Today was a recrudescence of barricades in some areas. Protests are not dwindling. I was surprised this morning at 7 AM with all roads blocked out of El Cafetal on my way to medical appointments. I had to escape through Macaracuay. Later I learned that for once the regime decided to scare El Cafetal barricades ignored until now by sending what has been reported a fake funeral of "motorizados" which was an excuse for colectivos to come and shoot their guns in the air.
See, motorbikes in Caracas have become such a plague that when they are not looting trucks they hold funerals where a squadron of dozens and dozens of bikers block traffic, raise their front wheels in the air, shoot in the air, play loud music to try to cover their deafening noise. That is what happens in some bikers funerals, probably those that where high in the gang structure. And it is probably the rule for colectivos funerals, those paramilitary groups that have been organized by the regime with weapons and motorbikes for fast deployment. Actually, there is evidence that the current interior minister, Rodriguez Torres , was hard at work ten years ago organizing paramilitary structures.
But I digress, the point is that the regime sent today its colectivos to try to strike fear in El Cafetal denizens. thus the El Cafetal barricades which were useless and a pain in the ass for an area that chavismo ignores (it votes 80% opposition) have suddenly become more relevant and will become again more frequent.
But tonight the regime made sure that protest will keep going on for a while more as the High Court, TSJ, unconstitutionally removed Maria Corina Machado from her representative seat. The excuse was that by accepting to seat for a few minutes in the Panama ambassador seat she betrayed the country, she accepted a foreign award and what not. Besides that she was disbarred unconstitutionally, I will not go into it now, too long and it is late, there are plenty of chavista officials accepting all the time all sort of awards in friendly countries, amen of the Venezuelan seat at the OAS having been loaned to to plenty of people in the past with causes occasionally less worthy than the one Maria Corina Machado presented.
It is a political decision of course, one typical of dictatorships of any kind, to jail, disable, dishonor, make up charges and what not against any political person that could cause trouble for the regime. The TSJ has lowered its already incredibly low standing by starting to remove one by one elected officials and thus recognizing that elections are truly worthless in Venezuela. Then again, a TSJ that had no qualms doing a constitutional coup to allow Maduro to succeed Chavez has taken the road to further constitutional crimes to justify the original sin. It is biblical!
Now the question is what the opposition will do. Is it still trying to pretend dialogue is possible? Will it make a show of force and try to enter with Maria Corina Machado in Parliament even if all may risk arrest? When are we going to start calling the regime a dictatorship and deal with it accordingly?
There are other questions equally interesting. Will Diosdado Cabello get away with what is such an obvious personal vendetta he has against Maria Corina (besides the possibility of also following orders from Cuba)? will the regime dare put all opposition leadership in jail? Will newspapers be closed? Will Internet go blank?
Is it time to consider article 350 of the constitution? You know, the one that allows for just rebellion....
Monday, March 31, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Por que con el chavismo no se va a llegar nunca a nada: fracasará Misión Transporte
El grandísimo problema del chavismo mas allá de corrupción, violencia y otras especies es que es incapaz de llegar a concretar algo durable en el tiempo. A ver, traten de buscar un ejemplo de algo sustentable que haya logrado el chavismo, alguna Misión que todavía existe sin haber tenido que ser relanzada ni cambiada de nombre.
Hoy Maduro hizo otra cadena donde lanzo una tal Misión Transporte. Yo no veo cadenas hace tiempo. Hugo no me lo calaba en visual pero a veces escuchaba la radio o la tele a modo de radio. Pero conMaburro Maduro no puedo ni verlo ni escucharlo, todo en él ofende lo poco de inteligencia que sobrevivió estos 15 años. No puedo. Los periódicos tendrán que bastar para ponerme al tanto. Pues leyendo la reseña del Periodiquito basta para saber que Misión Transporte esta prometida y condenada al fracaso. Sufre de un conjuro inescapable que ni con todas las Cortes de Sorte...
Empieza la cosa con "7 vértices", algo en si pavosísimo para una gente que decidió pasar de 7 a 8 estrellas porque sí, y voltear un caballo que usaba Bolívar para su transporte, como si eso fuese la solución a todos nuestros males. Para el chavismo el 7 es el numero de la mala suerte.
Pero dejemos la superstición y tratemos de ver si esos "7 vértices" tienen algún sentido. Supongo que esosvertederos vértices son los puntos de acción del gobierno para solucionar el problema del transporte en Venezuela.
No se lo que mas me molesta de esa chusma gobiernera, si es que son así de brutos o si creen que somos así de pendejos.
Hoy Maduro hizo otra cadena donde lanzo una tal Misión Transporte. Yo no veo cadenas hace tiempo. Hugo no me lo calaba en visual pero a veces escuchaba la radio o la tele a modo de radio. Pero con
Empieza la cosa con "7 vértices", algo en si pavosísimo para una gente que decidió pasar de 7 a 8 estrellas porque sí, y voltear un caballo que usaba Bolívar para su transporte, como si eso fuese la solución a todos nuestros males. Para el chavismo el 7 es el numero de la mala suerte.
Pero dejemos la superstición y tratemos de ver si esos "7 vértices" tienen algún sentido. Supongo que esos
El primer vértice incluye el Registro Nacional que identificará a todos los trabajadores del transporte, líneas, rutas, paradas, unidades, conductores, propietarios y avances en sus distintas modalidades.Primero, si hay un registro absolutamente inútil es un registro de esa naturaleza en un oficio donde la gente siempre esta cambiando de oficio, ruta, trabajo, etc... ¿O es que creen que por ejemplo van a controlar el mototaxismo en rutas fijas? ¿O es que con un registro por fin los conductores de busetas se van a enterar para que sirve una parada? No solamente ese registro es inútil y una soberana perdida de dinero pero no estará completo que ya estará vencido. En fin, supongo que es una manera de conseguirle oficio a graduados de las universidades bolivarianas...
El segundo vértice comprende la cobertura territorial, que determinará el mapa de necesidades insatisfechas de transporte en todo el territorio nacional, con la participación del Poder Popular.¿Como se come eso? ¿Consejos Comunales van a decidir que es una ruta directa, eficiente, efectiva? Les voy a ahorrar dinero: por lo menos 90% del mapa del país tiene "necesidades insatisfechas".
"No puede existir una ciudad donde no se haya evaluado el sistema de transporte", dijo El Troudi.El genio que también acaba de descubrir el agua tibia y que no se ha montado en una buseta desde que se metió en el gobierno y tiene carro y escoltas.
Los servicios serán parte del tercer vértice, a través de la masificación de las proveedurías de repuestos, seguros de unidades de transporte, grúas, talleres de mantenimiento de flota, mejora de la calidad del servicio de las unidades del transporte público, entre otros.¿Masificación? Pero, ¿es que existe algo ya funcional a partir de lo cual se pueda masificar? Mira El Troudi, por que no empiezas equipando de grúas, vigilancia, cuadrillas de mantenimiento y ayuda la ARC. ¡Con eso me conformo, chico! Y dime Haiman, ¿con que plata si ni siquiera son capaces de aumentar la gasolina que es lo primero que hay que hacer antes de poder mejorar lo que sea en el transporte?
