It's official. Hugo Chavez is now a dictator.

Well, I haven't posted in awhile, but this has jolted me back into bloggerdom.

BBC, The Times

Venezuela's governmental assembly has granted President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for the next eighteen months. What this means, in rough terms, is that for the next year and a half, the gigantic socialist weasel gets to do pretty much whatever he wants.

What he wants is to nationalize (read: steal the resources of) the oil and gas industries, rob those who have earned affluence in order to give it to those who have not, and remove term limits on the Presidency so that he can effectively remain in power indefinitely. Given that he was just handed nearly absolute power, I would not be surprised in the least if he decreed himself more time to rule by decree at the end of the 18 months.

To quote Revenge of the Sith: "So this is how democracy dies. To thunderous applause." Though it would be entirely accurate to say that, ironically enough, this is an example of democracy (as opposed to republicanism as in the government system, not the party) in action.

National Guardsmen overrun by gunmen on Mexican border

I wondered when this would happen back in March, when the National Guard was first ordered to the border. Seems my question has been answered.

Breaking from local Arizona News 12

A patrol of four National Guardsmen was overrun by armed men at the border somewhere between Nogales (AZ or Mexico; they're right across from each other) and Lukeville, AZ, a 120 mile stretch of desert in the western part of the state's border with Mexico on the night of January 3rd. No one was hurt and the gunmen retreated back to Mexico when Border Patrol reinforcements were called. It's unclear whether shots were fired. The Guard is currently deployed along the border on orders from the Arizona governor, and is in an observation and support role, supplementing the Border Patrol rather than directly acting against border incursions.

I will post updates later today as information warrants. I haven't slept all night and am too tired to go hunting for additional sources at the moment.

Update: MSNBC now has a more detailed article up.

Historical perspective on Saddam Hussein's execution

I'm making this post to link to this entry in the American Thinker blog. I have nothing further to add.

Thanks to John Cox and Allen Forkum for bringing this to my attention.

Happy New Year!

Just ringing in 2007, and resolving to post to this blog more. Happy New Year, everybody!