The day starts with yet another lousy NYT article from Juan Forero
Tuesday 2, March 2004
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Note added later: I made a mistake in part of this post but this one has been duly corrected in a subsequent post.
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The New York Times ineffable Juan Forero has yet another article that again indirectly supports Chavez. Well, the indirectly is a figure of speech. I will write the main criticism below and give you now the letter to the editor address for those of us that would like to share their indignation: letters@nytimes.com Let's hear it for the power of bloggging!
Venezuelans' Plan to Recall Chavez Faces a Setback
By JUAN FORERO
Published: March 2, 2004
CARACAS, Venezuela, March 1 — A campaign by opposition groups for a recall referendum to try to oust President Hugo Chávez appeared on the brink of collapse on Monday.
True
Opposition leaders, expecting election officials to disqualify enough of the 3.4 million signatures they have collected for a recall to keep the measure off the ballot, accused Mr. Chavez of influencing the process.
True, except that these accusations of Chavez meddling date from months and months ago. Mr. Forero would like us to believe that the opposition are spoiled brats are just now accusing Chavez of intromission! And of course forgetting to mention all the constant fiery speeches and threats agaisnt the council were they to give Chavez an adverse decision. It has been a constant of Mr. Forero (and Vice president Rangel among others) to constantly downplay the declarations of Chavez.
Protesters battled national guard troops across the country in antigovernment demonstrations that began Friday and have gained momentum.
On Monday, young men threw bottles at government troops and burned tires to block streets, and at least in one Caracas district, broke into a shop and destroyed property. The country's privately owned television stations, which have sided with the opposition against the left-leaning president, beamed pictures of chaos throughout the day.
National guard troops have fought back with tear gas and armored vehicles. Two people have died since Friday and several dozen have been hurt, several of them critically.
Interestingly ther is no real comment about the unusual violence of the National Guard, just crowd control as usual!!!!!!!! And what about the political prisoners?
"Why are the people in the street?" asked Henry Ramos, leader of the Democratic Action Party and an opponent of Mr. Chávez. "Because they see that the government is trying to steal their democratic rights."
BIG MISTAKE! Ramos is a main leader of Causa R! A party that rose as a strong opposition to Democratic Action, from its left! This is just nothing more that echoing Chavez line that all the opposition is the same! Unacceptable for someone that pretends to inform on Venezuela!!!!!!!!!
Government officials accused the opposition, including municipal officials in Caracas, of fomenting violence and inflating the troubles to destabilize the country.
"There are politicians with government duties who appear to be functioning as leaders of urban guerrillas because they are going against the peace and security," Gen. Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro, the defense minister, told the government's Venpres news agency.
The opposition has tried to dislodge Mr. Chavez, a populist who won office in 1998, through a short-lived coup in 2002 and four big national strikes. Nothing has worked, and since last year the broad-based opposition movement has worked for a referendum.
But on Monday, the probability of a vote seemed slim as the five-member National Electoral Council disputed with the Carter Center, which is based in Atlanta, over whether the American group would continue its role as a mediator here.
Note the maliciousness! As if the 5 members were picking a fight with the Carter Center!!!!!!!!!! When there is a bitter division and reports of the Carter Center unamasking irregular maoevers within the council pro Chavez factions! Unbelievable!
The president of the council, Francisco Carrasquero, held a news conference to announce that the Carter Center was leaving the country. Jennifer McCoy, the center's representative, said she planned to stay.
"I want to make it clear that the Carter Center mission remains in Venezuela," she told reporters.
Even so, the opposition has had little luck in trying to prod the council into altering a preliminary decision that hundreds of thousands of signatures were flawed. The official announcement, which has been delayed for two days, is to be made Tuesday, an electoral official announced late on Monday.
More "omissions"! The delays are now over one month!!!!!!!!! Pretending that a country goes up in flammes over a two days delay is tendencious and patronizing, just in the tone by the way of a recent NYT editorial that I reviewed a few days ago! The official announcement was due on January 19!
Under the constitutional provision for a recall vote, 2.4 million valid signatures are required to place it on the ballot. The opposition collected 3.4 million signatures. (Venezuela's population is 25 million.)
Well, at least a good point here!
But election officials were expected to invalidate 400,000 signatures and to require additional verification of a million others. That would bring the number of validated signatures below the required total.
