It is not only Sudan head honcho who got into trouble with international courts, Chavez also did. Today the last instance international tribunal of the Americas, the Interamerican Court in Costa Rica (CIDH), made an important if not sweeping decision. In it it condemns the Venezuelan government for intimidating practices against Venezuelan journalists. It underlines that the violent language of the state (that is, Chavez) has been a factor in creating unnecessary hardships to journalists as they try to perform their job. It also says that the state has been lax in investigating those who attacked journalists performing their job (that is, partial and ineffective justice).
Now, before you think this is really not a big deal let me remind you that this decision if for old cases and that since that time the situation of journalists and freedom of expression has degraded a lot in Venezuela. As such it sets a convenient precedent, tells people that it is worth to report any attack from chavismo hordes and that justice will eventually come. As such future decisions against the Venezuelan state will be more easy to prove at the CIDH level if chavismo does not amend its ways. Some of these results could deal with outright freedom of expression and freedom of information cases where Chavez is really weak since he closed RCTV.
What are chavismo options? Well, it can reject for the second time in a row a CIDH decision and aggravate its standing in Latin America. After all today the Paraguayan Parliament rejected the entry of Venezuela in Mercosur because Venezuela is not a country democratic enough. Not to mention that the Brazilian Senate, Lula pressure and sweet business deals notwithstanding, is also demurring in giving a green light to Venezuelan entry. Going this way will soon enough make Venezuela a pariah state as it will be forced to leave the OAS system. Which might be what Chavez wants anyway. After all chavismo today was busy trying to present it as a success because the CIDH did not condemn Venezuela on ALL counts...
Or it can chose to abide by the decision and stop harassing opposition journalists.
I guess it is not really necessary to set a poll as to what the government will do, no?
-The end-
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Just look at ...
... the three post titles and contents of today and tell me without laughing that this is nto a totally crazy country with a mad man at its helm...
-The end-
-The end-
Cargill and Polar to be looted by the Venezuelan state
Today we have got one step close to serious food shortages. Chavez has announced that he might just expropriate Polar and pay them with worthless bonds. And he is expropriating Cargill meanwhile. The Polar thing came just as Polar announced it would go to court. So Chavez, who owns the courts, and as the thug he is, replied by threatening to take it all.
We do not know how deep in those business Chavez will go or whether he will limit himself to the rice mills only (Cargill is a very important provider of diverse food stuff in Venezuela). It really does not matter: the damage done to the private sector, to investment, to public trust, to productivity, and eventually to the Venezuelan shelves, is devastating. We all now that it is only a new step for Chavez, not the first and certainly not the last.
Since I am preparing along post about the 2009 perspective I will not elaborate further on this, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the fact so as not to say that I exaggerate my words. In Venezuela reality is stranger than fiction.
-The end-
We do not know how deep in those business Chavez will go or whether he will limit himself to the rice mills only (Cargill is a very important provider of diverse food stuff in Venezuela). It really does not matter: the damage done to the private sector, to investment, to public trust, to productivity, and eventually to the Venezuelan shelves, is devastating. We all now that it is only a new step for Chavez, not the first and certainly not the last.
Since I am preparing along post about the 2009 perspective I will not elaborate further on this, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the fact so as not to say that I exaggerate my words. In Venezuela reality is stranger than fiction.
-The end-
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
We can always dream...
Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, has been issued an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court at the Hague for the Darfur genocide. A nice precedent if you ask me and a nice warning for a few current rulers that should also find their way to the Hague, Mugabe, the Myanmar junta or Castro being on top of the list if you ask me. See, I am fair, I am not putting Chavez on top of the list. Who said I could not be objective?
One little question: will Chavez defend, invite, praise Omar?
-The end-
One little question: will Chavez defend, invite, praise Omar?
-The end-
The Chavez football/soccer stadium in Libya
Oh dear! How to put a good spin on the latest tales of "adventures in personality cult"?
In Benghazi, Libyia, they have decided to name their latest football stadium for Hugo Chavez. There is so much wrong in this that one does not know where to start.
First, Chavez is a baseball fan. The irony of a soccer joint called after him is just delicious. Though considering his advanced narcissistic pathology at this pointy such ironies must escape him.
Second, why is Libya so intent on glorifying Chavez? After all they awarded him the Qaddafi peace/humanitarian price or something like that. I suppose our boy Muammar cannot find anyone else foolish enough to accept such award in the West. Or now that Chavez is like Muammar president-king, it is a mere case of asinus asinum fricat?
Third, how much will this cost us? Not a meager question since knowing our Hugo boy he will reciprocate with something like the Khadhafi museum in Sabaneta or something.
Fourth, will that mean that Gadaffi will visit Venezuela and plant his tent in Plaza Bolivar, or Parque del Este as he did in Paris a year ago?
And more, but right now I prefer to have a sorry thought for the old Cyrene philosophers who must be rolling in their grave... Knowledge is lost, truly.
