May we work all in unison and effectiveness to bring Chavez closer to his political end.
-The end-
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
End of year whimsy
Cute article from the Wall Street Journal. they are not forgetting about Chavez and the contempt expressed for him is, in a way, even worse than what is expressed in this blog who at least acknowledges his political talent. Still, the WSJ is pessimistic "How nice it would be if oil stayed low long enough for a democratic Iran, Venezuela or Russia to emerge from this crisis. Odds are that won't happen."
But we will retain cute phrases that show how far Chaevz has fallen: "Inflation is already 36%, a punishing tax on the masses Señor Chávez claims to champion." and "Mr. Chávez can't prop up Castro or Colombia terrorists as before." Who knew.....
I fancied below a translation of my 2008 year review into Spanish, the first time I put one in my blog. That way you can pass it around your chavista friends, if you have any left.
-The end-
But we will retain cute phrases that show how far Chaevz has fallen: "Inflation is already 36%, a punishing tax on the masses Señor Chávez claims to champion." and "Mr. Chávez can't prop up Castro or Colombia terrorists as before." Who knew.....
I fancied below a translation of my 2008 year review into Spanish, the first time I put one in my blog. That way you can pass it around your chavista friends, if you have any left.
-The end-
2008: el año en que se la cayó la hoja de parra a Hugo Chávez
Hay muchas maneras de redactar una rutinaria crónica el año. En lo que toca a este bitacorista 2008 marca el año en que la seudo Revolución Bolivariana se ha demostrado sin lugar a dudas ser sólo una senda para la ambición personal de Chávez de guardar el poder para siempre. O, en otras palabras, 2008 se recordará como el año en que se hizo imposible ignorar el carácter no democrático de Chávez y sus seguidores.
De una forma perversa eso es bueno, ya que ahora tenemos un panorama más claro de la situación. Ahora será muy difícil para cualquier defensor del chavismo atreverse apoyar esta comparsa.
Un simple resumen será suficiente para refrescar la memoria de cualquiera y para sustentar mi aseveración.
En diciembre de 2007 Chávez perdió su primera votación cuando trató de modificar la Constitución con el fin de acumular más poder para sí mismo. Un verdadero demócrata siempre se puede valorar en la derrota. Chávez fue un mal perdedor. Si en la primera noche aceptó a regañadientes la derrota (tras un retraso considerable) un par de días después él mostró su amargura en medio de sus generales, mientras que el paisaje de Caracas era salpicado con carteles advirtiéndonos que la causa no había sido abandonada.
La primera señal de lo que iba a venir fue cuando el ente electoral, CNE, falló al no publicar los resultados definitivos del referéndum. En esta fecha aún no sabemos exactamente el margen de victoria del NO. ¿En qué país democrático se puede observar tal desprecio a la población al no comunicar el resultado de una elección supuestamente libre y justa? Por lo tanto, el árbitro político de Venezuela fue el segundo en exponer al desnudo su parcialidad.
Durante 2008 una serie de decretos leyes establecieron muchas de las disposiciones que fueron rechazadas en 2007. La tesis aquí no es si estos trapicheos pudiesen haber sido aplicados a través de leyes sin un previo cambio constitucional. El hecho es que Chávez intentó conseguirlos a través de un cambio constitucional, el pueblo dijo NO y de todos modos Chávez siguió adelante.
A finales de 2008 Chávez trató de convertir lo que debería haber sido elecciones regionales en un plebiscito sobre sí mismo. Nunca como para estas elecciones la maquinaria del estado fue utilizada en la medida en que se utilizó para favorecer a una parcialidad, el lado de Chávez. Nunca un lenguaje presidencial fue tan soez como el utilizado por Chávez durante esta campaña en donde los adversarios políticos fueron tildados de traidores y cosas peores. Sin embargo los detalles de la elección, del mal gusto que hayan sido, no son lo importante, ni lo son los resultados finales: el momento estelar fue cuando el chavismo se negó a entregar los pocos lugares ganados por la oposición o los entrego después de saqueados y convertidos en nada antes de permitir que los nuevos funcionarios elegidos se encarguen. Así se les notificó a los funcionarios de la oposición que no se les otorgarían los medios de ejercer el cargo para el cual el pueblo los eligió.
