The Colombians have made the argument for months and many within the U.S. Government both here and abroad have told me the same thing …. Hugo Chavez is working with FARC, a known terrorist organization.

Now INTERPOL has analyzed computers found during the Ecuadorean raid, they have concluded that Chavez and his leadership is doing just what our allies have claimed. We reported on this computer find from Bogota’ and on the tensions between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela about 6 weeks ago and now this determination places blame directly on Chavez. I have been getting e-mails from contacts inside Venezuela claiming this same connection and believe it or not, some of these folks are desperate for the world to take notice of their opposition to their leader and even hope (in some cases) that the United States will list Venezuela as a ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’.

It’s now tough for any nation skeptical of President Uribe’s assertion, or our belief of Chavez’s ties with FARC, to make any argument in opposition; thanks to the worlds largest international police organization. This report also puts pressure on the Bush Administration, how do they handle this and do they list Venezuela as a state sponsor of terror?

This question I posted in a blog thread about a week ago. Representative Connie Mack from Florida has been a strong supporter of our reports from the region over the course of the last year and he continues his call for the designation. Rep. Mack has been a strong voice against Chavez and the systematic destruction of freedom in a once powerful and free South American nation.

Click on the Read More link for his official press release.

Keep Reading …

This is the first of a couple videos I will post. Our story for Thursday includes ray guns, strobing lights, unmanned planes and hi-tech speakers … all of it comes from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

Here you can find Sgt. Brian Muller, the new gadget guy in charge, and the guy who tests much of this stuff out. Not all of it will bought or implemented by the L.A. Sheriff’s, but much of it will continue development and end up working in another area, or in a new way.

Basically Sgt. Muller and his department are watched by many other forces in the country to see what’s next, what’s coming down the line that can make police work safer for all involved and more efficient. We got an up close look at seven different new gadgets and all will be featured during our live reports throughout the day, which includes a new heat ray gun by Ratheon that got me moving.

In the first video here’s — a flashlight that strobes a suspect into submission and then a radar that can see through walls. The second video shows an unmanned plane that can fit into a 3-foot tube when folded up. The plane has two high quality cameras, one of them can pan 350 degrees. Following the plane are some MAD speakers. Magnetic Audio Devices can clearly project for hundreds of yards, they can also pick up my voice from 80 yards at a normal level. Finally I have shown an up close look at Raytheon’s Heat Ray Gun. I got zapped and it feels like someone is sticking you with a cigarette, but there’s no burn. What the gun does is heat the water molecules just under the skin and there’s no after effects.

So each Tuesday I feature a product and/or company that has caught my eye. Some of the stuff I have bought myself, or others I have run into while shopping, or in this case while at CES (The Consumer Electronic Show). My first trip there, a paradise for generation gadget, became a bit overwhelming.

So much stuff and so little time to tinker with it all. So this year I went with a direction in mind. Besides looking for and finding gadgets that we can use out of our bureau, I did want to check on a few companies trying to become big in the U.S. market. One of those is Coby Electronics.

Robert Gee and his marketing team had a nice and larger set-up than my first trip to New York and you can see the products and company evolve. I stopped in and got a glimpse of two products of many that they now feature. Digital picture frames and also universal chargers.

I haven’t owned either of these Coby products, but I was impressed in the time I got to see them and try them out while on display. See what you think and it gives you a good idea where the industry is going as I talk with research and development guy Kenji Higa.

Also … in this column, besides watching the video, you can ask me stuff about cameras TVs, etc., and I’ll do my best to give you the best information … and as easy to understand as possible.

For those new to this blog, there are a couple of days where I post a thread to let the viewers ask questions or post anything on the topic.

On Tuesdays…Tech Tuesdays. As a gadget guy I do my best to answer all questions tech and at the same time highlight a product that you might be interested in checking out.

So, on Sundays, it’s all about sports. One of the bigger stories of the week is the fact that there still will not be a college football championship game.

Some college presidents make the argument that it makes college football professional and takes away the whole student athlete opportunity. As a former college athlete, those comments need to be seriously scrutinized. With league championships with huge sponsorships and millions of dollars pouring into some programs, those concerns are a bit tardy.

So what do you think? Also, what do you think of the playoffs in the NBA or NHL, or the beginning of baseball season so far?

FRIDAY UPDATE

Bonds for those arrested in the big San Diego State drug sting range from $10,000 to $150,000, many accused have already pled not guilty. This comes as a professor at San Diego State tells the Union-Tribune newspaper that she’s concerned the school’s president Stephen Weber “unilaterally authorized” the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct the operation. According to reports, “Now it’s drugs,” says Carole Kennedy, a political science professor who heads the faculty union. “Maybe next time it’s about political dissent … What happens when you have students talking about federal income tax policy, saying they’re not going to pay their taxes? Are they going to bring in IRS agents?”