El cuarto vértice abarca financiamiento del Estado para el sector transporte, creación del banco de transportistas y la inclusiòn progresiva de los transportistas al seguro social.Bueno, por fin algo positivo, tratar de transformar a transportistas en trabajadores formales en vez de relegarlos a la infame buhonería. Aunque claro, también ya se el ven las costuras a la corrupción con el "banco del transporte". De todas maneras al ver como fracasaron en educar a motorizados y obligarlos a respetar las leyes de transito quedo muy pesimista. El que se crea en el éxito de este renglón que me llame, que le vendo barato un puente sobre el Lago de Maracaibo.
El quinto vértice de esta misión será dedidaca [sic] a impulsar la educación vial y formación de los transportistas.
El sexto punto incluye la construcción de infraestructuras (regufios, [sic] construcción de terminales, diseño y cosntrucción de paradas[sic] ), mientras que el séptimo vértice se refiere a la movilidad urbana (optimización de las rutas de transporte en las ciudades, plan de movilidad para cada centro poblado y cosntrucción [sic] de soluciones viales en las ciudades).Para empezar, el 6 y el 7 deberían de ser el 1 y el 2. Pero aquí, en esta farsa bolivariana donde aumentar la autoestima del pueblo sirve de excusa a todo, se deja de último lo que sí importa, lo que sí hay que hacer, lo que sí genera fuentes de empleo, lo que sí permitirá al transporte fluir mas, y etc. ¿Como es posible tomar esta gente en serio cuando en 15 AÑOS no han sido capaces de terminar 2 lineas de Metro con todos los estudios principales dejados por Caldera, METROS que debían de haberse terminado tanto en Valencia como en Caracas hace YA VARIOS AÑOS, por mas atrasos que haya?
No se lo que mas me molesta de esa chusma gobiernera, si es que son así de brutos o si creen que somos así de pendejos.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Some questions you may have after almost two months of protest in Venezuela
The wave of protests over Venezuela started in early February. We may reach a full two months period if what happened Sunday serves us of guide. As a public service I have replied to some questions that I would ask if I were a casual observer wondering about such a phenomenon.
Why the protest?
Usually such massive protest movements have deep and diffuse roots, though the fuse can be obvious. Here, contrary to appearances, things are actually simpler than what you may think though the fuse is not as material as one may wish.
Since 2001, there has been a constant state of protest in Venezuela. The first paroxysm came in 2002-2003 and this blog carries still two pictures from those days: the log flag and a rally in 2003 at the bottom of the page. The government, turned into a "regime", never tried to do anything about the roots of these protests, only assuaging them with liberal distribution of cash that have resulted in the economic collapse currently in progress. Thus after ten years of empty promises where the only steady process has been to establish a Cuban like system social control, people simply realized that with such a regime there is no future. Or rather more explicitly, their future had been stolen by a ruthless political "elite" of thugs and drug lords. Even law suits in the US acknowledge that fact of life in Venezuela.
Future stolen? Aren't those big words?
No, they are accurate. In Venezuela today private enterprise, reduced to its minimum sense of personal project, is nearly impossible. The aim of the state is to control all aspects of the individual's live. From the excessive and discretionary controls on private enterprise to the ongoing battle of ideological imposition in schools, from the difficulty to sustain an independent NGO to the imposed system of "consejos comunales" to control your neighborhood, all is following an increasing totalitarian bent, inspired on fascist methods even if the discourse and motivation are officially socialists.
The message is clear: outside of sticking close to the regime's message and groups there is no hope of betterment for you, the more so when you realize that there are no jobs out there that can free you from state dependence, that the education you receive is sub-par to deal with the complexities of a globalized word, and that even forming a hippie commune will not let you escape the system. Truly, the feel of most, if not all people in the protests is that there is no future.
Shouldn't that "stolen future" also send supporters of the regime to protest?
Tricky question, and a complex one to answer.
You need to understand that original supporters of Chavez also sensed that their future had been lost, or taken or was simply nonexistent. Just acknowledging that fact was enough to generate sympathy among enough people to get elected in 1998. Then, some spending with social programs necessary but solely designed for electoral purposes was enough to give the illusion that there was a future. It is only now, that inflation is eating fast the few social gains made, that it starts becoming apparent that whatever could offer social programs has been used in full, that the regime supporters start having their own doubts.
You also need to understand that many, many regime supporters have been actively protesting for years because all that was promised was not fulfilled, or given for a short while only as new elections required new promises to be fulfilled at the expense of old promises. But these protests were for self interest and the existence of a Messianic figure like Chavez was enough to make sure they would not crystallize into a national movement. This is not the case anymore and the transition has started.
There are two additional explanations. One is psychological: after so many years to vote blindly for whatever Chavez sent your way it is difficult to accept that one may have been wrong all these years. The other is of a repressive nature: the regime has been successful in one aspect, to create a paramilitary and bureaucratic structure to control lower classes neighborhoods. It is thus difficult to organize a systemic protest movement in those areas and for the time being "defectors" prefer to take the bus or subway to meet in areas where the opposition can protest with more freedom and where they are not likely to be easily recognized by the control structure. That regime's "areas" have less support than they used to be is not disputed by any serious observer: the problem is to quantify it, though we know for sure that discontent is bound to grow as long as the economy is not fixed.
If protest could "contaminate" pro regime areas how come the regime is not cracking down further in opposition areas, or making a gesture to stop protests altogether before they spread further?
The answer is simple: the regime is unable to deal with the economic crisis unraveling. Thus the regime needs a distraction, a scapegoat. The more so that the economic crisis will slowly but surely start being associated with the regime corruption.
It is too long to enter into the details of the economic crisis so suffice to say that the regime is a "political" coalition where any given group interests will be affected by any rational measure that may be taken. That coalition could suddenly unravel if, say, price of gas is increased making the regime simply collapse. And even if a sub-coalition within the regime would be strong enough to take over, the measures required mean that the Chavez model would be disbanded fast which ideologically is still to early to demand from the regime.
The regime is thus interested in a violent confrontation that justify tighter control over the society, a control that it needs more to control its own political bases than the opposition bases but which excuse is provided by the "need" to control opposition political bases.
There are increasing verified reports that actually the regime sends covert agents to stir protests. Also, the recent arrest and illegal destitution of mayors without real cause is a way to try to make the huge pacific protests angrier and maybe more violent as the "guarimbas" start to recede, not for lack of will but because the protest is evolving naturally towards other forms of expression than guarimabas barricades.
In short, the regime has the means to crush protest more bloodily than what has happened so far, or can stop it whenever it wants. If neither one is happening it is certainly because the current nature of protests fits the political needs of the regime. At least, in the short term.
If I follow you that means there is a chance that protest will lead nowhere, or to hell. Should we not try other approaches such as dialogue or truth commission?
If we were in a normal democracy where conflicts may be aggravated by given unusual circumstances, you would be right to suggest such options. The problem here is that the political power and "institutions" of the state have been hijacked by a group of people who have no intentions of releasing them. Not that they could release power if they wanted because too many of them would meet jail terms for all sorts of crimes, from outrageous corruption to sponsoring international drug trafficking.