Para coronar este año ya tan significativo, Chávez a las pocas horas comenzó una nueva campaña electoral en la que se dejó de la pretensión a los nobles objetivos de los cuales trató de hacernos creer lo guiaban: una única enmienda a la constitución para permitir su reelección. En pocas palabras, Chávez está chantajeando al país con el mas reaccionario de los argumentos de que si no se le permite postular al cargo de nuevo, que si debe dejar la silla de una u otra manera, el país caerá en el caos. La implicación aquí no es que a Chávez se le debe permitir concurrir de nuevo a elecciones, la implicación es que no sólo debe ser autorizado para ello, sino que está autorizado a utilizar cualquier medio para asegurar forzosamente su reelección. No nos equivoquemos: el próximo referéndum es también un referéndum sobre el estilo de campaña de Chávez, sobre los abusos materiales que comete, sobre la forma en que tuerce la ley al eliminar cualquier oponente que podría convertirse en una amenaza para su poder. Los que van a votar SÍ en el referéndum de febrero 2009 también votarán para permitir que un hombre utilice tácticas tales que nunca se vea amenazado por las urnas electorales. Vimos dichas tácticas en 2008, estas incluyen desde la publicación incompleta de resultados electorales hasta las restricciones de los derechos civiles a quien le incomoda.
Esos son los únicos recuerdos que valen la pena para el acontecer del 2008 en Venezuela. Todo lo demás son meros detalles que distraen.
De una forma perversa eso es bueno, ya que ahora tenemos un panorama más claro de la situación. Ahora será muy difícil para cualquier defensor del chavismo atreverse apoyar esta comparsa.
Un simple resumen será suficiente para refrescar la memoria de cualquiera y para sustentar mi aseveración.
En diciembre de 2007 Chávez perdió su primera votación cuando trató de modificar la Constitución con el fin de acumular más poder para sí mismo. Un verdadero demócrata siempre se puede valorar en la derrota. Chávez fue un mal perdedor. Si en la primera noche aceptó a regañadientes la derrota (tras un retraso considerable) un par de días después él mostró su amargura en medio de sus generales, mientras que el paisaje de Caracas era salpicado con carteles advirtiéndonos que la causa no había sido abandonada.
La primera señal de lo que iba a venir fue cuando el ente electoral, CNE, falló al no publicar los resultados definitivos del referéndum. En esta fecha aún no sabemos exactamente el margen de victoria del NO. ¿En qué país democrático se puede observar tal desprecio a la población al no comunicar el resultado de una elección supuestamente libre y justa? Por lo tanto, el árbitro político de Venezuela fue el segundo en exponer al desnudo su parcialidad.
Durante 2008 una serie de decretos leyes establecieron muchas de las disposiciones que fueron rechazadas en 2007. La tesis aquí no es si estos trapicheos pudiesen haber sido aplicados a través de leyes sin un previo cambio constitucional. El hecho es que Chávez intentó conseguirlos a través de un cambio constitucional, el pueblo dijo NO y de todos modos Chávez siguió adelante.
A finales de 2008 Chávez trató de convertir lo que debería haber sido elecciones regionales en un plebiscito sobre sí mismo. Nunca como para estas elecciones la maquinaria del estado fue utilizada en la medida en que se utilizó para favorecer a una parcialidad, el lado de Chávez. Nunca un lenguaje presidencial fue tan soez como el utilizado por Chávez durante esta campaña en donde los adversarios políticos fueron tildados de traidores y cosas peores. Sin embargo los detalles de la elección, del mal gusto que hayan sido, no son lo importante, ni lo son los resultados finales: el momento estelar fue cuando el chavismo se negó a entregar los pocos lugares ganados por la oposición o los entrego después de saqueados y convertidos en nada antes de permitir que los nuevos funcionarios elegidos se encarguen. Así se les notificó a los funcionarios de la oposición que no se les otorgarían los medios de ejercer el cargo para el cual el pueblo los eligió.
