A whole day of news in Venezuela, how to keep up

I have been trying to limit my blogging some since last December. I thought, very naively, that things will slow down for a few months, but no. In fact it is becoming very difficult to even limit one self to a post everyday. So I will cheat and in a single post I will review the flashiest items of a single newspaper in a day. That is, all of these items below appears at the El Universal Web page on this late Tuesday night, as I am barely recovering from the cadena of a couple of hours ago. But I trust it will be worth it. Bonus: most in English!

The escapees are back (well, sort of)

The first item is that the TSJ, the high court of Venezuela has decided to ask for the extradition of Carmona, now 5 years in exile in Colombia. Why now? Why so late? Is it even legal since he is sought for crimes while he is in exile for political reasons and that usually takes precedence? Probably just something thrown by the TSJ to appease Chavez a few days before the April 2002 commemorations. Though I admit that Carmona deserves to be tried for incompetence on April 12. If we are in such deep shit today it is of his totally erroneous and over ambitious decisions of 2002. If someone unifies chavista and opposition it certainly is Carmona.

But more interesting was the surprise video of Ortega, who, as Carmona, is on the run after escaping a military prison. Even tough Ortega has been tried and condemned, there is severe questioning on his trial who had more of a Stalinist show trial than a normal trial. But then, of course, we are under a revolution which allows the regime to do as it pleases with justice. Anyway, the said Ortega popped out a video widely played in the still private media. Chavistas are not laughing as Ortega was asking folks to sign up for AD to avoid the CNE to make it illegal. Heck, I am even thinking about supporting the hated AD just to piss off Chavez! Imagine if the dead man resuscitates! I love it!

And the Yaracuy governor, for good measure, says that Lapi escaped through the front door with internal complicity. Looks to me that it is just an excuse for gimenez to try to get rid of a few people, their relationship with Lapi does not even need to have existed. After all Lapi himself wrote that he escaped through an AC duct. Guess which one is the liar here? The druggie or the prisoner? And you know what? Lapi at least has an excuse to lie in this case...

Human rights again, TV rights included

The OAS keeps questioning the evolution of human rights in Venezuela, in particular freedom of the press. At the same time we learn that the Chile Senate votes a resolution condemning the closing of RCTV, creating yet a new problem for the wishy washy Bachelet.

Meanwhile Marcel Granier whose image was burned by a few chavista circles was at the general prosecutor office to sue Lara, the infamous communication minister who I was discussing yesterday extensively. Evidence in favor of Granier can be found even in blogs like this one. Evidence for the stupidity of Lara also.

Meanwhile we learn that in Guarico we have again evidence of organized killings, paramilitary style. Nothing new in Guarico where the governor is a well known thug who was already in trouble before with noteworthy chavista such as Iris Varela (on occasion she has to do something positive) but who was spared by Chavez who needed all the votes he could get. But then again Chavez himself as a 1992 murderer can certainly be forgiving of the Guarico governor.

The ides of April

We are commemorating the April 2002 events. Nobody has received a real trial for that, and even less be condemned, investigations limited to only two of the murders. Now, chavismo in a surprise move, wants to investigate everything and finally put to jail the responsible folks. Let's look at that in detail. Today the National Assembly is 100% chavista. The judicial system is now controlled at will by chavismo as can be seen from the recent judge removal by the Interior and Justice Minister. And to top it off, it is Tascon of the apartheid list who wants to be in charge. Now, does anyone really think that there will be, after 5 years, by a chavista totally controlled apparatus a fair and square investigation? Reeks of history rewriting again.... And revenge and retribution when you hear the videos from today National Assembly miscellaneous posturing.

But democracy advances, or so we are told to believe

While all of these pleasant distractions violating the constitution took place the constitutional commission has been reviewing in secret what should be changed. Would they be about to finally release their proposals? No, Chavez has to decide first. That is right, with incredible chutzpah strangely mixed with unbelievable obsequiousness we see the National Assembly chair tell us that Chavez is the one that will decide what articles will be revised and go to referendum. Chavez alone. His constitution more than ever. Meanwhile some self styled democrats supporting Chavez find nothing weird about this one.

And there is more but I suspect that the reader can handle only so much.

-The end-