-The end-
In Benghazi, Libyia, they have decided to name their latest football stadium for Hugo Chavez. There is so much wrong in this that one does not know where to start.
First, Chavez is a baseball fan. The irony of a soccer joint called after him is just delicious. Though considering his advanced narcissistic pathology at this pointy such ironies must escape him.
Second, why is Libya so intent on glorifying Chavez? After all they awarded him the Qaddafi peace/humanitarian price or something like that. I suppose our boy Muammar cannot find anyone else foolish enough to accept such award in the West. Or now that Chavez is like Muammar president-king, it is a mere case of asinus asinum fricat?
Third, how much will this cost us? Not a meager question since knowing our Hugo boy he will reciprocate with something like the Khadhafi museum in Sabaneta or something.
Fourth, will that mean that Gadaffi will visit Venezuela and plant his tent in Plaza Bolivar, or Parque del Este as he did in Paris a year ago?
And more, but right now I prefer to have a sorry thought for the old Cyrene philosophers who must be rolling in their grave... Knowledge is lost, truly.
-The end-
Monday, March 02, 2009
Antisemitism, self censorship and outright censorship under Chavez new lease
There has been a new very perturbing antisemitic development in Venezuela of which I did not write 
yet waiting for more information. But since Teodoro Petkoff goes with it on Tal Cual today's editorial I think I should not delay any longer (as it confirms what I have been hearing about). In short. There is a theater group trying to stage a revival of Fiddler on the Roof (in Spanish of course). For this they were counting on a local Orchestra, Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, to provide the music. Last week we learned that one of the bureaucrats in charge of the orchestra called to say that they would not be playing in that musical because they did not want to be associated with anything Jewish.
Germany circa early 1933 anyone?
Teodoro is very right in pointing out that the drama of the story is not that an order came directly from above to stop the play (I personally doubt that many in the government have enough cultural bagage to know what a Broadway show is). The drama here is that a lackluster bureaucrat decided on his/her own to call the producers of the show (Jews by the way) to tell them that s/he was sorry but it was better for the orchestra not to participate since it could jeopardize its grants. In one report the producers state that the bureaucrat in question, anonymous to this date, was not antisemitic, he was just being cautious. In my opinion this makes the whole thing even less palatable.
There you have it, chavismo has been successful in creating such an antisemitic atmosphere in its governmental echelons that now bureaucrats think it safer to avoid any association with any Jewish or pro Jewish group. Amen of Israel or Zionists organizations! Why wonder about yet another small grenade thrown a week ago at midnight to a Jewish religious center? It does not matter the pious protests that anyone, including Chavez might utter: the fact of the matter is that they have created the beast and if it is not killed fast it will keep growing and growing. It is illustrative on this respect that Jorge Rodriguez, Libertador's mayor, of whom the orchestra depends in part, has not come out to ask them to play in that musical. That gesture by itself would have been infinitely much better than anything that Chavez or Maduro have said so far. You draw your own conclusions, mine are clear.
But it will be getting much worse, and not only for the Jews. This Sunday, the breast thumping gorilla who thinks he won on February 15 a mandate to do absolutely as he pleases demanded his followers to identify all the media that is opposing him. Apparently in Chavez increasingly feeble mind and expanding ego, he is certain that if it were not for the opposition media his government approval rating would be above 80%. That is right, he said it so, basically calling anyone who does not agree with him a manipulated idiot. 45% of the country is just stupid, you know..... Some of his words from yesterday:
Is it possible to put a good spin on these awful words? Is it Chavez not asking his supporters to picket radio or newspapers that do not agree with him? Is he not asking chavista Internet visitors to come to critical sites such as this blog and harass us, trying to find out who we are so as to be put on the index along journalists?
I must remind folks that a few years ago Chavez tried to intimidate journalists so that they would write less critical articles of his misrule. But it failed: the journalists became only more critical as the regime abuses kept mounting. These abuse included many attacks to journalists and even crew members from fanatic chavista supporters, many were killed or maimed while others had to incorporate to their journalism tools anti gas masks, bullet proof vests and what not.
Thus Chavez is going to the next logical step: if too many journalists are still refusing to self censor themselves then their employers must be shut down by "popular will". Globovision was under threat of closure last December. But then came the referendum initiative and it certainly was not good electoral policy to close Globovision during a campaign that had international scrutiny. But now Chavez is safely on the road to for life president so expect Globovision to suffer chavismo attacks again. Expect also major newspapers to be harassed, from tax audits to refusal of currency to paper purchase. Expect legal measures that might even reach the Internet.
But you know something, when I read that chavista crap, the thing I want to do is to start writing also in Spanish to make sure chavismo hears me loud and clear. This blogger is not going to back down from the baby step towards totalitarianism that Chavez is taking. As I have written in the past, the Jews are the canary in the mine. As of yesterday we know that indeed they were.
