August 8, 2010  Recently, U.S. Congressman  Mack (R-FLA) correctly wrote an inconvenient truism that Chavez should be deemed a state sponsor of terror.  Mack states, “…I say I will not stop working until Venezuela is officially listed as state sponsor of terrorism. My efforts to designate Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism are rooted in both my concern for the security of the region and my desire to see Venezuelans enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States. I will continue to work until I see freedom infused into the fabric of Venezuelan society.

It is also my hope that you will begin to come to terms with the on-the-ground human suffering that Mr. Chavez has caused to so many men, women and children in Venezuela. Once these realities are faced and addressed, I am convinced that the peace and unity in the hemisphere you speak of will truly become possible.”

ECrisis has long stood to insist that no Venezuelan stops working until Venezuelans enjoy the freedoms some might seek. To date, no Venezuelan and no Ecuadorean in Washington, DC has stopped mimicking  Correa and Chavez’s lies, as General Motors and General Electric continue [using U.S. tax dollars] to lobby the US government to bar any factual statements  about Chavez [and his pet liars such as Evo Morales and Rafael Correa] as a state sponsor of terror.

 How long will the U.S. taxpayer put up with its own government abusing U.S. laws to co fund and enable liars, pervs and perps such as Morales, Correa and Chavez? We see U.S. opinion polls. We see Latin opinion polls. No one likes what the U.S. government is doing as it lies a lot about Chavez and Correa and no one in Ecuador or Venezuela like their own fake presidents except they have a crying need to reject their own government’s bribes. Something has got to give and it will not be common sense.

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Press Office               Aug 02 2010
Mack to Chavez: Choose Freedom Over Tyranny

In letter to Chavez, Mack says he will continue efforts to have Venezuela named a state sponsor of terrorism
WASHINGTON – In light of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s recent move to send troops to the Venezuelan-Colombian border, and his continued support for terrorist organizations like the FARC, Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), the Ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, sent the following letter to Chavez today stating that he will continue to pursue an official state sponsor of terrorism designation for Venezuela.

Mack introduced a resolution last year (H.Res.872) calling on the Obama Administration to name Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism.

A copy of Mack’s letter to Chavez is below:

Dear President Chavez:

As the Ranking Member of the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee in the U.S. Congress, and as a strong advocate for freedom, I want to make it very clear how strongly I oppose your words and deeds, both against the people of Venezuela and your neighbors in the hemisphere.

Your regime has demonstrated a clear support for terrorism, most recently in the special session of the Organization of the American States (OAS). Your ties to and support of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is strong. Your reactionary response to the OAS by cutting off diplomatic and economic relations with Colombia, followed by sending Venezuelan troops to the Venezuela-Colombia border, is an outrageous provocation and is unacceptable.

Your support of terrorist organizations, your constant assault on free speech and free press in Venezuela, and your efforts to silence your political opposition is an attempt to quash freedom and liberty of all in our hemisphere.

As long as you continue to choose tyranny over freedom, I will work tirelessly to officially designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, and I will continue to develop support across bipartisan lines in Congress to do so.

Sincerely,

CONNIE MACK
Member of Congress
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Press Office     
Aug 03 2010
Mack: Name Venezuela a State Sponsor of Terrorism
Sends letter to President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Congressional Leadership urging swift action to stop thugocrat Hugo Chavez
WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), the Ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, sent a letter to President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid today, urging them to name Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism without delay.

Last week, Hugo Chavez sent troops to the Venezuela-Colombia border in response to a special session of the Organization of American States (OAS), which had recently heard evidence linking Chavez to terrorist organizations like the FARC and ELN.

Mack introduced a resolution last year (H.Res.872) calling on the Obama Administration to name Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism.

