Meanwhile, in Venezuela

Aug. 9, 2005

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told thousands of visiting students that if U.S. forces were to invade the South American country, they would be soundly defeated.

[...]

He spoke during the opening ceremony of a world youth festival bringing together student delegations from across the world and convened under the slogan "Against Imperialism and War." Chavez called the United States the "most savage, cruel and murderous empire that has existed in the history of the world."

  India Daily article

From Newsday, July 30:

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent was shot and killed in an apparent robbery attempt at a Roman Catholic shrine outside the Honduran capital, officials said Saturday.

Special Agent Timothy Markey was visiting the shrine Friday when two assailants confronted him and shot him twice, according to Honduran federal police and the DEA. Markey was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

...

Markey began his DEA service in September 1989, according to a statement from the agency. He was assigned to the General Watch Unit at the El Paso Intelligence Center, in Texas, at the time of his death.

[...]

And that's about all there is, and probably ever will be, in the American press about the death of Special Agent Markey. Except there may be much more, according to DEA Watch, which exists "to provide all special agents and employees of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and other narcotics agencies a confidentiality protected platform to express job related and other concerns they could not normally raise to higher-ups, the media or co-workers without exposing themselves to punishment, ridicule, revenge or possible physical harm."

Here are some of those confidential DEA voices commenting on Markey, whom they call "the man who knew too much":

[...]

There is a major international incident now going on in Venezuela involving DEA. The top people in VZ want nothing to do with DEA because they say our people are part of the problem and not part of the solution. There was talk that Markey was to be interviewd by certain members of Congress to find out what Markey could tell them about the shenanigans in the VZ DEA office. Hmmmm.

[...]

When I talked to Tim just a few days ago he told me he would be meeting with a congressman about what went down in Venezuela a few years ago. Apparently the Bush-Cheney oil people are stirring up a lot of trouble in Venezuela to topple the government so that Halliburton and other companies can move in to take over the oil fields. Apparently Tim knew about some of what was going on just after Bush and Cheney first came to office. Everyone the Bush people didn't consider safe -- or had too much information -- was forced out of Venezuela. There is far more to this incident than meets the eye. Fortunately for Bush he has Tandy who will sweep Tim's death under the rug as nothing more than a case of robbery. Tim died for oil. Another casualty of the Bush-Cheney Oil Wars.

[...]

With US-Venezuelan relations currently at a boiling point and military action not unthinkable, along with Congress digging into Markey's reports about DEA corruption in Venezuela, the obvious answer is Markey knew too much.

[...]

Here are two headlines from Caracas on Friday, the day Markey died: Venezuelan General Lopez Hidalgo rules out any agreement with DEA and US Ambassador laments probe into alleged DEA irregularities.

  Rigorous Intuition post

And here's another one from Al Giordano: Chávez: DEA “Supports Narco-Trafficking” in Venezuela

Previous Venezuela posts
More on Venezuela

P.S. I would also keep an eye out for agent Sandalio Gonzales (also at the El Paso DEA office), and the reporter who's writing about him, Bill Conroy.