The council has said a million signatures could go through a five-day "repair period," starting on March 18, in which citizens could confirm that they had signed at one of the 1,000 sites nationwide. But diplomats monitoring the process and opposition leaders said the process is so challenging technically that it could end any chance of a referendum.
True again. But Forero does not mention the illegal retroactive rules that have suddenly out of nowhere allowed the CNE to backtrack in what had previously been approved. This is a MAJOR omission from Forero, a crucial observation necessary to explain what is going on in Venezuela.
Some opposition leaders expressed disappointment with the Organization of American States, which had brokered a deal between the government and its opponents that the opposition leaders thought would lead to a recall vote. "They told us that this was the quickest path," said Antonio Ledezma, an opposition leader.
Mr. Chavez, in a fiery speech on Sunday, said his government would recognize the signatures and would permit a referendum if enough signatures were "repaired." But opponents continued to assert that the new measure was nothing more than a delaying tactic aimed at ensuring that Mr. Chavez remained in power.
True.
Under the country's electoral guidelines, if the recall takes place after Aug. 20, Mr. Chavez's vice president could finish out his term. Opponents fear that if that happens, Mr. Chavez would rule from behind the scenes while campaigning to win the next presidential elections, in 2006.
And people would go for that? Maybe that is why they are in the streets Mr. Forero. Get a clue!!!!
The Bush administration, which has clashed repeatedly with Mr. Chavez, has expressed support for a recall vote. Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said, "The focus should remain on the efforts by the Venezuelan people to exercise their constitutional and democratic rights" in "a transparent and internationally monitored presidential recall referendum."
Meanwhile the recent attacks and insults against the US are omitted.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
A very confusing day: part 2
The whole story
01/03/2004
News were varied through the day. EL Universal English section has a good list of events and I will just supplement them.
Let’s start with the Electoral Board, CNE. Yet again any final decision had to be postponed. However a public and disgraceful spat happened between the president of the CNE, Carrasquero and one of the director of the opposition, Mejias, who stated strongly her objections to the manipulations going on. He simply said that she should be fired by the high court. But worse, he announced that the Carter Center and the OAS were leaving because of Mejias, only to be contradicted by these ones soon after! He came back a few minutes later and in an even more pathetic announcement said that he had not lied and was mislead. Easier than admit that he shot from the hip. Of course NEVER taking questions, arriving accompanied with National Guards and leaving surrounded by them. Mr. Carrasquero has lost today any credibility. And one wonders if there is ANY hope to have the CNE reach a working scheme again with these characters. Meanwhile there is another 24 hours of discussion with the Carter center and the OAS probably burning their last shots at mediation, as Carrasquero is now openly annoyed with them.
Troubles continued all around the country, not only in Caracas. Yaracuy was particularly active, for once, and the repression stern and no apologies from the local NG commander. It is to be noted that Yaracuy being in the opposition is certainly a state were the NG would love to put Governor Lapi in trouble. But troubles were everywhere and arrests were by the dozens, my neighbor state Lara by itself with 36 including several political leaders. Tales of abuses are also surfacing as some are released or some of the arrests have witness coming through. Amnesty International I understand has made a statement on this.
This did not stop the defense minister to claim that it was only a few weirdos in rich neighborhoods that were causing all the trouble. Well, as I was going back home from a vantage point I could see all sorts of smoke columns rising over the city. I took this picture in particular just before night fall. You can see three independent columns of smoke. Two of them come from an area behind one hill which separates Petare low income areas from El Llanito a lower middle class area. These ARE NOT wealthy neighborhoods, dear Mr. Defense Minister. But Mr. Carneiro, who gained his three stars by fidelity rather by any personal merit, has lost any inhibition in making up stuff. These is the guy that is in charge of our security. In the past few days there is enough reason to bring him to trial if there is ever justice again.
To finish tonight. Explosions and gun shots are still been heard at this late hour but at least they are spotty. What will happen tomorrow?
The whole story
01/03/2004
News were varied through the day. EL Universal English section has a good list of events and I will just supplement them.