A copy of Mack’s letter to President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid is below:

Dear Mr. President, Madam Secretary, Madam Speaker, and Senator Reid:

I write to you today to urge you to immediately finalize the steps required to designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism. Hugo Chavez has politically, materially and diplomatically supported international terrorist groups, threatening the freedom, security and prosperity of the United States and our allies. We must stop all interaction with the tyrannical regime of Mr. Hugo Chavez.

As a beacon of freedom, the United States must stand firm against those who harbor terrorists, threaten our allies, and rebuke the freedoms we are committed to protect. Hugo Chavez’s solidarity with internationally recognized terrorist groups, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), endangers stability in the region and prompts national security concerns for our nation.

Securing the Western Hemisphere begins with condemning those who undermine freedom. Chavez’s efforts to derail our allies and support terrorist activity fly in the face of democratic values. As protectors of freedom, it is our responsibility to keep our nation safe by opposing those who challenge it.

It is time for us to stand behind freedom by placing Venezuela on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. I request your urgent action addressing this matter of national security, and look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

CONNIE MACK
Member of Congress

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Aug 05 2010
 
Mack: Venezuela is as Democratic as Iran and Cuba
In response to Venezuelan Ambassador, Mack points out Chavez’s ties to terrorism, lack of freedoms in Venezuela
WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), the Ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, sent the following letter to Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernando Alvarez Herrera today in response to his letter claiming a “strident freedom of the press” in his country, as well as stating there are no ties between Hugo Chavez and the internationally-recognized terrorist organization the FARC.

Mack introduced a resolution last year (H.Res.872) calling on the Obama Administration to name Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism.

A copy of the Ambassador’s letter to Mack, as well as Mack’s response, is below:

2 August 2010

Dear Representative Mack:

I recently read your letter to President Hugo Chavez. I was impressed by your poor understanding of the region and Venezuela in particular, one that would lead you to sign a letter against a democratically elected president – whose government has gone through 14 elections – and irresponsibly accuse him of supporting terrorism and quashing freedom of speech while threatening him with designating Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism.

You seem to be terribly misinformed. President Chavez does not support any of the Colombian insurgent groups – neither the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia (FARC in Spanish), nor the National Liberation Army (ELS in Spanish). In fact, he has tirelessly looked for a political solution to the Colombian conflict and, under the government of President Uribe, promoted the unilateral liberation of hostages held by the guerrillas. President Chavez has also made repeated calls for them to lay down their arms.

Moreover, the timing of your letter seems awkward, coming at a moment when the whole region is looking for ways to foster peace and integration, and even voices within Colombia are being heard calling for dialogue. Last week the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR in Spanish) held an extraordinary summit to address the concerns of Venezuela over the latest accusations of the government of President Uribe. A presidential summit will be held soon with the same purpose. And on the very day that you sent your letter, a summit of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR in Spanish) took place.

If you want to try to understand the latest controversy we had with the government of President Uribe, I would recommend you start by considering what Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, said in a recent interview on CNN: “Uribe says he doesn’t know why Venezuela doesn’t detain the guerrillas, but the truth is that Colombia can’t control them either.” Additionally, you should learn that Colombia has been suffering a 60 year-long civil war that has become a multilayered conflict impossible to resolve through military means alone.

While you work tirelessly to designate a democratic and peaceful country as a state sponsor of terrorism, President Chavez and his government will keep working for peace and integration in the region.

Respectfully,

Bernando Alvarez Herrera
Ambassador

PS. As for the accusations about the supposed assaults on freedom of speech in Venezuela, I respectfully invite you to read, listen and watch the Venezuelan media in Internet, so you can at least appreciate the strident freedom of press and speech in my country.

Mack’s response:

August 5, 2010

Dear Ambassador Herrera:

I appreciate your personal reply to my letter sent to Mr. Chavez earlier this week. I am, however, saddened to read that you operate under the same misconceptions that have guided Mr. Chavez and the country of Venezuela down such a dangerous path. It is deeply concerning to learn of your own oblivion to the violations that are being committed in Venezuela.

