2000 US troops off Venezuelan coast

[medeak]

http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/9169/U_S_Sends_More_Military_to_Caribbean

Republished from Prensa Latina
Three warships, 2,000 troops en route to join Operation "Caribbean Lion"
Three more US warships with 2,000 troops aboard left for the Caribbean Wednesday, to join the combat fleet there since April, at which regional governments and social groups look with a jaundiced eye.

The Pentagon-led “Caribbean Lion 2006”, military exercises to begin Tuesday, include aerial reconnaissance, maritime depth measurements and terrain analysis in addition to other activities, is perceived by local analysts to be evaluating possibilities for an attack against one or more countries in the area.Included in the exercise are US Special Forces “trained to enter hostile territory and physically destroy the enemy.”

Although technically led by Holland, the monumental training exercise will have an extremely strong US presence and will extend until June 15, with bases on two islands off the Venezuelan coast (Curacao and Guadalupe).“Officially this military operation does not have any political purpose; extra-officially, the exercise can be interpreted as a signal to Hugo Chavez ,” Caribseek digital news affirms.

[987654321]

1. Oh F#@K!

Here we go again.

[Gregorian]

2. How dare Hugo threaten to lower the price of oil.

We invaded Iraq to raise it. It cost a lot of money to get gas to $3 per gallon. He's a loose cannon. You can bet Bush will have his head.

[spanone]

3. I'm sure President Cheney wants to fuck with President Chavez.

Hugo won't play oil Monopoly with the big boys, he must be punished.

[libhill]

55. Probably

has bananas of mass destruction, and no doubt helped instigate 9/11 with that thar Saydamn Whosane feller. If'n we don't stop him thar, we'll have ta stop him here...

[medeak]

4. Russia signs deal to sell warplanes to Chavez

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=674463

[katinmn]

5. Crazy neocons! GTF out of the Caribbean!

So will Congress turn a blind eye to this as well? Of course.

[paineinthearse]

6. How did OUR oil get under Venezuela, anyway???

[CottonBear]

42. Ever wonder why Reagan invaded Grenada? Look at this map:

http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/page2.html

[Judi Lynn]

53. Now THAT could offer some real food for thought!

I'm sorry to admit it, but I never took the time to look for Grenada on a map.

I'd like to include background on the invasion of Grenada for DU'ers who may not have been old enough to have picked up much about it when it happened:

Reports from the Washington Post indicated that since 1981 the CIA had engaged in efforts to destabilize the Grenadan government politically and economically. In August 1981, U.S. armed forces staged a mock invasion of Grenada on the island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico. As in the real invasion that would come later, paratroopers secured key points on the Grenada-sized island followed by a marine amphibious assault with air and naval support, totaling almost 10, 000 troops. Striking similarities in the geographic code names during the exercise to actual locations on Grenada were hardly coincidental. It is not unreasonable to assume that a U.S. invasion of Grenada was planned at least two years prior to the revolution's self-destruction, which gave the United States the excuse it had been waiting for.

The Rationalizations for the Invasion

The U.S. invasion of Grenada was the first major U.S. military operation since the end of the Vietnam War. Indeed, it may have in part been a test of the so-called "Vietnam syndrome," the purported "affliction" that makes it difficult for the American public to support U.S. military intervention without a just cause. As with Iraq, the initial justifications for the invasion proved to be either highly debatable or demonstrably false, yet it still received bipartisan support in Congress and the approval of nearly two-thirds of the American public.

The major justification for the invasion was the protection of American lives. Reagan administration officials falsely claimed that the island’s only operating airport was closed, offering the students no escape. In reality, scores of people left the island on charter flights the day before the U.S. invasion, noting that there was not even a visible military presence at the airport and that customs procedures were normal. Regularly scheduled flights as well as sea links from neighboring Caribbean islands had ceased as of October 21, however, though this came as a direct result of pressure placed on these governments to do so by U.S. officials. Apparently, by limiting the ability of Americans who wished to depart from leaving, the Reagan administration could then use their continued presence on the troubled island as an excuse to invade. The Reagan administration admitted that no significant non-military means of evacuating Americans was actively considered.

Particular concern was expressed over the fate of 800 American students at the U.S.-run St. George’s University School of Medicine. The safe arrival in the United States of the initial group of happy and relieved students evacuated from Grenada resulted in excellent photo opportunities for the administration. It appears, however, that the students’ lives were never actually in any danger prior to the invasion itself.

Grenadan and Cuban officials had met only days earlier with administrators of the American medical school and guaranteed the students’ safety. Urgent requests by the State Department’s Milan Bish to medical school officials that they publicly request U.S. military intervention to protect the students were refused. Five hundred parents of the medical students cabled President Reagan to insist he not take any “precipitous action.” Staff members from the U.S. embassy in Barbados visited Grenada and saw no need to evacuate the students.

