Let's not be afraid of words: parts of the country are in almost open rebellion, like Tachira, and other parts are getting there. There are already reports of killed in Tachira and the chavista governor, Vielma, has started to take its distances with the regime this morning (1). Then again if Caracas Eastern part is blocked this morning, stupidly I have to say, the Western part of Caracas is business as usual. Apparently the people think that blocking the Cafetal arteries are going to make the regime fall while people there cannot attend their business in a time of crisis. If they want to have an impact they need to march down to the valley and close down the "Autopista". But what do I know....
Whatever it is today I cannot follow. I have barely 100 people I follow who tweet and I am flooded, my reason put to test. For example I receive a picture that is supposedly coming from a rebellion in Tachira and I doubt very much it is in Venezuela. I mean, those flags.....
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| Propaganda? |
Another picture is more serious and more believable, the more so form the source. Those are pro Maduro motor bikers driving around Plaza Venezuela this morning, threatening with weapons in hand. There was supposedly going to be a small opposition even there which I assume is now canceled.
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| Reality |
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1) Vielma Mora has said that repression is too heavy and that putting Lopez in jail is not a good idea. How do we interpret this? It is at the same time a lame attempt by Vielma not to be the one left with the bag of the consequences of repression in Tachira, but it is also a sign that inside chavismo things are coming to a head.
We should not dismiss the Vielma words today as only an attempt at cleaning his name. It is too late for that. But at least we should respect his late coming courage when he was the one that started the is whole mess by overly repressing students now almost a month ago. Vielma is smart enough, he is probably one of the few chavistas left with more than propaganda in his brain. He was dispatched to run for Tachira governor where chavismo was sure he was not going to be elected. He was, in one of those historical accidents which may at first have benefited chavismo but could end up costing chavismo a lot.
If there is a chavista that can rise to the moment, it is Vielma Mora. Let's see how sincere he is in the next days. And before anyone writes that he should resign if he were sincere I am going to add that the responsible thing is NOT to resign, otherwise it would be a perfect excuse for Maduro to appoint a military governor through a state of exception.
This is a new Facebook page in support of the students. I hope that it will spread and help your country.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/studentsforvzla
I think the first picture with guys using man made shields was actually in brazil.. least that is what I read somewhere.... but still, they could totally just as likely be venezuelans.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right. Picture is from Brazil.
Delete"Mass Evictions at Pinheirinho: Favela Residents Confront Brazil’s Development Boom"
http://nacla.org/blog/2012/1/27/mass-evictions-pinheirinho-favela-residents-confront-brazil%E2%80%99s-development-boom
Thank you for confirming the hoax!!!!
DeleteYou know, I was guessing either Brazil or Chiapas but in Chiapas there would be more native looking.
Thank you very much Daniel. You are a patriot!
ReplyDeleteI'm following the news from Venezuela in http://www.oarval.org/avalencia/VLinken.htm#Res (English) and http://www.oarval.org/avalencia/VLinksp.htm#Res (Spanish).
Interesting problem with alliance with oil. Please read!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.curacaochronicle.com/columns/global-consequences-of-the-venezuelan-revolt/
" the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
ReplyDeleteImagine if this was in the Constitution of Venezuela.
Each day I am more and more in awe at the infinite wisdom of those guys more than 250 years ago.
You're missing a vital part of that Constitutional Amendment, namely, the "A Well-Regulated Militia, being necessary for the security of a Free State...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". In leaving that out, you're creating a misleading impression of its meaning.
DeleteA well-regulated militia, in 18th century terms means, the responsible adult male population of a jurisdiction, acting under the direction of professional officers in accordance with civil authority, i.e, the governor or mayor or town council. The 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution definitely does not entitle or encourage roving bands of angry citizens to take the law into their own hands. It seems to me there are already too many guns in Venezuela.
Are you implying that the framers never meant to have the citizens armed? Why, because there is a comma left out in the sentence?
