TBR News.org – March 6, 2008
“Has anyone considered that the CIA and its stooges in Colombia KNEW perfectly well that negotiations on the release of the French and American hostages were close to success, and that this raid was INTENDED to destroy those negotiations?
If the hostages die in captivity, the propaganda benefits to the USA and France and to Uribe in Colombia will be immense. The Greek chorus of the media will be instructed to play up their lives and show pictures of bereaved wives and orphaned children of the hostages.
The corrupt US government of the corporatocracy cares less than a flea turd for the lives of the hostages. They WANT them to remain hostages and die in captivity. Then more arms can be sent to their proxy stooge Colombia , which will send assassins to kill Chavez and Correa, so that the US oil companies can move in again and seize the oil from the Venezuelan and Ecuadorean people, while the American public cheers mightily. How much do the lives of a few hostages count against tens of billions of dollars?
Keeping gasoline cheap for Republican voters in their SUV's. That, dear friends, was the whole purpose of this raid.
Chavez, who hates the United States, partially because the clumsy CIA tried three times to overthrow him, has been fishing in troubled waters but also note that the CIA has been very active in Columbia where they engineered a takeover by a right wing leader and have used the country as a base for their instigated ‘guerrilla raids’ into Venezuela.
While it is true that Israel instigated our involvement in Iraq and has been strongly pushing Bush to bomb Tehran flat, the potential serious mess in South America is solely the responsibility of the CIA and Bush himself.”
A look at the military strength of U.S.-backed Colombia compared to Ecuador and Venezuela
Colombia has been battling left-wing insurgents for more than four decades and enjoys close U.S. logistical and intelligence support. Venezuela 's military lacks combat experience but its air force has superior technology. Ecuador fought a monthlong border war with Peru in 1995.
COLOMBIA (includes army, navy, air force)
Regular troops: 254,300
Reservists: 61,900
National Police: 136,000 (many combat-trained and equipped).
Hardware: 115 combat-capable aircraft, including 22 ground-attack fighters, among them Mirages and Kfirs. Four surface combat ships
Defense budget in 2007: $5.1 billion
ECUADOR (includes army, navy, air force)
Regular troops: 57,100
Reservists: 118,000.
Hardware: 57 combat-capable aircraft including 31 fighters, among them Mirages and Kfirs. Eight surface combat ships.
Defense budget in 2007: $918 million
VENEZUELA (includes army, navy, air force, national guard):
Regular troops: 115,000
Reservists: 280,000 (estimated, fighting capability unknown)
Hardware: 94 combat-capable aircraft including 68 fighter jets including Sukhois, F-16s and Mirages. Recent military purchases include 53 helicopters, two dozen SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. Six surface combat ships.
Defense budget in 2007: $2.56 billion
Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies, AP
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A Complete Copy of the Voice of the White House from TBR News April 18, 2004- December 29, 2005
Last updated 11/03/2008
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