Let’s start with the Electoral Board, CNE. Yet again any final decision had to be postponed. However a public and disgraceful spat happened between the president of the CNE, Carrasquero and one of the director of the opposition, Mejias, who stated strongly her objections to the manipulations going on. He simply said that she should be fired by the high court. But worse, he announced that the Carter Center and the OAS were leaving because of Mejias, only to be contradicted by these ones soon after! He came back a few minutes later and in an even more pathetic announcement said that he had not lied and was mislead. Easier than admit that he shot from the hip. Of course NEVER taking questions, arriving accompanied with National Guards and leaving surrounded by them. Mr. Carrasquero has lost today any credibility. And one wonders if there is ANY hope to have the CNE reach a working scheme again with these characters. Meanwhile there is another 24 hours of discussion with the Carter center and the OAS probably burning their last shots at mediation, as Carrasquero is now openly annoyed with them.
Troubles continued all around the country, not only in Caracas. Yaracuy was particularly active, for once, and the repression stern and no apologies from the local NG commander. It is to be noted that Yaracuy being in the opposition is certainly a state were the NG would love to put Governor Lapi in trouble. But troubles were everywhere and arrests were by the dozens, my neighbor state Lara by itself with 36 including several political leaders. Tales of abuses are also surfacing as some are released or some of the arrests have witness coming through. Amnesty International I understand has made a statement on this.
This did not stop the defense minister to claim that it was only a few weirdos in rich neighborhoods that were causing all the trouble. Well, as I was going back home from a vantage point I could see all sorts of smoke columns rising over the city. I took this picture in particular just before night fall. You can see three independent columns of smoke. Two of them come from an area behind one hill which separates Petare low income areas from El Llanito a lower middle class area. These ARE NOT wealthy neighborhoods, dear Mr. Defense Minister. But Mr. Carneiro, who gained his three stars by fidelity rather by any personal merit, has lost any inhibition in making up stuff. These is the guy that is in charge of our security. In the past few days there is enough reason to bring him to trial if there is ever justice again.
To finish tonight. Explosions and gun shots are still been heard at this late hour but at least they are spotty. What will happen tomorrow?
A very confusing day: part 1
My story
01/03/2004
It has been quite a day and trying to make a chronological sense of it is useless for me as I spent more than half of it walking in the neighborhood. I will start first with what was my day since I already put up the pictures.
Early today barricades were set up. By 9 it was impossible to go to work and actually nobody had been able to make it there. So I decided to take a walk along Boulevard El Cafetal. This is an area that was designed in the 60 ies and 70 ies which was made as high rises for the then prosperous middle class of Venezuela, then composed with a large amount of public employees. The wealthier ones did manage to get houses, the more middle of the road packed up in high rises. El Cafetal was one of the first area to go against Chavez as early as the 2000 elections. Still, many public servants supporting Chavez do live here and except for some occasional cacerolazo we do manage.
It was just with great surprised that I witnessed today the grim determination. Every major intersection was barred with trees, garbage cans, trash and what not. They were actually well organized as only ambulances could go by, and quickly! I saw three cases in my long walk.
The end of my walk was Chuao. Going further was going to bring me close to the Army that was blocking Altamira. Nobody was going that way except for an occasional biker. Thus I went back.
I did spend some time with the Chuao barricade. People were actually having some fun. Some had walky talkies and I could observe that there was a network of sorts. Some of the motor bikes I saw regularly, surveying all the area and trying to detect infiltrados, that is people spying on the area. If not worse.
All these barricades had something in common: something was always burning. They also had another thing in common: constant over fly of choppers from the security police. Eventually I came back home for lunch.
As I was editing my pics, I heard that the National Guard, or should say as of now the Nazi-onal Guard was attacking the Caurimare entrance. I dropped everything, put back my shoes and went walking toward there.
Now, right there I was a little bit suspicious. Why would the NG try to penetrate an area obviously hostile that could even be armed and able to shoot at them from high rises in a rather narrow canyon of buildings? I would have understood first an attack from Chuao which abuts the local airport, but Caurimare did not seem an important target. In addition it reaches the middle of the Boulevard and then they would have two split and march both senses. The only logical explanations for me were that they were testing our resolve and more importantly, advancing ground from the main Caracas highway that they want to keep open at any cost. A large march from El Cafetal could easily go through Caurimare to the highway.
I arrived at San Luis and asking for info I was told that we better stay there in case Caurimare falls. The idea been to create a series of obstacles. Many wanted to push forward. During all this time I saw a series of people, many women among them, preparing Molotov's cocktails! Cheap Venezuelan gas or diesel in Venezuelan beer bottles. I must admit that I was duly impressed.
