Citizen Feathers.

Please visit my new site

2010-12-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

http://citizenfeathers.wordpress.com/

And I even have a cute banner there!

I had this address @ wordpress since the beginning of the year and seems it works better. I kinda like it better because the templates is more flexible/ personalized to work with. I also used to like vox too but they closed.

Anyway... I did try at the beginning of the year to change but never did I will now and see what happens. I will update there from now on.

Please visit and take note of the chance of address. Thank you.

Not much to say.

2010-12-11T13:22:00.001-08:00

I am totally turned off with politics. I cannot stand politicians or politics anymore, only thing that is crossing my mind is that I am in support of wikileaks and I am appalled by the character assassination of Julian Assange, who cares about him anyway.

Anyway. My friend sent me this poster. Ruedalo!

Coming out from hibernation

2010-09-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to come out from the limbo one of these days. I haven't been in touch with Venezuelan politics in a long time because it really depressed me to read the same news about Chavez-this-Chavez-that over and over again. Like a broken record.

But this is important news, and related to how Chavez is losing it, not only mentally -that we know since a long time- but also in terms of popularity/ votes.

Please follow friends and extraordinaire fellow bloggers Daniel, Quico and Juan Cristobal (older site since new one crashed) and Miguel with the story of the day, the congress elections in Venezuela 2010.

Following the example of Tegucigalpa

2009-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

And what plane was Zelaya using to land to Tegucigalpa after he tries to take over his country in complete disregard of Hondura's constitution? A Venezuelan plane offered to him by the other usurper Hugo freaking Chavez.

I am telling you, Venezuela's national anthem should be changed to...

"Seguid el ejemplo que Tegucigalpa dio!"

Question, why the media is referring to what's happening in Honduras like a COUP? While Zelaya was the one trying to COUP the laws of his country when he decides to overstay, like a good ol'dictator?

And, why Obama, just like Chavez, is supporting this unlawful return?

Déjà vu

2009-06-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Total déjà vu for Venezuelans. The funny thing is the resemblance of the style of governance (with all the differences) of Chavez and Ahmadinejad. The other funny thing is the reaction of the voters of Iran so similar to the Venezuelan ones... this could be two things, people getting enraged because they feel they got robbed at the voting poll, or people getting enraged because they feel they got robbed at the voting poll AND the government is promoting the madness on the side to single out the "opposition" and tighten measures against them. Typical dictator behavior.

Sigh...

Where is Jimmy Carter?

Hugo's Facebook

2009-06-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been a little lazy to write, but for the ones who haven't seen this I am posting Hugo Chavez's secret Facebook account.

Note the gift section. =D

Venezuela sends uranium to Iran

2009-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

I remember when the Jungle Mom and her husband were talking about their expulsion from the Caura river by his Highness Hugo Chavez because they were spies from the Empire... but the thinking was that Hugo wanted to militarized and clean out the south of lurkers for some "strategic" reason... and now this story comes up... mmmm... methinks we were right on the spot.

May 25 02:08 PM US/Eastern
By MARK LAVIE
Associated Press Writer

Source.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

"There are reports that Venezuela supplies Iran with uranium for its nuclear program," the Foreign Ministry document states, referring to previous Israeli intelligence conclusions. It added, "Bolivia also supplies uranium to Iran."

The report concludes that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is trying to undermine the United States by supporting Iran.

Venezuela and Bolivia are close allies, and both regimes have a history of opposing U.S. foreign policy and Israeli actions. Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador during Israel's offensive in Gaza this year, and Israel retaliated by expelling the Venezuelan envoy. Bolivia cut ties with Israel over the offensive.

There was no immediate comment from officials in Venezuela or Bolivia on the report's allegations.

The three-page document about Iranian activities in Latin America was prepared in advance of a visit to South America by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who will attend a conference of the Organization of American States in Honduras next week. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is also scheduled to visit the region.

Israel considers Iran a serious threat because of its nuclear program, development of long-range missiles and frequent references by its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Israel's destruction. Israel dismisses Iran's insistence that its nuclear program is peaceful, charging that the Iranians are building nuclear weapons.

