Bill Sykes' Newsletter from America.
(Summer 2002)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
South of the Border.
Political turmoil in Venezuela.
 On
the twelfth of April 2002, President Hugo Chavez was said
to have resigned the Presidency and the military had taken
him to custody.
Before the cheering had stopped in the White House, the
very next day the same Generals who had ousted Chavez from
the Presidential Palace in Caracas, and who had installed
Pedro Carmona as head of a transitional government, forced
the resignation of Carmona and returned Chavez to power.
Why the cheering?
Well President Chavez was guilty in the eyes of the American
administration of committing a political "no-no"
by associating with the enemy, namely Saddam Hussein, Mu'ammar
al-Qaddafi and Fidel Castro. (Wonder how the White House
classifies ex-President Carter's current visit to Cuba).
 I
can well see the US Government's hatred of the first two
personages, but as I have said previously, I believe that
the time has come to recognize Castro and the Cuban Government
and rescind the trade embargo.
Perhaps the current visit by ex-President Jimmy Carter will
soften the American administration attitude towards the
Castro regime.
The Chinese President obviously recognizes the importance
of the island of Cuba, because of its close location to
the American mainland, and so perhaps the time has come
for us to forget the cold war "red herring", and
if we want to invest American dollars and improve relations,
what better place than this close to home island in the
sun.
It was reported that American military in the region were
placed on alert at the time of the supposed coup, with the
purpose one would suppose of protecting vital American oil
interests in Venezuela.
The cheering was obviously short lived when Chavez was
reinstated.
Having visited Caracas, a few years ago I can see very well
why the oil bonanza is so important to the people of Venezuela,
as I found it to be at that time a typical poverty ridden
third world country.
I would expect President Bush to retain the status quo
with respect to Fidel Castro and Cuba, in order to retain
the Florida Cuban dissident vote which is not only important
to himself but also important to the Governor of Florida,
his brother Jeb Bush.
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