Monday, February 24, 2014

The week Venezuela awoke to its ruin

February is for some reason a rather agitated month in Venezuelan history. In the last 25 years we have three memorable Februaries, the first one with el Caracazo, the second one with Chavez failed coup and now this one with a mix of Caracazo and coup, but a coup given by the regime against democracy, an "autogolpe" if you wish, self-coup. And let's not forget other fateful Februaries like the one Chavez got reelected for life, or another one with major floods.


This February events got their start with Tachira students protesting an attempted rape. On and on it went to major protests around the country, the jailing of a major opposition leader and today a retired general on top of his villa, machine gun in hand, resisting arrest while outside of Moron looters killed and quartered cattle from an overturned truck. The last among us that were still asleep awoke to the dictatorship we are suffering and the return to the primitive barbarian state that Chavez has bequeathed us.

I am not going to go back on the political events that are described in previous entries of this blog, political events that have caused about a dozen murders so far, scores of injured and jailed, making it obvious that the regime that started as a genuine popular claim in 1998 has become a mere fascist repressive military contraption.

I will focus on the two events that mesmerized Tweeter attention this Sunday. Tweeter because there is no freedom of expression in the media anymore so such stuff does not make it to the airwaves unless CNN covers it.

early stand off
The first one illustrates the crucial fact needed to understand this crisis, that no one trusts the government anymore, for nothing, not even the time of day. How can you rule, speak of reconciliation, claim for peace when a majority of the people do not believe a single word you say? And justifiably so, I add.  This morning state security goons went to the home of a retired General, Vivas, to arrest him. The guy refused to allow the goons in and stood on his balcony with a machine gun in hand, ready to be used. He claimed that there was no arrest or search warrant. Then at some point he has said, but I have not confirmed it, that no matter what he will not surrender anyway because he does not recognize the regime and he will not surrender to Cubans.

Citizen
reporter


Daughter's pic
In a normal country such a character would have been deemed dangerous and taken down ASAP before he starts a rampage spree. Here? The whole neighborhood went to his defense and eventually the security goons, the Nazional Guard, had to leave. They will surely try some other time but not today, the whole area was about to become a riot area with barricades and all....

In the three pics you can see it all. The initial stand off shows clearly that they could have taken him down easily with a sharp shooter. But Vivas knew that that would not happen because after all he belongs to the military cast and they are loath to wash their dirty laundry in public. The citizen reporter picture shows that neighbors were ready and willing to get close to the events. And the third one was a charming family shot taken by, I think, Vivas daughter and you can see the crowds gallivanting in front of the Nazional Guard and military police in the street.

I cannot think of a better example to illustrate the lawlessness that we have descended into. This is VERY dangerous. (1)

And yet there is more from earlier Sunday. A truck carrying cattle overturned on the road Moron-Coro. The poor animals were dragged out as the locals looted the truck, which is now routine for trucks carrying foods or clothing or electronics: you break down, too bad for you, be happy if you are left to go away alive. Then, as if public reckless looting was not enough, they proceeded to butcher the poor animals right then and there. Later tweets report that the meat was sold a couple of miles down the road.

Someone in twitter pieced together the different pics circulating (from
newspaper Notitarde)


I think the barbarism we have become a country after 15 years of Chavez needs no further examples.

And what was Maduro doing today? He was dancing at about the moment where a victim of his repression was being buried. Giving a new meaning to dancing on the grave.



We are a morally ruined country. And it was done on purpose, by 40 years of AD and 15 years of the scum of AD transformed suddenly in chavistas, led by the most irresponsible asshole of our entire history.

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1) The offense was that Vivas in a tweet suggested that a nylon rope should be put at 1.2 meter above street level to stop attacking motorbikes from chavista gangs, "colectivos". That would make them fall and then they could be captured and the barricade handlers could use the motorbike as they wished. About a day after that tweet indeed a honest biker (?) run by mistake into one of those barricades and fell. He died of head injuries though at first chavismo said he had been "degollado" which means either cut at the throat or beheaded.

I do not know if Vivas is guilty of that. To begin with that type of trick is well known. Yours truly who in his youth witnessed barricades and riots (he went to college in France and when living in the US had friends with ActUp in its active period) knew that you try to put transparent nylon chords about 20cm from the ground in case police charges so a few may trip.

Even if Vivas could be proven to be guilty of that (you would need to find the barricade gang and interrogate them to make sure where did they get the idea), the real reason Vivas was sought by army goons today is that he was even on the front page of La Razon denouncing Cuban penetration in the army.

27 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:36 AM

    This is one of the more powerful posts I have read in the last few days. It really gets to the heart of the matter. Venezuela is utterly ruined. It will take decades to rebuild in every way imaginable.

    The cousin of a good friend, a law student and officer his school's student union, was taken from his student residence by the National Guard and some plainclothes govt goons in the middle of the night. No one heard anything about where he was until yesterday, Diosdado Cabello named him in a cadena as a terrorist who had explosives in his room. A TERRORIST!

    His only offense was that he voted, along with other executive officers of the student union, to officially take part in the student protests.

