This is the letter by the dissident military officers to Rep. Henry Hyde (courtesy of Antonio Guzman Blanco)
The Honorable Henry J. Hyde
Congress of the United States of America
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-1306
Dear Mr. Hyde,
At a time of extreme political conflict and anxiety for the future of our nation we, the undersigned, want to express our gratitude regarding the accurate and thorough briefing you have given the President of the United States, Mr. George W. Bush, as per your letter dated October 24th, 2002.
We avail ourselves of this opportunity to voice our profound concern about what seems to be the perception of the Secretary General of the OAS, Cesar Gaviria, regarding the current political situation in Venezuela where the opposition has carried out a three year campaign to prevent the President from destroying our complete system of democratic institutions and at this time a group of high ranking, active members of the armed forces have acted in support of the civic society in “civil disobedience” under the protection of Art. 350 of the constitution which specifically gives us that right. For your information we include the text.
In no uncertain terms, Mr. Gaviria has warned these democratically oriented opposition groups confronting the government of President Hugo Chavez, to abide by constitutionally sound methods and measures, in a struggle to achieve the changes we are demanding, thus misrepresenting the very essence of that struggle. Its objective is, precisely, to find a constitutionally valid mechanism or alternative, for returning to the path of peace, democracy and the rule of law, lost in the hands of Hugo Chavez, a President democratically elected and turned autocrat well on his way to imposing a totalitarian project rejected by a society bred in representative democracy, pluralism, human rights, and all the benefits that such a system guarantees.
The democratically oriented Venezuelan opposition is also acutely concerned about the negative image that has taken root in the international opinion. According to that trend, any opposition movement, regardless of the soundness of the reasons for the actions undertaken and the legitimate means and instruments being used, is being labeled as actions of coupsters and plotters. Such a self-defeating notion makes more difficult the task of retuning the country to a truly democratic form of government far it gives the inherent autocracy of Mr. Hugo Chavez.
In view of his many blunders and outright abuses, well known by the international community, as a sweetener for the US in the face of uncertainties of fundamental oil supplies due to the mounting crisis with Iraq and most probably with other Arab countries, Mr. Chavez is supposed to have guaranteed President Bush, reliable oil shipments to the United States for the next twenty years. Should that be the only concern of the United States government concerning the instability of the region, and the current conflicts within our borders, that concern is being used, by the ever present and active enemies of the American dream, against the very principles which define, worldwide, the democratic essence of the American nation as opposed to pure and simple business interests and greed. But please be advised that, Venezuela, whoever may be acting as its president, cannot and will not of its own accord, suspend shipments to its most reliable and traditional customer, the United States. Venezuela’s development and well being have depended and will depend in the future, precisely, in the continued sale of petroleum to the US. Furthermore, CITGO, perhaps one of the biggest and most profitable retailers of gasoline and lubricants in the United States, belongs one hundred percent to the state owned Petroleos de Venezuela, and CITGO depends very heavily on oil imports from Venezuela. As you can very well understand, Mr. Hyde, Chavez guarantee has no specific weight. It is only a decoy, and a very obvious one at that!
Once again, all of us, firmly engaged in opposing the autocratic government of Hugo Chavez, appreciate deeply and very sincerely, your letter to President George W. Bush and, your accurate and precise perceptions reflected in the text. And…should you investigate further into the matter of this regime and its ties with forces attached to the extreme and very radical leftist movements within our borders and abroad, you’ll find the connection with Castro’s revolution and his most dedicated and desperate efforts to consolidate it in the subcontinent as a whole before his death.
Mr. Representative, expressing our gratitude, we avail ourselves of the opportunity to reiterate our esteem and consideration.
Sincerely,
G/D Enrique Medina Gómez V/A Héctor Ramírez Pérez
G/B Pedro Pereira Olivares G/B Carlos Alfonso Martínez
G/B Néstor González González
The Devil's Excrement 
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