Homo chavistus

Con la guerra en Ucrania por encima del descalabro absoluto del país me pregunté cómo era posible todavía ser chavista. Sí, es una pregunta que uno se hace a veces, pero después de varios años fuera de Venezuela cuál sería la respuesta que le podría dar. Sin sentir el pulso del país por el mero hecho de ya no tener que hacer cola en algún supermercado o oficina de desgobierno, ¿cómo saber la evolución de las mentalidades?

Pero los hechos son tercos. Desde que me fui, durante la escasez perpetua, hubo la dolarización. Luego llegó el Covid y el cierre del país a nivel de cierre chino. La reapertura lenta del país vino de la mano de la “pax bodegónica”.  Mientras tanto como malvada fuente de alivio para el régimen se iban del país centenares al día. Todo otra vez se vino abajo, sin sorpresa. Otra megadevaluación a fines del 2022 nos dejó boqueando otra vez.

Por cuarta, o quinta vez, o más, uno pierda la cuenta, volvió a ocurrir lo de siempre, miles de promesas, miles de leyes, miles de presos, y otra vez volvemos en la misma, con una caja CLAP menguante y ahora la desesperación absoluta para conseguir algunos dólares, la puerta al paraíso de alguna medicina vital para un pensionado cercano a la agonía.

¿Será que los chavistas no ven este tiovivo que nos devuelve al mismo lugar? ¿Será que son incapaces de aprender? ¿Será que el pasado ya no existe para ellos? 

Claro está, no hablo de los poderosos del régimen y la jauría depredadora que los acompaña, protegida por sus guardaespaldas y represores. Esa gente hace tiempo que dejo de ser chavista, si es que algunos lo fueron. Esa gente sospecho dejó de ser humana hace tiempo. Tampoco hablo de los rehenes del régimen, esos pobres, de pobreza, chantajeados por una mal pagada chamba o una liviana caja CLAP. En cierta manera el régimen también les ha robado su humanidad.

Estoy hablando de esa gente que pregona su chavismo sin motivo aparente, con el agregado de criticar a Maduro y llamar a la vida el muerto. Esa gente también, si uno lee por ejemplo sus Time Line en Tweeter, no se ha preocupado por las masacres a mujeres en Irán. Menos se preocupan por los horrores de la invasión rusa a Ucrania, y van apoyando a nuestro primer sanguinario del siglo. ¡Y como siempre rematan echando toda la culpa a las sanciones, la oposición, el imperio maluco, los europeos decadentes y hasta los LGBT si fuese necesario! Por los dioses, ¿que pasa con esa gente, que pedazo de su corteza cerebral está estancado?

Vamos a estar claros: lo que ha pasado en Venezuela estos últimos 4 años ha sido traumático. Si el chavista de a pie no entendió que algo anda mal, pues nunca lo entenderá. Ya no podemos llamar al resentimiento social como la causante tara psicológica (eso lo dejamos a los hermanos Rodríguez). Tampoco se considera la falta de información ya que uno lo ve todo al salir de su casa. Ni siquiera se puede invocar el orgullo que prohíbe admitir la equivocación cuando uno ve la penuria humana por doquier. No, aceptémoslo, el chavismo ha creado un hombre nuevo, el homo chavistus.

En verdad, como reconstruiremos el país si los mejores se fueron y si no sabemos cuantos homo chavistus tenemos en nuestras sienes. Pero ha pasado algo también, una masa maltratada ha decidido no creer más en el régimen oprobioso. Tenemos ya dos meses de protestas genuinamente populares como maestros, obreros que protestan y protestan, sin liderazgo político, siendo liderados por el hastió. Que bueno, la esperanza renace.

And the next stop is....

OK, a lot has been going on. I cannot catch up with everything. So here follows a summary of sorts mixed with my conclusions. Sort it out if you can, I can't.

The recent crude facts

Frontal, primitive, homophobia inside chavismo: Bernal as poster boy

I have been telling you that chavismo is homophobic, strongly homophobic, as are all these authoritarian to neo-totalitarian systems. Today the words of representative Bernal would have him resign within 24 hours from his public positions in any civilized country. Of course, in Russia or Iran those words could be considered as wise, I suppose. But in Venezuela unfortunately it may not go further than the twitter storm tonight.

Bernal (left) is not the lone
homophobe inside chavismo

Freddy Bernal, former mayor of Caracas and now one of its National Assembly representatives, has always been a violent character, from his previous support to coup mongers like Chavez, to organizing the "colectivos" of Caracas which are nothing but an armed thug militia. Under his 8 years tenure Caracas went, of course, from bad to worse, but the regime did establish a firm rein on the political activities within. Now, for example, an opposition politician cannot go publicly to Bolivar square downtown for some wreath laying ceremony.

To add insult to injury Bernal is also a former cop, of the corrupt type. And now he is in charge of some commission to restructure police in Caracas. Whatever, the man has no credibility outside the groups that need dirty jobs done at which he seems to excel. Unfortunately he is a public figure, an elected representative and as such his position would require a minimum of self control. One thing is to insult Obama and the US for political expediency, another one is to admit that gay Venezuelans are second class citizens. Let's look at his words. In an interview today at pro regime Globovision he said the following:

Fascist "journalists" inside the Nazional Assembly of Venezuela

Sometimes there are little items that truly freeze you blood. A certain Dayra Manuela Rivas is a "journalist" at the National Assembly and its TV network, ANTV which is supposed to be our local version of C-span but that is nothing less than a propaganda outlet where opposition representatives not only cannot participate but are now excoriated. You just need to look at the front page to see that ANTV is nothing else but crap, and at tax payer expense.