Para coronar este año ya tan significativo, Chávez a las pocas horas comenzó una nueva campaña electoral en la que se dejó de la pretensión a los nobles objetivos de los cuales trató de hacernos creer lo guiaban: una única enmienda a la constitución para permitir su reelección. En pocas palabras, Chávez está chantajeando al país con el mas reaccionario de los argumentos de que si no se le permite postular al cargo de nuevo, que si debe dejar la silla de una u otra manera, el país caerá en el caos. La implicación aquí no es que a Chávez se le debe permitir concurrir de nuevo a elecciones, la implicación es que no sólo debe ser autorizado para ello, sino que está autorizado a utilizar cualquier medio para asegurar forzosamente su reelección. No nos equivoquemos: el próximo referéndum es también un referéndum sobre el estilo de campaña de Chávez, sobre los abusos materiales que comete, sobre la forma en que tuerce la ley al eliminar cualquier oponente que podría convertirse en una amenaza para su poder. Los que van a votar SÍ en el referéndum de febrero 2009 también votarán para permitir que un hombre utilice tácticas tales que nunca se vea amenazado por las urnas electorales. Vimos dichas tácticas en 2008, estas incluyen desde la publicación incompleta de resultados electorales hasta las restricciones de los derechos civiles a quien le incomoda.
Esos son los únicos recuerdos que valen la pena para el acontecer del 2008 en Venezuela. Todo lo demás son meros detalles que distraen.
Monday, December 29, 2008
2008: the year Hugo Chavez lost his democratic fig leaf
There are many ways to write a routine article to review a year. As far as this blogger is concerned 2008 will mark the year when the pseudo Bolivarian Revolution has been proved without a doubt to be only a vehicle for Chavez personal ambition to retain power forever. Or, in other words, 2008 will come down as the year where it became impossible to ignore the undemocratic nature of Chavez and his followers.
That is good in a perverse way, in that now we have a clearer panorama of the situation. Now it will be very difficult for any supporter of chavismo to dare support this masquerade.
A simple summary will be enough to refresh any one’s memory and to sustain my point.
In December 2007 Chavez lost his first vote when he tried to modify the constitution in order to accumulate more power for himself. A true democrat can always be appreciated in defeat. Chavez was a sore loser. If on the first night he grudgingly accepted defeat (after a considerable delay) a couple of days after he showed how bitter he was posing in the middle of his generals, just as the landscape of Caracas was being dotted with posters warning that he was not giving up.
The first sign of what was to come was when the Electoral Board, CNE, failed to release the final results of the referendum. To this date we still do not know the exact margin of victory for the NO. In what democratic country one can observe such a disregard in telling the people the result of a supposedly free and fair election? Thus the political umpire of Venezuela was the second in exposing its naked partiality.
Through 2008 a series of decree laws established many of the provisions that were rejected in 2007. The argument here is not whether these changes could have been applied through laws without a constitutional change. The point is that Chavez tried to get them through a constitutional change, the people said NO and Chavez went ahead anyway.
At the end of 2008 Chavez tried to transform what should have been regional elections into a plebiscite on himself. Never as for these elections the machine of state was used to the extent it was used to favor one side, the Chavez side. Never was a presidential language as foul as the one used by Chavez during this campaign where political adversaries where labeled traitors and worse. But again, the specifics of the election, as tasteless as they were, are not the real point, nor the final results: the riveting moment was when chavismo refused to relinquish the few places won by the opposition or when it pillaged and turned them into nothing before finally allowing the newly elected officials to take charge. The opposition officials were served notice that they would not be allowed the means to exert the position for which the people elected them.
To crown this already telling year, Chavez within hours started yet a new electoral campaign where he threw aside all pretense of the noble aims that he tried to make us believe guided him: a single amendment to the constitution to allow his reelection. Simply put, Chavez is blackmailing the country with the reactionary argument that if he is not allowed to run for office again, that if he must leave office one way or the other, the country will fall into chaos. The implication here is not that Chavez should be allowed to run again for election, the implication is that not only he should be allowed to do so but that he should be allowed to use any forcible mean to ensure that he is reelected. Make no mistake: this coming referendum is also a referendum on Chavez campaign style, on the material abuses he commits, on how he twists the law to remove any opponent that could become a threat to his hold on power. Those who will vote YES on the February 2009 referendum will also vote to allow a man to use such tactics that he will never be threatened at the ballot box. We saw those tactics in 2008, they include from incomplete electoral results release to restrictions of civil rights to whomever displeases him.