Eventually I decided to push on to Caurimare. On the way there I was asked by some people to carry stones. I told them that I am not good at throwing anything but they asked me to carry them to a "storage area". Well, why not? And I suddenly noticed that behind some trees they had more bombs!!!!
When I arrived on top of the avenue, before it starts going down again to go the Caracas valley, lots of shouting greeted the small group of people that was walking with me. Apparently a suspicious black corolla was spotted and I must observe that it refused to stop! Then a number of people started running back in some sort of panic screaming "sharp shooters on a motor bike"! I dropped my stones and started running back, but seeing some people getting into a building’s garage I decided to wait there behind a wall. Although nothing came I heard some distant noise. People kept pushing back and I decided to go back to San Luis. The wisdom of the decision would be confirmed within a couple of minutes as firemen trucks went that way to the entry of Caurimare. 3 of them! Even if the NG wanted to press through it would not be able to go through the trucks.
Back in San Luis I learned that the NG had indeed attacked with tear gas and one of the canisters had found its way through a window of the hospital that is at the entry of Caurimare. Two floors had to be evacuated, injuries, Red Cross flags were raised, just as in a real war! That was the end of the NG attack, at least for the day as quickly networks reported on yet another assault on Human Rights. Really, a few beer bottles and some stones against tear bomb cannons that reach a hospital high on a small cliff...
I did hang out for a little bit chit chatting with a few folks. Several told me their stories of Friday when they were gassed completely. They are not afraid to be gassed again.
I went back home. Without any glorious deed, but that is fine with me. There will always be an opportunity at some point.
My story
01/03/2004
It has been quite a day and trying to make a chronological sense of it is useless for me as I spent more than half of it walking in the neighborhood. I will start first with what was my day since I already put up the pictures.
Early today barricades were set up. By 9 it was impossible to go to work and actually nobody had been able to make it there. So I decided to take a walk along Boulevard El Cafetal. This is an area that was designed in the 60 ies and 70 ies which was made as high rises for the then prosperous middle class of Venezuela, then composed with a large amount of public employees. The wealthier ones did manage to get houses, the more middle of the road packed up in high rises. El Cafetal was one of the first area to go against Chavez as early as the 2000 elections. Still, many public servants supporting Chavez do live here and except for some occasional cacerolazo we do manage.
It was just with great surprised that I witnessed today the grim determination. Every major intersection was barred with trees, garbage cans, trash and what not. They were actually well organized as only ambulances could go by, and quickly! I saw three cases in my long walk.
The end of my walk was Chuao. Going further was going to bring me close to the Army that was blocking Altamira. Nobody was going that way except for an occasional biker. Thus I went back.
I did spend some time with the Chuao barricade. People were actually having some fun. Some had walky talkies and I could observe that there was a network of sorts. Some of the motor bikes I saw regularly, surveying all the area and trying to detect infiltrados, that is people spying on the area. If not worse.
All these barricades had something in common: something was always burning. They also had another thing in common: constant over fly of choppers from the security police. Eventually I came back home for lunch.
As I was editing my pics, I heard that the National Guard, or should say as of now the Nazi-onal Guard was attacking the Caurimare entrance. I dropped everything, put back my shoes and went walking toward there.
Now, right there I was a little bit suspicious. Why would the NG try to penetrate an area obviously hostile that could even be armed and able to shoot at them from high rises in a rather narrow canyon of buildings? I would have understood first an attack from Chuao which abuts the local airport, but Caurimare did not seem an important target. In addition it reaches the middle of the Boulevard and then they would have two split and march both senses. The only logical explanations for me were that they were testing our resolve and more importantly, advancing ground from the main Caracas highway that they want to keep open at any cost. A large march from El Cafetal could easily go through Caurimare to the highway.
I arrived at San Luis and asking for info I was told that we better stay there in case Caurimare falls. The idea been to create a series of obstacles. Many wanted to push forward. During all this time I saw a series of people, many women among them, preparing Molotov's cocktails! Cheap Venezuelan gas or diesel in Venezuelan beer bottles. I must admit that I was duly impressed.
Eventually I decided to push on to Caurimare. On the way there I was asked by some people to carry stones. I told them that I am not good at throwing anything but they asked me to carry them to a "storage area". Well, why not? And I suddenly noticed that behind some trees they had more bombs!!!!