Just to make sure that you can
see by yourselves that it comes
from the web page of the
Nazional Assembly of VNZL

Today La Patilla revealed an OpEd (yeah, right...) dedicated to trash in the vilest terms Maria Corina Machado. Of course, MCM has been trashed for years along anyone that criticizes the regime. What is novel here is that she is blasted, without evidence, without proof, already sentenced in the web site of the Nazional Assembly of Venezuela by that little shit of Dayra Rivas. The article is not even original, it has all the cliches in use by the regime, all the "reminders" of past crimes that are STILL without trial, without evidence, charges repeated endlessly in the hope that it will make them true.

Give us our daily constitutional violation, and a real hack also

This has gotta be the chavista prayer recently. Since January 5 we can say that the average constitutional violation has been one article a day....  I am not going today into the details because for one thing they may be bait for the opposition and tomorrow they may actually prove that Chavez signed something that Maduro was not allowed to do today but announced anyway (second part of this entry).  but the strange thing is that I am starting to have that feeling that they want the chavista crowds to believe that they are indeed violating the constitution deliberately as a way to show strength.  Woe is us!

Why I am not blogging much lately: the "gimme!" culture of Venezuela

I am not inclined to blog lately because the uselessness of it all on occasion is too much to bear.  Not that I think that my blogging would do much good, but I am reaching a point of getting too embarrassed about "la veulerie" (spinelessness?- 1) of the Venezuelan electorate to write more about it.  The fact of the matter is that in spite of 12 years of mismanagement Chavez has been able to bounce back to parity and up with the opposition in the polls by the mere launching of a "mision vivienda" which cannot be executed properly (a brief calculation of the promise yields that result that the country needs to build, DAILY, 900 housing units for the next 6 years when I know personally that I get into all sorts of trouble to get a couple of cement bags to fix the driveway at work).

Fortunately for us this week Weil at Tal Cual has drawn a BRILLIANT series of cartoons illustrating fabulously well how the largest chunk of the Venezuelan electorate works.

The political culture within chavismo (red berets) and opportunists: DAME = GIVE ME.  With a long nosed Pinocchio doll bait Chavez has no problem fishing for votes.  Extraordinary way, if you ask me, to make the point that even if they know that Chavez is lying once again, well, they still will extend their open hand to receive whatever falls for free.  That cartoon made me sick at heart...

This one in the same vein let's you know that the housing mirage of Chavez is going to work at getting votes even if the result of "mision vivienda" is more than predictable, and disappointment is certain.  But after 2012 when Chavez will be so entrenched in his castle that we are looking at a Libya/Iran/Yemen scenario.

This one is a simple take on the mirage of that latest mision: we all know it is impossible, and even those who ask here know that, as they sense that few will get a cheap to free home.  But they do not care, it is like the lottery, they think all that they will be the lucky winner as long as the regime remains in place.

But why have we become such a "gimme!" culture?  The next cartoon give us the answer: 12 years of "red" discourse, symbolized by that red mosquito.

Observe the nice allusion to the famous say "teach a man to fish...."

For Weil there is no doubt that chavismo has been a cancer on our spirits and he is blunt about it.

"Pancreas Cancer"; "Lung Cancer"; "Conscience Cancer" (with the allusion to chavista "Uh!Ah!, Chavez no se va" as something that will remain in our country psyche long after Chavez is gone).

And finally a clear allusion at how inept and maybe impotent the opposition is at countering such a discourse   But for more on that you will need to wait for a future post :)

"Justice!  Values!  Work!" against the Chavez promises of everything and the sink.

And you want me to keep posting?  What for?

1) I cannot find a good word for the French "veule" which means at the same time weakness of spirit but also the willingness to be weak, spineless, almost amoral.

Portrait of a cynical fascist: Eugenia Sader

Yesterday something quite extraordinary happened: one of Chavez ministers revealed to which extent the moral decomposition of the higher echelons of the regime has come.  Namely, Eugenia Sader, the health minister, also issued from the highly immoral ranks of the Venezuelan army, and thus a true witness of the inhumanity and corruption now existing int eh Venezuelan armed forces.

The point comes during a press conference as she is asking to comment about the nurses of Venezuela who have been protesting for a month, on hunger strikes and sewn mouthes because, gasp, they want to make more than minimum wage, and re-gasp, they want the regime to fulfill the promises it made them and which were never fulfilled.  But the regime is not willing to pay its dues and since it has no money, indentured public servants are becoming the norm.

You do not need to understand the video below, just watch the face, the grimace of Sader as she says that she cannot lower herself to comment on people demanding their rights.  That is the portrait of a fascist, and cynical one if you forgive me the intended redundancy.

Creeps on the way out: Assange and Ron

Today we have news about two creeps, people who have stirred the shit often for no other reason but to make it to the front page.  Their actions eventually never have the full impact they hoped for because, well, let's say it, they never thought much about it or their consequences.

Separated at birth?  Assange and Ron....

Unbelievable!!!! Abject sycophancy at its best!

Three chavista representatives who force voted the University law are now saying that Chavez was right, that he listens to the people in vetoing the University Law!!!  I guess they admit that as representative they never listened to the people that they were supposed to represent....  This one goes for the annals of sycophancy!!!!

