Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Thu 05/11/2006 View Wed 05/10/2006 View Tue 05/09/2006 View Mon 05/08/2006 View Sun 05/07/2006 View Sat 05/06/2006 View Fri 05/05/2006
1
2006-05-11 Caribbean-Latin America
Venezuelan Military Fades Away
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Steve 2006-05-11 08:52|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 "...train and equip his "Bolivarian Militia," which is expected to eventually number some two million personnel for irregular operations and regime protection."

These are meant to keep the rioting population down; always the biggest problem for a dictator...
Posted by Mark E. 2006-05-11 10:05||   2006-05-11 10:05|| Front Page Top

#2 "...with senior officers taking the pay for "phantom soldiers," bogus procurement contracts, and the like.

It's an old story...
Posted by mojo">mojo  2006-05-11 10:33||   2006-05-11 10:33|| Front Page Top

#3 Let's hope that FARC recognizes the vast new oil rich market to its east. That should put Yugo over the edge.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-05-11 11:04||   2006-05-11 11:04|| Front Page Top

#4 General Rangel????

Any relation to our Rangel?

Political philosophy's the same.
Posted by anonymous2u 2006-05-11 12:02||   2006-05-11 12:02|| Front Page Top

#5 2nd (emergency) route from Caraccas to the airport/coast is closed due to landslides.
Posted by 6 2006-05-11 12:07||   2006-05-11 12:07|| Front Page Top

#6 "...When faced with an issue that demands a hard decision, and quickly, Chavez tends to charge off to deal with another,"

This is a text book example of the Peter Principle. Chavez has obviously risen to his level of incompetence (and will take the whole country down with him).
Posted by AlanC">AlanC  2006-05-11 12:19||   2006-05-11 12:19|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm thinking large amphib exercises off the Venezuelan coast annually around harvest time.
Posted by ed 2006-05-11 12:29||   2006-05-11 12:29|| Front Page Top

#8 These people are making a big mistake by not killing this asshole right now.
In fact, why don't we ?
Hey Bushy, do a Reagan on his ass....bombs in the night, raiders in the sky, people in the compound will die, die, die.
Posted by wxjames 2006-05-11 12:56||   2006-05-11 12:56|| Front Page Top

#9 Chavez cant even put together an order for 100,000 AK's, how is he going to get 2 million? And for that matter, how many rounds does a person have to fire off to become even slightly proficient with a rifle? 1,000, at least? Thats 2 billion rounds of ammo just to train them, and then you will want them to have a few rounds to fight with, so what? Sounds like a crazy pipe dream to me.
Posted by Phetle Clert8457 2006-05-11 13:21||   2006-05-11 13:21|| Front Page Top

#10 Major General. Guillermo Rangel Nagin, issued a report that claimed about $8 million was disappearing each month through graft, with senior officers taking the pay for "phantom soldiers police," bogus procurement contracts....
Posted by Besoeker 2006-05-11 13:30||   2006-05-11 13:30|| Front Page Top

#11 ...Hugo, remember the DigBats. Noriega put together his own private thug army, let the Panamanian military atrphy except for a few select (read 'loyal')units, then started harassing US companies, US military personnel (including at LEAST one sexual assault on a military spouse)and US civilians. All the while, he is blaming all of Panama's problems on the US and suggesting that he might have to take action. He told the deputy commander of the Panama Defense Forces, "I've got Bush by the balls."

Then the dumb son-of-a-bi*ch stood up, waved a machete, and declared war on the US. The Dignity Batallions - organized groups of street toughs whose sole job was to keep the population under control - melted away and stayed there when faced with well-trained and well-armed men who feared nothing.

Noriega's spending the rest of his life in a very quiet little cell in Florida. He may be out in '07, but I wouldn't count on it.

Mike
Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2006-05-11 13:33||   2006-05-11 13:33|| Front Page Top

#12 #11 Mike - Heh.™ :-D
Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut  2006-05-11 17:36|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]  2006-05-11 17:36|| Front Page Top

23:57 trailing wife
23:57 anymouse
23:54 JosephMendiola
23:50 DMFD
23:46 JosephMendiola
23:46  Barbara Skolaut
23:44 trailing wife
23:44 Oldspook
23:44 JosephMendiola
23:43  Barbara Skolaut
23:39 Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
23:37 JosephMendiola
23:35 Oldspook
23:32 11A5S
23:31 the Twelfth Imami
23:27 3dc
23:27 JosephMendiola
23:24 bombay
23:18 3dc
23:15 SteveS
23:03 trailing wife
23:02 AzCat
22:56 Robert Crawford
22:55 Frank G









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com