On one hand the regime had been preparing for a major anti US offensive, rooted in a sanction bill that Obama finally signed. On the other hand, a day earlier Obama was for all purposes giving a free pass to over 5 decades of Castro's tyranny and their crimes. The local potentates, not trained at all in the world finesses are all in a major state of confusion. And contradictions galore.
We can start with the foreign minister, Rafael Ramirez, past and ever oil tsar, who says he will go to all international courts to protest the abuses made by the US against Venezuela. Before going into his bad faith and deliberate ignorance, let's observe that Venezuela has diligently tried to counter opposition claims in all courts of justices (1). Thus, going now from the opposite side walk will only bring ridicule over infamy to Venezuela and Ramirez. But then again, by now, Ramirez is beyond the possibility of further tarnishing his name.
The thing about Ramirez (and others like Padrino Lopez, see later) is that they betray their profound ignorance on how the US functions. For those from the regime that I trust monitor my blog listing up "evidence" to send me to jail someday, let me explain how things work up North.
The US president can influence Congress but cannot control it, contrary to Venezuela where a Congress like assembly is a mere rubber stamp of the caudillo in place. The resolution voted by Congress aims only at folks in the public administration of the regime who have committed abuses against Human Rights. It is not about Venezuela. The problem here is that the gang of criminals in charge of the country is taking the country as hostages, just as they do in bank robbery movies with the patrons happening to be there at assault time. Hence Ramirez et al. reactions in recent days, mere bank robbers that just heard a police siren.
Once Congress votes a law, it is very difficult for a president to oppose it unless he counts on at least a third of Congress to avoid a veto overrule. What Ramirez fails to understand is that not only there is ample bipartisan support for sanctions on Venezuelan officials, but Obama has better fights to pick up with Congress than over Venezuela, the more so after the Cuban Overture that has nothing to do with Gershwin pleasant own. And never mind a stinging rebuke of Obama's overture by the Washington Post!
This being said let's go to the words of defense minister Padrino Lopez who sees in the sanctions a mere international conspiracy. The same usual suspects I suppose. Apparently Padrino thinks that "they" want to give Venezuela a bad name. Where has he been these past years? That ship as sailed Padrino! I even saw in a TV French drama a few month ago one character telling the other that X judicial function worked in France, that it was not Venezuela! "on est pas au Vénézuela ici". In other words, Padrino apparently is unaware of what is said about Venezuela. And this, being defense minister. But then again he has a job to do and because of that he needs to pretend to be an idiot. All is possible.
But that would still be acceptable in the way dirty politics are acceptable. However Padrino goes on and thinks out loud about how stupid Venezuelans are. He invites observers to visit Venezuela to observe in situ how respectful we are of such rights. Never mind that never has chavismo allowed for such visits, what infuriates most about his words is that our basic human right for a minimum of personal security when we go around carrying our errands is not respected. Venezuela has one of the highest crime rates in the world and it is because of people like Padrino that we are in such situation even if it is his job, allegedly, to help in our protection.
Then again you must understand that people like Padrino owe it all to the bolivarian farce and as such they have long ago left the world of reality for a mission that they probably do not quite understand themselves. Not forgetting that the new relationship between Cuba and the US is perturbing tot he core that confused mission.
It promises a lot of "famous last words" episodes in the coming months.....
UPDATE. Rats leaving the ship and an absolutely clueless "captain".
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| In the series "one picture is worth a thousand words". Raul: go ahead, your doing well! |
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1) Venezuela has gone as far as quitting respectable human rights courts to try to silence claims against the regime.
Daniel, I don't quibble with the essence of your post but I will quibble with this statement: "Once Congress votes a law, it is very difficult for a president to oppose it unless he counts on at least a third of Congress to avoid a veto overrule."
ReplyDeleteYou haven't been paying attention but your "darling" Obama and your beloved Democrats have been making their best imitations of Chavez/Maduro and the PSUV for a long time. Obama wipes his butt with the US Constitution. The Democrats in Congress -until January still in the majority of the Senate- have not passed a budget in 5 years and changed the Senate rules to speed up the appointment of leftist judges and stuff the courts with "progressive" judges. OK, ok, ok, those judges will vote for gay marriage so you probably loved that move.
