai Tais while on dialysis ...

:eyes:

[burythehatchet]

37. unreal

I don't believe it for one nanosecond. Nonetheless, aside from saudi, no one has provided more aid to al-queda than the UNited States.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Have you noticed that Venezuela's Vice President, Jose Vicente Rangel

has been making a lot of public remarks recently? He's been very vocal in the last few months. I have noticed it for a while, and believe that it's a good idea, since _Bush's simple-minded worshippers need to be reminded that Venezuela has a complete government in place, and Hugo Chavez is not holding the country hostage!

Right-wing propaganda seems to fly more effectively if they convince slow-learners in America that there's one giant guy, a big meanie in each country we want to "liberate." whom we need to kill.

Recent comment from Rangel:

Venezuela to Continue to Seek Posada's Extradition, Rangel Says
May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela said it will continue to seek the extradition of terrorism suspect Luis Posada Carriles, even after the Bush administration rejected a provisional request that he be arrested.

Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said in a televised interview today that the government will turn over all documents needed to extradite Posada by month-end. Rangel spoke at a government-sponsored protest march by hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans demanding Posada's extradited.

``The U.S. government is trying to do all it can to save this terrorist,'' Rangel said. Posada is being held in U.S. custody for unrelated immigration charges.
(snip/...)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=aE0jrmFFPn_w&refer=latin_america


Rangel and Chavez

[Robbien]

39. I read that Chavez was using Rangel as his voice

when anyone other than heads of state needs a response. Bush/Blair & Co send out intermediaries to either meet with Chavez or comment on Chavez and expect Chavez to cater to the intermediaries. Chavez no longer meets or responds to the intermediaries, Rangel does. When Senator Coleman went to Venezuela a couple of months ago, he expected to meet with Chavez. He got Rangel instead. Ha!

Chavez knows his politics.

[Judi Lynn]

42. Exceptional information. Rangel met Coleman? Wonderful.

It's so good to hear Chavez doesn't share _Bush's belief _Bush is the planet's most supreme being.

[whatelseisnew]

24. He has a plan if he's killed

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15555003.htm

Chavez says Venezuela has plan in case he killed
15 May 2005 22:58:11 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Pascal Fletcher


CARACAS, Venezuela, May 15 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that if he is assassinated, his government has a contingency plan to prevent his enemies from taking control of the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

"Some people might want to kill me, but they don't dare ... because if they did, they fear what would happen the next day," the Venezuelan leader said in a television broadcast.

Chavez, a firebrand nationalist who often accuses the U.S. government and domestic opponents of plotting to topple or kill him, and who survived a coup in 2002, said his ministers, the armed forces and his supporters would know what to do if he were ever assassinated.

"We have a plan worked out in the event something happens to me. Those who are thinking about it should know this and that they won't have a good time of it if this happens," he said during his weekly "Hello President" TV and radio show.

[Demeter]

25. I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

Public figures don't just go missing.

[BamaBecky]

35. ME TOO........n/t

[Cocoa]

26. maybe he's with Dave Chappelle

[Total Disaster]

27. I'm afraid this is not a good sign..........n/t

[Barrett808]

29. I don't see anything at VHeadline

http://www.vheadline.com/main.asp

[Barrett808]

30. Venezuela Taking Measures to Thwart President Assassination

Venezuelan opposition circles, cornered by the success of President Hugo Chavez´ political, social and economic development programs are plotting again to carry out anti-constitutional actions three years after a failed coup.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel had denounced such plans on Saturday and the leader of government party Movimiento V Republica, Willian Lara, confirmed Rangel´s charges on Sunday.

Lara said there are intelligence information revealing that some sectors, heartbroken by the defeat of the 2002 coup attempt and the presidential referendum in 2004, are mulling over the idea of assassinate President Chavez.

The Venezuelan official remarked that the government and security departments have taken measures to face an action of this nature.

Lara added that the opposition and transnational sectors are developing plans to destabilize Petroleos de Venezuelan (PDVSA) and undermine the economic and social achievements of the Bolivarian revolutionary government.

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2005/may/30/reg02.htm

[Roland99]

31. Ease up on the conspiracy fears...let's wait for the 48hr window to elapse

The first couple of days is usually nothing but rampant rumors.

Could even be a ploy by Chavez to draw attention to the situation.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

32. why wait? U.S.'s previous "covert" actions fill pages...they even publicly

indicated that one U.S. "objective" was to get rid of Chavez-
Remember that's why Chavez went public and said he had a plan
and said if anything happened to him it would likely be the result U.S. intervention.

Why wait to jump to premature conclusions?

When the guy doesn't show up for his scheduled appearance and isn't sick, you have to wonder---
...did they get him?

...if not, the question is will they arrange an accident for him in the future?

Even a false alarm provides a good reason to speculate.

[Roland99]

45. And what did I say?

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Venezuela-Chavez.html

[Total Disaster]

34. Perhaps he and Pres. Clinton are just resting together on....

....Curacao?









That was a joke, of course.

[bush_is_wacko]

33. Chavez KNOWS when to go underground for a while!

He has made some pretty bold statements lately and he damn well knows bushitler has a team of assassins on his tail. Showing up for a march would have been suicidal.

[Zerex71]

38. Third time's a charm?

Maybe the US Government assassins that have tried twice to off him finally got him. He's making noises that Papa Bush don't like so much.

[GirlinContempt]

40. Chavez

doesn't strike me as the hiding type. He didn't hide before. I guess we'll see.

[creeksneakers2]

41. The information minister denies the rumours

http://www.eitb24.com/noticia_en.php?id=64659