-The end-
yet waiting for more information. But since Teodoro Petkoff goes with it on Tal Cual today's editorial I think I should not delay any longer (as it confirms what I have been hearing about). In short. There is a theater group trying to stage a revival of Fiddler on the Roof (in Spanish of course). For this they were counting on a local Orchestra, Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, to provide the music. Last week we learned that one of the bureaucrats in charge of the orchestra called to say that they would not be playing in that musical because they did not want to be associated with anything Jewish.Germany circa early 1933 anyone?
Teodoro is very right in pointing out that the drama of the story is not that an order came directly from above to stop the play (I personally doubt that many in the government have enough cultural bagage to know what a Broadway show is). The drama here is that a lackluster bureaucrat decided on his/her own to call the producers of the show (Jews by the way) to tell them that s/he was sorry but it was better for the orchestra not to participate since it could jeopardize its grants. In one report the producers state that the bureaucrat in question, anonymous to this date, was not antisemitic, he was just being cautious. In my opinion this makes the whole thing even less palatable.
There you have it, chavismo has been successful in creating such an antisemitic atmosphere in its governmental echelons that now bureaucrats think it safer to avoid any association with any Jewish or pro Jewish group. Amen of Israel or Zionists organizations! Why wonder about yet another small grenade thrown a week ago at midnight to a Jewish religious center? It does not matter the pious protests that anyone, including Chavez might utter: the fact of the matter is that they have created the beast and if it is not killed fast it will keep growing and growing. It is illustrative on this respect that Jorge Rodriguez, Libertador's mayor, of whom the orchestra depends in part, has not come out to ask them to play in that musical. That gesture by itself would have been infinitely much better than anything that Chavez or Maduro have said so far. You draw your own conclusions, mine are clear.
But it will be getting much worse, and not only for the Jews. This Sunday, the breast thumping gorilla who thinks he won on February 15 a mandate to do absolutely as he pleases demanded his followers to identify all the media that is opposing him. Apparently in Chavez increasingly feeble mind and expanding ego, he is certain that if it were not for the opposition media his government approval rating would be above 80%. That is right, he said it so, basically calling anyone who does not agree with him a manipulated idiot. 45% of the country is just stupid, you know..... Some of his words from yesterday:
"Cada alcalde, en cada municipio haga un análisis. ¿Cuántas radios hay. ¿Cuál es el contenido? Cada gobernador en su estado respectivo; y vamos a hacer el mapa de la guerra mediática. Los periódicos, ¿Cuántos periódicos maneja la oligarquía en Aragua, en el municipio Zamora. El Internet, por allí también hay guerra. Es una batalla de todos los días. Les ruego que nos pongamos al frente de esta batalla todos"Each mayor, in each municipality must do an analysis. How many radio [stations]? What is their content? Each governor in its own state; and we are going to make the map of the "media war" [emphasis mine]. The newspapers, how many newspapers are managed by the oligarchy in Aragua, in the Zamora district? In Internet, there is war also there. It is an everyday battle. I ask you that we all lead that battle.
Is it possible to put a good spin on these awful words? Is it Chavez not asking his supporters to picket radio or newspapers that do not agree with him? Is he not asking chavista Internet visitors to come to critical sites such as this blog and harass us, trying to find out who we are so as to be put on the index along journalists?
I must remind folks that a few years ago Chavez tried to intimidate journalists so that they would write less critical articles of his misrule. But it failed: the journalists became only more critical as the regime abuses kept mounting. These abuse included many attacks to journalists and even crew members from fanatic chavista supporters, many were killed or maimed while others had to incorporate to their journalism tools anti gas masks, bullet proof vests and what not.
Thus Chavez is going to the next logical step: if too many journalists are still refusing to self censor themselves then their employers must be shut down by "popular will". Globovision was under threat of closure last December. But then came the referendum initiative and it certainly was not good electoral policy to close Globovision during a campaign that had international scrutiny. But now Chavez is safely on the road to for life president so expect Globovision to suffer chavismo attacks again. Expect also major newspapers to be harassed, from tax audits to refusal of currency to paper purchase. Expect legal measures that might even reach the Internet.
But you know something, when I read that chavista crap, the thing I want to do is to start writing also in Spanish to make sure chavismo hears me loud and clear. This blogger is not going to back down from the baby step towards totalitarianism that Chavez is taking. As I have written in the past, the Jews are the canary in the mine. As of yesterday we know that indeed they were.
-The end-
Ingrid Betancourt in the jungle
Fascinating gossip (?) of the day. Apparently Ingrid suffered of some form of Stockholm syndrome, just as her Mom did..... Read the book resume of the three American hostages freed along Ingrid Betancourt, courtesy of Simon Romero.
Now, is my "South Colombia" piece ever more pertinent? Sifrina Colombiana al fin y al cabo, desmejorada por su afrancesamiento.
UPDATE: more juicy gossip from Tal Cual in Spanish. That Ingrid.....
-The end-
Now, is my "South Colombia" piece ever more pertinent? Sifrina Colombiana al fin y al cabo, desmejorada por su afrancesamiento.
UPDATE: more juicy gossip from Tal Cual in Spanish. That Ingrid.....
-The end-
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