Venezuela restores its ties with Colombia

lol...hugo prolly said....hey buddy, let me buy some of those American weapons off ya...
that's called greasing the wheels of international diplomacy...lol

I guess we couldn"t get there fast enough to screw things up?

I think the posture of the 2 shaking hands tells the whole story. In this picture it looks as if Uribe is about to piss himself lol.
My question is...who do we believe was the one behind this "peace" or diplomacy? The one that crossed borders and then through around the "terrorist" slogan or the guy we are told is a "madman"?
Fair question?
maybe this can add some "perspective"?
http://current.com/items/88863956_ex_dea_head_admits_ci...

lets hope it lasts.

here is a great pod that was just posted that demonstrates the feelings of the Colombian people about Uribe...a man that we continue to arm and fund with our "war on drugs"....
http://current.com/items/88864399_fed_up_with_the_param...

The people want the wars to end but that just isn't profitable.

Food shortages are rampant in the country. The frontier is flooded with columbians buying gas on our side, and we are there buying food.

jlaboy, Thanks. What is your opinion of Chavez?

Here is my take on Chavez. He is good for expatriots. That's right, I said it. For every crazy remark, or action he takes, the black market fluxuates for the better, and the dollar takes me super far. There is no doubt about it, he is one smart cookie, he bases the budget of the Venezuelan economy at 30 dollar per barrel of oil. Here's the bad news, the people don't see most of it. Now a lot of it does go towards his social programs, like computers for schools, and new rooms and beds for hospitals. However, every kid I know here has no computer in their class room, and the hospital accross the street from this very office has a line out of the door and around the block everyday. My favorite thing to eat here like many Venezuelans is Chicken. I love it! Now imagine the horror I faced when I went to my favorite chicken joint Pollo El Cacique, and I was told there was no chicken. I was pissed off. To compare, that's like going to McDonalds, and the kid behind the counter telling you there are no beef patties...at any of the Mcdonalds....or at any other burger joint. I went to the super market to get some oat meal, chicken and eggs yesterday only to find that all of the shelves are empty. With exception to the liquor isle. So I bought rum and Chivas instead as I cannpt stand the local beer. With Chavez limiting peoples CADIVI rights, they are now traveling to other countries to buy supplies, and cash in the CADIVI credits(look up CADIVI, very intresting, if you have any questions about it, I would be glad to answer them) The poor have alwas championed Chavez, but most are coming to the conclusion that he is like moth of their previous leaders as they see their inflation rate sky rocket at an alarming rate, and now have the food shortages hitting them directly. The 5th republic would be compared to the Independant Party in the US, they took control when Chavez was elected, and I fear that there will be a coupe before his term is up in 2013, as the island is filled with people of discontent, and the Chavista's are becoming few. But like poor people in the US voting for the republicans, people will always love Chavez. I will try to include a Scottish Documentary.

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if that did not embed here is the website
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHPPpL9z9GE

jlaboy, I have heard may similar first hand accounts from Venezuelans and Colombians who've lived in Venezuela almost their whole lives.
I hear that Caracas is nowadays merely a shadow of the great Latin American metropolis it once was.

I myself traveled to San Antonio del Tachira in 2005 for some personal business and noticed the dramatic decline in this once prosperous border town. I remember going there as a young kid and being amazed by how clean and bustling this place used to be.
My cab driver even shared with me that a lot of them were using hidden compartments in their cabs to smuggle cheap gas into the Colombian border in exchange for food as you mentioned.

The only reason why that country isn't truly on the verge of total collapse is because of the ever increasing price of the oil barrel. But, aside from that current bonanza there doesn't seem to be a solid plan in place to make his so called revolution sustainable for the long haul.