Further, the administration has corrupted the IRS, illegally sharing donors to conservative causes with the White House and other agencies to harass them with audits and visits from OSHA and Justice, using these lists very much like a Chacon list.
It is sickening. But typical behavior for commie fascists.
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DeleteGood grief, what a dishonest partisan diatribe. Where is the evidence the IRS was “illegally sharing donors to conservative causes with the White House”? You clowns just make everything up.
DeleteDo some research and understand the veto data
Deletehttp://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/vetoCounts.htm
Roberto, Obama has imperial tendencies, but your comment is way over the top.
DeleteDaniel, I like Obama's move to swap prisoners and establish diplomatic relations. Opening up the amount of cash we can send to Cuba is fine, as is a little bit of tourism. This won't make up for the oil price drop and the impact on the dictatorship's cash flow. The Obama administration has to put in place the infrastructure to negotiate with the Castro family in 2015. Meanwhile Yoani and the cuban political opposition has made it clear they will want the following conditions to be met:
The original in Spanish as written by Yoani is below. These demands include a release of all political prisoners, acceptance by the castro family regime of international human rights treaties, and changes in cuban law to implement them, acceptance by the regime that it faces a legitimate opposition, and an end to the repression and other actions. To these I would add that usa diplomats should make sure that corporations from any nation don't use cuban slave labor as described in the recent law passed by the Cuban dictatorship to entice foreign investors.
"La ocasión ha servido para traer a primer plano cuatro puntos de consenso que han ganado fuerza en los últimos meses dentro de sectores representativos de la sociedad civil cubana. Se trata de un paquete de demandas que no deberían quedar fuera de una conversación de consensos porque, de lo contrario, sería como “extenderle un cheque en blanco” al totalitarismo más largo de este hemisferio.
La liberación inmediata de los presos políticos y de conciencia que queden tras las rejas después de la recién anunciada excarcelación es uno de ellos. Según la Comisión Cubana de Reconciliación Nacional, que dirige Elizardo Sánchez, la cifra podría superar el centenar en estos momentos. Otra de las exigencias pasa por la ratificación de los Pactos de Dyerechos Humanos, Sociales, Políticos, Culturales y Económicos y la posterior adecuación de la legalidad cubana para que empiecen a regir en el interior del país.
Sin embargo, son los dos últimos puntos los que exigirían un mayor talante democrático por parte del régimen de Raúl Castro. El fin de la represión, anunciado públicamente como un compromiso en el que se incluya la terminación de los oprobiosos actos de repudio, los arrestos arbitrarios, la satanización social del que piensa diferente y la vigilancia policial sobre los activistas, como parte del desmantelamiento del aparato que penaliza la discrepancia.
Por último, el reconocimiento de la sociedad civil dentro y fuera de la isla. El Gobierno cubano debe aceptar la existencia de estructuras cívicas que tengan derecho a opinar, decidir, cuestionar y elegir. Mientras esas voces no aparezcan representadas de alguna manera en la actual negociación entre los Gobiernos de Cuba y de Estados Unidos, estaremos hablando de negociaciones a nivel de palacio, de cancillería o de estadistas."
I need not add on the above, just to urge the advice to Roberto Carlos as to look into how the veto works in the US. If not he will be just as in the dark as Ramirez.
DeleteObama is not a communist nor a fascist. If anything, he's a corporatist. Perspective, please.
DeleteDaniel:
ReplyDeleteIf you are suggesting Obama has some soft spot for Maduro, I think you are wrong. Yes, the sanctions did originate in Congress, but the fact they had such strong support means the Administration gave them the go-ahead early on. There is a reason there has been no serious attempt to exchange ambassadors, there is no desire to make nice with Maduro.
The Washington Post’s editorial on the détente with Cuba is seriously off-base. It took Yoani Sanchez’s comments out of context and laughably tries to claim the embargo was having some desired effect. While there are principled critics of President Obama’s actions, most of the opposition isn’t driven by any desire to improve the well-being of the Cuban people but rather vitriolic hatred of the President and desire of some, such as Marco Rubio, to pander to the hard right so they might forgive him for displaying sanity on the topic of immigration.
Huh? Where did you ever got the idea that I think Obama has a soft spot for Maduro? I am curious...
