US detains Venezuela's Foreign Minister

[ck4829]

President Hugo Chavez said his foreign minister was detained by U.S. authorities at a New York airport Saturday for more than hour as he tried to return to the South American country.

Chavez told Venezuela's state TV broadcaster that U.S. officials alleged that Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro had links to a failed coup that Chavez led in Venezuela in 1992.

"They have held him accusing him of participating in terrorist acts here," Chavez said in Venezuela. "He didn't even participate in that patriotic rebellion."

Maduro told CNN Espanol shortly after being released that he was confined to a small room and told to remove his clothes.

Maduro said that when he explained that he was the Venezuelan foreign minister and showed his diplomatic passport, he said he was threatened, pushed and yelled at by immigration and police officials.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060923/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us

So much for the moral high ground, eh?

[EFerrari]

1. That's terrorism. nt

[jaysunb]

2. Here we go....

more petty acts of revenge. the boy ( bush) can't help himself. :evilfrown:

[1932]

3. He should have told them he was Pasado Carriles

they would have sent him on his way.

[nuxvomica]

11. Or Orlando Bosch

We could probably make a pretty long list of terrorists protected by our government and the Bushes in particular.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. What we are seeing is a war between the ideology of govt

of the people, for the people by the people vs govt owned by corporate greed. Either one works, one works for the good of all, the other works for the good of a few.

[sweetheart]

5. Probably cocaine

The immigration police probably were gonna plant cocaine on him and arrest him
as a drugs smuggler, knowing how drugs are so important to Mr. Chavez, and how
all the millions in prison could use a foreign minister. The big prison state
is rattling its chains.. booga booga... booga boo.

[silverweb]

6. Stupid fucks.

Way to improve our standing in the world, huh?

:eyes:

[scarletwoman]

7. My god! How friggin' unreal are things going to get in this country?

This is just insane -- and you know this was just petty retribution for Chavez dissing the almighty chimporer.

sw

[TahitiNut]

12. Beyond a resonable doubt - deliberate harrassment; petty vindictiveness.

We are a banana republic with power-obsessed sociopaths running amok. And there's still no end in sight ... as the obese people wallow in their La-Z-Boys while feeding on fast-food and faux-news.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Bush's petty vindictiveness

poor georgie got called names at the UN
and now he has to extract his vengeance.
What an asshole.

[Gregorian]

9. Wait a minute! Who is giving the orders to immigration, to harrass?

I think we need to find this out. There were orders given. Obviously. Someone very high up had to send a message to immigration, in order for this to happen.

Maybe not. Does immigration act like this on it's own? I really doubt it.

[ck4829]

10. And let's not forget the fact that he said it got WORSE

After he said he was a diplomat and even showed them the proper papers.

[countryjake]

17. No, this was the State Department...he was red-flagged by security.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/23/fm.detained/index.html

[peacetalksforall]

13. Strip him. Shout at him. On direct orders from John Bolton. nt

[Bluerthanblue]

14. PAY ATTENTION people-

this isn't a little hissy fit-

This is a sign of what is headed our way if * isn't stopped. It starts with the 'Middle-Eastern 'terrarists'' then goes to those who have the temerety to speak about * the way he speaks about anyone he doesn't like- Now we can't enter Mexico, or Canada, (or thier citizens come here) without a passport- The 'surveilance' approval * wants will give them the chance to cherry pick anyone they like to detain, and perscute-
And the Patriot act, and his tribunals will keep our Constitutional protections from protecting us from this facist.

Call me an alarmist- I would LOVE to be wrong, but
Pastor Martin Niemöller's words chant in my head.

A song that is a 'take-off' on his words:

"Re-Gaining-Unconsciousness"
by NOFX


First they put away the dealers,
keep our kids safe and off the street.
Then they put away the prostitutes,
keep married men cloistered at home.

Then they shooed away the bums,
then they beat and bashed the queers,
turned away asylum-seekers,
fed us suspicions and fears.
We didn't raise our voice,
we didn't make a fuss.
It's funny there was no one left to notice
when they came for us.

What did those in Germany who saw the hell coming do I wonder-..... Not enough. What can WE do?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. More fratboy diplomacy. Did they put panties on his head?

[LiberalArkie]

16. What happened to diplomatic immunity?

[Joe Chi Minh]

18. With their moral stature, the gutter they toddle around in must

seem like the Grand Canyon; the top of the sidewalk kerb, a beetling crag.