Yours truly is on a business trip out of Venezuela. Busy as he is, there is no time to read the papers and he limits himself to Miguel's blog. Well, one read about the dismal scene of Chavez threatening the president of Banco Provincial was enough to wreck my productive day. In that truly deplorable scene, for a piece of paperwork Chavez is threatening (taking away?) the Banco Provincial of Venezuela.
I am not letting myself be ensnared by the details of the case: there is one item that is trtuly, truly distrubing me. Chavez speaks over the phone with his unfortunate victim (on cadena?) and after a few threats the guy demands to be put on audio too so that the country knows what he is saying exactly to Chavez. And Chavez refuses. The country can only hear the words of Chavez and what Chavez choses to report from the victimized part.
If that is not the hallmark of a totalitarian dictator, then I do not know what is it.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
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Por lo general no veo las cadenas esto me enferma y luego todo el mundo se encarga de los comentarios. Pero hoy la vi y de verdad verdad es un desastre y si se ve fuera del país Ay Dios Mio! que opinión tendrán de nosotros por aguantar tamaño desquicio.La Maga Lee
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of Kepler's repeated comments that the oppo should request/demand that Thugo debate with them. Not that he will, but at least to point out that Thugo is afraid of a debate.
ReplyDeleteAs well he should be.
It's interesting that when the president of Banco Provencial seemed to ask for his voice to be heard in the program so he could answer Chavez on the air, he refused to accept that.
ReplyDeleteChavez must feel so above other mortals that he cannot accept anyone to debate him in public.
Another possibility which doesn't exclude the first is that Chavez is a coward who doesn't want to measure himself up against anyone in a spontaneous situation where he might lose the debate.
Dictator litmus test: where are the checks and balances?
ReplyDeleteIf Hugo crosses the line and does something illegal, exactly what institution in Venezuela will force him to reverse that action and, perhaps, punish him appropriately for doing it?
We know the answer.
I watched the clip when the "Ciudadano" passed it on his programme soon afterwards. There can be no doubt that the man is a dictator. He always speaks in the first person and his "government" is HCF in person, and always with threats. What about due legal process, the right of reply, arbitration - all words unheard of in this regime. Honestly it made me physically sick to watch it.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what some money and a lack of education can do: half of the Venezuelan population still don't understand that Chavez is nothing more than a totalitarian dictator of sorts, an illness for the country, 15 years of lack of progress after that vermin is gone. They just don't see it, despite the rampant crime, joblessness, gargantuan corruption and theft, international condemnations, and the obvious parallels to the failed Cuban and Russian communist. systems. That's what a lack of education and intelligence does for the "people".
ReplyDeleteCarlos Iglesia.
Well, let me tell you this. They did this to themselves, since they are accomplices to the regime, they should have known that this time would get to them
ReplyDeleteSomewhat related:
ReplyDeleteThe satraps and advisors to the Cuban government in the province called Venezuela know what they're doing;
'The move by Egyptian authorities to seal off the country almost entirely from the Internet shows how easily a state can isolate its people when telecoms providers are few and compliant.' (link)