As Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez flashes his rifles this week, ranting on and on about a nonexistent “U.S. invasion” – a real war is going on in Venezuela, one in which real criminals are waging on Venezuela’s poor people, and one in which its combatants, the police, are starved for funds, as Chavez happily shoots his wad in a bid to buy ever fancier military hardware.

Miguel has the facts and figures on this, in an extraordinarily good essay that can be easily understood, even by people not familiar with Venezuela.

Read it here.