When I arrived on top of the avenue, before it starts going down again to go the Caracas valley, lots of shouting greeted the small group of people that was walking with me. Apparently a suspicious black corolla was spotted and I must observe that it refused to stop! Then a number of people started running back in some sort of panic screaming "sharp shooters on a motor bike"! I dropped my stones and started running back, but seeing some people getting into a building’s garage I decided to wait there behind a wall. Although nothing came I heard some distant noise. People kept pushing back and I decided to go back to San Luis. The wisdom of the decision would be confirmed within a couple of minutes as firemen trucks went that way to the entry of Caurimare. 3 of them! Even if the NG wanted to press through it would not be able to go through the trucks.
Back in San Luis I learned that the NG had indeed attacked with tear gas and one of the canisters had found its way through a window of the hospital that is at the entry of Caurimare. Two floors had to be evacuated, injuries, Red Cross flags were raised, just as in a real war! That was the end of the NG attack, at least for the day as quickly networks reported on yet another assault on Human Rights. Really, a few beer bottles and some stones against tear bomb cannons that reach a hospital high on a small cliff...
I did hang out for a little bit chit chatting with a few folks. Several told me their stories of Friday when they were gassed completely. They are not afraid to be gassed again.
I went back home. Without any glorious deed, but that is fine with me. There will always be an opportunity at some point.
Monday, smoky Monday
March 1, 2004
Today I could not go to the Caracas offices. The roads were blocked as early as 6 PM and nobody could make it there. Actually even in San Felipe somebody that lives in Barquisimeto could not make it as the highway was blocked at the level of Yaritagua. And we had to close early when we learned that some local roads in Yaracuy were beginning to see trouble.
But I am in Caracas and I can witness first hand what is going on. Unfortunately since there was no ground transportation I could only hang around in my neighborhood. Trying to do the best I visited the barricades that go from Plaza Las Americas to Chuao, that is all along of Boulevard El Cafetal. The pictures that follow are named as of the many intersections of that major avenue of Caracas.
Note: these are certainly not the spectacular pictures that one can get in, say, Altamira, that CNN and others are reporting. However I deem them interesting as they reflect the preparedness of what is a middle class neighborhood. I even saw housewives preparing Molotov's cocktails in beer bottles. Something that might not show up on CNN.
One of the largest barricades was the one from San Luis.
At Santa Sofia three women were taking a break banging pans
Santa Marta had a piñata of Chavez head hanging from the traffic light and seemed to have the people more worried about a constant flow of smoke. This pic is actually on my way back home.
In Chuao actually I took two pictures. One of people painting some street slogan, and the other a group of youth very happily closing a side road access. They posed delighted!
The Rio De Janeiro avenue, one of the main Caracas avenues was empty, at 11:30 AM! Note the biker going peacefully against the one way traffic!!!
I will give later a summary of other events and activities but this is what I owed from earlier on today.
March 1, 2004
Today I could not go to the Caracas offices. The roads were blocked as early as 6 PM and nobody could make it there. Actually even in San Felipe somebody that lives in Barquisimeto could not make it as the highway was blocked at the level of Yaritagua. And we had to close early when we learned that some local roads in Yaracuy were beginning to see trouble.
But I am in Caracas and I can witness first hand what is going on. Unfortunately since there was no ground transportation I could only hang around in my neighborhood. Trying to do the best I visited the barricades that go from Plaza Las Americas to Chuao, that is all along of Boulevard El Cafetal. The pictures that follow are named as of the many intersections of that major avenue of Caracas.
Note: these are certainly not the spectacular pictures that one can get in, say, Altamira, that CNN and others are reporting. However I deem them interesting as they reflect the preparedness of what is a middle class neighborhood. I even saw housewives preparing Molotov's cocktails in beer bottles. Something that might not show up on CNN.
One of the largest barricades was the one from San Luis.
At Santa Sofia three women were taking a break banging pans
Santa Marta had a piñata of Chavez head hanging from the traffic light and seemed to have the people more worried about a constant flow of smoke. This pic is actually on my way back home.
In Chuao actually I took two pictures. One of people painting some street slogan, and the other a group of youth very happily closing a side road access. They posed delighted!
