Mr. Chavez remains convinced that the US government is determined to oust him from power. Apparently he is unaware that he is not Fidel Castro, and that it is, in fact, not 1963. In order to ensure peace Mr. Chavez blew $1.5 billion on Russian military hardware, including helicopters, fighter jets, and small arms. I'm sure that money certainly would not have aided his impoverished people, and that his decision to close down opposition media was actually due to "US dirty tricks".