CYNICISM AND THE VICE PRESIDENT
June 16, 2003

Today the dust is still far from settled after the Friday 13th events. Chavez Vice president, Jose Vicente Rangel, the daddy of Petare mayor Jose Vicente Rangel Avalos held a press conference where he renewed his attacks (accusing the Metropolitana), called the journalists unprofessional for asking prejudiced questions (when he did not like them), asked the General Prosecutor office to “investigate” diligently the “aggression to the people” (this for a government that is still blocking the installation of the “truth commission” for the April 2002 events), said that the government was “studying” its further actions and “pondering” a modification on the rules for street rallies (applicable to those of the opposition one presumes), that someone had to pay for the 9 injured people at the Hospital Perez de Leon (not recalling than the hospital was closed for a while, or mentioning that most injured where actually on the opposition side).

Meanwhile more amateur videos keep showing up. Tonight Globovision made a collage without commentaries of the TV videos and the amateur ones. Let’s see a few of the gems displayed tonight.

The “triumphant” arrival of the National Guard can be seen. Their moving back to block the street when the Metropolitana managed to advance some to control the situation was very clear, that is, they were deliberately siding with the chavistas. This is the only country where the police must hold back violent pro-government rioters, backed by the Army. Go and figure that one.

The sacking of the Copei party house in Petare, under the amused gaze of the Petare Police.

The chavistas throwing Molotov cocktails (gasoline filled beer bottles) at the Metropolitana police, or within the tinder lined streets of historic Petare.

The Petare Mayor marching nearby with chavistas instead of trying to quiet them down and ensure peace in his district. The said mayor by the way has not declared anything since last Friday!

Really, a picture is worth a thousand words!

And the Vice has promised us that they will show “their videos” which of course are the ones that carry the truth. This late Monday night the state TV, as far as I know, has not shown anything. It seems that their fabrication laboratories do not work as fast as the ones from the opposition, which apparently are able to do instant distortion on site, if one is to conclude from the words of the Vice.

Truly this week end the Vice President of Venezuela has given a new shade of meaning to the word cynicism.