The constitution reform project

I am pleased to announce that the project started on September 13 is advancing well. Maybe not as fast as I would have liked but that might be a good thing: the amount of work it has given me is really more than I can handle even considering the help I have received from many people (translations, articles, editing, suggestions, etc...). Certain things were even pleasant surprises such a a logo for the project made by Feathers and that Miguel has already unveiled. But here you have it again, to put in your blog if you feel like it.

Now we have a total of 8 reform articles discussed and just with that small sample it is easy to see the true nature of the intentions of the regime behind this fake reform. I can also announce that I have firm commitments for at least 8 more articles, enough to make us able to expose this fake reform. Which also means that after seeing some of the discussion samples that you have been able to read in the last two weeks you might want to try your hand at discussing one of the articles still unclaimed (write me and I will let you know what is still available).

But this has created the need to open a special blog for the project. This one is called Venezuelan Constitutional Reform and it will be a compilation of all the articles that will be commented plus the basic documents to help understand and research these discussion, plus a few occasional posts that will try to tie it all up together. Even if most articles will be published here first, since there are many hands it will be good to have a more neutral blog that can be of reference to anyone.

As you can see, plenty of participation opportunities. The objective is to have at least half of the articles discussed by mid October (which will include the main ones I hope). This way readers will have a source of information, IN ENGLISH, to help them in their discussion elsewhere, in their effort to expose the totalitarian drive that this constitutional reform predicts in the long term (letters to editors, contacts to local officials, etc, etc...) Who knows, maybe by October 31 we will have all articles commented and the "reform" fully exposed.

But there is also more help coming your way. The translation has already started on these articles and is set up in a mirror blog with roughly the same content and information as the English blog. That way we will be able to use all of these great articles comments even in Venezuela, something that as far as I know is not done except for the usual give and take of media exposure. The Spanish blog is No a la reforma constitucional de Chávez, a more partisan title but then again that is fine since it is for use within Venezuela and I can assure the readers that no single article will be worth more positives than negatives for the country, not even the infamous 6 hours work day which points out towards a true disaster for Venezuelan productivity. Only 4 articles have been translated so far, including my two ones by Liz. Shame on me but I needed the time to set up the blogs and drum up support, I just cannot do everything and I must say that the response I have received from readers has been absolutely great. This project was needed.

So as of today the project is officially launched. Make good use of it, it is a weapon against Chavez that we are creating ourselves to show that dedicated readers willing to think through things can come up with ways to fight. Oh, certainly, it will be a small drop in the amount of things that need to be done, but every little bit helps, and it is better to write here, or write about here to whomever you can reach elsewhere, than staying home and complain that Chavez is going to once again steal the election. If nothing, in a few years from now when all our predictions, readers and writers alike, come true, we will be able to point out to these two blogs and say: it was all there, we were right, you just did not want to listen to us, to believe us.

-The end-