Even if we assumed that indeed the regime is intent on some form of "negotiation" or "dialogue" to reach a modus operandi that would allow them to finish their political term, the appearances are against such an idea. The truth commission named includes only radical members of the regime apparatus. More opposition politicians are arrested without proper right to trial. The dialogue called is with either the sectors the regime wants to call or with everyone and their brother to dilute possibilities of real dialogue. Furthermore, for a dialogue to be possible the regime is the only one that can give guarantees since it controls everything in the country. Simple measures, such as releasing political prisoners, are denied outright and explain why the opposition refuses to participate in what they justifiably call propaganda masquerades.
In short, under current regime attitude dialogue is impossible, the more so when the president muses about ways "to force" the opposition to sit to the table. That is right, they want to force the opposition to dialogue...
This is quite a mess. How come it got this way? Is there anything that can be done?
The problem is that the regime upper ranks are divided in two: the ones deeply involved in organized crime and the revolutionary radicals that know their historical chance is gone. Why did the regime evolved into such a fascist monstrosity? (I am sorry to say that here is really no other way to qualify the current regime).
The reason is quite simple: Hugo Chavez bought from the Castro brothers the recipe to hold office forever. This requires a divided society of us against them. An enemy at every corner. A moral corruption of people with access to privilege and power so that their crimes make them forced to serve the regime. This was made possible by the abundant oil money and by the geographical situation crucial for drug trafficking. It was easy thus to promote organized crime, corruption violence, social dependency, etc. all held in place through a sophisticated blackmailing network.
What can be done? Well, what should be done is to remove the top echelons of the regime, to jail at least a couple hundred individuals. After all the regime followers are not necessarily as bad as their leadership and once they get informed of the reality they could rebuild their movement along healthier lines. But to do that you would need an army that is not as dysfunctional and corrupt as the Venezuelan army is today.
An international outcome is not possible either because the countries that could effect such "peace conference" are in the hands of leftist governments that cannot accept that their life model failed so dismally in Venezuela (Brazil) or are blackmailed by the regime (Colombia) or simply do not care enough (the US, Mexico). Only through pressure on Cuba, maybe through the European Union together with less powerful LatAm countries like Peru or Chile, could we see some positive results.
Otherwise we can only wait for the economy to finish to bottom out, for repression to become worse, for bloody divisions to appear inside chavismo and other unpalatable events that may take years. Meanwhile the opposition needs to keep the heat up. Harping the incompetence of the regime at managing food scarcity will help.
The only example that comes to mind is the one of Burma, all perspectives guarded. Only when the utterly corrupt raw military power realizes that it cannot hold much longer and that the opposition understands that it needs to give them time to sort out their safe exit will we see a light in the distance. Before we become a failed state.
Why the protest?
Usually such massive protest movements have deep and diffuse roots, though the fuse can be obvious. Here, contrary to appearances, things are actually simpler than what you may think though the fuse is not as material as one may wish.
Since 2001, there has been a constant state of protest in Venezuela. The first paroxysm came in 2002-2003 and this blog carries still two pictures from those days: the log flag and a rally in 2003 at the bottom of the page. The government, turned into a "regime", never tried to do anything about the roots of these protests, only assuaging them with liberal distribution of cash that have resulted in the economic collapse currently in progress. Thus after ten years of empty promises where the only steady process has been to establish a Cuban like system social control, people simply realized that with such a regime there is no future. Or rather more explicitly, their future had been stolen by a ruthless political "elite" of thugs and drug lords. Even law suits in the US acknowledge that fact of life in Venezuela.
Future stolen? Aren't those big words?
No, they are accurate. In Venezuela today private enterprise, reduced to its minimum sense of personal project, is nearly impossible. The aim of the state is to control all aspects of the individual's live. From the excessive and discretionary controls on private enterprise to the ongoing battle of ideological imposition in schools, from the difficulty to sustain an independent NGO to the imposed system of "consejos comunales" to control your neighborhood, all is following an increasing totalitarian bent, inspired on fascist methods even if the discourse and motivation are officially socialists.
The message is clear: outside of sticking close to the regime's message and groups there is no hope of betterment for you, the more so when you realize that there are no jobs out there that can free you from state dependence, that the education you receive is sub-par to deal with the complexities of a globalized word, and that even forming a hippie commune will not let you escape the system. Truly, the feel of most, if not all people in the protests is that there is no future.
Shouldn't that "stolen future" also send supporters of the regime to protest?
Tricky question, and a complex one to answer.
You need to understand that original supporters of Chavez also sensed that their future had been lost, or taken or was simply nonexistent. Just acknowledging that fact was enough to generate sympathy among enough people to get elected in 1998. Then, some spending with social programs necessary but solely designed for electoral purposes was enough to give the illusion that there was a future. It is only now, that inflation is eating fast the few social gains made, that it starts becoming apparent that whatever could offer social programs has been used in full, that the regime supporters start having their own doubts.
You also need to understand that many, many regime supporters have been actively protesting for years because all that was promised was not fulfilled, or given for a short while only as new elections required new promises to be fulfilled at the expense of old promises. But these protests were for self interest and the existence of a Messianic figure like Chavez was enough to make sure they would not crystallize into a national movement. This is not the case anymore and the transition has started.
There are two additional explanations. One is psychological: after so many years to vote blindly for whatever Chavez sent your way it is difficult to accept that one may have been wrong all these years. The other is of a repressive nature: the regime has been successful in one aspect, to create a paramilitary and bureaucratic structure to control lower classes neighborhoods. It is thus difficult to organize a systemic protest movement in those areas and for the time being "defectors" prefer to take the bus or subway to meet in areas where the opposition can protest with more freedom and where they are not likely to be easily recognized by the control structure. That regime's "areas" have less support than they used to be is not disputed by any serious observer: the problem is to quantify it, though we know for sure that discontent is bound to grow as long as the economy is not fixed.
If protest could "contaminate" pro regime areas how come the regime is not cracking down further in opposition areas, or making a gesture to stop protests altogether before they spread further?
The answer is simple: the regime is unable to deal with the economic crisis unraveling. Thus the regime needs a distraction, a scapegoat. The more so that the economic crisis will slowly but surely start being associated with the regime corruption.
It is too long to enter into the details of the economic crisis so suffice to say that the regime is a "political" coalition where any given group interests will be affected by any rational measure that may be taken. That coalition could suddenly unravel if, say, price of gas is increased making the regime simply collapse. And even if a sub-coalition within the regime would be strong enough to take over, the measures required mean that the Chavez model would be disbanded fast which ideologically is still to early to demand from the regime.
The regime is thus interested in a violent confrontation that justify tighter control over the society, a control that it needs more to control its own political bases than the opposition bases but which excuse is provided by the "need" to control opposition political bases.
There are increasing verified reports that actually the regime sends covert agents to stir protests. Also, the recent arrest and illegal destitution of mayors without real cause is a way to try to make the huge pacific protests angrier and maybe more violent as the "guarimbas" start to recede, not for lack of will but because the protest is evolving naturally towards other forms of expression than guarimabas barricades.
In short, the regime has the means to crush protest more bloodily than what has happened so far, or can stop it whenever it wants. If neither one is happening it is certainly because the current nature of protests fits the political needs of the regime. At least, in the short term.