The Komissar, a figure we need to get used to

This is my first post under Venezuela's new dictatorship, a neo-totalitarian version adapted to the XXI century reality. We do not know how successful will Chavez adventure be but from now on we must assume that this blogger is writing at his own risk as anything that is posted from now on can be taken against him. But more on that in an oncoming post.

To open this new period in the life of this blog, or at least whatever life is left to it, I have this extraordinary video that I filmed from my TV screen, courtesy of Globovision (and taken from the official VTV, so it is "politically correct", chavista wise). I do not know whether it is available already but I could not wait to bring it to you.

This video is taken during a land grab, an expropriation of a productive farm, a robbery, whichever way you wish to qualify it. It happens following the orders of Chavez as to the lands in the Southern area of Maracaibo lake. It is carried in this particular farm by the agriculture minister himself, Juan Carlos Loyo.

In this extraordinary video, so telling of the mental structure of chavismo today, he behaves like a red Komissar of the USSR of yore. He harangues a crowd probably made of bureaucrats dragged to the scene. Probably some employees of that farm, and an extraordinary amount of military as if it were some invasion or something. All, ALL must listen to the political harangue, red t-shirt included with the picture of famous murdererer Che, and a big gun at the belt that Globovision helpfully circles in red as it is a violation of TV laws at this time of day, by the way. The message is clear, we have not seen such a disppaly of raw arrogance and naked blunt power since the good old days of the Soviet Union.

You do not need to understand the words, it is standard chavista fare, harking back to the 2002 "coup" that is not even an argument anymore as whatever Carmona Estanga tried to do then has been done since, and much worse, by Chavez.  Just concentrate on the body language of what is little bit more than a beefy brute, empowered for verbal violence and waiting for more real violence, butch leather wrist band included.  And the body language of the attendants.



By the way, Loyo is a totally incompetent guy, ill prepared to exert the position of Agricultural Minister but willing to to the dirty job of expropriating whatever Chavez indicates. His name jumped to the front stage when Diego Arria farm, La Carolina, was seized early this year. That got him the promotion that he exhibits today.

Too good to be true but true: a cable on the chavista paranoia

Because a chavista jerk does not speak properly English he calls he makes his representative friend try to arrest the crew of an American Airlines flight.  Do not miss that cable of the US embassy that cannot tell you better what is inside the chavista mind: arrogance, paranoia, ignorance, vendetta, plain idiocy and what not.

Charlabamos con el Presidente Chavez and other misteps of Cristina "cocotte" Fernandez de Kirchner

Yesterday was as bad as one could fear it would.  A monstrous military parade was used to celebrate a most civilian event.  All was late on schedule, all was designed to please Chavez, including him wearing his new disguise of a special military uniform.  El Tiempo de Bogota gives a deserved review of the day, Colombians not being able to even respect Venezuela yesterday.  Heck, Venezuelans did not even respect themselves, why should El Tiempo do it?  this was not Venezuela day, it was another step in Chavez personality cult with the usual hanger-ons paid for (though one wonders what was Leonel Fernandez of Dominican republic doing there?)

The speech of Argentina's president was as vapid and out of place and context as one could be afraid it would.  As a cheap Peronista of mafia like agreements with Chavez she certainly did not disappoint Chavez.  She spoke of all but Venezuela, and some of her rare historical comments were actually historically wrong.  What could you expect from a woman who in such an historical occasion says "we were chatting with President Chavez".  I mean, you certainly were at some point during the day but you do not say that at the tribune of the National Assembly of the country when you are the controversial keynote speaker of the momentous day!  But that is exactly what Chavez wanted, trivialization of the 19 de abril and people like me wasting time on the woman that Manuel Caballero justly nicknamed "cocotte", in French a silly woman that pretends to be as elegant and perfumed as possible.  It is also a double entendre as "cocotte" means stink.  Indeed, what we saw yesterday was the stench of failed leaders but successful thugs trying to find together new justifications for their hold on power at the expense of their people.

Updated: read the Simon Boccanegra today.

Chomsky in Venezuela: may we have a word with you?

Mr. Chomsky

I am going straight to the point: your timing for visiting Chavez sucks. I know that you have expressed your support often enough but visiting now as he is becoming a bona fide dictator is really not your best move. Then again in the past you have had your share of controversies and we should not be surprised that you decided to show your face in Caracas once Hugo Chavez decided to become a radical, to do things you would never put up with in the US. At any rate it would be a nice change from your Pol Pot linking, remember?

But your sense of timing is even worse than what I imply above: there has been live on TV, two Sundays in a row, a set of lies and manipulations by Chavez himself, from the situation of the country to his self proclaimed love for peace. So, in the spirit of trying to help you I will give you a chance to redeem yourself and prove once and for all that you do understand the media really, and not the media you like only. As a bonus you can also prove that you are a democrat and a humanist.

Two weeks ago there was a scandal in the press regarding poor humble women that were seeking help for delivering their babies. Public hospitals in Venezuela are in such shambles that they were sent from one place to the other as no one was in any shape to receive them. "ruleteo" we call it, as in rolling the ball, though the image of Russian roulette comes to mind in this case.

Well, what did Hugo Chavez do? He made it a a-morality play into his Sunday show two weeks ago. There was a woman, duly clad in red, happening to be passing by and seeking help from Chavez directly, saying that her sister was passed along many hospitals. Chavez, grand seigneur, was shocked, shocked!, about such things still happening, justifying along the way the latest purge in his cabinet, while offering his personal surgeon to help the sister in question. His personal surgeon, nothing less.