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

We are getting ready for Greta’s show and we’ll be talking beforehand with Deputy District Attorney Damon Mosler. He’s appearing right after our report as our live is slated for about 10:06pm (7:06pm Pacific). Damon tells me about the strong cooperation between the DA, DEA and campus police. He explains the DA in San Diego County was approached last September to get involved in this investigation, one he believes is the largest bust ever on any college campus. He like the DEA believes that more arrests could come as all the avenues are followed.

WEDNESDAY LATE UPDATE

Just got off the phone with a contact at the DEA. They are obviously swamped with the ongoing investigation and the background parts of the case. They say more arrests are very possible, nothing like the magnitude we just saw with this bust, but groups of a couple here, four there etc. could go down as the pieces of the drug puzzle are put together.

They are looking at the connections with the Mexican drug cartels. At this point it looks like the gang banger from LA was the connection into the states.

They can’t comment about any investigations that may or may not be ongoing at other colleges. So far this drug web has not spread to other schools.

The DEA agent I spoke with says they hope this bust reminds people about the dangers of drugs and that parents need to communicate and stay informed of what their children are doing even when they are in college. Keep Reading …

He has not yet been listed as an official ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism,’ and according to my sources, it looks like the Bush Administration will not officially designate Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez as such. This is a story we have followed now for nearly a year and we have taken three extended trips to the region in that time.

In response to the possibility, Chavez said recently that the United States “did not get the satisfaction” of including Venezuela in the list of countries sponsor of terrorism. Chávez disregarded the US State Department report on global terrorism and now according to reports, US Intelligence officials believe computer files tie Chávez to the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC). This has been the claim by Colombian leaders since our trip there 6 weeks ago. According to reports, the files depict meetings between guerrilla commanders and Venezuelan government authorities, including Chávez himself. The Colombians told us that the files were taken from the guerrillas following a raid to one of their camps.

The files indicate that Venezuela apparently made concrete offers to help arm the FARC, according to the Wall Street Journal and also the use of one of its ports to receive arms shipments. In another document, a high-ranking official asked FARC to train Venezuelan military in guerrilla warfare. Chavez recently said about the claims “The United States did not get the satisfaction of including Venezuela in the list of countries sponsor of terrorism. But they will keep working on that.” Along with Venezuela, Iran, Chávez’s allied country, remains the “most active” state sponsor of terrorism, as it tries to build up regional influence and expel the United States from the Middle East, according to the report, which labeled Iran as “the most outstanding” country sponsor of terrorism.

With the popularity of the other drug sub videos in my previous thread, I have decided to add one more provided to me from the Coast Guard. This one is infrared for the most of it, but the last part of the video goes back to a standard look. It is amazing when you see how much of the submersible really is under the Pacific Ocean and this video shows it. You can also see how dangerous it becomes for our men and women fighting the war on drugs. Tough enough to approach a boat on top of the water moving at a good clip, now look at the drug runners out the hatch, preparing to abandon the sub and trying to sink it at the same time.

�Sports on Sunday is back, heck why not? Whether you are a sports fan or not, we’ve got to have one day to show our colors and root for our teams. So, each week after 6 days of mostly serious stuff I will post a sports thread like this one to allow all of us to talk a little trash (nicely) about our various teams and schools. Yep… the Giants have won more games already than I expected all year. Of course since I am the author I will error on the side of the left coast and north of Los Angeles, except Pepperdine. This video I grabbed earlier in the week when I headed out to the ‘Dine’ for an afternoon affair. What an amazing day to catch ‘America’s Pastime’ with two of the better teams in the country. UCLA came up the coast and left with a loss. Any game between southern California teams is always an important game. So, here is some video and….I can’t believe it has been more than 10 years since I pitched here. WOW…time flies, but thankfully in this yard the balls don’t. I am a pitcher.

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With the popularity of the other drug sub videos in my previous thread, I have decided to add one more provided to me from the Coast Guard. This one is infrared for the most of it, but the last part of the video goes back to a standard look. It is amazing when you see how much of the submersible really is under the Pacific Ocean and this video shows it. You can also see how dangerous it becomes for our men and women fighting the war on drugs. Tough enough to approach a boat on top of the water moving at a good clip, now look at the drug runners out the hatch, preparing to abandon the sub and trying to sink it at the same time.

In the last six months the U.S. Coast Guard along with the U.S. Navy have found 42 submersibles headed north towards the United States and off the coast of Central America.

That is double the number found in the previous five years combined. These subs can carry as much as 10 tons of drugs or even weapons and some of the latest models can move 15 knots. This is obviously troubling and makes our war on the cartels that much more difficult.

We are currently at Coast Guard Island in Alameda California, where the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman is located. The ship has recently returned from operations off of Central America, where finding these subs is proving difficult. They are primitive but effective and built similar to the subs used in the civil war. Usually about six inches or so sticks above the water, which is almost impossible to spot.

During the day the subs sit, preserving their cover for movement at night. Here is some great raw video provided by the U.S. Coast Guard.