If I follow you that means there is a chance that protest will lead nowhere, or to hell. Should we not try other approaches such as dialogue or truth commission?
If we were in a normal democracy where conflicts may be aggravated by given unusual circumstances, you would be right to suggest such options. The problem here is that the political power and "institutions" of the state have been hijacked by a group of people who have no intentions of releasing them. Not that they could release power if they wanted because too many of them would meet jail terms for all sorts of crimes, from outrageous corruption to sponsoring international drug trafficking.
Even if we assumed that indeed the regime is intent on some form of "negotiation" or "dialogue" to reach a modus operandi that would allow them to finish their political term, the appearances are against such an idea. The truth commission named includes only radical members of the regime apparatus. More opposition politicians are arrested without proper right to trial. The dialogue called is with either the sectors the regime wants to call or with everyone and their brother to dilute possibilities of real dialogue. Furthermore, for a dialogue to be possible the regime is the only one that can give guarantees since it controls everything in the country. Simple measures, such as releasing political prisoners, are denied outright and explain why the opposition refuses to participate in what they justifiably call propaganda masquerades.
In short, under current regime attitude dialogue is impossible, the more so when the president muses about ways "to force" the opposition to sit to the table. That is right, they want to force the opposition to dialogue...
This is quite a mess. How come it got this way? Is there anything that can be done?
The problem is that the regime upper ranks are divided in two: the ones deeply involved in organized crime and the revolutionary radicals that know their historical chance is gone. Why did the regime evolved into such a fascist monstrosity? (I am sorry to say that here is really no other way to qualify the current regime).
The reason is quite simple: Hugo Chavez bought from the Castro brothers the recipe to hold office forever. This requires a divided society of us against them. An enemy at every corner. A moral corruption of people with access to privilege and power so that their crimes make them forced to serve the regime. This was made possible by the abundant oil money and by the geographical situation crucial for drug trafficking. It was easy thus to promote organized crime, corruption violence, social dependency, etc. all held in place through a sophisticated blackmailing network.
What can be done? Well, what should be done is to remove the top echelons of the regime, to jail at least a couple hundred individuals. After all the regime followers are not necessarily as bad as their leadership and once they get informed of the reality they could rebuild their movement along healthier lines. But to do that you would need an army that is not as dysfunctional and corrupt as the Venezuelan army is today.
An international outcome is not possible either because the countries that could effect such "peace conference" are in the hands of leftist governments that cannot accept that their life model failed so dismally in Venezuela (Brazil) or are blackmailed by the regime (Colombia) or simply do not care enough (the US, Mexico). Only through pressure on Cuba, maybe through the European Union together with less powerful LatAm countries like Peru or Chile, could we see some positive results.
Otherwise we can only wait for the economy to finish to bottom out, for repression to become worse, for bloody divisions to appear inside chavismo and other unpalatable events that may take years. Meanwhile the opposition needs to keep the heat up. Harping the incompetence of the regime at managing food scarcity will help.
The only example that comes to mind is the one of Burma, all perspectives guarded. Only when the utterly corrupt raw military power realizes that it cannot hold much longer and that the opposition understands that it needs to give them time to sort out their safe exit will we see a light in the distance. Before we become a failed state.
Monday, March 24, 2014
It is all smoke in Venezuela
Tonight I am watching the Avila National park, a.k.a, in chavista silly circles as Güaraira Repano without any solid historical evidence to justify such name change, go up in flames.
I think it is a true direct metaphor, oximoronic tone intended, of what the country is at tonight.
In addition of having our most precious National Park burn because as usual the regime has not taken the adequate provisions in what is one of our most dry weather season in a decade, (has anyone seen the Canadair that the regime promised to buy after last major fire?) we saw opposition representatives sent to the pyre and our currency officially go up in smoke.
Let's start with the currency in smoke. The regime finally opened what they called an open market but which is actually plagued with so many conditions that it is all but open. The result, according to official news agency, is a new exchange rate, SICAD 2, at 51.86 for one USdollar. It does not matter, let's take 50. Which is 50,000 if we forget about the "conversion" of a few years ago to the now infamous "bolivar fuerte". When these guys received in trust the country the average exchange rate was around 500. So, in 15 years we went from 500 to 50,000 for an USD. That is a depreciation of (50,000 - 500)/50,000 X 100 = 99%. In other words chavismo has robbed from my pocket 99% of my belongings. And all for what?
A regime which has presided over our biggest economical disaster should have some discretion at the time of pointing fingers. But that does not stop them as their only option, at this point, is to try to blame someone else. So, since repression is the only way out for them, or so they think, today they had had the scum from the pro Chavez PPT (the more decent lot was kicked out from the party through judicial fiat) ask that opposition mayors be sent to trial and removed from their seats. Who needs an election when a kangaroo court can do?
For good measure they included Maria Corina Machado for betraying the nation. Apparently according to Diosdado Cabello who called for a press conference today, there is no need to go through the proceedings to remove Maria Corina Machado from her representative chair. See, by accepting the trick of becoming a spokes person for Panama she betrayed Venezuela. That is right, Venezuela did its utmost to stop one of its citizen to be heard at the OAS so by accepting the help of a third party she is a traitor to the fatherland and will be sent to the worst kind of trial. Besides giving a new shade of meaning to "damned if you do, damned if you don't", it is simply astounding that people that have betrayed Venezuela for years by giving it away to Cubans and other assorted mercenaries have the chutzpah of blaming their own victims of the crimes they do everyday. Ah, fascism! How enthralling your contradictions!
These people are truly morally miserable. There is nothing to salvage from that lot.
 |
| My view of despair tonight, circa 6:15 PM. |
I think it is a true direct metaphor, oximoronic tone intended, of what the country is at tonight.
In addition of having our most precious National Park burn because as usual the regime has not taken the adequate provisions in what is one of our most dry weather season in a decade, (has anyone seen the Canadair that the regime promised to buy after last major fire?) we saw opposition representatives sent to the pyre and our currency officially go up in smoke.
Let's start with the currency in smoke. The regime finally opened what they called an open market but which is actually plagued with so many conditions that it is all but open. The result, according to official news agency, is a new exchange rate, SICAD 2, at 51.86 for one USdollar. It does not matter, let's take 50. Which is 50,000 if we forget about the "conversion" of a few years ago to the now infamous "bolivar fuerte". When these guys received in trust the country the average exchange rate was around 500. So, in 15 years we went from 500 to 50,000 for an USD. That is a depreciation of (50,000 - 500)/50,000 X 100 = 99%. In other words chavismo has robbed from my pocket 99% of my belongings. And all for what?
A regime which has presided over our biggest economical disaster should have some discretion at the time of pointing fingers. But that does not stop them as their only option, at this point, is to try to blame someone else. So, since repression is the only way out for them, or so they think, today they had had the scum from the pro Chavez PPT (the more decent lot was kicked out from the party through judicial fiat) ask that opposition mayors be sent to trial and removed from their seats. Who needs an election when a kangaroo court can do?