What struck me in reading your letter was either a complete disregard for, or a lack of understanding of, basic freedoms. Your statement that Hugo Chavez has held 14 elections has no direct bearing on if he is a democratic leader or not. In applying the same logic in which you defend Hugo Chavez’s legitimacy, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Cuba’s Fidel Castro would be considered as paving the way for democracy. Democracy is not guaranteed simply by holding elections; democracy is an elaborate institution based on a multitude of freedoms. The right to freely express moral convictions and the right to freely participate in the political process are obligatory.

Also, you claim that Mr. Chavez is working for peace and integration, yet you ignore his efforts to divide the region through reinforcing authoritarian alliances. There is no better example of this than his coordination within multilateral organizations to isolate Colombia while providing a safe haven to the FARC. How can you substantiate your claim that Mr. Chavez supports peace when he has been directly linked to terrorist organizations?

There is no question of Mr. Chavez’s ties to terrorism. Everyone watched as Venezuela was linked to the FARC through evidence uncovered on laptops confiscated in a raid on the insurgency group in 2008. Evidence was also presented by a Spanish judge citing collaboration between Venezuela, the FARC and ETA. And most recently, photos, videos, coordinates and satellite maps have verified over 80 camps in Venezuela where Colombian rebels operate.

Additionally, the international community was shocked to see a former Venezuelan state governor arrested for saying that Venezuela has become a haven for drug traffickers, and the principal owner of Venezuela’s last remaining opposition television station arrested for saying that the nation lacked freedom of expression. The continued harassment of Globovision’s owners has exasperated those who stand on the side of freedom.

Do you really think the rest of the world is unable to see that Mr. Chavez is supporting terrorism and quashing free speech?

Let me explain to you that it is not a threat when I say I will not stop working until Venezuela is officially listed as state sponsor of terrorism. My efforts to designate Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism are rooted in both my concern for the security of the region and my desire to see Venezuelans enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States. I will continue to work until I see freedom infused into the fabric of Venezuelan society.

It is also my hope that you will begin to come to terms with the on-the-ground human suffering that Mr. Chavez has caused to so many men, women and children in Venezuela. Once these realities are faced and addressed, I am convinced that the peace and unity in the hemisphere you speak of will truly become possible.

Sincerely,

CONNIE MACK
Member of Congress

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We at ECrisis understand that the U.S. Department of State pretends that Congressman Mack is a joke. We have heard it all before. We think Mack is on to something here. We also think that the U.S. Department of State long ago forgot just who they are working for and who pays their rent. For his part, Mack appears to know just who he works for: his constituents which the US government of Obama and Soros pretend is an aberration, not the American people. We are guessing that the majority of Americans agree with Mack and are, contrary to what every single U.S. embassy in Latin America goes around stupidly saying, are not fools but have given this much thought. Most Americans think it is an evil growth across the Andes coming from Chavez, Correa and Morales and we see that this majority is growing in awareness, contrary to the lies, obfuscations and informational black outs illegally perpetrated by Mrs. Clinton and her beloved Soros carbon betting scamsters, currently selling out all U.S. laws, treaties and common sense. We are quite aware that President Obama and his sorry losers called the hate-filled Soros contractors are incredibly unpopular, opaque and unhelpful. All U.S. embassies that run their sorry-ass [sloppy, unaccountable, anti-USA and anti liberty] programs should understand that no one likes them- only the Cuban-ALBA communists like them because….they successfully game and abuse all U.S. entities and officials today as if partnered in some brave new world of lemmings, criminals and nations gone wilding.  If Americans do not uphold their own laws, who will? And if you think that Congressman Mack is lying, you have a right to so say. If you agree with him, you can also say so. But to banish, as the US government is doing, fact based Reports on the ALBA unity efforts is….a crime. If you like criminals and their cover ups, you will love the current unaccountability, opacity and denial of life’s essentials.

-Pedro Camargo for ECrisis