Iran says its nuclear work is aimed only at producing energy. Its enrichment of uranium has increased concerns about its program because that technology can be used both to produce fuel for power plants and to build bombs.

Israel has been pressing for world action to stop the Iranian program. While saying it prefers diplomatic action, Israel has not taken its military option off the table. Experts believe Israel is capable of destroying some of Iran's nuclear facilities in airstrikes.

Iran, under Ahmadinejad, has strengthened its ties with both Venezuela and Bolivia, where it opened an embassy last year. Its alliance with the left-led nations is based largely on their shared antagonism to the United States but is also a way for Iran to lessen its international isolation.

The Israeli government report did not say where the uranium that it alleged the two countries were supplying originated from.

Bolivia has uranium deposits. Venezuela is not currently mining its own estimated 50,000 tons of untapped uranium reserves, according to an analysis published in December by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Carnegie report said, however, that recent collaboration with Iran in strategic minerals has generated speculation that Venezuela could mine uranium for Iran.

The Israeli government report also charges that the Iran-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon have set up cells in Latin America. It says Venezuela has issued permits that allow Iranian residents to travel freely in South America.

The report concludes, "Since Ahmadinejad's rise to power, Tehran has been promoting an aggressive policy aimed at bolstering its ties with Latin American countries with the declared goal of 'bringing America to its knees.'"

The document says Venezuela and Bolivia are violating the United Nations Security Council's economic sanctions with their aid to Iran.

As allies against the U.S., Ahmadinejad and Chavez have set up a $200 billion fund aimed at garnering the support of more South American countries for the cause of "liberation from the American imperialism," according to the report.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor refused to comment about the secret report.

The bear spoke up, loud and clear, NO NO NO!

2009-05-20T07:31:00.001-07:00

"Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." - Ronnie.

Californians from all ideological arenas came together and said NO to Arnoldo's propositions aimed to soft the impact about the state of California's big spending mess. Enough is enough.

La Wonkette had a good commentary about the election's low turnout and also a funny rant about the meaning of those propotitions.

The elected officials are talking about that they failed the elections. No, they didn't fail the elections but they have failed at their jobs, that's why Californians don't have more patience to give them more spending license.

It's time to stop spending what you don't have. Doesn't matter how much money they can get, they always have to spend one dollar more. The overspending mentality has to stop because how much increase of taxes we can afford, really? It's time to make a list of priorities and going back to basics. As a citizen of CA all I see is taxes increases and a diminish in the quality of health care, education and other services. I am no expert but something is not working in here.

But the other side of this is that now Sacramento is totally paralyzed and won't be able to get out of this budget crisis. So, we all are losing in here. And the more paralyzed for them to ease the situation the more frustrated people get. The reality is that officials now are in a situation in which the building is on fire and they cannot do nothing about it because the water is on hold on another building they cannot reach.

So whose fault is this? I would say it's the mentality of the voters who want to have free lunch and elect officials who pander to this irrational mentality. Time to wake up from the rose cloud. Either people want a society that they have to pay 70% and more in taxes and the state baby sit for them, or a small government with less services, but people will have more money in their pockets to buy those services from private hands. Higher taxes might work if we become a nation state, that is, totally independent from the Federal government, like it seems to work in smaller European states. But big taxes in a big country... do we have an example in history of a 300 Million people socialist country that have worked? NO. The reason is that Centralized and too powerful governments are very easy to corrupt or get away of their path. Human nature. What do you think?

So, a last though, how is the state gonna solve California's bankruptcy problem? A serious question. The unorthodox answer might come from Brian the dog of Family Guy, funny but I guarantee ya, it will solve all the cash problems this state might have (don't tell me this is the best excuse to put this great funny video in this blog). :D

Hulu has a better resolution of the same video.

Reflections from the hard drive of the machine that enables the voice of the Leader of the Free World

2009-03-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Barack's teleprompter is writing his own blog :)

From his first post:

Well, last night didn't go well. What can I say? I was tired. By the time Barack and the Irish PM stood up, the President and I had already done two major policy speeches, three nomination announcements, and light dinner banter for a table of twelve. And by the way, that "ad lib" last night about Guinness? Mine.

