Venezuela once again on the edge

So it is like that: Chavez won in December 2006 with 63% of the vote and today half of the country was out of order, and the other half barely coping. The love fest that should have happened as of December 4, usually called a political honey moon, fizzled in a very few days and since late December the tensions have increased to the point that Chavez today is openly threatening Globovision with closing. And, make this very clear in your minds, he has only himself to blame. I do not know whether he means it as he claims he meant it in 2002 so he could purge the army and PDVSA, but it certainly looks like quite a mess today. One thing is certain if purges are the objective again: his targets are the media and closing freedom of expression, the last obstacle for absolute control of the country until kingdom comes (whichever kingdom comes first).

I was at work today so I am going to try to knit the story the best I can at 6PM. The pictures of this post have been lifted from El Pais of Spain. They have a great slide show and I lifted my three favorites, with that one above, truly symbolic of the aims of Chavez. Click all to enlarge (hat tip Y.L.).

The day started with unrest. Even San Felipe managed to have about 50 students (some with high school uniforms) protesting in front of the very chavista IUTY (well, very chavista in its direction at least, I am not so sure about the student body but the IUTY is a den of chavista conspiracy). But unrest has been going on, complementing was had started yesterday (the summary of the outside Caracas activities here).

Eventually we had new clashes in Chacaito and rallies in Valencia. The one in Valencia affected the whole country as the collapse of the ARC basically brings the country to a stand still. I should know: one of our delivery trucks got stuck for 5 hours and eventually management had to tell the driver to come back without completing the delivery. A work day wasted at work but I do not mind if it is because of courageous students in Valencia.

International condemnations kept arriving. Among them we had the IAPA worrying about a domino effect from Venezuela, in particular in Ecuador where Correa is showing all the signs of becoming another little fascist twit. Criticism ranged from the Panama Journalists union through Spanish Senator Anasagasti, and reached Chile President Bachelet somewhat becoming more assertive where Chavez is concerned (though Lula unaccountably remains silent though some of his allies are perhaps conveniently dispatched to criticize Chavez).

Surely Chavez is starting to become exasperated that he made a mistake and people noticed it. Predictable psychological attitude and response, by the way, even if he has a failed shrink for Vice President.

Let's start with the vice president in question before we move on to Chavez. This one made a show of himself welcoming the students of the UBV, the chavista school for the revolution, implying of course that there are good students, ready to follow Chavez anywhere, all in uniforms, red shirts, fist in the air, and bad students, those who get their text books from some US agency, without uniforms and a messy behavior. Or some other subliminal psychiatric crap as he is used to give us. Has Rodriguez ever been a student?

But the interior ministry, Carreño of Direct TV fame for saying that this one spied on us through a secret camera inside the decoder, was not going to remain behind and brandished the banner of international conspiracy. Apparently the media is planning to unseat/kill Chavez, something they could not do in 2002, 2003, 2004 or 2006. But now that they are weaker than ever they are trying again. Oh, hum, yawn... However, quickly, PODEMOS, in enough trouble already, crawled from under its rock to say that they were not implicated in any Chavez assassination plan. Apparently Lara has said that Globovison is openly asking for Chavez assassination. Yeah, right, now, in 2006, when it is alone in Venezuela.... Still, and curiously, PODEMOS Garcia also in his speech called for his National Assembly brethren to wake up and realize that they also need to talk to that half of the country they ignore. Interesting detail, very interesting....

Thus, how can one be surprised when Chavez came out with the big guns earlier on today! His cadena touched a few noteworthy points about his plans and mental condition.

First he dismissed the extensive student marches because he decided that they are not a majority of students. Let's go beyond the possible fact that perhaps the only historical case where students protesting in the streets were a majority was France in May 1968. Instead let's focus on how this comment by itself is revealing of how undemocratic Chavez is. Should we take it at face value that if somehow we could prove to him that 50% plus 1 student were to be proven to be in the streets protesting then he should receive them on the spot? We all know that this would not happen because simply there would be no way he would receive the evidence to begin with. No, what it reveals is more profound, it is the refusal to acknowledge that someone might think differently than him. If someone is courageous enough to place himself or herself in front of a water cannon, then perhaps the reasonable thing would be to send somebody to establish contact with that crowd. No, the first reflex of Chavez is to crush that, just as Putin is crushing everything, from journalists protesting to a Moscow Gay Pride.

But let's move on further into Chavez cadena summary. Chavez moved on to direct threats against all the media that are not getting the message of the closing of RCTV. That is, he told Globovision to "coger minimo", which means to cool down and behave otherwise, well, you know what he will do. It is clear, Globovision has been served noticed, as I said earlier, before the RCTV cameras had time to cool down. Oh! and I was forgetting, there was also the class war call, duly echoed by firebrand Iris Varela suggesting that the West Of Caracas should march to the East. To? Scare them? Ransack them? Check out the third picture of this post and tell me whether these people live in the Eastern or Western part of Caracas.