For good measure they included Maria Corina Machado for betraying the nation. Apparently according to Diosdado Cabello who called for a press conference today, there is no need to go through the proceedings to remove Maria Corina Machado from her representative chair. See, by accepting the trick of becoming a spokes person for Panama she betrayed Venezuela. That is right, Venezuela did its utmost to stop one of its citizen to be heard at the OAS so by accepting the help of a third party she is a traitor to the fatherland and will be sent to the worst kind of trial. Besides giving a new shade of meaning to "damned if you do, damned if you don't", it is simply astounding that people that have betrayed Venezuela for years by giving it away to Cubans and other assorted mercenaries have the chutzpah of blaming their own victims of the crimes they do everyday. Ah, fascism! How enthralling your contradictions!
These people are truly morally miserable. There is nothing to salvage from that lot.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
What CNN en español did not show tonight or how part of the truth is hidden by media
I was watching Arduino in his Saturday night news on CNN in Spanish, since there is no solid info we can get from Venezuelan TV. And the only thing I saw was close takes of the chavista and opposition marches. And thus they looked pretty much the same, similar turnout and what not. Well they were not. I cannot fathom why media persists in treating popular support as if it were the same, as if the country were indeed split into two roughly equal halves. It is not.
There is the video below taken by a drone (hence the noise) of the meeting point of the 4 marches today in Caracas. It speaks VOLUMES by itself. I dare any pro Chavez, pro Maduro, or CNN, or BBC or anything to show me a similar turnout recently for a Maduro support rally where NO buses to ferry people were used, where NO booze was given out, where NO breakfast or lunch or cookies were offered, where NO military were asked to attend. Then we can talk again about who has the most enthusiastic support in the country.
And note, I am not even asking media to show that chavismo can do simultaneous support across the country like the opposition did. I will settle for a view like the one below but in the conditions stated. Heck, I will settle for HALF the attendance provided the conditions stated are respected.
What media is doing trying to secure access to "official" sources by not "offending" them is distorting the real news. Maduro certainly has support but he has NO ACTIVE support like the opposition does and the images are there for whomever wants to see them.
There is the video below taken by a drone (hence the noise) of the meeting point of the 4 marches today in Caracas. It speaks VOLUMES by itself. I dare any pro Chavez, pro Maduro, or CNN, or BBC or anything to show me a similar turnout recently for a Maduro support rally where NO buses to ferry people were used, where NO booze was given out, where NO breakfast or lunch or cookies were offered, where NO military were asked to attend. Then we can talk again about who has the most enthusiastic support in the country.
And note, I am not even asking media to show that chavismo can do simultaneous support across the country like the opposition did. I will settle for a view like the one below but in the conditions stated. Heck, I will settle for HALF the attendance provided the conditions stated are respected.
What media is doing trying to secure access to "official" sources by not "offending" them is distorting the real news. Maduro certainly has support but he has NO ACTIVE support like the opposition does and the images are there for whomever wants to see them.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Irrelevant OAS stresses the bejesus out of Venezuela (and Cuba)
Chavez has spent 15 years, under the direction of Cuba who was excluded from the OAS by Venezuela's initiative, in finding ways to render the Organization of American States irrelevant. For this he supported the election of Insulza as its general secretary, a rare case of a president whose main task is to lower the institution it presides. To make sure there was no surprises for when the day to sustain his dictatorship come, Chavez started targeted programs to secure soft votes, that is, though generous money offerings to weak countries. Hence the ALBA and the archipelago of curious poverty that represent most of the anglo Caribbean. Add to this countries like Argentina or Brazil who see in the OAS an additional tool to edge out the US influence and grab it for themselves. Thus you get a solid majority which today again acted, this time against Maria Corina Machado. But it is a Pyrrhic victory, one that does not solve whatsoever Venezuela's image problem and actually worsens the image of the now severely discredited "leadership" of chavismo.
Although there is a gigantic amount of hand-wringing in Venezuela today as the opposition expected some miracle from the OAS, I see it as a rather positive moment. See, you need to understand first that the OAS, like the UN, has a glacial system of reaction. You need a significant amount of blood and tears to start seeing some movement. These organizations are a club to prevent the "executive" power of countries to get at each other throats on any silly arguments. Once this is assured, other elements of countries, such as human rights, free parliaments, independent judicial are, well, negligible. Another way of stating this is that the OAS follows, does not lead, and as a follower the best it can do is be in the way of the aggressor, with the hope that this will be enough to cause its dismissal at some point. I meant be in the way, not stand in the way which is somehow more proactive.
Cuba has always smarted to be excluded from the OAS, one reason being that other dictatorships remained inside without much trouble. Thus the hatred by Fidel, the more so that now that Cuba is the lone dictatorship of the hemisphere. It is also becoming more of a pariah than ever even if presidents love to run kiss Fidel's ass, if anything to silence a bit their crazy loony left (Venezuela is a somewhat special case of dictatorship in the works). And thus, through Chavez pile of cash he stole from the Venezuelan people, appeared all sorts of initiatives such as the ALBA, Petrocaribe, CELAC, etc, each more useless than the other except for one thing: it created a blackmailing system that slowly but surely ensured that the only hemispheric organization that could have any influence if it ever wanted to would be even more toothless than it was already.
The glory peak was the expulsion of Honduras on the pretense of a coup when it was absolutely clear that the judicial and legislative powers of the country had not been voided, and acted in fact in legitimate defense against the intention of coup that Zelaya had. Even the US fell into that trap, since the still novice Obama administration had not realized what meant 7 years of hemispheric neglect by Bush administration.
Once Honduras was more or less settled, we had Paraguay and there the OAS was not as easily manipulated. In fact, it was Mercosur and UNASUR that eventually did the deed, more reliable in that case than the OAS where after all countries like Canada dare to speak legalese whichever the circumstances are.
Which brings us to these last two weeks events.
Two weeks ago in a previous skirmish, only three countries had the courage to be on record as to express their concern over Venezuela. Canada, as expected, the USofA as implied and courageous Panama who paid the price by having its relationship with Venezuela broken up and a default on the debt of this one towards Panama. Like any fascisto-bully system, Venezuela attacked the weaker link of the three.
Instead of seeing this opportunity as a breather the Venezuelan regime decided to forge ahead and become even more repressive. Panama, now the aggrieved party, decided to offer a speaking turn to a Venezuelan prominent leader and, well, the one available is Maria Corina Machado. Some other tagged along but I think it was a mistake: with proper protocols which are the norm there, whether we like it, only an elected representative or someone having suffered a universal affront can go there. If Geraldine, one of the repression victims, mother is allowed to speak then gazilions of mothers all across the Americas are going to go and want to speak. It may sound unfair and heartless but if we want to reach results we should keep it simple. But I digress.
Whatever the real intentions of Panama may have been, the regime lurched into the red cloth. Besides maneuvering like crazy to stop Maria Corina from speaking, they tried to disbar her from her representative seat before she left Venezuela. At the end of today they had succeeded in appearance at not letting her talk, but it is a small reprieve and the price the regime pays is heavy, not worth it in my opinion.
Before I detail the price paid let me remind the reader that the real and only reason the regime is doing what it does is that it is talking strictly to its radical base, to keep them motivated. That way it will be easier, in theory, to launch that radical base against the opposition as needed. That strategy is a totalitarian one, finely honed in Cuba from the Committees to defend Revolution to those destined to avenge the honor of the revolution and that, for example, tracked every step of Yoani Sanchez first grand tour, groups filled up with what we can charitably call either mercenaries or useful fanatical alienated idiots. what matters to Raul Castro or to Maduro tonight is that the chavismo brain washed lumpen think that the regime won by insulting Machado. Period. They know that in Paris or Canberra sensible people are going to look in horror, but those are not going to man the barricades of Caracas any time soon.
So, what did the regime lost internationally? First, the ridiculous and protracted battle to have the discussion "private" without the media attending simply established that Machado words would be damaging to the regime. Right there it did not matter anymore whether Machado would speak, she had won the argument before uttering her first word. Even a portion of the local lumpen is going to wonder why, if the regime is so right, it cannot defend itself at the OAS?
The other thing is that the break up of the OAS started, and it started badly enough that already the Venezuelan ambassador suggested that Venezuela may reconsider its association with the OAS. That is, Venezuela has recognized that in the long run the OAS battle of opinion is going to be lost and that Venezuela should get ready to fall back on CELAC and UNASUR. But can it do so?
The first vote, two weeks ago, was 3 against Venezuela. Today it went up to 11 and showed cruelly the divide between serious countries and those that have no scruples, no coherence. there is two Americas and revealing that is a mistake. Polarization at home is one thing and may work for a while, but polarization in international stages raise too many alarms and eventually any specter of war will erase difference between countries so they can all gang up on the trouble maker. Look at Crimea today: Putin may seem the victor but let's talk about that in, say, a year.
The 11 countries besides Panama, Canada and the US are:
- Mexico and Peru which are serious country that hate to be dragged in trouble but who like a certain clarity in proceedings
- Chile who shows that Bachelet is not willing to break up her majority in her first week in office, and that Chile is also a serious country used to public formalities.
- Honduras and Guatemala who besides not liking much Maduro also are in solidarity with Panama, amen of Costa Rica who is probably the most democratic country of the continent today.
- Paraguay who has real grudges against Maduro
- Colombia though there was an hesitation it seems, due to its misguided effort to think peace could be reached with a narco terrorist organization......
Of those that voted for Venezuela's position I am only surprised to see Trinidad in the lot. I do understand that Venezuela is a difficult neighbor, but... All the other country are more or less bought by Venezuela, without exception. A special crap medal for Brazil who behaves less and less like a country aspiring to a permanent seat in the UN security council. I mean, if Brazil cannot impose some sense in its neighborhood how do you expect them to do elsewhere? Even the Chinese are infinitely more behaved and productive than Brazilians, if you ask me.
If I go into the detail it is to show you that an automatic support of the CELAC for Maduro is to be ruled out now that Mexico and Peru have started to express concerns publicly (Trinidad, Barbados and Dominican Republic will also join them if things get out of hand in Venezuela). UNASUR also, if we add Colombia and Chile and I dare to predict eventually Uruguay if things get worse in Venezuela. The only hopeless countries are the ALBA ones of Ecuador and Bolivia, and together with Argentina and Brazil, well, they cannot make UNASUR by themselves.
In short, what I am trying to say is that far from shoring up support Venezuela today has seen its potential weakness as ONLY the bribed country are still paying lip service. As tonight reports of violence and injured keep piling up from across the country we can wonder how long does the regime can postpone the consequences? Venezuela is not an island concentration camp, you know.....
I am leaving you with a great picture of today's real winner in front of the OAS and the video she pretended to show at the OAS.
Although there is a gigantic amount of hand-wringing in Venezuela today as the opposition expected some miracle from the OAS, I see it as a rather positive moment. See, you need to understand first that the OAS, like the UN, has a glacial system of reaction. You need a significant amount of blood and tears to start seeing some movement. These organizations are a club to prevent the "executive" power of countries to get at each other throats on any silly arguments. Once this is assured, other elements of countries, such as human rights, free parliaments, independent judicial are, well, negligible. Another way of stating this is that the OAS follows, does not lead, and as a follower the best it can do is be in the way of the aggressor, with the hope that this will be enough to cause its dismissal at some point. I meant be in the way, not stand in the way which is somehow more proactive.
Cuba has always smarted to be excluded from the OAS, one reason being that other dictatorships remained inside without much trouble. Thus the hatred by Fidel, the more so that now that Cuba is the lone dictatorship of the hemisphere. It is also becoming more of a pariah than ever even if presidents love to run kiss Fidel's ass, if anything to silence a bit their crazy loony left (Venezuela is a somewhat special case of dictatorship in the works). And thus, through Chavez pile of cash he stole from the Venezuelan people, appeared all sorts of initiatives such as the ALBA, Petrocaribe, CELAC, etc, each more useless than the other except for one thing: it created a blackmailing system that slowly but surely ensured that the only hemispheric organization that could have any influence if it ever wanted to would be even more toothless than it was already.
The glory peak was the expulsion of Honduras on the pretense of a coup when it was absolutely clear that the judicial and legislative powers of the country had not been voided, and acted in fact in legitimate defense against the intention of coup that Zelaya had. Even the US fell into that trap, since the still novice Obama administration had not realized what meant 7 years of hemispheric neglect by Bush administration.
Once Honduras was more or less settled, we had Paraguay and there the OAS was not as easily manipulated. In fact, it was Mercosur and UNASUR that eventually did the deed, more reliable in that case than the OAS where after all countries like Canada dare to speak legalese whichever the circumstances are.
Which brings us to these last two weeks events.
Two weeks ago in a previous skirmish, only three countries had the courage to be on record as to express their concern over Venezuela. Canada, as expected, the USofA as implied and courageous Panama who paid the price by having its relationship with Venezuela broken up and a default on the debt of this one towards Panama. Like any fascisto-bully system, Venezuela attacked the weaker link of the three.
Instead of seeing this opportunity as a breather the Venezuelan regime decided to forge ahead and become even more repressive. Panama, now the aggrieved party, decided to offer a speaking turn to a Venezuelan prominent leader and, well, the one available is Maria Corina Machado. Some other tagged along but I think it was a mistake: with proper protocols which are the norm there, whether we like it, only an elected representative or someone having suffered a universal affront can go there. If Geraldine, one of the repression victims, mother is allowed to speak then gazilions of mothers all across the Americas are going to go and want to speak. It may sound unfair and heartless but if we want to reach results we should keep it simple. But I digress.
Whatever the real intentions of Panama may have been, the regime lurched into the red cloth. Besides maneuvering like crazy to stop Maria Corina from speaking, they tried to disbar her from her representative seat before she left Venezuela. At the end of today they had succeeded in appearance at not letting her talk, but it is a small reprieve and the price the regime pays is heavy, not worth it in my opinion.
Before I detail the price paid let me remind the reader that the real and only reason the regime is doing what it does is that it is talking strictly to its radical base, to keep them motivated. That way it will be easier, in theory, to launch that radical base against the opposition as needed. That strategy is a totalitarian one, finely honed in Cuba from the Committees to defend Revolution to those destined to avenge the honor of the revolution and that, for example, tracked every step of Yoani Sanchez first grand tour, groups filled up with what we can charitably call either mercenaries or useful fanatical alienated idiots. what matters to Raul Castro or to Maduro tonight is that the chavismo brain washed lumpen think that the regime won by insulting Machado. Period. They know that in Paris or Canberra sensible people are going to look in horror, but those are not going to man the barricades of Caracas any time soon.
So, what did the regime lost internationally? First, the ridiculous and protracted battle to have the discussion "private" without the media attending simply established that Machado words would be damaging to the regime. Right there it did not matter anymore whether Machado would speak, she had won the argument before uttering her first word. Even a portion of the local lumpen is going to wonder why, if the regime is so right, it cannot defend itself at the OAS?
The other thing is that the break up of the OAS started, and it started badly enough that already the Venezuelan ambassador suggested that Venezuela may reconsider its association with the OAS. That is, Venezuela has recognized that in the long run the OAS battle of opinion is going to be lost and that Venezuela should get ready to fall back on CELAC and UNASUR. But can it do so?
The first vote, two weeks ago, was 3 against Venezuela. Today it went up to 11 and showed cruelly the divide between serious countries and those that have no scruples, no coherence. there is two Americas and revealing that is a mistake. Polarization at home is one thing and may work for a while, but polarization in international stages raise too many alarms and eventually any specter of war will erase difference between countries so they can all gang up on the trouble maker. Look at Crimea today: Putin may seem the victor but let's talk about that in, say, a year.
The 11 countries besides Panama, Canada and the US are:
- Mexico and Peru which are serious country that hate to be dragged in trouble but who like a certain clarity in proceedings
- Chile who shows that Bachelet is not willing to break up her majority in her first week in office, and that Chile is also a serious country used to public formalities.
- Honduras and Guatemala who besides not liking much Maduro also are in solidarity with Panama, amen of Costa Rica who is probably the most democratic country of the continent today.
- Paraguay who has real grudges against Maduro
- Colombia though there was an hesitation it seems, due to its misguided effort to think peace could be reached with a narco terrorist organization......
Of those that voted for Venezuela's position I am only surprised to see Trinidad in the lot. I do understand that Venezuela is a difficult neighbor, but... All the other country are more or less bought by Venezuela, without exception. A special crap medal for Brazil who behaves less and less like a country aspiring to a permanent seat in the UN security council. I mean, if Brazil cannot impose some sense in its neighborhood how do you expect them to do elsewhere? Even the Chinese are infinitely more behaved and productive than Brazilians, if you ask me.
If I go into the detail it is to show you that an automatic support of the CELAC for Maduro is to be ruled out now that Mexico and Peru have started to express concerns publicly (Trinidad, Barbados and Dominican Republic will also join them if things get out of hand in Venezuela). UNASUR also, if we add Colombia and Chile and I dare to predict eventually Uruguay if things get worse in Venezuela. The only hopeless countries are the ALBA ones of Ecuador and Bolivia, and together with Argentina and Brazil, well, they cannot make UNASUR by themselves.
In short, what I am trying to say is that far from shoring up support Venezuela today has seen its potential weakness as ONLY the bribed country are still paying lip service. As tonight reports of violence and injured keep piling up from across the country we can wonder how long does the regime can postpone the consequences? Venezuela is not an island concentration camp, you know.....
I am leaving you with a great picture of today's real winner in front of the OAS and the video she pretended to show at the OAS.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Day first of the dictatorship
OK, since yesterday the regime has come out of its dictatorial closet, then let's see what happened on its first openly dictatorial day. In no particular order.
There was a large protest in Bello Monte and it was ruthlessly repressed. Apparently the Nazional Guard and related attacked without provocation. Paramilitary "colectivos" were observed watching and ready to intervene as needed. Many injuries including a journalist at El Nacional and as student leader.
Enzo Scarano who was demoted as mayor of San Diego late last night has already seen his local police force taken over and the CNE rushed in to offer new elections. I mean, they cannot even wait for, say, a 24 hours mourning period. The fact of the matter is that Ameliach the fascist pig of Carabobo, the one who announced that "colectivos" were waiting for Cabello orders to attack wants to remove any possible rival for a putative reelection. See, in XXI century dictatorships there are elections where the regime pretty much decides who can run. As for the next mayor of San Diego Ameliach does not care, it will be an opposition yellow dog that will get no less than 51% even with chavista electoral fraud. Meanwhile San Diego inhabitants are furious and violence has been reported.
Maria Corina Machado made it to Washington and had already her first event at a think tank, where she talked about an irreversible protest movement. Tomorrow she will be speaking at the OAS, fresh not only from her own disbarring procedure but also on the way mayors are removed from office in Venezuela. Today, by the way, the next mayor to be arrested is likely going to be Chacao's Ramon Muchacho. Maduro said so. A note on Muchacho. That the same yellow dog of San Diego will also win in Chacao is not the issue here. Chavismo has a special grudge against Muchacho because he was a close assistant of Alfredo Peña, the first chavista mayor of Caracas at large who is now in disgrace and exiled somewhere. Of course, Muchacho is a bright young thing, educated, capable, etc. etc, all that chavismo is not and thus he needs to be destroyed. And to add insult to injury he got an extensive interview with CNNE's Patricia Janiot where he clearly exposed how the regime misbehaves in the repression. For a vengeful and animalistic chavismo this is of course unforgivable.
But there are good news. One of the worst rats of these past years, Gustavo Cisneros who silenced any critical voice at Venevision and simply sold without qualms Venezuelan liberty to preserve his business interests (courtesy of a meeting with Chavez arranged by Jimmy Carter) has dared to write a mildly critical letter to the regime published in Spain's El Pais. Cisneros is a scumbag on so many levels that the only way to interpret this sudden appearance of scruples is that his information preview a demise of the regime and he is already trying to mend fences.
Another good news, in a perverse way, is that the nature of repression and provocation keeps being exposed. The question is now how much of the "crimes" that the regime tries to pin on the opposition are in fact originated by the regime itself. If yesterday we learned about the students of the school of architecture who were attacked in campus and robbed even of their clothes, amen of all the reports of Nazional Guard blackmailing families for large sums of cash to free their children, today we got the arrest in Barquisimeto of several members of INDEPABIS, the office in charge of price control. These guys were disguised as guarimberos, carrying equipment to furbish barricades and weapons. That is, ready to fabricate a provocation "from" the opposition. No wonder the regime wants to intervene municipal policies to avoid such kind of embarrassments...
And what about dialogue in all this mess? You would think that the regime would have the decency to "forget" about it since it started arresting right and left. You would be mistaken: in a dictatorship people are obliged to sit for a dialogue so they can accept the imposition made upon them. Maduro announced it so today. He said: "force the opposition to sit down to talk, to dialogue, to abandon its violent positions. We are going to have to force them in the best sense of the word". Besides noting that Maduro has added a new meaning to "force" which he claims it's good, we must wonder about his logical mental abilities. I mean, how do you dialogue with people that you are throwing to jail without even the appearance of a trial?
But thus are the ways of dictatorship and I suppose I should stop bitching and learn to adapt.
There was a large protest in Bello Monte and it was ruthlessly repressed. Apparently the Nazional Guard and related attacked without provocation. Paramilitary "colectivos" were observed watching and ready to intervene as needed. Many injuries including a journalist at El Nacional and as student leader.
 |
| Bello Monte when tear gas was dropped from far away the protest rally. |
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| A courageous patriotic |
Maria Corina Machado made it to Washington and had already her first event at a think tank, where she talked about an irreversible protest movement. Tomorrow she will be speaking at the OAS, fresh not only from her own disbarring procedure but also on the way mayors are removed from office in Venezuela. Today, by the way, the next mayor to be arrested is likely going to be Chacao's Ramon Muchacho. Maduro said so. A note on Muchacho. That the same yellow dog of San Diego will also win in Chacao is not the issue here. Chavismo has a special grudge against Muchacho because he was a close assistant of Alfredo Peña, the first chavista mayor of Caracas at large who is now in disgrace and exiled somewhere. Of course, Muchacho is a bright young thing, educated, capable, etc. etc, all that chavismo is not and thus he needs to be destroyed. And to add insult to injury he got an extensive interview with CNNE's Patricia Janiot where he clearly exposed how the regime misbehaves in the repression. For a vengeful and animalistic chavismo this is of course unforgivable.
But there are good news. One of the worst rats of these past years, Gustavo Cisneros who silenced any critical voice at Venevision and simply sold without qualms Venezuelan liberty to preserve his business interests (courtesy of a meeting with Chavez arranged by Jimmy Carter) has dared to write a mildly critical letter to the regime published in Spain's El Pais. Cisneros is a scumbag on so many levels that the only way to interpret this sudden appearance of scruples is that his information preview a demise of the regime and he is already trying to mend fences.
Another good news, in a perverse way, is that the nature of repression and provocation keeps being exposed. The question is now how much of the "crimes" that the regime tries to pin on the opposition are in fact originated by the regime itself. If yesterday we learned about the students of the school of architecture who were attacked in campus and robbed even of their clothes, amen of all the reports of Nazional Guard blackmailing families for large sums of cash to free their children, today we got the arrest in Barquisimeto of several members of INDEPABIS, the office in charge of price control. These guys were disguised as guarimberos, carrying equipment to furbish barricades and weapons. That is, ready to fabricate a provocation "from" the opposition. No wonder the regime wants to intervene municipal policies to avoid such kind of embarrassments...
And what about dialogue in all this mess? You would think that the regime would have the decency to "forget" about it since it started arresting right and left. You would be mistaken: in a dictatorship people are obliged to sit for a dialogue so they can accept the imposition made upon them. Maduro announced it so today. He said: "force the opposition to sit down to talk, to dialogue, to abandon its violent positions. We are going to have to force them in the best sense of the word". Besides noting that Maduro has added a new meaning to "force" which he claims it's good, we must wonder about his logical mental abilities. I mean, how do you dialogue with people that you are throwing to jail without even the appearance of a trial?
But thus are the ways of dictatorship and I suppose I should stop bitching and learn to adapt.
What do we do next? From XXI century style dictatorship to traditional Gorilla one
The regime has crossed the Rubicon.
True, until today there was a certain pretense. For example in all their haste they still decided that disbarring Maria Corina Machado from her Representative status had to take, oh, say, a week. She actually took off today for Washington where she will appear at the OAS on Friday, in theory. We will see what happens when she comes back and is accused of traitor to the fatherland for speaking up against the regime.
We all knew that this was a dictatorship. At least regular readers of this blog know that my official date was the approval of the enabling law of late 2010. Maduro is merely the second dictator of the regime, which conveniently reached office through a multi step fraud system.
Sure, there were the beating up of Machado and Borges at the Nazional Assembly. True, insults poured. True, Maduro looted whatever he wanted whenever convenient. But there was still a je ne sais quoi. A few newspapers could still write as they pleased, though they could not print anymore due to end of paper imports. And still all of the opposition leadership was still able to howl. No more. Tonight two mayors were summarily sent to jail without any legal proceeding. Period. The regime has reverted from a XXI century style dictatorship to our traditional gorilla past, presenting my apologies for the noble beasts who have the misfortune to be used to describe abusive generals.
What makes this an absolute Rubicon is that in preceding days we had clear signs of what was coming. Tal Cual was sued in an illegitimate way that it will put its owners totally out of business. Torture cases revealed were getting worse. Weird moves were noted in the courts and the ministers declarations. Clearly the arrest of Lopez had not stopped anything and had in fact hastened the social decomposition of the country. Also, there is the deafening silence of chavismo support base that feels that this fight is not of their concern, that if Maduro could supply the goods nothing of the sort would be happening. And of course food scarcity growing worst by the day.
The order came from Havana: jail 'em all!
What do we do next? I am afraid we have no choice: guarimbas and resistance as long as we can. The other option is to cave in and accept the dictatorship of Cuba over all of us which will be obliged to nationalize everything to hold on, even our private lives. This is not about polarization bullshit anymore, it is about survival. The regime never had any intention of negotiating anything. Of course, yours truly and his readers knew that all along.
I have the feeling that the regime knows and accepts it has lost popular support forever and thus this final push over the line. Truly, the regime has no option either.
True, until today there was a certain pretense. For example in all their haste they still decided that disbarring Maria Corina Machado from her Representative status had to take, oh, say, a week. She actually took off today for Washington where she will appear at the OAS on Friday, in theory. We will see what happens when she comes back and is accused of traitor to the fatherland for speaking up against the regime.
We all knew that this was a dictatorship. At least regular readers of this blog know that my official date was the approval of the enabling law of late 2010. Maduro is merely the second dictator of the regime, which conveniently reached office through a multi step fraud system.
Sure, there were the beating up of Machado and Borges at the Nazional Assembly. True, insults poured. True, Maduro looted whatever he wanted whenever convenient. But there was still a je ne sais quoi. A few newspapers could still write as they pleased, though they could not print anymore due to end of paper imports. And still all of the opposition leadership was still able to howl. No more. Tonight two mayors were summarily sent to jail without any legal proceeding. Period. The regime has reverted from a XXI century style dictatorship to our traditional gorilla past, presenting my apologies for the noble beasts who have the misfortune to be used to describe abusive generals.
What makes this an absolute Rubicon is that in preceding days we had clear signs of what was coming. Tal Cual was sued in an illegitimate way that it will put its owners totally out of business. Torture cases revealed were getting worse. Weird moves were noted in the courts and the ministers declarations. Clearly the arrest of Lopez had not stopped anything and had in fact hastened the social decomposition of the country. Also, there is the deafening silence of chavismo support base that feels that this fight is not of their concern, that if Maduro could supply the goods nothing of the sort would be happening. And of course food scarcity growing worst by the day.
The order came from Havana: jail 'em all!
What do we do next? I am afraid we have no choice: guarimbas and resistance as long as we can. The other option is to cave in and accept the dictatorship of Cuba over all of us which will be obliged to nationalize everything to hold on, even our private lives. This is not about polarization bullshit anymore, it is about survival. The regime never had any intention of negotiating anything. Of course, yours truly and his readers knew that all along.
I have the feeling that the regime knows and accepts it has lost popular support forever and thus this final push over the line. Truly, the regime has no option either.
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