Those are the only things worth retaining from the 2008 year in Venezuela. All the rest are mere distracting details.
That is good in a perverse way, in that now we have a clearer panorama of the situation. Now it will be very difficult for any supporter of chavismo to dare support this masquerade.
A simple summary will be enough to refresh any one’s memory and to sustain my point.
In December 2007 Chavez lost his first vote when he tried to modify the constitution in order to accumulate more power for himself. A true democrat can always be appreciated in defeat. Chavez was a sore loser. If on the first night he grudgingly accepted defeat (after a considerable delay) a couple of days after he showed how bitter he was posing in the middle of his generals, just as the landscape of Caracas was being dotted with posters warning that he was not giving up.
The first sign of what was to come was when the Electoral Board, CNE, failed to release the final results of the referendum. To this date we still do not know the exact margin of victory for the NO. In what democratic country one can observe such a disregard in telling the people the result of a supposedly free and fair election? Thus the political umpire of Venezuela was the second in exposing its naked partiality.
Through 2008 a series of decree laws established many of the provisions that were rejected in 2007. The argument here is not whether these changes could have been applied through laws without a constitutional change. The point is that Chavez tried to get them through a constitutional change, the people said NO and Chavez went ahead anyway.
At the end of 2008 Chavez tried to transform what should have been regional elections into a plebiscite on himself. Never as for these elections the machine of state was used to the extent it was used to favor one side, the Chavez side. Never was a presidential language as foul as the one used by Chavez during this campaign where political adversaries where labeled traitors and worse. But again, the specifics of the election, as tasteless as they were, are not the real point, nor the final results: the riveting moment was when chavismo refused to relinquish the few places won by the opposition or when it pillaged and turned them into nothing before finally allowing the newly elected officials to take charge. The opposition officials were served notice that they would not be allowed the means to exert the position for which the people elected them.
To crown this already telling year, Chavez within hours started yet a new electoral campaign where he threw aside all pretense of the noble aims that he tried to make us believe guided him: a single amendment to the constitution to allow his reelection. Simply put, Chavez is blackmailing the country with the reactionary argument that if he is not allowed to run for office again, that if he must leave office one way or the other, the country will fall into chaos. The implication here is not that Chavez should be allowed to run again for election, the implication is that not only he should be allowed to do so but that he should be allowed to use any forcible mean to ensure that he is reelected. Make no mistake: this coming referendum is also a referendum on Chavez campaign style, on the material abuses he commits, on how he twists the law to remove any opponent that could become a threat to his hold on power. Those who will vote YES on the February 2009 referendum will also vote to allow a man to use such tactics that he will never be threatened at the ballot box. We saw those tactics in 2008, they include from incomplete electoral results release to restrictions of civil rights to whomever displeases him.
Those are the only things worth retaining from the 2008 year in Venezuela. All the rest are mere distracting details.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
With jails like these.....
The red pages of the papers can be full of hints on why things in Venezuela are far from improving.
El Universal carries today an item about yet another gun and knife fight inside a Caracas jail. The reason was a section of prisoners trying to take the upper hand on another. Two people killed, some hurt. One of the killed had already been serving a murder term for three years and yet his wife managed to get pregnant while he was in jail and to give birth to their third child.
How many wrongs can you see in the paragraph above?
How did these people manage to get guns?
Aren't the guards supposed to be in control so such fights are unnecessary?
How come a murder criminal in jail manages to get his wife pregnant?
How come he even still has a wife willing to have sex with him?
I'll stop here. Thinking about all that is wrong in a society that has such a jail system and the people that accommodate themselves with it will spoil the Christmas spirit to the most liberal of individuals and turn him into a ferocious castigator...