    The level that Venezuela has fallen to is truly hard to describe to someone not connected to the country. Occasional articles in the western media hardly come close to doing justice, although the one about the Tower of David in the New Yorker was a good intro.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another great write Daniel, Love to read the comments as well. Thanks to all who keep us in other parts so well informed. CTV.ca was showing Dancing Protesters (the Maduro thing today) I was thinking that is what your going to show the whole country about what is happening today." Dancing protesters" i'm not lying.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OpUno7:33 AM

    Small detail. The goverment thugs on Vivas's house weren't National Guard, they were from Military Counter-Intelligence (DGCIM).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were guard people too. They take cafe of the mundane like making a security circle for DGCIM to act at ease.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:26 AM

      The Cubans OWN you people in Venezuela and Miami.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous7:47 AM

    That general is on to something. Surely Cuban domination is something all Venezuelans - even Chavistas - should loathe. What better way to eradicate what little popular support the regime still has and maybe - just maybe - incite the army to do what it's obligated to do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. To defend the paramilitary bikers with guns is a major faux pas. They are not the police who even now have some sort of (sic)rules. No, these bikers are fair game to what ever the other side uses to defend its self or destroy them! I think we all knew this would escalate as they have no right being part a peaceful protest between citizens and the government.
    To say that only a General knows how to do this? Any good science or chemistry student knows how to make some very nasty things out of common household items! Yes, there is an escalation on both sides, that's how it goes in times like this. Question is, will Venezuela have its own Bastil Day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You mean "defend FROM"?
      You mean "Bastille"? ;-)

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:39 AM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIwSOFlxpdc&feature=youtu.be thats probably the reason why they want to take Vivas out.

    Hans

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:49 AM

    Share with all your English speaking friends:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEtoXJuhvug

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was quite something! Thank you!

      Delete
    2. Island Canuck4:50 PM

      Excellent video.

      Delete
    3. Thanks Anon, I just sent it to friends!

      firepigette

      Delete
  8. Anonymous12:40 PM

    And why has it taken so long for Venezuela to wake up ?
    Why is no one taking the baton and defending the integrity of the country ?
    Why do we expect someone to take control or something to happen ?

    Well could it have something to do with the fact that we are all corrupt. That each one of us in his or her own way has bent the rules for personal gain. Is it not possible that individually and collectively our suspect moral standard of living has denied us the opportunity to determine right from wrong. That we cannot now see what we as a nation should do ?

    ReplyDelete
  9. http://youtu.be/qSvj8F_Br4M

    I learned about the incident with General Rivas yesterday through the daughter of a friend who lives in Prados right around the corner.She was there.

    I have also received many photos from friends who went to the protest on Saturday.

    I am happy and impressed with the extent of discontent, however one suggestion from a lowly firepigette :

    Remember culture trumps politics.It doesn't look good to the outside world and it makes it hard for them to take things too seriously when they see photos of people who do not look sad or angry, and some of them seem to be in party mode( bailoterapia), to the point of enjoying a beer with friends and taking snap shots just like people do at birthday parties and celebrations.

    If people want to know why Venezuela is not taken into account as it should be....remember 15 years of Venezuela patience, and lack of staying power might well be one of the reasons.

    This is so bad that people are seeing not celebrating Carnival as a an actual sacrifice....porfavor!!

    I almost never celebrated Carnival when I lived there....we had way too many holidays.

    firepigette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the above video is from Ukraine

      Delete
  10. Anonymous3:25 PM

    And the video below is from Venezuela, follow the Bs, $ I meant.

    http://dolartoday.com/desangraron-al-pais-las-grandes-fortunas-del-chavismo/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:40 PM

    I don't suppose anyone knows if there is any truth to the report that the thieving chavez daughters and cabello's family are doing a " mengele" in argentina ?
    Anyone else left ?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Charly4:00 PM

    And now Vielma Mora is having second thoughts. First rat to leave the sinking ship?
    http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/Vielma-Mora-excesos-actuacion-GNB_0_361763862.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous5:34 PM

    Here is a good article on the Huffington Post web site and I hope that it will shame all those liberals in America for supporting the Chavez revolution. I'm an American and I don't support what your government is doing to people.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlosgonzalez/venezuela-international-left_b_4844724.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for that, Anon. When I hear leftists spew their ever-more-desperate rationalizations of a dictatorship, by using clichéd words, including the increasingly frequent label of "fascist" -- never mind its real meaning, one is so stupefied by their wilful manipulations, it's hard to know how to counteract. Carlos Gutierrez has succeeded in cutting through the bull. Hope he writes other articles, dredging up the names of other, far more manipulative leftists who know what side their bread is buttered.

      Delete
    2. As always, thank you for that on-the-ground perspective, Daniel.

      Delete
  14. 1979 BP7:25 PM

    Get ready for civil war.

    Storm some ammunition depots to take arm like the Ukraine did.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous8:09 PM

    1979 BP,
    No. No. No. The government would win any fighting. They have the guns and brainwashed generals and soldiers to take over completely. The goal is to take military/police action off the table and negotiate directly with the problems. Don't let Maduro use Cuban tactics of violence to remain in power.

    On the other hand if Maduro has fighter jets dropping bombs and strafing Venezuelan citizens, then que se joda. But go after the leaders and not their lackey soldiers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1979 BP8:39 PM

      As you said if they are already brainwashed then there is no points to talk to them.

      Not all the army support Maduro.

      Work with some factions within the army to take out Cuban agents first. Spreading message from the retired general Vivas.

      Delete
    2. 1979 BP8:45 PM

      "
      Venezuelan opposition takes cue from Euromaidan?
      "
      http://rt.com/op-edge/protests-in-venezuela-euromaidan-ukraine-477/

      Either run to find new freedom in new place or fight to dead. No point to stay there without fighting to dead.

      Delete

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