DeleteThe concept behind the second amendment is that the government has to fear the citizens never the other way around. No problem with the government having a well regulated militia but the citizens should also be armed to keep the balance.
Also don't forget that they had first hand experience with King George sending his lobsterbacks to disarm the locals, that was a main motivation to write the 2nd amendment.
One has to assume based on your last couple of sentences that you are on the side of this miserable socialist revolution and see the students as the roving bands even though there is no evidence whatsoever that they are armed. I am absolutely sure that if they were armed all the leaders of the miserable socialist revolution would have fled the country by now and this nightmare would have been over.
Actually, Rich, Gustavo has it exactly right. When the founders were hammering out the Bill of Rights after the Revolution, there was much debate about the phrasing of the Second Amendmen, not the meaning.
DeleteThankfully, the founders understood that that right was an essential natural right for the citizen to defend themselves, deterring a tyrannical government.
The point you make about jurisdiction, etc. was used in England, not the U.S. That is your interpretation and not based on the historical facts of that time, nor the intentions of the founding fathers.
Obviously you are not taking the situation in Venezuela seriously. I wish every citizen, male and female, had access/ownership to as many firearms as they need and want. Not enough guns in the right hands is my opinion.
The theory behind militias is that the people have to be not only armed but organized to defend themselves. The flip side of that coin is that the govt should be disarmed. If the govt doesn't have the power to oppress it won't, not because it's nice but because it can't:
Delete"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American ... the unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." --- Tench Coxe The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788
Please don't get me wrong. I am firmly in support of the uprising against the repressive, corrupt government of Venezuela, as it is today. I am in support of the students, the neighborhoods, the mothers, a free press, free speech. To suggest that I am somehow in sympathy with Maduro and his thieving cronies is completely wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that the CNE stole the election last year, and that no amount of voting will get the criminal regime out of power. They will never go except in handcuffs or a pine box. However, there is widespread misunderstanding of the 2nd Amendment in the US. Many people assume it means any and all people have the right to any and all weapons. As I said, the right to keep and bear arms has always been in connection with the right of the people to defend themselves...in an orderly way. That being said, I only wanted to emphasize the importance of organizing first, with the hope that weapons become less and less necessary to achieve freedom for the Venezuelan people.
DeleteHow to inspire a revolution in Venezuela? Simple. Place camera in ceiling/corner of ANY Colombian food store. That should do it! Game over.
ReplyDeleteAnd how you will get that video to the barrios? And if you do, how will you get them to believe it is not a video fabricated by the CIA?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIm just going to assume having the video in columbian shelves is to show all the products are filled with whatever you want in columbia right? (rather than empty shelves) or maybe to show that all the products that should have been sold in venezuela is also being sold in columbia at the correct price (unmentionable price)
Deleteright?
Sure Vielma Mora should not resign if only because he has to drink the bitter cup to the end. But do not give him give him too much slack. Like the remainder of the 4F coupsters, he is just a rat. The whole lot of them would have got the firing squad in 1992, Venezuela might be a decent country these days.
ReplyDeleteI have the sense not enough Venezuelans are willing to die. It's your personality or social background. You have to be honest, do you really care about the guy living up there in the barrio? What do you do to help your maid? What about the building guard? The gardener? If you want change you will have to climb that hill, go in a large group knowing half of you will die. And when you arrive talk to the people there and shake hands. I have watched you for many years and I never felt you had the guts. So I focused on help many of you escape because I knew what was coming. But maybe I was wrong. Do you have the guts to climb that hill? If you do you have a chance. And if you decide to do it, remember you are not alone, those who are around you are your brothers, and you will be in very special company. And if you don't, then help people escape. You don't really understand what's coming. I think I do, but I ran from Cuba when I was 14. I think it's better if you never find out what it's like.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but is this a way to question me and my motives?
DeleteI hope Castro's picture is on the food ration card. Gracias, Papa Fidel.
ReplyDelete