I trust that just from these words describing the scene you will be smart enough to smell a rat in the Chavez show, you know, media manipulation and obscene control and brain washing and what not. You wrote the books on how single men influence public opinion through controlled media. Did you not? Are you aware that no one in Venezuela's history has been a media mogul the way Chavez is today?

You can find in this link the article on this subject that Milagros Socorro wrote for El Nacional, a newspaper that supported the Chavez election in 1998, a newspaper with a historical leftist reputation since its foundation, and who now sternly opposes Chavez. Food for thought right there.

The article of Ms. Socorro is in Spanish but a linguist like you should have no trouble finding some one to translate it. Heck, if you call Milagros she will probably ask you out for a cup of coffee and enlighten you some. She might not be a world known "intellectual" like you are but I can assure you that she can hold her own with you, even at an advantage because unlike you she is a true humanist, truly and deeply concerned with all human rights, unlike you who seem to pick and chose among them. At any rate she is much more of an intellectual than the military lout you chose to suck up yesterday, she is one fo the finest intellectuals Venezuela has to offer today even though her trade is journalism and writing.

So there you have it, a chance for you to dig where it matters, to prove that you are what you say you are. Either that or you can keep slipping into further disregard as more and more only a loony fringe worships you. And be aware that all that Chavez touches turns into crap, his own reverse Midas touch. It can get much worse for your reputation. You have been warned.

Sincerely

Daniel Duquenal,
humble blogger of humble truths on naked emperors

-The end-

Fascism as an everyday thing

One of the terrifying things about fascism is its ability to become routine, in a way that even communism could not manage. After all fascism has that advantage of making people feel that as long as they do not open their mouth and as long as they do as told they can actually manage a comfortable life, even travel overseas freely, maybe under some conditions, but they could. I suppose that it was that notion among the hoi polloi, that escape was a train ride away, that allowed so many people to remain in their country, not rocking the boat, until one day they realized it was too late and that they were trapped like rats.

I am afraid that we are starting to see some of these things in Venezuela as a largely inert country is not protesting the abuses of the government while allowing it to trash those who disagree with it. This week we have been served copious portion of that.

The ruling chavismo has done in these past two days unspeakable things. They go from the trivial, in a way, to the dastardly.

I suppose it all started yesterday when Caracas was the victim of a major downpour which was able to drown cars in flash floods. Caracas is a valley connected to important side valleys and thus rife with microclimates: you can have a flash flood in Prados del Este while Catia might still have sunshine. Yesterday indeed Prados del Este got such a flash flood while the Western sectors got heavy rains but not as bad. What did gauleiter Faria and her mayor Rodriguez say? that thanks to their joint effort, the collaboration of the chavista communities, and what not including the beloved Supremo, downtown Caracas was safe while the opposition jerks in the Eastern part were swimming back home.

They are of course idiots because as rulers of Caracas they should keep in mind that in 1999 it was Western Caracas that suffered the most and that their turn could come back as early as tomorrow. But of course if that were to happen they would have ready made excuses that will include putting some of the blame on the opposition rulers of Eastern Caracas. Such exchange do not happen in democracies among elected officials of districts counting hundred of thousand of people because democracy creates a sense of shared responsibility. Rodriguez and Faria are well beyond democracy as none of their mistakes can ever be attributed to their in/competence. That is a hallmark of a fascist society: those who utter such nonsense can actually get away with it.

But to the expected trivialities of Faria succeeded today much graver things that truly put a society in front of its obligations: failure to react to what is going on right now will only bring a well deserved punishment to Venezuelan society.

A new general frame law for education is being discussed today at the Nazional Assembly. It was allegedly voted in its first draft a few years ago with nearly 200 articles. Today the government pretends to go directly to the second voted with a law that does not even have a third of the original articles. Thus it is illegal and should be discussed entirely from the start as if it were introduced for the first time.

Now, this legislative coup is bad enough, this type of parliamentary proceedings are in use in totalitarian countries where the "parliament" operates on a schedule mailed to them by the executive branch. But this was not all. Of course, when such an important law is about to be voted, a law that carries inside the death of private education, the final censorship of media in the name of education, the intervention of the government in the classrooms as it wishes through any mechanism it wishes, without any significant right of redress for the parents, the main parties in their children education, you must expect protests. There were two. One was a staged one in support with duly red shirted attendants carried in buses from everywhere, absent of their clerical offices and duties for the day as they were performing what they are really paid for: to attend pro Chavez rallies. The other rally, in protest, was led on foot by the presidents of all major universities of Venezuela and their students, taking away from their summer vacation to defend their education rights. That second one was savagely repressed, tear gas and fascist red shirts included for the beating.

While these events took place the Nazional Assembly president, Cilia Flores, had the chutzpah to declare that the Assembly supported the measures to reestablish order, and order that her red shirts and her police had broken. But that was not all. In a day that was supposed to devote itself entirely to the education law, the chair changed the agenda without notice to bring in the nation's ombudsman, Gabriela Ramirez, who instead of defending human rights abused outside came with the excuse of presenting her annual report to announce that her office was switching from a outdated vision of Human Rights as the protection of the individual to explain that chavismo was about the protection of the collective rights above the private ones, that all rights were equal. I wonder if this poor soul, this simpleton of an ombudsman put there to make sure that Chavez would not be strained in his actions, realizes how incredibly fascist her words were. Is it not the best way to annul essential rights to equate them with minor rights? Was not the Fuhrer the embodiment of the German Nation? Was it not his role to ensure the felicity of all by suppressing the individualities of the country?

