Disarm civilians in Venezuela? Bring in the US Marines, the SAS, General Tommy Franks
<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic news Posted: Monday, June 09, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue
Veteran historian and political analyst, Domingo Alberto Rangel say the disarming issue is a permanent feature in all the opposition's petitions ... "general secretary of the cadaverous Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV), Manuel Cova went so far as to demand disarming of civilians in six months ... he forgot to ask Washington to send the Marines." That's what it would take to disarm civilians in Venezuela.
Rangel maintains that Venezuela is armed to the teeth. The US State Department declared that it would suspend all arms sales to Venezuela but the State stops functioning at the entrance of Caracas' barrios where the law of the jungle starts. To survive one needs two weapons: the revolver or machine gun and cunning or sympathy , friendship.
"In Venezuela, there are two powers, two States, two societies: that of the urbanizations and that of the barrios ... the urbanizations where the civil sector holds sway and the barrios where the natural sector rules."
The neighborhood warlord is Head of State with his entourage and his armed guard. If there are two states in Venezuela, it's only natural that there are two armies. "We have the Armed Force (FAN) and thousands of armies ... it's a reality that everybody knows about but nobody makes public ... disarm in six months? ... it would be a job for General Tommy Franks."
Rangel maintains that battles have already taken place ever since the civil sector army and the natural sector armies clashed on February 27, 1989 (Caracazo) ... "the barrio armies made a mistake and withdrew to the hillsides leaving unarmed protesters that had acted as a shield unprotected." The barrios started re-arming after that and international arms-traffickers fed but Russia, Israel and Belgium made a killing.
"Over the last couple of years middle-class urbanizations have been purchasing arms since they lost confidence in the FAN to protect them ... I was told that in Valencia, El Trigal, El Vinedo and other urbanizations have set up barricades, as though they were at war."
Hammering home, Rangel states it's an impossible task to disarm the population ... " the army guessed as much on 27F ... who is going to disarm the barrios and withdraw barricades in the urbanizations?"
Rangel comments that there is one character that revolutionaries have overlooked in the barrios and urbanizations: the petty criminal who mugs and robs and yet knows about guns and has gunfights with the police at night. "I'm not saying he should be enrolled ... I'm just suggesting we should not ignore his existence ... he can fight better than any cop or soldier."