The Rio De Janeiro avenue, one of the main Caracas avenues was empty, at 11:30 AM! Note the biker going peacefully against the one way traffic!!!
I will give later a summary of other events and activities but this is what I owed from earlier on today.
An afternoon in the streets
As I was about to post some pictures earlier on I heard that one of the streets near where I live was being attacked. So I left again. The attack was on Caurimare. I did not get to see the attack but I did hang out in the diverse barricade points and got close enough to hear gunshots and run away with a crowd as "motorizados" were shooting nearby. Then three trucks of the Metropolitan Firemen came for an operation rescue as the hospital at the entry had received a tear gas bomb INSIDE the hospital.
There was of course no point in pursuing as the National Guard had retreated to the highway.
More details later, in an hour or so.
As I was about to post some pictures earlier on I heard that one of the streets near where I live was being attacked. So I left again. The attack was on Caurimare. I did not get to see the attack but I did hang out in the diverse barricade points and got close enough to hear gunshots and run away with a crowd as "motorizados" were shooting nearby. Then three trucks of the Metropolitan Firemen came for an operation rescue as the hospital at the entry had received a tear gas bomb INSIDE the hospital.
There was of course no point in pursuing as the National Guard had retreated to the highway.
More details later, in an hour or so.
Monday, March 01, 2004
Venezuela on edge
Monday 1, March 2004
Extremely tense situation in Venezuela.
I could not go to work, or anywhere this morning as the neighborhood went up in barricades. So I went for a long walk to take interesting pictures. To be posted later.
I came back home a few minutes ago to learn that:
The defense minister was on TV to announce that only the "rich" (pudiente) folks are upset. He could perhaps inquire into the constraints to which are subjected the poor folks in their neighborhoods where they live with large amount of chavistas. Is he suggesting that they should go out anyway and start the civil war? What kind of defense minister is that? I will not offense your intelligence answering this one.
Worse was the now open war of insults among the five members of the Electoral Board, calling for each other resignation.
Later.
Monday 1, March 2004
Extremely tense situation in Venezuela.
I could not go to work, or anywhere this morning as the neighborhood went up in barricades. So I went for a long walk to take interesting pictures. To be posted later.
I came back home a few minutes ago to learn that:
The defense minister was on TV to announce that only the "rich" (pudiente) folks are upset. He could perhaps inquire into the constraints to which are subjected the poor folks in their neighborhoods where they live with large amount of chavistas. Is he suggesting that they should go out anyway and start the civil war? What kind of defense minister is that? I will not offense your intelligence answering this one.
Worse was the now open war of insults among the five members of the Electoral Board, calling for each other resignation.
Later.
Sunday late
I was away for most of the day attending to some important family obligations. We thought about canceling everything but the chatterers had been hired already, it was a small affair and we thought that today would quiet down some. We also decided that we could not let Chavez change our lives more than necessary and it was some kind of statement to refuse letting events change our schedule. They almost did.
At one PM two elderly relatives called us to tell us that they were to scared to come, as the street were starting to burn up again as the chavista march was doing all sorts of provocations. I did not think twice and I jumped into my car to go and get them. It was an eerie crossing from El Cafetal to El Bosque, trying to find streets open. Many were closed, traffic diverted without any logic (of course) and all along the way remains of the troubles from yesterday and Friday: small barricades, garbage, burnt objects...
Arriving at El Bosque I bumped into a bike motorcade of chavistas, off course their marching route. Again a U-turn. The return actually coincided when the opposition intensified its actions in Altamira and new detours had to be found.
The afternoon I could not pay much attention. At some point one of us did turn on a TV to see one of the worst Chavez cadenas blaming Bush and the US for all the ills of Venezuela. Nationalism again as the last refuge of you know what. After having insulted Powell, Rice and all sorts of officials of the US administration, the next step was obvious, he finally insuted Bush directly calling him an "asshole". The word in Spanish is pendejo. Well, there might be some arguments to agree with such an assessment but that was not the time, place or person to say such a thing. But apparently Chavez was pissed by the final ouster of Aristide. Through a looking glass Hugo!
In all fairness the comment came when he claimed that Bush believed that he had been sacked on April 11. Curious moment for such an historical revision and now pretending that there was not a coup. But Chavez seems to be losing it.
The march was probably big enough for the great leader since he even made his speech daylight. And there is not even the excuse of the sun playing a trick on his head as the speech was late afternoon of a cloudy day.
What was the portion of the cloudy day that came from tear gas is for all to guess. During all afternoon Avenida Luis Roche, the connector between Plaza Altamira and the main thoroughfare of Caracas was the set for a pitched battle between National Guards and the opposition trying to go down to close the highway. The National Guard had to stop that move since all the bus that ferried people to Chavez march had to go back home.
And that was not the only spot in Caracas, with many focal points of unrest keep up this late at night. Nor is only Caracas affected. I checked out with my friends in Barquisimeto and Valencia. Both cities have been very perturbed and several arrests have been made in Barqusimeto, including apparently the ex mayor of Barquisimeto. But I need to verify that. Zulia was also hard hit this morning with many clashes against the National Guard.
But the scariest thing is that from my garden in Caracas at 9 PM we could hear gun shots, heavy sometimes coming from Petare/El Llanito, and from Los Ruices. Sometimes even deep sounds like some small bombs. TV cannot show everything so I do not know what this mean. What I know is that the noises are not like those from Christmas fireworks.
And the CNE demured again, allowing for yet another day of chaos tomorrow!
Tonight there is little I can do this late, and my own area is quiet except for an occasional firework. But tomorrow will find me in the streets if needed, and with my camera.
I was away for most of the day attending to some important family obligations. We thought about canceling everything but the chatterers had been hired already, it was a small affair and we thought that today would quiet down some. We also decided that we could not let Chavez change our lives more than necessary and it was some kind of statement to refuse letting events change our schedule. They almost did.
At one PM two elderly relatives called us to tell us that they were to scared to come, as the street were starting to burn up again as the chavista march was doing all sorts of provocations. I did not think twice and I jumped into my car to go and get them. It was an eerie crossing from El Cafetal to El Bosque, trying to find streets open. Many were closed, traffic diverted without any logic (of course) and all along the way remains of the troubles from yesterday and Friday: small barricades, garbage, burnt objects...
Arriving at El Bosque I bumped into a bike motorcade of chavistas, off course their marching route. Again a U-turn. The return actually coincided when the opposition intensified its actions in Altamira and new detours had to be found.
The afternoon I could not pay much attention. At some point one of us did turn on a TV to see one of the worst Chavez cadenas blaming Bush and the US for all the ills of Venezuela. Nationalism again as the last refuge of you know what. After having insulted Powell, Rice and all sorts of officials of the US administration, the next step was obvious, he finally insuted Bush directly calling him an "asshole". The word in Spanish is pendejo. Well, there might be some arguments to agree with such an assessment but that was not the time, place or person to say such a thing. But apparently Chavez was pissed by the final ouster of Aristide. Through a looking glass Hugo!
In all fairness the comment came when he claimed that Bush believed that he had been sacked on April 11. Curious moment for such an historical revision and now pretending that there was not a coup. But Chavez seems to be losing it.
The march was probably big enough for the great leader since he even made his speech daylight. And there is not even the excuse of the sun playing a trick on his head as the speech was late afternoon of a cloudy day.
What was the portion of the cloudy day that came from tear gas is for all to guess. During all afternoon Avenida Luis Roche, the connector between Plaza Altamira and the main thoroughfare of Caracas was the set for a pitched battle between National Guards and the opposition trying to go down to close the highway. The National Guard had to stop that move since all the bus that ferried people to Chavez march had to go back home.
And that was not the only spot in Caracas, with many focal points of unrest keep up this late at night. Nor is only Caracas affected. I checked out with my friends in Barquisimeto and Valencia. Both cities have been very perturbed and several arrests have been made in Barqusimeto, including apparently the ex mayor of Barquisimeto. But I need to verify that. Zulia was also hard hit this morning with many clashes against the National Guard.
But the scariest thing is that from my garden in Caracas at 9 PM we could hear gun shots, heavy sometimes coming from Petare/El Llanito, and from Los Ruices. Sometimes even deep sounds like some small bombs. TV cannot show everything so I do not know what this mean. What I know is that the noises are not like those from Christmas fireworks.
And the CNE demured again, allowing for yet another day of chaos tomorrow!
Tonight there is little I can do this late, and my own area is quiet except for an occasional firework. But tomorrow will find me in the streets if needed, and with my camera.
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