Friday, March 11, 2016

Tumeremo

The story that has been unfolding in the mining region of Bolivar state is yet a new low for the bolivarian regime. all corruptions, all abuses, all cruelty seem to have somehow managed to meet there.

I am not going to go into details. the executive summary is as follow.

Legal mining in Bolivar state has been progressively edged out under Chavez. What should have been organized gold search production ended up as illegal mining controlled by mafias and protected by the corrupt military of the area (who among other business controlled supply, gas contraband, etc.). And possibly Colombian guerrilla in Amazonas state.

The result has been what could one expect, and worse.

First, the are has become an ecological disaster as once pristine rivers straight out of the jungle where only a handful of natives lived are now containing mercury. The deforestation over a soil which has a difficult regeneration because it is a thin narrow layer of biomass (old ancient rock hard terrain) has been denounced repeatedly without any response form the authorities while the regime promoted its ecological brand, supported by many idiots in Europe and the US. Amen of the damage to the terrain itself through reckless wash out without any attempt as consolidation of the remains. Even the great national park that contains the highest water fall of the world is under threat.

Second, the human cost has been terrible. Never mention the garimpeiros coming from Brazil. Let's just focus on what has become a mere form of XXI century indented labor of all of these people forced to purchase supplies from military/gangs approved suppliers. It has been years since the locals and the Native Americans have been protesting, sometimes very actively. But no matter what may have been agreed the army went back to all its associations with thugs for their common racketeering business.

So, it thus came to pass. As the level of oil went down, so went down miscellaneous subsidies and so went down revenues from the illegal mining area.  Gang wars got worse and last week relatives reported the disparation of 28 miners, yet to be found. But tales of massacre by some survivors are now vox populi. The regime through its governor delayed quite a lot in accepting that there was a problem even going as far as saying that it was yet another media manipulation, even though the relatives were blocking in anger the main road to the South of the country.

The political problem here is that beyond the almost certain fact the the gang of El Topo did the deed, the ultimate guilt rests squarely at the feet of the Venezuelan Army for allowing all that traffic and to the feet of Bolivar governor, former military pal of Chavez, Rangel Gomez.

So, since this is now a political problem the regime has done what it knows best, condemn in another kangaroo trial the editor owner of the lone opposition paper of the area, Correo del Caroni, which has been following closely all the violence and corruption in the state. It is noteworthy that the trial had been dormant for months and suddenly in a couple of days it was revived and a sentence emitted against the paper in the middle of the night. Note that the people suing the paper for defamation, even though they actually served jail for corruption, are not linked to the mining violence. As it is always the case in Venezuela against the press a case is held languishing until the regime needs a favorable verdict at a given time.

That is why I wrote at the beginning of this blog entry that the mining situation in Bolivar is a microcosm of all that is wrong in Venezuela, from thug gang wars to extortion, from freedom of expression to an official lies system, from corruption to approved genocide.  Human rights violations in Bolivar may be the worse in Venezuela, and that is already saying something.

I cite a verse of French poet Aragon

[Tumeremo]
Là-bas où le destin de notre siècle saigne
(over there where our century's fate bleeds)


10 comments:

  1. And Maduro talks about the ecological damage from Fracking..Maybe he should clean up his own backyard instead of worrying about his neighbors yard... Hopefully the truth of the miners bodies or whereabouts will become known soon and blow the lid off the people who did it and the Guardias complicity in it all. In a Constituyente, it is probably time to remove the GN from its' once prominent position and limit its' power and reputation. It is undeserved for several years now. They have done enormous harm to the country instead of protect it.

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  2. Daniel, love your quote of Luis Aragon. Only one thing wrong with that dude though; he was a fucking commie. Had he been still alive, he would probably have been one of Chavez best pal.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, well....

      At least it was an era when many of them were commie by ideal. Today it is for money. See Lula. And their poetry sucks. See defensor del pueblo tarekito

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  3. Its going to get worse.

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  4. "What should have been organized gold search production ended up as illegal mining controlled by mafias and protected by the corrupt military of the area (who among other business controlled supply, gas contraband, etc.)"

    This is one of the ways Chavismo manages to perpetuate itself in power: They share the bounty, build criminal alliances and create guilty accomplices.

    Notably the corrupt Military, Guardia, Sebin, Police.. the Guns. How do you control them, get them on your side? It's a simple 3 step process: First, you eradicate any honest individual, you fire all opponents. And you replace them with crooked Chavista thugs and multiply the military payroll (some say there are over 1850 "Generals" in the FAN, another Vzlan World Record, besides the 37 "ministries", inflation, crime..)

    Second you start bribing them, getting them rich with Guisos, Tigritos, special favors, power and glory. Mining is a perfect example of how Chavismo shares the pie, and buys the Military, Guardia, etc.. By allowing them to control certain areas, and get rich.

    Now they are hooked. That's the 3rd step. They are thankful, happy, greased-up, drunk with power and richer than they ever dreamed. Plus they have become Accomplices of the regime. Very few of them will sing and spill the beans, because they are guilty too, and the regime could retaliate against "traitors" with clear proof of their own crimes and thievery.

    Y listo el pollo. That's how Chavismo still has about 7 Millions enchufados, most of them accomplices, hooked. It's not just the Military, guardia, Sebin, police.. It's the 37 "ministerios", in every corner, every caserio, every barrio of the country. All guilty, stealing in one way or another.. Millions and Millions of "Pueblo" people, included in the sinister plot. Plus the Gangs and criminal bands like "El Topo" or "El Picure". They do not revolt against the regime either, because they are also allowed to steal, deal drugs, etc. Thus, 17 years of Chavismo, and counting.

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  5. Boludo Tejano6:56 PM

    And Maduro talks about the ecological damage from Fracking..Maybe he should clean up his own backyard instead of worrying about his neighbors yard..

    Good point but Chavista talking points have never been about internal consistency. Recall that Hugo spoke out at some international conference denouncing AGW. This from the vendor of 10 cents US [whatever] a gallon gasoline. Or their denouncing the "coup" of 2002 while commemorating the coup of 1992.

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  6. Has Chavismo won? Has it effectively beat the people. The oppositions March was pathetic as a show of people hungry to oust Maduro. Anyone on ground there able to explain this as international media made it sound like a failure?

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    Replies
    1. why do you say it was a failure? have examined the context? have you compared with the regime one?

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  7. Not in comparison to the regime one but much of the international media is calling it a poor turnout in terms of the oppositions expectations. That the opposition expected a large turnout and was more like a thousand. Hence I am wondering why, was it poorly executed, people don't care to get behind the opposition, or have most just given up?

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