So why am I going public now, when for the past two years I've let others do the talking? Well, this is a thankless job, and I sure don't want to take the fall for communications missteps. But more important, I expect you'll be seeing a lot more of me over the next few months and years. Barack and I don't go anywhere without each other; we even complete each other's sentences ... well, more mine than his, but let's not split hairs.

I sense new text being loaded now, so I'll have to be going.

Don't miss it.

Seems that Tony Soprano is alive and kicking, at least in spirit.

2009-03-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

I always though that Tony Soprano died on the last episode of "The Sopranos"... that last tune that we don't hear and it all goes dark. According to my interpretation, the man is gone... but seems to me that the spirit of the mafia boss is alive and kicking more than ever in this great country of America!

Michael Franzese was a Captain in the Colombo Crime Family, and today is a speaker. I though this was a very interesting reading.

Former Mafia Kingpin: Congress Just Like Us

by Michael Franzese

The House of Representatives passed a bill last week taxing the bonuses that were paid out to a number of AIG executives at 90 percent. I heard a congresswoman from New York say that congress was "acting in record time" to protect the major shareholders of the company, the American people, against the unbridled greed of the AIG executives.

After all, the government should be calling the shots now. It’s what I would have done when I was on the streets.

Twenty years ago, I would have applauded the government’s move to control the AIG bigwigs. When I was doing business for the Colombo Crime Family, I would often "bail out" a failing company. When the boss had nowhere to go, when no legit lender would lend him a dime, or when his suppliers were threatening to throw him into bankruptcy, he came to me. Mob guys looked for business opportunities like this every day. Great way for us to own a business.

Once the owner took my money, or used my name, I owned him. He wasn’t about to get a pay hike when he owed me money. He wasn’t buying a new car or taking any paid vacations either. I didn’t care how hard he worked. And if he didn’t toe the line, I would throw him out and take the company over.

From what I’m hearing, the government knew about the bonuses some time ago. Some of them even approved of the payouts. Some of them even got campaign contributions from the AIG exec’s. So the tax thing was a good cover up. Good work, guys! It’s a move right out of Machiavelli’s play book.

You know Machiavelli? He’s the Mafia’s champion. As a former capo regime of La Cosa Nostra’s Colombo Crime family, I am very familiar with Machiavelli. For almost 20 years, I lived and conducted business under his philosophy.

“A Prince must have a mind disposed to turn itself about as the winds, able to do good when he can and evil when he must,” Machiavelli wrote. “Still, even though on the inside he is able to scheme, he should appear to him who sees and hears him altogether merciful, faithful, humane, upright and religious.”

Sound familiar?

In his sixteenth century treatise entitled, "The Prince," Niccolo Machiavelli wrote those words advising his prince of the "virtues" he must exercise in ruling his kingdom. Seems like convicted money manager Bernard Madoff and some of the CEOs of AIG, Lehman Brothers, Countrywide Mortgage, Enron and a few dozen more of America’s corporate honchos … and now, the government itself has taken Machiavelli's advice to heart in the operation of their respective enterprises.

I would not be surprised to find a copy of "The Prince" on the desks of more than a few of Washington's elite. Would you? Their misguided and in some cases illicit leadership contributed significantly to the financial meltdown of the United States economy, the magnitude of which has not been seen for decades. If you think they will get off scot free, FUGGEDABOUTIT!

At the height of my operation, I was bringing $8 - $10 million a week into the Colombo Family coffers from business interests I had in the gasoline, entertainment, auto and gambling industries. Although I enjoyed success for a time, Machiavelli’s business philosophy eventually brought me three racketeering indictments, $15 million in fines and restitutions, untold legal fees and a 10-year federal prison sentence.

Mob guys ought to be worried. First the government took a tip from them and realized there was big money in gambling. Now the government is taking control of businesses the same way. And they don’t even have to worry about the racketeering indictments they slammed me and my former associates with for doing the same thing. They called it extortion when the mob did it. Seems like I left the life just in time. Too much competition!

