This is potentially serious. Does anyone have a good investigative source

[genius]

I got this from the Late Breaking News section. Our government is after Chavez. He the best leader in the world and it would be a great loss if Bush has done anything to him.

Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject Rumors swirl over Venezuela's Chavez (Gone Missing?)
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1510406#1510406
1510406, Rumors swirl over Venezuela's Chavez (Gone Missing?)
Posted by tritsofme on Mon May-30-05 05:52 AM

Caracas, May 29 (EFE).- Rumors swirled Sunday about the whereabouts of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who did not deliver a scheduled address to supporters a day earlier and whose weekly show was replaced by a volleyball match.

"The president's program yielded its spot to the match between Venezuela and Brazil because of prior international commitments with the World Volleyball League," Communications Minister Andres Izarra said during a brief appearance on state-owned Venezolana de Television.

The minister said Chavez's weekly show would return next Sunday.
Izarra's statement at 11:35 a.m. (1535 GMT) was intended to put an end to the rumors and speculation in the Venezuelan media about the whereabouts of Chavez, whose show did not air in its regular Sunday time slot of 11:00 a.m. (1500 GMT).

The rumors started Saturday, when Chavez did not show up for a previously scheduled appearance at a march in Caracas to demand that the United States extradite anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles, a suspect in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner.
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel announced at the last minute Saturday that Chavez would not be taking part in the march.
"Chavez will not be with us this afternoon. I understand your reaction, but we have to get used to the fact that Chavez is human, that he can't permanently be in all places," Rangel said, without explaining the reasons for the president's absence.

http://www.efenews.com/includesasp/noticias.asp?opcion=...

[NMDemDist2]

1. let us be careful of posting "Bush" may have anything to do with

what is at this point an unconfirmed rumor

Thanks!

[Eloriel]

4. Is that your personal advice, or official "moderator" advice?

I'd appreciate knowing since there seem to be changes in how moderation works these days and that would be yet another clue -- esp. since there's no ATA forum for posing such questions any more.

[NMDemDist2]

5. if it was "official" it wouldn't have my name on it El n/t

[rman]

7. Fact is Bush would rather see Chavez go, and we're free to speculate,

aren't we?

Or is it that we "should be carefull with what we're saying"? All the more reason not to, i'd say.

Bush may not be behind this personally, but that's like saying he's not personally behind for instance the environmental law scam (the orwellian "clear skies act" or what's it called).
It sure would not hurt Bush's cause if Chavez went "missing". 'Following the money' back from efenews won't lead to Bush, but would anyone be surprised if it leads to some RW fund? It probably is just a rumor, but depending on how well it flies it may help Bush's cause, if only a little - the meme "strange things happening in banana republic: president goes missing", probably would deminish Chavez' credibility in the minds of the ill informed. Spreading false rumors is a standard perception management trick.

[snowbear]

2. Only thing I could find on latest news...

Was this about Bush.. it's brand new: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1633619,00.html :shrug:

[AP]

3. As I posted in that thread, EFE seems to be an anti-Chavez web sight...

...and they probably are always posting anti-Chavez propaganda, or making the slightest thing out to be some reason to create instability.

[rman]

6. Nothing of the sort on venezuelanalysis.com and vheadline.com

www.venezuelanalysis.com
www.vheadline.com