“Rain forest trees can live for centuries, even millennia, so none of us expected things to change too fast. But in just two decades - a wink of time for a thousand year-old tree - the ecosystem has been seriously degraded.”

“The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat…”

Chavez did not specifically accuse the U.S. government of having a hand in the Sept. 11 attacks, but rather suggested that theories of U.S. involvement bear examination.

If martial law is not declared and the new congress dissolved before it is even installed, the PRD is sworn to create a monumental ruckus, shredding the tarnished decorum of this once-solemn event.