Michael Franzese was once one of the biggest mob money earners since Al Capone - and the youngest individual on Fortune Magazine's “50 Biggest Mafia Bosses.” Michael’s new book, “I’ll Make You an Offer You Can’t Refuse – Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss” will be released on March 31. Go Here to pre-order.

Source.

I can also dedicate a song to Hugo Chavez in regards of this topic...

Ah ja!

Words of wisdom from uncle Margaret

2009-03-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

No teleprompter folks...

Whoopi Goldberg is "Mad as Hell" About the Increasing Tax Burden

2009-03-06T15:32:00.001-08:00

Really? I don't think I need to add a comment to this post... some democrats are waking up from their democratic pink (or commie red?) cloud and starting to be very vocal about what the rest who didn't vote for him knew, the incompetency of a newbie senator like Obama who was elected because he is black and kinda charming. Newsflash to Susan Sarandom: Charm and skin color are irrelevant conditions for a Presidential job. He is not a movie star.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Did you vote for this? There are people starting to have doubts. One of them is no less than Whoopi Goldberg, who went into a rant this morning on The View, talking to her cohost, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

GOLDBERG: You remember that movie Network? If you are just fed up, at some point, just lean out your window (laughter) and scream, "I'm mad as hell," 'cause that's what's happening to me. I'm losing my mind, because I don't understand why -- like they -- one of the things that I saw recently, they have this whole thing about taxing "the wealthy." Okay. Now, I don't mind that. I don't mind paying a little more tax 'cause I make a good living.

HASSELBECK: Sure.

GOLDBERG: But I don't want to get it coming and going. I don't want to get the federal raised and then the state raised and then the phone tax raised and then the television tax raised --

HASSELBECK: City tax raised!

GOLDBERG: -- and then the city tax. Back off me!

RUSH: That is Whoopi Goldberg on The View today. It sounds like she might want Obama to fail. It sounds like she might not be fully with the program. She's starting to ask herself, "I voted for this?" She's right about something here, something that we haven't talked about. The federal tax increase, when the Bush tax cuts sunset, that'll take it up to 39.6%, then the charitable deductions. Guess what? Guess what people are just now starting to figure out? "Well, you know, if he reduces deductibility on charitable donations down to 28%, that means a lot fewer people going to be donating in the private sector!" That's right. "Well, guess who's going to come and take over?" The government is going to be in charge of charity. This is the plan! Whoopi, you're on the right path. You gotta understand what all these taxes on you mean.

And you're right. The television tax... You're going to get a double whammy, triple whammy living in New York. How about this statistic: 25% of office space in New York is now vacant. I saw that this morning. I'm running that down. Twenty-five percent of office space in New York vacant? They're going to have to raise taxes, Whoopi. They're going to have to raise taxes. So, in addition to the federal, the states are going to see that, and the states are going to raise taxes, and then the city is gonna raise taxes. You're going to have taxes raised everywhere. I'll tell you, it's very simple, folks. It's because everybody is spending money they don't have. They are spending money that has not even yet been printed. They're spending money that has not yet been earned.

They are spending wealth that has not yet been created.

Your children's children, your great-grandchildren, they are broke the moment they're born. They are broke when they get their first job. Whoopi Goldberg is one of the 40,000 people in New York City that pay over half New York City's budget operations. Forty thousand people out of eight million, Whoopi, pay and make New York happen -- and the mayor is concerned that some people might start leaving if he raises their taxes. But he's going to have no choice, the way he thinks. Whoopi, I am #1. I got out of there in 1997, and they still audit me every year. You could be #2. You could tell Barbara Walters that you want a satellite studio in Florida, where there is no state income tax, same time zone, you could be on remote. You could see Robin Williams -- who's in the hospital down here, poor guy, with heart problems.