In front of such abuse the tiny recently created opposition group at the assembly decided to withdrew from the "debate" because in their opinion even voting NO was already offensive for their dignity, was giving too much legitimacy to such a law, to such a presentation. Chavismo should be alone in such an abuse, should be left alone and vote that law 100% to carry the full burden of guilt in this latest ignominy.

And yet that was not all. A group of journalists from the Capriles group decided on their own to protest the new education law that they see as attempting to their right of free speech. Naively they thought that taking some time off from work to distribute some leaflets in front of their office would be peaceful and creative enough. Little did they know. Apparently from the chavista ghetto of Avila TV a few blocks away came a horde of red shirts who beat them up in full daylight, in full main avenue. The result was 12 injured. Note one thing of importance: these journalists work for Ultimas Noticias, the flagship of the Capriles group and a newspaper who mostly supports chavismo. The message is quite clear, if the opposition march was repressed with tear gas, dissension within chavismo would be repressed with blood. May I remind folks that among the first victims of Hitler we can count his devoted S.A.? There is no greater fury in fascism but the one for those who dare emit an original opinion from within.

And to end such a rich day of examples let' look at the words of Eleazar Diaz Rangel, the director of Ultimas Noticias who once an important journalists defender of human rights and social justice has sold his soul to Chavez. Forced to pronounce himself on the attack against the journalists that work under his guidance he could not come out quite clear that the aggressors were chavistas, backpedaling from earlier words, trying pathetically to find an excuse, and thus confirming the title of this post. May Eleazar Diaz Rangel become the text book example on how one can self vilify, sacrificing his colleagues when the heat reaches him.

-The end-

Red shirts in action: Lina Ron shows us fascism "y del bueno"

Updated!

Meanwhile, as Diosdado Cabello and Luisa Ortega are closing media and making laws to speed jail thought criminals, Chavez's PSUV was organizing its red shirts brigades. What for?

If in this first picture they might seem to be "bon enfant", an organization to support each other in a giving neighborhood, you know, to bring soup to the elderly and discuss how they can help the glorious bolivarian revolution. There are unfortunately elements that lead us to think that they are in fact a new attempt by chavismo to organize its hard core faithful to control at least the neighborhoods that could politically slip away from chavista control (1). Or worse, as the attack on Globovision today tells us as bluntly as anyone could wish it told.

Around 1 PM Lina Ron came with a few of her storm troopers and forced the entry of Globovision in spite of the objections of the police guarding it, amen of the private guards hired by Globovision. Inside they created a scandal, threw tear gas bombs, had a few fistfights and eventually left. You can see the videos here where Lina Ron is perfectly identifiable, videos that in any court of law would be enough to put that woman in jail for a few months until she cools off some. Nobody is holding his breath even as the government in front of such brazen violence had no option but to condemn the attack by one of its most loyal (fanatic? crazed?) supporters.

Thus allow me to be doubtful as the new PSUV brigades being organized everywhere will be for the common good of the country, to allow me to sleep tight at night in the full knowledge that the fatherland will be safe from a Colombian invasion and that crime will be monitored in such ways that it would not matter were I to forget to lock the two safety doors that are at the entrance of my home.

No, these groups, such as the Lina Ron group, are nothing else but CDR, Comites de Defensa de la Revolucion like in Cuba whose main function it to rat on anyone who does not show enough enthusiasm during Chavez cadenas. And whose secondary function is to knock at my door to threaten me, to search my home as needed. After all Diosdado Cabello did threaten Media owners directly, why should we be surprise that Lina Ron acted upon the threat to voluntarily execute his bidding?

Added later: I realize that the title might not be clear if you follow irregularly Venezuelan matters. It is a reference to Chavez who during the referendum campaign of early this year asked the Nazional Guard to repress student protest using "tear gas, and the best one", gas y del bueno. This has become now a current expression in Venezuela when abuses are reported or suffered, to signify that there is a special kind of violence reserved for certain choice opponents. As fascist as it gets, no?

Update: Globovision treats us with a lovely video of Lina Ron's political life highlights.

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

(1) let's not forget other multiple attempts at organizing such groups, starting with the "bolivarian circles" of earlier chavista days.

-The end-

Back to the future: experiencing what is coming our way in Venezuela

We had in very recent days a direct threat to state take over of some media on the flimsiest of excuses; a clear desire to put the country on an international conflict, wished by Chavez only; and yesterday the official announcement that thought crimes are about to become a day to day reality (this blogger is refusing to think how that will affect him since the Internet will become the main source of news once that crime thought law is enacted).

This Friday we got a few examples on how these chavista decisions are going to affect our future, in chilly ways. In no particular order.

Diosdado Cabello closes TV and radio stations

The promised deed happened: defeated Miranda governor, notorious corrupt minister of Chavez and apparently the second in command after Chavez today decided to do his master biding and closed 34 private radio stations. The excuses are mostly ridiculous, since apparently if you have a radio license and you die the government claims to be allowed to regain on the act your license, and too bad for the tools you thought to leave to your heirs, the people that worked for you or the debts your station might have had. Because we all know from experience that Chavez cannot be bothered with such trivia.