Thus the table is set. The popular reaction of these few days have been more than what chavismo was expecting. In fact, no one expected such a student movement, not seen in years if not decades! But Chavez is probably welcoming these protests as an excuse to close Globovision, and perhaps even start attacking some newspapers. The regime will go there one day or the other and nobody knows this as well as Chavez. He might have already decided over the week end that since the damage done to his reputation is so big, so much bigger than what he thought it would be, then he might as well forge ahead and bag it all at once. Why not? For a low class soldier and a budding fascist, that is the way to go.

I for one would welcome such a move. Since I consider that we are already under a military regime, might as well have the reality of it rubbed in the nose of the "chavista light" and the complacent world who did not hear our warnings before, or worse, who chose to ignore them while they were lining up at the cashier. Let's Venezuela come out of its fascist closet once and for all. Chavez has done it all now, even shooting students and pissing on them.


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Another great democrat wins elections

Chavez will be delighted to learn that his Syrian friend has been reelected to another 7 years term with 97.6% of the ballots cast. In fact Chavez should learn a lot from Syria where presidential terms are one year longer than in Venezuela, and where the local CNE seems even more efficient that our local CNE. For example, Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majeed said on Tuesday: "There has been some repetition of votes but we caught them by reviewing the voting lists," in response to a question about the possibility of vote-tampering.

He also said something that Venezuelan V.P. Jorge Rodriguez would say on such an illustrious moment: "This great consensus shows the political maturity of Syria and the brilliance of our democracy and multi-party system,"

No pictures available as to whether Majeed was trying to contain his laughter.

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Guess what? Cadena!

You have got to love it, with the country having shown a clear dislike of the RCTV closing, after a day of students protest, what does Chavez do? Throw a cadena to insult everyone. Well, the insults are not necessarily direct: for example he says "some say that they are students. I am not going to question that. Let's say they are students" but if to these already shitty words you add the grimace and the tone, well, you see yet again a shoot the messenger strategy. Chavistas and Chavez are never going to wonder why is it that these students hit the streets yesterday: they are all paid by Bush.

Of course, Chavez much prefers the students from the UBV, who all come to cheer him up in good order, with the same shirts all of them and the same cassette in their brain.

but I love it, as the world keeps is eye on Venezuela the international media will eb able to see live a cadena and all what it means for us as far as abuse of power, news manipulation, and insults to people who have no reply right nor any court where to seek redress from the defaming words of Chavez and his lackeys.

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Chavez shoots students

[updated]

There was only one thing missing in Chavez fascist list of accomplishments: shooting peaceful student protests. Yesterday events at Plaza Brion of Chacaito, a central district of Caracas, were another milestone in Chavez descent into petty tyrant status towards open fascism. We even had serious injuries when a group of hooded thugs attacked the pacific rally at University of Carabobo (we must always observe the "courage" of these chavista supporters attacking marches with bandannas or masks on their faces, preferably on fast motorbikes so they can escape, XXI century socialism S.A.).

But this being internet, Katy of CCSC send us this great video from Chilean TV who filmed perfectly the modus operandi of the chavista police attacking mercilessly students. There is one chilling moment where about a dozen police man (S.A.?) are pursuing on their bike a single pedestrian student and shooting him with "perdigones" to injury him without killing.

To watch this fantastic video "on the ground" you need to click here as a permanent link has now appeared. [to go here, and look for the image that I repost on the right. That image was on the bottom left quadrant last time I checked. Under that image there is a video button, push it and watch.] Even if you do not understand Chilean accent, the video is as clear as they come.

And Chavez? No where to be seen. As it is now a routine in his life, when he loses the emotional battle he retreats somewhere (Cuba?) to lick his bruised soul while his lackeys finish the dirty job he does not have the guts to direct. And there are still people that dare to defend him! It is simply amazing what some people will be able to accept as long as Chavez gives free aspirin to some of the poor, not the poor, some of them.

Bonus video: some videos are reaching the screens of You Tube. This one shows the march arriving at Chacaito. Note the appreciable size considering that it is a spontaneous march of students already blocked earlier at Plaza Venezuela. That person has a few videos in fact which are not all great but reflect a little bit the anguish but determination of these students as the sound track is sometime better than the images.


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Veneconomy on the closing of RCTV

To close yet another exhausting day (and it is not over) I thought abut putting as it the Veneconomy editorial. To understand some of the reasons that push people to protest you could do worse than read this editorial (outside Globovision there are people protesting in their favor, in Valencia there were injured students and tomorrow we expect more campuses to join in, while Chavez is nowhere to be seen, his usual coward self)

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To the accompaniment of alarms, pot-banging and protests by the vast majority of Venezuelans, the government brought down the curtain on Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) at midnight on Sunday, so perpetrating the worst confiscation of the freedom of expression by any government ever in Venezuela and perhaps in Latin America in the last 35 years.

This arbitrary, unconstitutional decision of taking the use of the frequency from RCTV issued by the country’s President is a break point marking a “before and after” in Venezuela’s history. It is the first “before and after” since that “for now” pronounced on February 4, 1992 by Commander Hugo Chávez following his attempted coup d’état against President Carlos Andrés Pérez.

RCTV’s going off the air marks the interment of 49 years of democracy and the start-up, with all its fury and despotism, of the first dictatorship in Latin America this century. According to many national and international analysts, the word “dictatorship” already falls short when describing a regime that is intervening in every aspect of the daily lives of Venezuelans. As they see it, the correct term would be “totalitarianism,” a totalitarianism that is retrograde, promotes abject poverty and underdevelopment and castrates freedoms.

This final rupture with democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela was sealed with the sentenced handed down by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Friday, May 25, which seized RCTV’s facilities and equipment, such as microwaves, repeaters, antennas and towers. This latest decision, invalid and unconstitutional, is the first to be issued by any Venezuelan court that does not even base itself on existing laws or regulations.

This decision by Justice Luisa Estella Morales Lamuño was in response to a claim for the “protection of widespread, collective interests” filed by three individuals claiming to represent Venezuelan society and a member of the users’ committee “Oyentes Interactivos de la Radio” (OIR).

From May 27, Venezuela’s destiny will be marked in two ways: the first is that the last traces of Venezuelans’ freedom of expression are hanging by a thread, represented mainly by Globovisión, a few regional television stations, a score of newspapers and some radio stations that have managed to remain independent. Unfortunately, they are all under threat from and being pressured by the government and, like RCTV, have no protection under the law, given the control that the President has over the legal system.

And the second is that President Chávez has been left exposed for the first time since assuming power via the electoral route. Until now, his “legitimacy of origin” had suffered no damage, not even as a result of the many violations and illegalities committed in all the elections held since 2002. Today, the international community is now aware of his dictatorial bent. And, even more important still, 80% of Venezuelans disapprove the advancement of his totalitarianism.

VenEconomy wishes to acknowledge the entire family of Radio Caracas Televisión for the dignity they have shown at this tragic time and for not having negotiated or sold their democratic principles.

Editor’s Note: VenEconomy editor Robert Bottome is the brother of Peter Bottome, a director and stockholder at RCTV.


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Troubles in Caracas

[updated at 5 PM and 6 PM]

I have been told that there is some trouble in some Caracas areas. I am at work and no broadband, no TV (not that this matter much since only Globovision would be passing anything). You are on your own until tonight for details but keep an eye open. Miguel might have some stuff, and I am sure plenty of Spanish language pages for those who can speak the language.--- --- ---

I am back home now and Globovision and broadband. And I am treated right from the start to a split image at Globovision showing one one side the live shot of Globovision at Plaza Brion of Chacaito, and on the right side the crass manipulation of VTV, where the government is trying to pretend that the opposition extremists are disguised as students to trouble public order. Look at the picture below and count the politicians disguised as students. The governmental manipulation is so crass that it is almost embarrassing to watch it.

(Picture from the Associated Press today, by the way, hat tip Publius)

But of course, what would one expect. Now, with RCTV closed then it is the word of Globovision against the word of VTV. not that it mattered much before, the government woudl simply say that both RCTV and Globo were liars. That simple and argument.

But since Lara is not scoring a single point lately, the embarrassing minister of propaganda went ahead today and launched an attack on CNN and Globovision. That is right, the cameras of RCTV have not even cooled down since they were switched off that Lara already starts the judicial proceedings to close Globovison. I knew it was going to be fast, but not that fast. Even Reuters picks it up already.

Obviously the student protests of today, repressed with an unnecessary violence, have touched a raw nerve. I suppose that Chavez prefers the grateful students all in the same red t-short, sitting down in AC room of the Teresa Carreño theater, ovationing him when he gives them 1800 computers, to these students from all the best universities of Venezuela, marching under the sun and heat to protest for freedom of expression in Venezuela and who happen to sit down in the street whenever the repressive apparatus of the state moves against them.

That is all that was missing to Chavez record: student repression.

More problems for Chavez

Besides becoming today officially a student repressing tyrant, Chavez got a condemnation form the EU. See, he laughed at the EU parliament vote a few days ago, but he was wrong. Now it is Germany as the current president of the EU and the warning carries much more weight.

Oh! And Reporters Without Borders also emitted a stern condemnation.

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Silent airwaves

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