And yet after 10 years Chavez still manages to raise eyebrows once again. For example now there is an order of February 4th, which allows for the coup monger assassins of February 4 1992 to be honored with a medal put on them by Chavez. Do they not feel the humiliation in the act as Chavez once again makes sure they know who is top dog?
There is really no point in describing the day, full of Chavez usual self importance. It included everything, from rewriting history to threats where needed, reminding us once again that the Venezuelan system has ceased long ago to be a democracy having become a not so cryptic military dictatorship. An elected one maybe but a dictatorship nevertheless. And of course miscellaneous repression here and there for those who do not think the day a glorious one for the pantheon of our history.
No, the day events are in fact of lesser importance than the announcement two days ago that Ramiro Valdes has been sent from Cuba to solve our electricity problem.
Where to start on that one?
By the notorious fact that Ramiro Valdes is one of the major assassins of an already assassin rich Fidel Castro entourage? That he collected such a dubious honor by being one of Fidel Interior Minister, you know, the one in charge of repression and jails?
Should we discuss the utmost disdain by Chavez to Venezuelan electricity experts who told him years ago that the problem was coming and the ways to resolve it? It seems that no Venezuelan will serve. Even the Brazilians have been called but they only offered a non-committal response for the medium and long term, diplomatically making it clear that Chavez was in a mess of his own doing and that they would not take a risk to their reputation in pretending to bring an impossible quick fix. All was said when the Marco Aurelio Garcia dryly remarked that the electrical system was "deteriorated". (1)
Should we stubbornly note that Cuba is a hell hole of electrical problems, a totally outdated economy, if we can still call it an economy, that Caracas alone consumes electricity quantities comparable to what Cuba as a whole consumes? For the life of me I cannot conceive how Cuba can help Venezuela except in telling Chavez how to be tough with the people as he forces rationing upon them.
No, the arrival or Ramiro Valdes is bad news.
It is bad news becasue his only electric expertise is in reselling third rate electric plants at overpriced value to Venezuela allowing Cuba to benefit from our crisis. If anything these past 11 years we have learned that Castro-Cubans are as corrupt as Chavistas.
It is bad news because it shows how deep the government of Cuba and the one of Venezuela have become dependent on each other, to the point that Castro sends his colonial proconsul to Venezuela to help Chavez deal with a situation he cannot control. Not ruling out that Chavez might be playing Valdes against Raul Castro, all is possible....
It is bad news because Ramiro Valdes has been sent really to coordinate better repression in Venezuela, from Twitter to student marches. Valdes is a professional murderer and as the cartoon indicates above, he is hired by Chavez for that purpose, not to solve the electricity problem for which Chavez could find better experts elsewhere in Latin America. The cartoon reads Chavez saying to Rodriguez, the current electricity minister, "I told you that he was an expert in electricity" (2). There you have Ramiro, my opinion on you whenever you want to start censoring Internet, the proof you need of my subversive activities.
But the Ramiro appointment is not going unnoticed and it is fast creating a backlash, today including even a letter from former President Carlos Andres Perez who apparently is not as dead as some thought he was. That letter is a masterpiece of straight talk: the essential is included, from Venezuela having become a Cuban colony to the dark future in wait for those who help along as he advises them to read the Rome statute, remembering that crimes against humanity never prescribe and that sooner or later from Luisa Estela Morales to the current degenerate Army Generals will find themselves in a tribunal, accounting for their help to Chavez and Castro.
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1) mentioning Brazil it is useful to note that Thomas Shannon, incoming US ambassador to Brazil stated today that Chavez should stop repressing his people. The remarks were done in Portuguese, in Brazil, serving notice tot he enabling Lula administration that it was time it stopped pretending that everything was nice and dandy in Venezuela. Will Lula chose to fight with he US over Venezuela or at least have the decency to stop propping up the unspeakable actions of Chavez? I ain't holding my breath over Lula, settling for the time being I give another bonus point to the US State Department.
2) hat tip for the cartoon to PMB.
Valdez is here for one reason only - help to control the pueblo when the lights go out as they inevitably will.
ReplyDeleteBecause the problem is unstoppable he will need to use everything from the armed forces to the GNB to control the coming riots & discontent.
This will include control of text messaging & the Internet in those areas of the country that have some hours of electricity.
My wife & I were also in CCS yesterday where we were able to renew her US visa for another term.
We managed to avoid the demonstrations & return home on an afternoon flight.
I might add, off topic, that the US Embassy was well coordinated and many people were served yesterday creating long lines at the DHL window to pay the delivery fee for the return of the passport. This was a renovation day not a new application day & it appeared that most had no problem getting renewals.
The manner in which the people were dealt with is much different than the Canadian Embassy where there are no appointments & few people dealt with each day.
Regarding the “assistance” that Castro henchman Ramiro Valdes may be providing for solving Venezuela’s electricity problems, this old article may provide some insight. The Cubans know where the $800,000 came from.
ReplyDeleteThe Cuban intelligence service, Direccion General de Inteligencia, or DGI, has covert listening posts established throughout Venezuela, which eavesdrop upon all domestic and international communications, in a cooperative venture to assist the Venezuelan government in state security matters.. One of their largest facilities is located within the Caracas headquarters of CANTV, the government-owned telecommunications utility. Most Venezuelans are aware that their telephone conversations are monitored, but few know about the fact that e-mail is also compromised.
More at the link.
I hope Venezuelans, especially the NiNi's and those who think Chavez can be tolerated realize the implications you describe of having Ramiro Valdez comment to " help".
ReplyDeleteI find it significant that a US official that made the declaration asking Chavez to refrain from repression was precisely the new US ambassador to Brazil.
He obviously had a Brazilian audience in mind as he spoke in Portuguese.It may make some reconsider the consequences of Lula's continuing support for Chavez.
It challenges the implied pro- repression attitude of Lula's government.
One way in which tyranny was confronted that I find particularly powerful, especially for Venezuelans who can connect so well through song, is the singing revolution in Estonia.Music has the power to Unite, the power to motivate and the power to create wheN simple words often do not. A must C:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.singingrevolution.com/
Humn,
ReplyDeleteWhat will be Ramiro Valdes' consulting fee?
... + Money
Vi en television al profesor Pascuali quién habló pestes de Ramirito, y hoy recibi un mail copiando un articulo publicado en el Expres en Francia donde dicen lo mismo de este y que ilustre visitante. Tres veces poncharon a Chacumbele-Esteban y con esta visita será un carton rojo!
ReplyDeletealek,
ReplyDeleteVcrisis is asking for name and password? is this part of info gathering by other people or placed by you?
barqui
Dear Daniel,
ReplyDeleteIt seems your country is going towards some internet censorship. I hope that you have backed up your blog with friends outside Venezuela, so that you will still be able to pass messages on your blog through them.
You better watch out,
ReplyDeleteYou better not WEAK,
I'm telling you why:
The 2nd Cuban Che Guevara is coming to town!