Lunch time, and the recall election keeps sailing

Monday 1, 1:45 PM

Everything is going smoothly except for the air waves wars.

A good one was the declaration of Tachira's governor, Ronald Blanco La Cruz.

Before I let you know what he said at 10 AM, I must introduce the character. Tachira is the controversial border state through which goes more than half of the commercial traffic with Colombia. And perhaps 90% of the drug trade, guerilla circulation, etc... If there is a state where public officials would be submitted to all sorts of political pressures, corruption offers and what not, it is Tachira.

Obviously, Tachira requires a sterling governor, and Mr. Blanco is not the one. Besides being one of the coup mongers of 1992, he has revealed himself quite a political hack in spite of his discreet figure and his very slow speech. In other words, the pierced sieve that the border has become with Colombia has something to do with the "admiration" that Chavez has for the Colombian FARC, and Mr. Blanco probably working to that effect (he is rumored to be a vice "presidentiable", a safe supporter for Chavez). At the very least he has made sure that serious investigation of alleged links between narco-guerilla and some Venezuelan sectors could not be uncovered or duly investigated. He seems particularly disliked as in April 12 2002 he was the only chavista governor to be rough handled to a rather shameful degree I must say. But other governors were not threatened, so one wonders....

Well, this morning, from the pulpit of the Electoral Board, Ronald Blanco came personally from Tachira to explain why he closed the border with Colombia for 4 days (to avoid fraud!) and to denounce "grave fraud cases". One that he showed as a signal evidence of the moral corruption and desperation for the opposition was a certain Jane Doe that signed two different forms. Name and all, but only one name. But that was enough since if he caught one surely there were a lot of other names, and probably the thousand collected in Tachira were just a big cloning operation.

What is wrong with this picture? First all forms will be digitalized and anyone that has signed more than once will have all their signatures annulled. In other words signing more than once is actually counter productive. And could open yourself from sanctions for the electoral board. THERE IS NO WAY TO CHEAT THAT WAY, and Mr. Ronald Blanco knows that very well! Of course there are other ways to cheat, but why is the governor insisting so heavily on this one? Propaganda. Most people do not understand this hard to do fraud, or do not want to understand as the case might be. By "demonstrating" one single fraud, "double voting", he allows himself to speculate on an unaccountable number of frauds. This might sooth Chavez followers and give every license for people to go and protest or riot, again, as the case might be...

I already reported such a scheme yesterday but I wanted to stress on that one because of its simplistic character and the demonstration of the bad faith of high chavista officials that have no qualms to use arguments that would be laughed off by Democrats and Republicans together in California! The poverty of intellect will never cease to surprise me.

For this afternoon I have a fun activity: I will take a relative that still has not signed to find a place where there are still available forms. Hopefully I will have anecdotes.

The CD has announced its declaration at 8 PM. The 4 million mark seems to be really at hand! The rumor is stronger and stronger but I do not want to raise my hopes too much. But the fact is that even today some lines have been observed! Not big lines, but lines after 4 days!!!!!

I'll try to post before 5 PM if there is something to post, if not for sure between 8 and 9 PM I should have something as soon as the news come. No movies tonight, TV set all the time, and cell phone.