Of course the government in an utmost act of cynicism made it perfectly clear why it was closing the stations: one of the victims is the Belfort Group, owner of ONLY 5 radio stations in 5 different markets, and whose crime was to transmit a portion of the noted Globovision talk show, Alo Ciudadano. There you have it, the talk show most damaging to chavista pretensions, Alo Cidadano directed by Leopoldo Castillo, was the target for which all of these flimsy excuses were invented.

And more are promised as chavista media does not title "34 radio stations closed" as opposition media titles, they do "first 34 stations closed" That is, the objective as far as chavistas know is that enough radio stations will be closed until the government ones dominate the airwaves once and for all. See, chavismo "esta claro".

To be continued for sure, the more so when today Diosdado Cabello also said this, echoing and defending yesterday attack by Luisa Ortega: "Freedom of expression is not the most sacred freedom". If any of my readers, chavista or not, does not understand what is going on yet, please, let me know.

A new electoral law is voted, and chavismo will only need a relative majority to control at least 2/3 of the Nazional Assembly (that without counting the other electoral fraud)

I will dedicate a major post on the new electoral law, as I was waiting to see the final version beofre I do the electoral analysis that many readers have come to expect from me. However I need to include this comment today because of the timing, that the law gets its second reading on the day after Ortega made her infamous speech and on the day Diosdado starts closing radio stations.

It is clear, no? How is the opposition going to do an electoral campaign if it does not have access to the radio station talk shows? Because at election time all sorts of serious studies have established that opposition has only a minimal access to state media and only in the few weeks before elections when observers hang around. Heck, thsi is even mentioned in international observers reports on Venezuela elections.

Thus keep it clear in your mind, the new electoral law, the closing of media and the additional attacks on private property are designed to make sure that the opposition has neither the means nor the accesses it needs to have its massage out. And let's not forget the possibility of banning folks from running for office simple through and administrative decision: "charges" have been presented against Ledezma at the comptroller office. Thus as Ledezma star rises after his recent successes chavismo is getting ready to simply forbid him to run for election.

You may continue watching for further type of electoral fraud, the more Chavez polls numbers tank, at least as long as we can keep making polls.

Chavista "private enterprise" bosses are breaking up with Colombia

There is always the need for comic relief satisfied no matter how threatening chavismo tries to be.

All these measures woudl not be enough or woudl not be necessary were it not for the amount of people that are willing to subject themselves to such arbitrariness. After all plenty of Germans knew about concentration camps and did not lose any sleep over that. Today a group of Venezuelans showed to us what is the type of future society that Chaevz is preparing, a world of silent cowards a sycophantic profiteers. And brazenly shameless of course, maybe for our tropical nature.

As you know chavismo has been diligently trying to split apart Venezuelan society since it reached power. It has been an "ours against theirs" since I can remember with Chavez. As such it was only natural that chavismo, this XXI century socialism of nationalization and state intervention, would still take the time to create a totally artificial confederation of private enterprises. There were enough to sign for that, of course, namely all of those in need of official contracts to live off as a way to hide their inefficiency and lack of international class, or because the state is their natural client so they can be partially excused I suppose. Thus was born EMPREVEN to try to annul FEDECAMARAS who still remains the rump foundation of what it used to be, not because people are afraid to belong to FEDECAMARAS, but because everyday there is less and less private business available and able to join.

Guess what? EMPREVEN decided to break with Colombia today, probably the first case in history of a capitalist refusing to sell the rope to the one willing to hang him (OK, OK, I am forcing the cliche!). According to them there is no problem replacing Colombia, prices will increase but that is a small price to pay for the respect of Venezuelan laws and punish warmonger Uribe. And other such delicious ly sycophancies that any businessman should know better than express, even if he supports Chavez by ideology....

There is always the opportunist in such circumstances and the president of Fedeindustria had no problem to say that Venezuela could manufacture what is imported from Colombia provided financing is available. Why did they not produce it before? What was stopping them? I mean, the cynicism in indirectly asking money to Chavez is just staggering.....

Meanwhile real businessmen such as nationalized Swiss cement maker Holcim are refusing to deal with what the government is willing to offer: they will go to arbitration. Money matters always make for interesting "To be continued".

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

I am sure were to keep digging for more example I could add a few gems to this entry, but I trust that you all get the point: Chaevz is starting to harvest the benefits of the amoral society he has been trying to set since 1999.

And it is just starting.

-The end-

When the Caracas Metro is just a tinker toy for some chavista apparatchik

Some days when I see how out of touch with the common folk chavismo is becoming I get my hopes up. Surely, once looting is considered, a government whose plans for the country cannot go beyond Mercal and free aspirin cannot last that long. The case I have at hand is a double fold treat for you: corrupt incompetents at the Caracas Subway and plain corruption at the Caracas cable car (but that for a following post).

You will forgive me if I go into a very long post but the details are important here as Caracas will have to live forever with the consequences.

How the design of Metro Line 5 is changed as the crisis keeps evolving?

The Caracas subway system is in dire need of expansion, the more so that the centralization policies of Chavez are going to keep increasing the population of Caracas out of any measure. It is to be noted that in 10 years of rule Chavez has only inaugurated a short segment of 3 metro stations, all duly planned and contracted before he took office. We can also count an extension of Line 3 with 4 stations still not working fully (I think one is not open at all). For the record the other 38 stations were opened by 4 presidents, that is, an average of 9 stations by 5 year term, and all of these presidents with way less resources than Chavez has had.

