The women, some trembling, grasp the assault rifles and awkwardly lower themselves into sniper positions as they take aim and fire at white targets in the distance. Dressed in jeans and sneakers, the women are the unlikely heart of a new civilian militia being trained as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns his country must be ready for a “war of resistance” against the United States. The U.S. government dismisses Chavez’s claims of a possible invasion as ridiculous. But Chavez insists Venezuelans must be prepared for anything, citing a short-lived 2002 coup that briefly unseated him. Full Story