September 28, 2006: Apparently concerned about the declining popularity of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and uncertain as to the degree of control his "Bolivarian" movement has over the country's security forces, some of the president's staunchest adherents in the government and the armed forces have been putting together an informal intelligence apparatus, to keep tabs on the opposition. Chavez is bringing a lot of new weapons into the country, and many of the thousands of assault rifles and pistols are going to equip partisan militias. It's feared that, after Chavez departs the scene, the country will have to contend with several warlord armies. Best to start collecting information on the players now.