DeleteYou can laugh as much as you want but yes the embargo was having some desired effect. For years, the USSR camel had because of the sanctions to carry this parasitic monstrosity on its back. This eventually helped brake the camel back. No desired effects? Gimme a break!
DeleteCharley, the Cuban economy is a failure mostly because fidel had really lousy ideas, and surrounded himself with yes men. The U.S. sanctions were a positive for fidel, they gave him cover. But this is 2014, and there's a lot of water under the bridge. I think the economic sanctions can be removed if the dictatorship agrees to Yoani's demands, and I suggest there's an urgent need to stop multinational corporations from using cuban slave labour.
DeleteDaniel, this comment
DeleteObama has better fights to pick up with Congress than over Venezuela
caused me to think you believe O signed the bill against his will, I apologize if I read it wrong. I think the timing was somewhat related to the action with Cuba but I don't think there was any reluctance. Great cartoon!
A couple of articles to support Mr Padrino Lopez's position. What a fricking lout.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-charter-pilot-becomes-an-unwilling-mule-for-1-5-tons-of-cocaine-a-1007402.html
http://www.reporteconfidencial.info/noticia/3231952/funcionarios-del-sebin-pasaron-raqueta-en-aeropuerto-de-valencia/
You do know that the Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and that he is of Cuban heritage? The Washington Post has ZERO credibility. The New York Times and every other major newspaper, however, came out in favor.
ReplyDeleteInteresting...So if somebody has Cuban heritage there is zero credibility... But if not, rather as the NYT was the first medium to give the Castro guerilla movement an opening with the interview back in 1957, then this medium is impartial and credible!
DeleteCharly Lemos... this sound so much like the type of made names some chavistas use to make up, in the good old days when they thought one could still argue in favor of the chavista fraud.... not even careful enough to make sure that Lemos did not rime with Bezos.....
DeleteThe problemS with your idiotic put down of the WaPo are many folds.
First, the obvious one, if Bezos is not to be believed then 95% of the venezuelan media has no credibility since it is either state owned or owned by "unknown" people who did a dramatic change in editorial lines once in charge. In favor of the regime, blatantly sometimes , as Ultimas Noticias did. At least you know about Bezos ownership and can criticize him by name.
The other problem that undermines your own credibility is that way before Bezos the WaPo had strong critical line against the Castros and Chavez. Or is it that you just discovered this blog and the WaPo that it has been citing for years?
Please, Charly, that's me. I have nothing in common with Mr Lemos
DeleteWe Cubans only need the credibility to get the Senate to block Obama unless he negotiates the concessions demanded by Yoani.
DeleteOn a funnier note, I heard from a venezuelan friend who says he just talked to a Chavista visiting Spain for Christmas, who asked where she could buy Luis Vuitton handbags. I guess the system allows well connected boligarchs to get the CADIVI rate to buy plane tickets and come shopping in Europe.
While I have respect for Yoani Sanchez, Cuban exiles and anti-Castro Cubans can't have veto power over what the U.S. does. Btw, if you think people like Marco Rubio have the Cuban people's best interest at heart, think again. Rubio is mostly doing this so he can pander to hardliners in the GOP base to make up for he perceived sins on immigration. The fact he other Republicans so casually dismiss what Obama obtained (freedom for Alan Gross, Rafael Trujillo and 50 dissidents) a evidence of their insincerity.
DeleteObama and his looney moonbat following have been trying to duplicate what Chavez did in Venezuela from day 1. They attacked the constitution and the bill of rights to get rid of freedom of speech and gun ownership among other things and have pushed an anti-white, anti-american agenda everywhere possible. I won't even mention the messes Obama has strirred up in the Middle East. They also tried to repeal the 22nd amendment so that Obama could be dictator for life like Chavez. Since they have realized that once again , the proletariat revolution has failed because of a democracy they can't control, the Messiah and his moonbats are left with their hateful spite and whatever destructive actions they can still take in the next 2 years, like attacking Christmas and cozying up to murderers like Castro. Castro has dealt a well-deserved sucker punch to Venezuela. He was only interested in how much money he could scam out of 21st Century socialism and the chavistas fell for the scam. Communists basically hate what they can't control and that is why they kill.
ReplyDeleteThey also tried to repeal the 22nd amendment so that Obama could be dictator for life
DeleteReally? When did this happen? You really should take your meds, you seem to be delusional.