CNN reports that Venezuelan wannabe dictator Hugo Chavez “told a crowd gathered in the center of Caracas that if the referendum was approved and the result was questioned — ‘if the ‘yes’ vote wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan oligarchy, playing the [U.S.] empire’s game, comes with their little stories of fraud’ — then he would order oil shipments to the United States halted Monday.”

In other words, if anyone dares to question the fairness of the elections - and lets be honest, Hugo will make sure that the result will be ‘yes’ no matter what Venezuelans think about it - Venezuela will stop exporting oil to the US which will not only hurt to the US, but the West as a whole (oil prices are likely to go up) ánd it will hurt the Venezuelan people who work in the oil industry.

Of course, Chavez could care less about the Venezuelan people.

That’s not all, of course, he also “threatened to take independent Venezuela television network Globovision off the air if it broadcast partial results during the voting.” And that’s only the start of it: “He also threatened to take action against international networks, accusing CNN in particular of overstating the strength of the opposition’s numbers.”

“If any international channel comes here to take part in an operation from the imperialist against Venezuela, your reporters will be thrown out of the country, they will not be able to work here. People at CNN, listen carefully: This is just a warning,” the grumpy little general said.

One wonders whether CNN will continue to report honestly about what’s happening in Venezuela or whether the American news network will appease this wannabe dictator and change its tune. Hopefully, honestly and journalistic integrity beat befriending Chavez at CNN.

All in all, “Venezuela accounts for up to 15 percent of U.S. crude imports.” The US is, by far, “Venezuela’s biggest oil customer and one of the few countries that can refine its low-quality crude.” In other words, Chavez would hurt his own people more than he would hurt the US if he would temporarily halt all exports to the US.