More on the internal propaganda campaign in Venezuela
Tuesday 9, March 2004

I was not planning to write today, too tired, too busy. But the mini cadena of Communication's minister Jesse Chacon woke me up. Not for its brilliance, mind you! But for its ridiculousness, if perhaps efficient in some population strata.

Tonight we were treated to another 10 minutes of "real" information. It started with a list of the different forms of violence, a list that I could instantly picture applying to Chavez in ANY of his rabble rousing meetings. The rest was downhill, if possible. It ranged from the psychological damage to children to the "I did not do anything" position of the government these last few days. Apparently it is a much, much worse crime against humanity to burn tires than the crimes that the opposition attributes so unjustly to the National Guard.

But the best was yet to come.

First we had a clip from Globovision (copyright checked out?) where a caller was complaining to a talk show host that Chavez particularly dislike. Whether she was right to complain about her neighbors burning trash to block the street is irrelevant. What was amazing to me was to think that such a criticism call of governmental activities to the state TV VTV is simply impossible!!!!!

Second and better was the recognition that 30 people were under arrest, for "normal crimes, not political crimes". Maybe, but what about the 300+ that were arrested, even if released by know? What about their statements? What about their injuries? What about the 12 that have been killed, and that the government has the audacity to attribute to the opposition itself without even a single shard of hard evidence? What about the 8 that are reported missing?

I hope that somebody is collecting the declarations of Jesse Chacon. These deliberate lies will someday be punished. And perhaps people will realize some day that when a low rank military makes a bloody assault to a TV station, he should not be pardoned, just in case he becomes someday the Communication Minister of the country, in charge of spreading misinformation and find ways to bankrupt private TV to close them.