DAY 19
Saturday 21, December 21

[from now on my posts were written from Caracas]

Yes, we are at day 19 of the "paro", our very unique style of general strike made by boss and worker together.

But how could a country be on at least a significant stop for 19 days? I am not sure I have an answer but perhaps I could describe what has been this last week.

First at work. We had to reopen the production as our clients (livestock and poultry breeders) needed supplies after two weeks. I will spare you the labor problems as the pro-Chavez workers grumbled loudly on our last day of work before our normal annual closing day of Thursday [one would like to think that they would be glad to work as Chavez wants people to do]. The anti Chavez were the most willing to work understanding that beyond our clients needs, if our clients go out of business then we will be out of business ourselves. This simple comment shows you the gulf between the chavista mind set and the rest.

On Monday gas supply for some obscure reason was almost normal in the San Felipe area although the two states we are sandwiched in were experiencing serious problems as gas distribution fell apart. So I filled up my car, parked it in the parking lot and used a company van. The idea was of course that with a full reservoir I can make it to Caracas. The week went on with all the major political and economical problems that comes up with the complete paralyzation of the oil industry. But San Felipe was OK although some basic staples started to miss from the shelves. After two weeks of close up most stores could not take it anymore: they do need to make it to payroll. The anti-Chavez stores now open on a limited schedule, wear a flag half mast, or only open their door partially so they look not too open. The few people I talked to said that shopping was limited to basic needs and that few people were actually doing Christmas shopping except for the chavistas that have been doing it of course at the stores that did not close from the start.

Yes, Christmas looks as it is going one grim Christmas this year. Almost no decorations except those put in November, very few lights on houses, most Christmas trees are left unsold on the lots, etc... And people keep marching every day, and more and more of them it seems. Yesterday was impressive. Chavez people tried to call a march at the same time as the opposition. It is fair to say that the opposition scored big, in spite of a rented fleet of bus to carry chavistas from around the country, buses that were fueled at the major military base in Caracas, a refueling facility normally closed to the public! Putting numbers on people walking is becoming silly now. The opposition might have passed the million mark again while chavistas were at best, bus, payments, free booze, and forced participation of public servants that need to keep their jobs included, at a third at best of what the opposition did.

I let you imagine the mood. Extremism is rising its head more and more.

Saturday I finally could leave San Felipe having closed the factory and my own place. An aunt and a cousin came from Barquisimeto on Friday thinking that they might not be able to leave on the planned Sunday as the inter city system is slowly decreasing its frequency. We loaded all sorts of stuff in my car, including one last minute delivery that I had to do (glory to the SUV!). I had to leave with enough work and reading material for three weeks in Caracas with my relatives and friends since besides marching there is nothing to do. There has been no movies shown since December 2. Almost no theater or music except for some subsidized government institutions. TV is all news and all films without commercials (and old films at that, "paro" obliging). I also took all my leftover food in case we start running short of supplies in Caracas. Even though the government tries to make the progressive reopening of the stores a government victory, it is not. All franchises are still closed (no Big Mac since the 2nd). Most malls are still closed. And production remains closed so we are living on our reserves, and people are starting to realize it.

So I drove this morning. The three and half hour duration became more than 4 hours to save gas and make sure that my very loaded car would make it. It had a very strange feeling of exodus that I must confess I did not like at all. Through Yaracuy it was fine as traffic was lighter than normal. But Carabobo State had already less traffic. A major refinery [at El Palito] that is on the way was closed, stopped! No fumes, no noise. Gas lines were huge, perhaps a mile long in cases. The huge malls of Valencia had *zero* cars in their parking lots, 4 days before Christmas!!!!

We stopped at Valencia for lunch at a very nice delicatessen full of imported goodies. A third of the shelf space was empty. But still the sandwich and pastry sections had a decent assortment. After Valencia things changed. ALL gas stations through Carabobo and Aragua were closed on the highway. Even though I had still more than half tank I was getting anxious. Reaching Caracas gas appeared again but the lines in the Western part of the city reached, I kid you not, perhaps two miles or more. The Eastern part of Caracas had no gas, and it is coincidentally the more anti Chavez area in the country. Since the military is delivering gas you can draw your own conclusions.....

I made it home relived, I can tell you. My cousin was there to pick his mom and niece and had brought me three small cans of gas so I have my tank almost full again, perhaps the last time for at least 2 weeks. He comes from a very chavista area and his company has managed to store several 50 gallon drums of gas. It was a nice surprise that he thought of bringing me gas. Apparently it has become the only acceptable Christmas present......

All of this to learn that the Navy had finally managed after 2 weeks (!) to move one of the gas tankers that were on strike [the Pilin Leon, the first one to drop anchor in protest, named for one of these famous Venezuelan beauties that made it to Miss World and such]. A hollow victory again since even if they manage to bring it safely (insurers have already told that they will not cover damages since they are not certain of the personal sailing the ships), unload and distribute the gas, refineries are stopped, henceforth ending gas production. It is just postponing the bitter end, whatever that will be. And there are still 11 gas tankers at anchor that refuse to move.

Tonight it is with anxiety that I am writing, even to the point of wondering if I should ask people I know in the States to write to their senator and representatives. The point is that the government seems to go willingly toward a final confrontation. They are starting maneuvers to force deliveries of goods and to force production to get restarted. With limited success at best. The TV war is reaching levels of insult that lead me to think that both sides have an orchestrated campaign to motivate their people. Yet, as of tomorrow I am looking forward to be able to join any march that the opposition will endeavor. With perhaps increasing dangers as the situation becomes more difficult with everyday. The government does not seem to understand that people that are willing to lose their jobs, to go bankrupt on purpose, to march for hours knowing full well the risks in the light of April 11, are people that are determined to reach their goals, which are after all only that Chavez goes to elections now. But Chavez goals are of course of a different nature. It is clear that he is just another one in a series of populist cheap dictators that have dotted the landscape of Latin America history. Except that his friendship with Castro gives him all sort of crazy ideas. I really think that bankrupting the private sector is OK with him. He is not afraid of multinationals that will rarely get into internal politics. Or of what he calls "micro enterprises" a.k.a. as "mom and pop" shops. Anything in between he sees as a threat.

So this is were we stand barely 72 hours before the night of peace. Something has changed since the "transfiguration" post of last week. We can sense that the international mood about Venezuela is changing, concern is growing. The government senses that things are not going well for them in the international forums. The opposition knows that their image is improving. It is clearer that we are a peaceful mass of people against the goons used to storm the striking ships, by bringing non nationals in the very worse traditions of union breaking. All the prejudices against the opposition born on April 11 events that Chavez used to the hilt, seem to come back to bite him. But the military remain on his side so far. Will they shoot unarmed civilians? How much time do we have?