The week Venezuela awoke to its ruin

February is for some reason a rather agitated month in Venezuelan history. In the last 25 years we have three memorable Februaries, the first one with el Caracazo, the second one with Chavez failed coup and now this one with a mix of Caracazo and coup, but a coup given by the regime against democracy, an "autogolpe" if you wish, self-coup. And let's not forget other fateful Februaries like the one Chavez got reelected for life, or another one with major floods.


This February events got their start with Tachira students protesting an attempted rape. On and on it went to major protests around the country, the jailing of a major opposition leader and today a retired general on top of his villa, machine gun in hand, resisting arrest while outside of Moron looters killed and quartered cattle from an overturned truck. The last among us that were still asleep awoke to the dictatorship we are suffering and the return to the primitive barbarian state that Chavez has bequeathed us.

I am not going to go back on the political events that are described in previous entries of this blog, political events that have caused about a dozen murders so far, scores of injured and jailed, making it obvious that the regime that started as a genuine popular claim in 1998 has become a mere fascist repressive military contraption.

I will focus on the two events that mesmerized Tweeter attention this Sunday. Tweeter because there is no freedom of expression in the media anymore so such stuff does not make it to the airwaves unless CNN covers it.

early stand off

The first one illustrates the crucial fact needed to understand this crisis, that no one trusts the government anymore, for nothing, not even the time of day. How can you rule, speak of reconciliation, claim for peace when a majority of the people do not believe a single word you say? And justifiably so, I add.  This morning state security goons went to the home of a retired General, Vivas, to arrest him. The guy refused to allow the goons in and stood on his balcony with a machine gun in hand, ready to be used. He claimed that there was no arrest or search warrant. Then at some point he has said, but I have not confirmed it, that no matter what he will not surrender anyway because he does not recognize the regime and he will not surrender to Cubans.

Citizen
reporter

Daughter's pic

In a normal country such a character would have been deemed dangerous and taken down ASAP before he starts a rampage spree. Here? The whole neighborhood went to his defense and eventually the security goons, the Nazional Guard, had to leave. They will surely try some other time but not today, the whole area was about to become a riot area with barricades and all....

In the three pics you can see it all. The initial stand off shows clearly that they could have taken him down easily with a sharp shooter. But Vivas knew that that would not happen because after all he belongs to the military cast and they are loath to wash their dirty laundry in public. The citizen reporter picture shows that neighbors were ready and willing to get close to the events. And the third one was a charming family shot taken by, I think, Vivas daughter and you can see the crowds gallivanting in front of the Nazional Guard and military police in the street.

I cannot think of a better example to illustrate the lawlessness that we have descended into. This is VERY dangerous. (1)

And yet there is more from earlier Sunday. A truck carrying cattle overturned on the road Moron-Coro. The poor animals were dragged out as the locals looted the truck, which is now routine for trucks carrying foods or clothing or electronics: you break down, too bad for you, be happy if you are left to go away alive. Then, as if public reckless looting was not enough, they proceeded to butcher the poor animals right then and there. Later tweets report that the meat was sold a couple of miles down the road.

Someone in twitter pieced together the different pics circulating (from
newspaper Notitarde)

I think the barbarism we have become a country after 15 years of Chavez needs no further examples.

And what was Maduro doing today? He was dancing at about the moment where a victim of his repression was being buried. Giving a new meaning to dancing on the grave.

We are a morally ruined country. And it was done on purpose, by 40 years of AD and 15 years of the scum of AD transformed suddenly in chavistas, led by the most irresponsible asshole of our entire history.

-----------------

1) The offense was that Vivas in a tweet suggested that a nylon rope should be put at 1.2 meter above street level to stop attacking motorbikes from chavista gangs, "colectivos". That would make them fall and then they could be captured and the barricade handlers could use the motorbike as they wished. About a day after that tweet indeed a honest biker (?) run by mistake into one of those barricades and fell. He died of head injuries though at first chavismo said he had been "degollado" which means either cut at the throat or beheaded.

I do not know if Vivas is guilty of that. To begin with that type of trick is well known. Yours truly who in his youth witnessed barricades and riots (he went to college in France and when living in the US had friends with ActUp in its active period) knew that you try to put transparent nylon chords about 20cm from the ground in case police charges so a few may trip.

Even if Vivas could be proven to be guilty of that (you would need to find the barricade gang and interrogate them to make sure where did they get the idea), the real reason Vivas was sought by army goons today is that he was even on the front page of La Razon denouncing Cuban penetration in the army.