But I am not going to get into the details on how incompetent chavismo has been in managing and building public transportation in Caracas and its far distant suburbia: I would need a full blog devoted to the topic. Instead, the president of Caracas Metro since last January, Claudio Farias, gave us this week a perfect symbol on all that is wrong with chavismo, as it is getting into its 11th year or "planification".

The work on line 5 has been advancing slowly. So slowly in fact that now that chavismo has run out of money. Seeing that Caracas is not voting for Chavez anymore, he is looking for ways to save money and screw us along the road. One simple way to do that is to remove two subway stations out of line 5.

Now, you can argue that well, we are in time of crisis, these stations could be built later, it is more important to do at least the line, and whatever other reasons as we find in countries even slightly less dysfunctional than Venezuela. But when you read the words of Claudio Farias you know that nothing of the sort was considered, that some late night in Miraflores, desperately looking for corners to cut, Chavez and his minions just decided to cut off two metro stations. I am putting the words in Spanish first, with the (sic) added by El Universal and then my translation.

"La línea 5 ha sufrido quizás un retraso. Pero las estamos replanteando, pues nos parece que es una línea que no tiene ningún sentido"; "Esa es una línea que beneficia a la oligarquía (...) Las Mercedes, hermano, la Principal de Las Mercedes va a tener dos estaciones en la propuesta cuando todo el mundo que va a Las Mercedes va (sic) en su carro a los restaurantes. ¿Se necesita que la Principal de Las Mercedes tenga dos estaciones? Ni siquiera, La Hoyada y Capitolio"; "La estación Bello Campo que está al lado del Gustavo Herrera. ¿A quién beneficia esa estación cuando tiene al lado Chacao y Altamira? Nosotros estamos planteando que esa estación sea eliminada. Esa estación no beneficiaría a nadie, en lo absoluto. Ya se hizo el estudio".

“Line 5 may have suffered a delay [talk about an understatement!]. But we are questioning it, because it seems to us that this line makes no sense”; “This is a line that benefits the oligarchy (…) Las Mercedes, brother, the Principal [avenue] of Las Mercedes is going to have two stops in the proposal when every one that goes to Las Mercedes go (sic) in his car to the restaurants. Does La Principal de Las Mercedes need two stations? Not even La Hoyada and Capitolio.”; “The Bello Campo Station that is next to the Gustavo Herrera [famous high school] who does it benefit when it has nearby Chacao and Altamira? We want this station to be eliminated. This station will benefit no one, absolutely. We have done the study” [a study which is nowhere to be found by the way]

There is so much wrong in this that feeble minds would be at a loss as to where to start. But I know my history, I know how traffic is in Caracas and I know how to use the Metro even if it has become an exercise I avoid as much as possible, if anythign for the Ali Primera music forced on us.



The first thing that Claudio misses is the original purpose of Line 5 , probably already under planning by the time Chavez was preparing his 1992 coup. Then Claudio was in all likelihood a small time neighborhood thug, a time from which he kept his speech ways. If you look at the Subway map above you will notice immediately the East West direction, to which lateral valleys are connected. The geology dictates that but the uncontrolled and unplanned growth makes this natural handicap a disaster. Note: line 5 is line 4 on this "official map" but chavismo loves to change names and numbers.

Soon after Line 1 was was opened there was an interesting phenomenon observed: whenever an "accident" happened in the Metro, everybody was late to work or for home. That is, a single East West line was very vulnerable to, say, a suicide, and all Caracas would be affected. Soon it became obvious that Line 1 was insufficient and that is when plans for line 5 and a still distant third parallel line were accelerated. It might seem crazy in a way to make so many parallel lines but the human circulation justifies them perfectly well. If you doubt me just drive around Caracas between 4 and 7 PM, East West, or North South blocked by East West, and get back to me.

The second thing is that Claudio totally misses the structure of the neighborhood where he decided to suppress a station. This is better explained looking at the map below lifted from El Nacional.


Claudio might be Metro director but he obviously does not take the subway to go home at night, and certainly not through almost any of the stations featured in this graph.

First, why Bello Campo should not be closed

True, Bello Campo RIGHT NOW would not be a major Caracas station, but that does not mean it is not important contrary to what our Amateur Metro president thinks. Chacao is another extremely busy station at rush hour and Bello Campo would be a nice option for the harassed office workers. And Bello Campo is close from a major shopping Mall and other commercial areas that depend on Chacao station, causing a lot of traffic congestion. Last but not least Bello Campo is one of the few neighborhoods in an area where there is possible business development that would happen for sure once a subway station is built, releasing the pressure on small areas like historical Chacao to survive as inhabited areas. Not to mention that Bello Campo would be next door to a lower class wedge between Altamira and Bello Campo! Are those not supposed to be chavista voters?

Chacaito Las Mercedes now

• Chacaito is the busiest station of the area, maybe Caracas, because form there leave all the buses that go South, to Middle Class Prados del Este as well as to Lower Class Las Minas. As such the Chacaito area is usually collapsed half of the day by buses parked in double and triple file.
• One or two of the Las Mercedes stations will pick up these bus traffic leaving Chacaito only for bus routes for Northern areas of Caracas or out of Caracas.
• If Las Mercedesi s eliminated, one of the arguments of Claudio falls down because the distance between Bello Monte and Tamanaco would be simply too long.
• Also the Principal de Las Mercedes is long enough to deserve two stations. Depending on where exactly the station is located the La Hoyada Capitolio dimwit statement falls flat on its face.
• South of Chacaito there is a lot of business and commerce and a Las Mercedes station would be a nice option for the folks working there, further decongesting Chacaito.
  