The medical school’s chancellor, Charles Modica, polled students and found that 90% did not want to be evacuated. Despite repeated inquiries as to whether Washington was considering military action, he was told nothing of the sort was being considered. As the invasion commenced, Dr. Modica angrily denounced the invasion as totally unnecessary and a far greater risk to the students’ safety than Grenada’s domestic crisis. Vice-chancellor Geoffrey Bourne and Bursar Gary Solin also declared their steadfast opposition. The U.S. media focused great attention on the students who were first evacuated and “debriefed” by U.S. officials who generally supported the invasion. However, virtually no attention was given to those who stayed behind, who tended to be more familiar with the island and who largely opposed U.S. intervention. There were no confirmed reports of any American civilians harmed or threatened before or during the invasion. It was three days after U.S. troops initially landed before they decided to take control of the second medical school campus, raising questions as to whether the safety of Americans was really the foremost priority.
(snip)

Originally the United States had been asked to help build the airport, which had been in the planning stages of more than 25 years, but had refused. After the invasion, however, the U.S. assisted in finishing the almost-completed project....
(snip)

http://www.globalpolicy.org/empire/history/2003/10grenada.htm

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

Thanks, CottonBear. I have appreciated your remarks concerning Grenada in the past.

On edit:

When I wrote this post, I hadn't read down far enough in the thread to see your great post#40:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1235935#1238109

Thanks for the information!

[Turbineguy]

7. "Would you believe...

two cops in a rowboat?"

Maxwell Smart

[Deja Q]

8. !

:spray:

[Initech]

9. This only adds fuel to the fire that the Iraq war was for oil.

:nuke:

[Captain Hilts]

10. They do this every few years. Nothing new. nt

[medeak]

13. remember 1983?

Regional governments and experts cannot help recall the similar exercise in 1983 when the US flotilla was diverted from the Mediterranean to invade tiny Granada, and believe this is the spearhead of new US militarization of the zone.

The Pentagon asserts the massive military concentration is to coordinate local forces in the anti-drug fight and informs it will touch ports in Honduras, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Curacao, San Martin, Cartagena, Nicaragua and San Cristobel and Nevis.

[Captain Hilts]

14. They've been doing exercises like this regularly since the 50s.

My dad participated in some of them.

[medeak]

17. cousin participated as well

under Reagan's watch. Granted he was member of version of army CIA...but he now can't hold a job..sleeps in a recliner as beats wife in sleep..unable to get psychiatric help with VA as not authorized to talk about what actions he was involved in.

something about women and children in Central America is what has disturbed his mind.

[bananas]

39. Sorry to hear about that

Maybe he should just go public with it all.

[CottonBear]

40. It's spelled Grenada. (Grenada is in Spain.)

I have good friends in Grenada. I almost moved there to live. I know a family whose loved one is still in prison after an illegal trial in a kangaroo court (organized on by the US) all these years after the Revolution. He's been in Richmond Hill since 1983 after he was tortured by the US Armed Forces and agents. :(

The Last Prisoners of the Cold War are Black: http://www.geocities.com/elethinker/RG/GrenadaupdateMarch2001.htm

Information about the plight of the Grenada 17: http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/page9.html

Excellent historical site about the Grenadian Revolution: http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/index.html

Remember the Revo
Forward ever!
Backwards never!

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2004/06/28/torture.htm
Grenada 17 says US torture of POWs not new
by Leroy Noel

Monday, June 28, 2004
ST GEORGE‘S, Grenada: The 17 persons convicted in Grenada for the death of former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several of his cabinet colleagues say reports of the humiliation and torture of prisoners of war in Iraq, Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, by their US military captors are nothing new.

A statement from the Grenada 17 says official US spokespersons have sought to portray these horrible abuses as recent, isolated incidents by out-of-control individual soldiers, and not the result of official US policy but those who lived through the US invasion of Grenada know the truth.

The prisoners added that in the months following the October 1983 US invasion of Grenada, 2,800 Grenadians out of a total adult population of 60,000 were detained, most of them at a prisoner of war camp set up at Point Salines International Airport. Many of the prisoners were kept in small ‘sweat boxes’ designed so that they had to crawl on hands, knees and stomachs like dogs in order to get in and out.

The Grenada 17 indicated that guard-dogs were set halfway into the sweat boxes to terrorize them; abuse, including racist abuse, was screamed at them day and night by the soldiers; and the boxes were constantly beaten at night so as to deprive the detainees of sleep. They were kept in those boxes on the asphalt tarmac for days or weeks, in the sun, in the stifling daytime heat. Leaks in the boxes let in the heavy October night rains, so that they shivered in their wet clothes night after night, many becoming ill they claimed.

more..

[medeak]

44. thanks

copy and pasted from lead article and didn't check spelling.

horrific...what we do in the world.

[CottonBear]

52. You're welcome.

Please contact Amnesty International, the Grenadian Government (PM & Parliament) and the Privy Court in London to appeal the life sentences of the Grenadian prisoners. They were subject to an unfair war crimes trial (just like those that the current US gov't is conducting.)

