Another Chavez Setback

Ever have one of those weeks?

Hugo has! Another FARC leader, Ivan Rios, was dispatched just days after FARC second in command, Raul Reyes, was killed by Columbian forces late last week. Rios died at the hands of his security chief, and his hand was delivered to authorities as proof of his demise.

Link to AP's Rios article.

Link to WSJ's article linking FARC to Chavez.

Eliot "John" Spitzer

Eliot was the inspiration for this afternoon's video project. Enjoy!

Silver Star

Congratulations, our thanks, and a Ushanka Tip go to Army medic Monica Lin Brown who has been awarded the sliver star.

Karl's Weekend Reading

With the rush of primaries behind us, and as the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate waits for a Democratic nominee, we'll once again avoid the political articles and return to Communism as our focus.

The WSJ's "Chavez's 'War' Drums" editorial comments on the laptop found in a raid on the FARC guerrillas in Ecuador. The Columbians went across the border into Ecuador last weekend, killed the guerrilla's second in command, Raul Reyes, and recovered his laptop. Why was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez upset by this raid on the opposite side of Columbia?

What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation.

General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.

Our Dear Leader in North Korea is sending a message to the masses with a public execution of 2 men and 13 women this week. Message: "Stop trying to escape." From Time:

The two men and 13 women were executed Feb. 20 by firing squad on a bridge in Onseong, a northeastern town on the border with China and Russia, the Good Friends private aid organization said in its regular newsletter.

They were accused of crossing the Tumen River into neighboring China or helping others to cross, the aid agency said.

And in a rare link to another blog as part of our Weekend Reading, Little Green Footballs captured a whopper in California: California Dems Introduce Bill to Allow Communist Indoctrination in Public Schools. Blogger Charles Johnson comments:

Yes, that’s right. The headline is no exaggeration. California Democratic Sen. Alan Lowenthal has proposed an amendment to the Educational Code that will explicitly allow the promotion of Communism in schools, and also allow groups who want to violently overthrow the US government to meet on public school property.

Ushanka Tip to LGF.

One More CPAC Photo

Sent in from a CPAC organizer.

Click here to see the CPAC Report and more photos.

President Dmitry Medvedev

No surprise from Dmitry Medvedev's 70% election victory Sunday in Russia. Some suggest the Medvedev-Putin relationship will sour much as previous Russian power hand-offs have. We disagree. The crackdown on protests immediately following the election victory combined with $100+ oil suggest shared ideology and enough cash for everyone.

Our initial questions:
1) Will Medvedev continue the antique air-show that Putin started with renewed bomber patrols?
2) Will Medvedev's reign be smeared with the two-journalists-per-year murder rate that has existed since 2001?

more to follow...

Media Links:
1) Opposition leader, Maxim Reznick, was arrested today.
2) Opposition leader, Nikita Belykh, was arrested yesterday.

more to follow...

Cartoons found at Townhall:

Wednesday Afternoon Cigar Celebration

Karl and Mikhail had two reasons to celebrate today while smoking a Santa Damiana and a Rocky Patel Sun Grown, respectively:

1) The 55 year anniversary of Stalin's death, and
2) Hillary's victory in Ohio!

Hillary and Obama's continued run to the left to attract voters and differentiate themselves only makes the general election that much easier. So we're going to re-negotiate NAFTA, eh? Why not bring back welfare too, and completely undo Bill Clinton's two accomplishments?!

The only good commie is a dead commie!

Hats in San Francisco

Ushanka.us infiltrated enemy territory over the weekend to come face-to-face with the hammer & sickle enthusiasts of San Francisco. We met up with fellow members of the resistance and returned with unauthorized photos from our visit.

Overheard Saturday morning:

Angry White Male: You need to pack up your booth. They don't allow hate booths here!

Karl: Hate booth? I'm a lover, not a fighter!

AWM: I'm going to get you kicked out of the show!

Karl: What happened to freedom of speech?

Overheard Sunday morning:

Vietnam Vet: I like your hats. I fought the Communists in Vietnam.

Karl: Ask most people, they wouldn't know that the Vietnam War was about containing Communism, nor would they know the evils behind the ideology. I blame the media and their revisionist efforts.

VV: I stayed at a veteran's hospital near here, and people would spit on you when you would walk out.

Karl: [handshake] Thank you for your service.

Primer: Texas and Ohio Dem Primaries

The Wall Street Journal has a great analysis piece on the differences between Texas (strong economy and employment, right to work state, pro-NAFTA) and Ohio (Union jobs moved to other states).

Texas v. Ohio:

So tomorrow the eyes of America will be on these two states moving in different directions. Ohio has an economy burdened by high taxes and work rules that impose heavy costs on employers. Texas embraces free trade, keeps taxes low, doesn't impose unions on business and has tooled itself for 21st century global competition. Ohioans may not like to hear this, but for any company considering where to locate a new plant or move an existing one, the choice between Ohio and Texas isn't even a close call.

Monday Cigar

Enjoyed a Santa Damiana #300 as we made our way through The Black Book of Communism.