And more other arguemtns that I coudl write, but I have saved for the end the utter idiocy of Claudio argument.

He says that the only folks that go Las Mercedes are rich people hitting the dining/party circuit. I cannot think of a crassest statement, of a more horrifying nouveau-riche-let-them-eat- cake reason. What about all the waiters, the cooks, the bartenders, the garbage collectors, the sales clerk, etc, etc that work in Las Mercedes? Are they not entitled to a fast subway ride too?

What we see here is a got-fat Claudio Farias who now has a chauffeur, a Metro assigned car and possibly body guards and even a police or two on motorbikes stopping traffic to let him go through while the hoi poloi watches. This is how low the chavismo servants have fallen, how far from the needs of the people. Surely they will notice, won't they?

Note on Farias. He used to work with Diosdado Cabello who brought him to the Metro once he was unseated in Miranda State. He is a nobody but he is very willing to do all the dirty work and to suck up wherever it is needed. If we consider the amount of corruption reports on the Cabello tenure at Miranda's helm we can also assume that Claudio is a a "trusted" adviser of Cabello and thus a corrupt individual. The Internet on a quick glance reveals the following:

He used to be a Metro employee, even holding a station management, according to pro Chavez ABN. The lack of details leaves us to think that he went as far as he would have gone, thus not great management prospect to direct the Metro alone. But let's assume that I am wrong.

His mission is clear: further introduce politics into the Metro, as for example this inauguration of a Che Guevara center for Metro employees.

His initial promises that all would be better came to a crash landing within three months of his tenure. Apparently there is a witch hunt inside the Metro where people not solidly rojo-rojito are removed, and it started with his arrival.

His mismanagement goes from pretending to sign contracts that no one is clear about to organize the system in such an unsafe way that 80 Metro depending bus burnt a few days ago. Some people rumor that the fire was deliberate because these stocked bus were out of service due to very deficient maintenance and they wanted to avoid an inquiry. Not to mention possible juicy commissions to replace these buses. Note that he might have done that himself, but clearly he is not controlling his subordinates.

So you see it by yourself, the quality of public servants that Chavez is imposing on us, the kind of people that are making decisions about the future of Caracas. Guess who will pay the bills later? Not them, I can assure you, comfortably ensconced far from where justice can reach them.

-The end-

Power Grab in Venezuela

[erratum] It is not me saying it, it is the Washington Post in today's editorial. Do not miss it, as complete in a few paragraphs as it gets.

The last line is just great:
His power grab is a backhanded tribute to the strength of Venezuela's democratic opposition -- proof that this tribune of the people actually fears them.

But there is an interesting detail for which I will ask the collaboration of the readers of this blog. Read the comments on this editorial and you will read a collection of PSF old and tired clichés. I mean, really old and really tired. You must know that there is concerted effort by the Venezuelan government to discredit the WaPo, all started by a letter from Izarrita (a.k.a. Andres Izarra the on and off communications minister). If you read the comments you will quickly realize this, by the lack of originality, the repetitive tone, etc... No point of course in rebutting these people, do not waste a minute of your precious time. However if you could drop a simple note of support it would be great (you need to register, sorry, but it is for a good cause and the Post does not send spam). The note could be simply "Excellent editorial! Great to see that the Washington Post sees clearly the situation in Venezuela." Let's see if this blog by itself can place as many positive notes as the negatives Izarrita is trying to send.

And in case you wondered who are the people besides the comment handles, one of them is probably Greg Wilpert at Venezuelanalysis. His descent into pro Chavez sycophancy is making him a strange version of a XXI century Tokyo Rose. It is amazing that someone would put his pen so easily at the service of justifying the disqualification of folks for political motives. He goes as far as writing that Primero Justicia was a political party in 1998 when it was just an NGO, becoming a party two years later, I believe. He also forgets, conveniently, that the real accusation was to use some budget money to pay employees instead of something else of the budget, due to Chavez not sending the funds owed to Chacao. But Chavez does fund shifting all the time and Ruffian is blind to it, hence Wilpert accomplice silence?. That Leopoldo Lopez did not profit himself of a single penny does not seem to bother Greg Wilpert either. Then again the Tascon list does not seem to have deprived him of sleep in its days.

[erratum] I put the wrong link for the editorial. Sorry. It is corrected now.

-The end-

Weil and the 26 laws, with Cilia Flores bonus

Ah! We can always count on Weil at critical moments! As usual he says more in a cartoon than the blogosphere posts combined.


What we read here is loosely translatable as: What do you mean? The 26 laws were discussed there.

The there is of course the rubber stamp assembly presided by Silly Flowers who has been way more busy putting dozens of relatives and friends on the National Assembly payrolls. The puppet of the State Capitol with a little flower as flag is just a masterstroke!

-The end-

The power couple goes unscathed

This is just a little addendum to the previous post. There is one question which answer would be most interesting. We did see some "punishment" meted out with the new cabinet, in particular the exit of Rodriguez and Lara which are appointed to bear the official brunt of losing the December 2 referendum.

Yet, two of the characters that have failed Chavez the most through 2007 kept their jobs. I am talking about the Maduro-Flores couple.