VHeadline.com commentarist Mary MacElveen writes: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has often referred to Bush as "Mr. Danger" ... and Bush, being the simplistic idiot, once again proved President Chavez correct.

Three events, yesterday, are all intermingled...

Quite frankly, it leaves me shell-shocked to describe the ineptitude of this Bush administration. On the same day that Bush looked to normalize diplomatic relations with Libya, in the same breath he looks to ban arms sales to Venezuela.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this one and my guess is that many foreign policy experts around the globe are trying to as well. It makes absolutely no sense.  Then again, America has not had any form of common sense leading her for the past six years. All I will say is that Bush sure loves to reward terrorists and by normalizing relations with Libya it establishes it as a proven fact.

As we all know, it was Libya that was responsible for taking down Pan Am Flight 103 ... its charred remains rained down on Lockerbie (Scotland) on December 21, 1988. The death toll was 270 people from 21 countries, including 11 people in the town of Lockerbie.

• A relative's brother in-law died on that flight and I find it inexcusable and unforgivable that Bush will normalize relations with the very country that took his life.

While writers are not supposed to be part of the story, in this one I am ... I scream in outrage on behalf of my cousin and her family. This normalizing of relations is unforgivable and it should be for you as well. I cannot even imagine the pain my cousin is feeling (along with her extended family) as they now know that the Bush administration forgives Muammar Ghaddafi.

I would compare it to Bush forgiving Osama bin Laden for executing our citizens on 9/11.

Then again: Where is Osama?

While outrageous, I find this act not surprising since we refuse to send a known terrorist, Luis Posada Carriles back to Venezuela to face justice ... he took down an airplane yet we protect him ... Bush does not look to fight any war on "terra" but rewards terrorists for taking the lives of innocent human beings.

Let us remember that these were human beings ... not just statistics.

To some people these are just historic events ... but, to those who lost loved ones, they are far from being so. Someone from their family is now missing and, for Bush to reward this bad behavior, says to their relatives they left behind that their pain means nothing.

If normalizing relations with Libya did not outrage me enough, it was that the United States is "slapping a ban on arms sales to Venezuela."

• Excuse me, what country has Venezuela invaded?
   
• Has Venezuela taken down any airplanes?

I want to remind my fellow Americans that Venezuela is a pacifist country ... by not taking part in the "Bush War" in Iraq proves it. President Chavez saw through Bush's lies and we had best remember that. How dare Bush dictate to the world that no one is allowed to sell arms to Venezuela.

While many see President Chavez as being paranoid of a possible invasion by the United States, this ban is the smoking gun if I ever saw one. All countries have the right to protect themselves. A former Marine stated to me that "if we were to invade Venezuela," he would "stand on the beaches of Venezuela to protect her from invading American troops."

When he stated that, I was blown away. What does that statement say to you?

President Chavez has the responsibility to protect all Venezuelans ... and that includes those within the SUMATE organization that opposes him. In calling for justice for those whose lives were taken on Cubana Flight 455, my message to Maria Corina Machado at SUMATE was: "Where is her voice in this matter?"

• She has been seen in the presence of Bush on numerous occasions: "If she is pro-Venezuela, she should be speaking out against her country's right to protect itself."
  
• Ms. Machado just does not get it as she has been seen smiling while being photographed with Bush"?

What she fails to see is that he (Bush) is now her enemy.

Normally a writer does not ask for activism, but will write giving readers information about what they need to know. This case is different. I am now reaching out to those who have benefited from Venezuela's gift of low cost heat ... the program helped thousands of poor Americans. Please remember, this oil was sold to you at 40% below market price. Now, it is your time to come to the aid of Venezuela by telling your elected officials that this ban (Bush) is outrageous.

Venezuela was not forced to help you ... what President Chavez saw were people ignored by their own government. Now it is up to the poor of this nation to come to the aid of Venezuela.

As we approach hurricane season, we must remember the victims of Hurricane Katrina who this Bush administration also ignored.  Now he is calling for 6,000 troops to guard our borders. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California said "California has thousands of Guard troops in Iraq and might need them in case of earthquakes, floods or other emergencies." The same applied to Hurricane Katrina. Schwarenegger then added, "So if you have 6,000 in Iraq and send another 6,000 to the border, what do we have left?"

To Governor Schwarzenegger ... what you have is "bupkus."

I guess Governor Rick Perry of Texas was not paying attention to both Hurricane Katrina and Rita as he made his ridiculous statement "We have the ability to multitask!"  Will someone please give Governor Perry a reality check?  Just ask the victims of Katrina and Rita their opinion ... in the case of Rita, I have relatives who live in Texas, and they felt that the evacuation plan was not well thought out, so they went back home.

President Hugo Chavez stood ready to send us vital humanitarian aid which was rejected by the Bush administration ... yet this same administration treats Venezuela as the enemy.

This goes beyond insanity.

If Americans approve this arms ban against Venezuela, and should the Chavez administration turn their backs on future victims of disaster, we have it coming.

While I do not know just how he will react to this arms ban, I wonder if his reaction will be to turn off the oil spigot to the United States. He is well within his rights to do so.  While it will anger many, Chavez has the right to retaliate by turning off the spigots that feed our addiction ... just think of that the next time you fill up your gas-guzzling SUV.

• Treating Venezuela as if it were the enemy does not make any sense at all, especially when they have helped us.

While many suffer here in the United States, President Chavez has begun to solve domestic problems that have plagued his country for decades.

• Is a President who gives free health care to all of his citizens the enemy?
  
• Is a President who feeds his country's poor the enemy?
  
• Is raising the minimum wage in Venezuela the act of a terrorist?

I just want to know why Bush looks to rewards Libya and looks to punish Venezuela. These two actions alone prove that Bush is "Mr. Danger"

Mary MacElveen
mary@vheadline.com

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen