Milestones

Today news: a death and a telling visit.

The director of El Impulso dies on a Yaracuy highway

Juan Manuel Carmona, 74, was the owner editor of respected Barquisimeto El Impulso, a venerable centennial newspaper. He died in a freak car accident that killed him and his driver when the axis of a truck they were passing broke and the lose wheel it them directly. He will be remembered for his stern opposition to Chavez and to the useless governor he imposed on Lara State. Certainly a few chavistas will be delighted tonight as Carmona was an unbending and relentless denouncer of chavismo abuses. He certainly had no illusions about the nature of the regime who dared to have El Impulso has the first newspaper closed for "fiscal reasons", the SENIAT being now the official warning agency.

The axis of evil keeps consolidating

My very guarded optimism on Evo Morales seems to have been rebutted faster than I could have expected. He started by visiting Castro first, Chavez after before heading off to Spain. On the way he collected his first official fat check from Chavez, insulted Bush dutifully and pronounced all sorts of things he could have waited a little bit before burping.

Interestingly the visit of Morales coincided with a visit by nationalist "leader" Ollanta Humala from Peru who was probably cashing a not so official check for his campaign in Peru. The very intemperate declarations of Chavez, seeing himself now as the future president of the United States of South America created, were enough to cause Lima to recall its ambassador from Caracas.

Now what is it with all those VERY failed putsch makers that allow them to reach high office in their country. Napoleon the III, Hitler, Castro, Chavez, among others, failed miserably when they tried to seize power only to be elected (or carried in triumph in the case of Castro) to ensure the misery of their citizens by their blind lust for power. Are we really that stupid to elect such jerks?

Amusingly Fausta publishes a little photo montage on Chavez and his unsavory pals that I urge readers to visit. She is smart enough to include Chirac who supposedly from the right is an "aventurier" nevertheless just as Chavez is, and forgives him anything as long as he buys stuff and pretends to free Ingrid from the FARC. Sucker!