Thank you. Peace. World Peace. CB

[Gabi Hayes]

51. What if Chavez and Castro took a couple ships from their huge navies....

sailed them, say, into the 90 mile stretch between Cuba and Florida and did some "joint naval exercises"?

what do you think the US govt. reaction might be?

huh?

[NVMojo]

45. they could care less about drugs, they want to STEAL!!! OIL!!!!

...And kill Chavez' free speech!

[Bozita]

11. So, ... is the CIA going back into the Murder Inc business?

After all, 9/11 changed everything.

[coffeenap]

12. So, sealing our border with Mexico begins to look more like a

military expedition -- no land entry from all of Central and South America when the battles begin??????

[NVMojo]

46. BINGO!!!!

[gordianot]

15. What they would really like is the excuse to remember a "New Maine".

[cliss]

16. Trained to enter hostile territory

WHAT territory, and physically destroy WHAT enemy?

[Nimrod2005]

18. Are they going to start something "ACCIDENTLY" down there?

Did I not hear some new high level military guy moving to South Florida to handle this part of the world? Was his move related to this?

This is trouble IMO. I hate it...


EDITED BY ADMIN TO REMOVE IMAGES.

[medeak]

19. why does a security alert pop up on your post?

navy military something? WTF? a joke?

[Bozita]

20. I got one too when opening this thread

NOT funny!

[medeak]

21. just happened again

creepy...alerted mods.

[Bozita]

22. Had only 2 windows open - DU and CNN

[ceile]

23. I got one, too.

huh...

[manic expression]

25. Yeah same here n/t

[recoveringrepublican]

27. I got one also! nt

[Nimrod2005]

33. Not sure, it did that when I tried to copy the image from the site...

I guess Skinner took it off now?

[manic expression]

24. Uncle Sam's army of oppression marches again

This is disgusting, although not shocking. I should've known this was going to happen.

[medeak]

26. are they that dumb

they can't spy without a friggin pop up? Or is it intimidation?

[Bozita]

28. just started a new thread in GD concerning the pop-ups

I just got my 2nd one.

[medeak]

36. what's the link? n/t

[Bozita]

38. link ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1237502

[datadiva]

29. I got one too.

DOD Navy :scared:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

30. Me, too...creepy. n/t

MKJ

[jeanarrett]

32. Me too and I've got nothing else open.

[rman]

31. earlier reports:

Venezuela plans military exercises as U.S. troops train in Caribbean
April 25, 2006
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060425-1959-venezuela-militaryexercises.html

CARACAS, Venezuela – While U.S. warships hold exercises in the Caribbean, Venezuela will conduct its own maneuvers with thousands of troops practicing to defend the country's coastline, a top navy official said Tuesday.

Vice Adm. Armando Laguna said 10,000 active service troops and 3,500 civilians and reservists will participate in the war games that are to start next week and eventually involve F-16 planes, ships and helicopters.

====

Der Spiegel
CARIBBEAN CONFRONTATION
Chavez Says Holland Plans to Help US Invade Venezuela
April 11, 2006
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,410932,00.html

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has called Dutch Defense Minister a "Washington stooge" for allowing US navy vessels to be deployed to the Antilles. The remarks triggered a minor spat between Venezuela and the Netherlands, as well as highlighting the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington.

[medeak]

37. just gets better and better doesn't it? n/t

[medeak]

43. links not working? n/t

[rman]

48. both still work for me

...

[Nictuku]

34. Very Weird

I use Firefox, and when I opened this page (I did not click on the link on the DU page, just the DU page), I got this:



I tried to recreate it to capture the details from 'Examine Certificate', but it no longer is coming up.

[medeak]

35. friend is researching now

Melbourne Australia is coming up?

[NVMojo]

47. if you just click on Examine Certificate you will find out that

this certificate was placed there by the US Navy via FNMOC. Do a web search on fnmoc and you will find out that this is the website for the Navy's center that monitors oceanic and meteorlogical waves and other occurences ...and how is this fleet getting to Venezuela, you might ask? Ships.

So, ask yourself why the Navy has placed Certificates on these links from DU's website regarding this article? Hmmmm. Upon further examination you will find that the Certifica is a Critical x.509 field which then shows that it carries a Digital signature that has the words "Key Encipherment (a0) next to it. Hmmmmm. Have fun kids!

Definition:

Key encipherment Use when a certificate will be used with a protocol that encrypts keys. An example is S/MIME enveloping, where a fast (symmetric) key is encrypted with the public key from the certificate. SSL protocol also performs key encipherment.

http://www.codestore.net/help/help6_admin.nsf/f4b82fbb75e942a6852566ac0037f284/1528f7dc68b9e6a785256c1d00398c4f?OpenDocument

[Nictuku]

49. But...

But I didn't click on the link. It came from opening up this thread on DU. That is what I find very very strange.

[medeak]

50. just love your nerdiness!

scary shit.

[Nimrod2005]

41. They are trying to find the missing blonde girl!!!

[boobooday]

54. A Signal to Hugo Chavez?

Of Bush's utter insanity?

:mad: