Venezuela News And ViewsVenezuela News And Views: The Reyes computers were not tampered
Venezuela News And Views
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Reyes computers were not tampered
As expected, Interpol certified that the computers taken at the Reyes camp had not been tampered with. Note: that does not mean that the info in the Reyes computer is proof enough of Chavez collusion with the FARC, it ONLY means that whatever evidence comes out of that computer is not something made up by the Colombian secret service. Not that it matters much anyway, we all know of the close ties between the terrorists FARC and Chavez and the Reyes laptop is just icing on the cake.
The response of Chavez? He calls a press conference where he spends the best part of his time in bad jokes and bad puns on the Interpol spokesman, officer Noble: Noble-ignoble (I will spare you the rest).
Now, of course this assumes that I am watching a press conference. I arrived home and turned on the TV at Globovision. Well, they are passing the "press conference" in full. I arrived, got comfortable, made myself a cup of tea, toasted one after the other two pieces of bread with cheese, ate them, turned on the computer, and Chavez is still answering the question he was already answering when I stepped in. This not a press conference, it is a convocation by Chavez of the foreign press corps to listen to his side of the story. Period. But he must be somewhat embarrassed because he is not doing it in "cadena".
Now, I will propose a thought experiment.
Imagine that you are notified that your chat pal computer has been taken into custody by the police and that files about you are going to be made public from his computer. Apparently with that chat buddy you discussed and exchanged enough files that it will be said of you that you cheated on your wife with another married woman, that in addition you were a regular at a given gay bar, that you embezzled your boss by about 60K dollars while also selling some of the business secrets to the competition for about 200K. And to make it more palatable there are possible evidences of your contacts with your local pusher and some bookie of ill repute.
Now, there are two possible scenarios.
1) It is not true. You go to the police department, you declare your innocence and you demand that your lawyer witness any legal expertise. In addition you give evidence that your chat pal is full of problems and is making all that up for money or something. Note, you do not just say such things of your chat pal, you sustain why your chat pal is in trouble and must resort to such practices with files on your own. And you go next to your boss and demand a full account of any transaction that involved your person, open all your financial accounts for scrutiny and even ask your local tax agency to audit you for any possible unexplainable gain.
2) It is true. You have two options: you either leave the country ASAP if you can or if you cannot leave, you deny everything and lock yourself up at home waiting for the best. In this second option you also try to get a trial lawyer and you pull any string you have to make TV or radio appearances where you cry and pose as a victim thinking that at least, if you are taken to court you will be able to plead insanity or something to get a reduced sentence by creating sympathy for you.
According to you, which is the scenario that best applies to Chavez antics this week?
Written from the Venezuelan provinces, this blog started as private letters to my friends overseas, letters narrating the difficult days of the 2002/2003 strike in Venezuela. These letters became this mix of news, comments, pictures of the Venezuelan situation. Unknowingly, I have written the diary of Venezuela slow descent into authoritarianism, the slow erosion of our liberties, the takeover of the country by a military caste, the surrendering of our soul to our inner demons.
Click logo above to go directly to the English language blog. Click here to go to the Spanish language mirror.
Estamos en Venezuela, nunca se sabe. In spite of its Spanish title, an irregular blog about a French student observing Venezuela. Interesting pictures.
General info and discontinued blogs but with good archives
Venezuela Crisis has a visual and textual record "hors pair" of the recent electoral campaign in Venezuela, the first blogger to have covered live a Venezuelan campaign. Seems to be on a resting phase for a few weeks.
Digital papers with Venezuela and LatAm in mind (in Spanish)
There are two major digital papers with forums and all, for a permanent clash between factions. Noticiero Digital is the oldest one and Noticias 24 is giving it a run for tis money.
And a new comer:Venezuela es noticia.
Ciudadania Activa has a large selection of articles on Venezuelan politics and civil rights issues.
Relevant info to expose some of the regime's propaganda and human rights violations
The lies of April
The famous "infamous" video "The revolution will not be televised" has been duly analyzed and shown to be in large measure a crass manipulation. Counter-video in Spanish here, and summary of main points here.
There is a documentary that follows the April 2002 events from the perspective on what Chavez did that April 11, "La Cadena". It is about the forced broadcast made by Chavez to hide the massacre of the pacific march on Miraflores.
The infamous apartheid like system of the Tascon and Maisanta lists
The compilation of various documents from Miguel.
The video "La Lista" and my reviews in English and Spanish by invitation at Hispalibertas.
The El Nacional review of Perez Oramas.
The original video itself can be seen here.
Diverse Human Rights pages
Of course, from Amnesty International to the Human Rights Watch page, without forgetting local organizations such as prestigious COFAVIC, the Venezuelan government comes only too often lacking in its Human Rights record.
OTHER FOLKS WITH VENEZUELA MORE OR LESS IN THEIR MIND (Please send links that should be added here)
And of course to be fair there must be links to pro-Chavez sites. I do pride myself of having been the first opposition blog to have listed pro Chavez links; a situation that has now changed. However extremely rare is the pro Chavez page or blog that links to any of the sites listed above. The readers might draw their own conclusion
Aporrea (Beat up, bruise! as in the imperative mode of the verb; the only interesting one if you can read Spanish. Predicts the future)
And of course the full time propaganda agencies, ALL at tax payer expenses, the National Radio coverage, RNV, and the rather deficient official news agency, ABN (both in Spanish).
Without forgetting the "official" newsletter in English.
Some blogs, more or less sycophantic.
Yosmary, campaigning for Mario Silva, quite something.
Less sycophantic, even critical on occasion Terreno baldio.
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Map of Venezuela to help you locate the different locales mentioned through the blog (click here for a more detailed map)
For the memories. The picture below dates from the epic days of the December 2002/January 2003 "El Paro", when the opposition was strong and decided, and when Chavez was low in polls.
Then came the "misiones" and the worst populist episode of our history. Through pacific protests and strikes we tried to preserve democracy.
History proved us right even if we lost that battle.
Marching toward Hotel Melia, 01/31/03, 5 PM.
Small yellow square under the Pepsi ball is the big stage.
A special thanks to JoAnne Schmitz for the suggestions and help in setting this blog up.