-The end-
El Universal carries today an item about yet another gun and knife fight inside a Caracas jail. The reason was a section of prisoners trying to take the upper hand on another. Two people killed, some hurt. One of the killed had already been serving a murder term for three years and yet his wife managed to get pregnant while he was in jail and to give birth to their third child.
How many wrongs can you see in the paragraph above?
How did these people manage to get guns?
Aren't the guards supposed to be in control so such fights are unnecessary?
How come a murder criminal in jail manages to get his wife pregnant?
How come he even still has a wife willing to have sex with him?
I'll stop here. Thinking about all that is wrong in a society that has such a jail system and the people that accommodate themselves with it will spoil the Christmas spirit to the most liberal of individuals and turn him into a ferocious castigator...
-The end-
Friday, December 26, 2008
Chavez goes to church
I am really starting to wonder what is it that they put in their revolutionary eggnog. Before Christmas we had
Chavez expropriating a shopping mall and a foreign minister with outright lies for the camera. Now we have Chavez reading at Catholic Mass on the 24...
Yes, that is right, Hugo Chavez went to mass on the 24th and he made the first reading of the Catholic Mass, apparently the traditional one from Isaiah.
Of course, Chavez been Chavez it could not just be about a simple Xmas service. At the exit (or going there, I could not figure it out) he declared that Venezuela was doing fine in spite of the coming crisis. Probably his own version of a Christmas Miracle.
But what was simply fabulous was that he took along with him most of his cabinet, including the minister for legislative decrees, Cilia Flores, formerly known as the president of the National Assembly. In attendance were also the two Arabic sounding members, Tarek and Haiman who until now we did not know whether they were Muslim of Christian (remember, there are many Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian Arabic Christians). We still do not know since they might have been there for ecumenical purposes, and none of them, from Silly Flowers to Haiman knew the traditional mass responses. I could not find the video yet, and if someone finds it please let me know to post it, it is priceless.
As an act of supreme hypocrisy from the man that insults continuously the Roman Church and who claims to belong to all sorts of religions it can hardly be matched.
Chavez will really do ANYTHING to remain in the front news, even on Christmas Eve... Or as my father said, pardon my French "c'est incroyable que quelqu'un puisse se foutre de la guele du monde à ce point!". Not translatable, alludes to people constantly mocking you at incredibly high levels.
-The end-
Chavez expropriating a shopping mall and a foreign minister with outright lies for the camera. Now we have Chavez reading at Catholic Mass on the 24...Yes, that is right, Hugo Chavez went to mass on the 24th and he made the first reading of the Catholic Mass, apparently the traditional one from Isaiah.
Of course, Chavez been Chavez it could not just be about a simple Xmas service. At the exit (or going there, I could not figure it out) he declared that Venezuela was doing fine in spite of the coming crisis. Probably his own version of a Christmas Miracle.
But what was simply fabulous was that he took along with him most of his cabinet, including the minister for legislative decrees, Cilia Flores, formerly known as the president of the National Assembly. In attendance were also the two Arabic sounding members, Tarek and Haiman who until now we did not know whether they were Muslim of Christian (remember, there are many Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian Arabic Christians). We still do not know since they might have been there for ecumenical purposes, and none of them, from Silly Flowers to Haiman knew the traditional mass responses. I could not find the video yet, and if someone finds it please let me know to post it, it is priceless.
As an act of supreme hypocrisy from the man that insults continuously the Roman Church and who claims to belong to all sorts of religions it can hardly be matched.
Chavez will really do ANYTHING to remain in the front news, even on Christmas Eve... Or as my father said, pardon my French "c'est incroyable que quelqu'un puisse se foutre de la guele du monde à ce point!". Not translatable, alludes to people constantly mocking you at incredibly high levels.
-The end-
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Christmas Post 2008
Just a simple post to wish you all a very happy Christmas, to thank you for having been with this blog for another year and to tell you that I will see you all back after the 26, unless of course I cannot resit yet another sarcastic post on Maduro or Chavez.
May peace and joy bless you for at least a day, even if you are in Venezuela :)
-The end-
May peace and joy bless you for at least a day, even if you are in Venezuela :)
-The end-
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