Venezuela:
A People Under Fire
By
Fidel Castro
02 December,
2007
Prensa
Latina
Venezuela,
whose people are heirs to Bolivar's ideas which transcend his era, is
today facing a world tyranny a thousand times more powerful than that
of Spain's colonial strength added to that of the recently born United
States which, through Monroe, proclaimed their right to the natural
wealth of the continent and to the sweat of its people.
Marti denounced
the brutal system and called it a monster, in whose entrails he had
lived. His internationalist spirit shone as never before when, in a
letter left unfinished due to his death in combat, he publicly revealed
the objective of his restless struggle: "…I am now every
day risking my life for my country, and for my duty -since I understand
it and have the courage to do it- to timely prevent, with the independence
of Cuba, that the United States expand over the Antilles and that they
fall, with this additional force, over our lands in America…"
It was not
in vain that he stated in plain verse: "With the poor of this earth,
my fate I wish to cast". Later, he proclaimed categorically: "Humanity
is homeland". The Apostle of our independence wrote one day: "Let
Venezuela call on me to serve her: I am her son".
The most
sophisticated media developed by technology, employed to kill human
beings and to subjugate or exterminate peoples; the massive sowing of
conditioned reflexes of the mind; consumerism and all available resources;
these are being used today against the Venezuelans, with the intent
of ripping the ideas of Bolivar and Marti to shreds.
The empire
has created conditions conducive to violence and internecine conflicts.
On Chavez's recent visit last November 21, I seriously discussed with
him the risks of assassination as he is constantly out in the open in
convertible vehicles. I said this because of my experience as a combatant
trained in the use of an automatic weapon and a telescopic sight. Likewise,
after the triumph, I became the target of assassination plots directly
or indirectly ordered by almost every United States administration since
1959.
The irresponsible
government of the empire does not stop for a minute to think that the
assassination of Venezuela's leader or a civil war in that country would
blow up the globalized world economy, due to its huge reserves of hydrocarbons.
Such circumstances are without precedent in the history of mankind.
Cuba developed
close ties with the Bolivarian government of Venezuela during the hardest
days resulting from the demise of the USSR and the tightening of the
United States economic blockade. The exchange of goods and services
grew from practically zero level to more than 7 billion dollars annually,
with great economic and social benefits for both our peoples. Today
that is where we receive the fundamental supplies of fuel needed for
our country's consumption, something that would be very difficult to
obtain from other sources due to the shortage of light crude oil, the
insufficient refining capacity, the United States' power and the wars
its has unleashed to seize the world oil and gas reserves.
Add to the
high energy prices, the prices of foods destined by imperial policy
to be transformed into fuel for the gas-guzzling cars of the United
States and other industrial nations.
A victory
of the Yes vote on December 2 would not be enough. The weeks and months
following that date may very well prove to be extremely tough for many
countries, Cuba for one; although before that the empire's adventures
could lead the planet into an atomic war, as their own leaders have
confessed.
Our compatriots
can rest assured that I have had time to think and to meditate at length
on these problems.
Fidel Castro
Ruz - November 29, 2007
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