Venezuela crazy round up of news

Yours truly is back from a very nice break, but is about to leave on business until next week again. Thus I am limiting myself to a brief round up of the hilarious to sad news that keep besotting Venezuela. In no particular order of importance.

Bolivar wins in Rio

I am not sure as to how embarrassed I should get by this piece of trivia. The PDVSA funded scola da samba, Vila Isabel has won the sambodromo competition. The second time only it does, the first time being in 1988. It seems that this rather obscure and underachieving school benefited greatly from PDVSA money (certainly more than the 40 to 50 Venezuelan families that could have been resettled with a fully equipped house if that money had stayed home, assuming that PDVSA only spent 1 million).

At least I have the satisfaction to have read last Sunday that Manuel Caballero (not to be missed op-ed) found the representation of Bolivar in Rio rather strange and against historical evidence, and the ever so to the point barb against Chavez megalomania (and let's not speak about the rotating heart shown...). Me thinks that in fact Brazilians, wise as I have discovered them to be, found a sucker in Chavez and had no problem voting for Vila Isabel to keep these petrodollars flowing into Rio.

A new star for the flag

To keep in that vein of ridicule, as if there were not anymore pressing issue in Venezuela (and I suppose waiting for the right time to discuss Chavez reelection ad infinitum) Cilia Flores has announced from the National Assembly where she must be truly bored now that there is no opposition to bash in the hallways, that the very august Venezuelan rubber stamping bolivarian boudoir that an eight star will be added to the Venezuelan flag no later than March 12 (Ides of March anyone?).

Oh! and Bolivar's horse will be facing the future now.

That reelection thing

And while we mention reelection. Argelia Rios writes a lucid article on the consequences of the in vita aeternam relection fo Chavez. Not for the opposition but for chavistas themselves such as Diosdado Cabello who sees himself as 2012 presidentiable (I do not think so but some people seem to believe he has presidential material). It is worth translating the last paragraph:

Do not forget [Diosdado] that when the old regime sunk in the troubled waters if failure and resentment, no a live bone remained. Even its younger faces were disfigured, without being able to reply. There was nothing to do: they too were dragged by the real responsible of the wreck.

February 27 1988

Onto more serious stuff.

So we reach another anniversary of that social combustion of February 27 when rich and poor alike found their way to pillaging stores and malls. Chavez has used that, dubiously, as an excuse for his coup in 1992 (we know now that Chavez will make fodder of ANY excuse he can find). Interestingly, after 7 years in office Chavez has only managed after many years to start paying some compensations to the victims of the repression, BUT TO DATE no one is in jail for that (or for the corruption of the pre Chavez area, or for the corruption for the Chavez era, etc,...)

And even more interesting, brave and admirable Human Rights defensor, COFAVIC leader Liliana Ortega is actually on the dog house of chavismo as she has pursued human rights defense equally strongly under Chavez as she did before Chavez. No comments are needed for the smart reader.

The Vice comes out of his fascist closet

(well, he was out but since Brokeback Mountain seems on its way to the Oscar win...)

There were yet some declarations from the US State Department as to Venezuela doing or not doing this or that. But the news here is the reply from Jose Vicente Rangel, the vice President of the so ever aptly named bolibanana republic:

In this fascist-like policy advanced in the United States there are serious restrictions to civil rights and democratic freedoms. There is a rebirth of McCarthyism on the excuse now for the fight against terrorism

I kid you not! My head still reels on the vice saying so! Hey JVR! It takes one to know one!

Inflation is negative!

This was precious; the February price index variation was a NEGATIVE ! 0.4%!!! Now I will stop believing the Venezuelan Central Banks measures altogether. For review: there was a 15% mandatory minimal wage increase this month. No effect on a measure that increases production costs by at least 5%? Is this going to appear in March? Could you not have cooked up a, say, 0.1% INCREASE and maintain some credibility? And how come that "my inflation" is DEFINITELY positive? Does the BCV only measure price variation at price controlled, heavily subsidized Mercal and the like? Do they check "buhoneros" who have all that is missing at Mercal shelves for 2 to 4 times the "official" price? When are we going to start paying for the REAL inflation that is kept in check with such measures as gasoline price at now a ridiculous 18 USD cents a gallon?

Because, dear BCV, the Piper always gets paid.

Meanwhile back at the DC ranch

To close this post I must recommend Gustavo Coronel article about the less than august gathering these days in DC where a whole bunch of silly US haters/Chavez supporters will glorify Chavez and perpetrate some "lobbying" action or other which will be of very little significance in DC but that will give great footage for Chavez campaign on VTV and assorted sycophantic media.

By the way, is there any other way to describe people that will forgive ANYTHING TO AYNONE as long as it is perceived as going against Bush? Because by know it seems that this is the real question. Do they not realize that Bush is out in not even three years but that Chavez is trying to stay in office forever? I mean, how much of an useful idiot one can be?

PS: And do not forget to read the previous post from Jorge Arena. I cannot believe that Bruni has found her way in my blog again..... and also, please pass along the post on "la Lista". I will have some news on that soon, I hope.