But if Whoopi Goldberg is starting to see this, starting to feel it... She thinks everybody is coming at her now. They're coming at her both ways. I don't care how long it took. I don't care why she started realizing it. The fact is, she has. I hope... I always run the risk here, folks, when I point these things out -- in trying to praise people, in trying to lavish praise on somebody like Whoopi -- that she'll be offended that I'm the one praising her and go back on The View minimum and totally change her opinion. Since I agree with her, she can't afford have that position and start back up her tax increases or what have you, but hopefully not.

END TRANSCRIPT

Source.

A Feline problem: Paralelism in the speech of Obama and Chavez

2009-03-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Please wach this video first.

And, bear with me on this one. I have been very vocal for the reasons I don't like Obama. Since the beginning when Obama came to public light I saw a type of Manchurian candidate sponsored by the left that reminded me pretty much, despite the differences, to madman numero uno of Venezuela, the one and only Hugo Chavez. I might be wrong comparing Obama to Chavez, and I hope I am. OK, enough with the conspiracy theory.

And, this is the reality.

Even though I don't like Obama, I personally saw it was a good thing that he won since it was gonna be a transition from 8 years of not the best Republican government (and not a conservative government at all), and this Obama new government representes in the eyes of many, a new, fresh and reformed way to do politics so that's good. Also, it was gonna be good news for Venezuela since Venezuelans like Obama and since it's much harder for a leftist to go against another leftist, Chavez would have to let go the stupid anti Yankee speech that maintains him in office and he wouldn't have other choice than to get to work and assume the responsibility of the mess that he is doing in Venezuela.

Obviously, such great news that Obama won also had to be reflected somehow in the financial markets. As you know, the financial markets need good news. That amount of Obama voters who were happy that his leader won, would be putting money in the market, investing, buying, lending and borrowing money, etc... and helping out a little bit to get out of this recession. BUT the good news haven't been reflected in the markets or the economy yet. It's pretty obvious to me ONE of the MANY VARIOUS reasons why. The Obama administration speech haven't been the best in terms of adding that much needed CONFIDENCE to the market.

I have listened some things from this Obama administration that really are not that great,

1) The president telling his fellows Americans that they shouldn't listen to some radio talk show host (Rush Limbaught). Nothing new in Venezuela since Chavez took over that he loves to repress the media. Question is, since when it's the duty of a president elected democratically to tell their countrymen who they should or shouldn't listen to?

2) Again the administration attacking the media, this time Jim Cramer, the tv host show whose video I posted in the beginning, who is a democrat btw. The attack was generated because he has been very critical about this administration policies not helping the financial markets. He also has been very vocal about his dislike for the new treasury secretary Tim Geithner for his invisibility since he was appointed and for letting Lehman go when he was the Fed NY president. If they would have helped Lehman, last September maybe wouldn't have been as tragic as it was . Since I like conspiracy theories I think maybe the man wanted the crisis to be the worst so it could help Obama with the electoral ballots. And, it worked. Hey, he even became the Treasury Secretary .

Here's what Robert Gibbs said that made me really mad:

"(...) no offense to my good friends or friend at CNBC," Gibbs said, "but the President has to look out for the broader economy and for the broader population."

Why it made me really mad? Because I have heard that so many times coming from the mouth of the Chavistas... like what does he mean with "broader" population? Doesn't he know that the majority of American and the country itself rely heavily on the stock market? How are they gonna create jobs if banks and business dissapear?

That's why the market show no confidence at this moment, because that speech coming from the White House DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

Tim Geithner also said something similar that got my attention -since it had the "Chavista" touch in it- when he was interviewed by the Congress with Ben Bernanke this Monday. He said something like that it's not in their interest (the Gov) to help the banks but the people. Hello? You make the bank that lends me money and offers me financial services go away and you are not helping me too much.

To me, it seem that they really are taking cues of Hugo Chavez. That's not the way you add confidence and attract Capital, comrade Obama.

3) How long until this might happen? The perfect recipe to scare investment and destroy any confidence left, to expropiate. (thanks to Daniel and Juan Cristobal for their posts).

Even though those two might be very different, and Mr. Chavez wants President Obama to be his new arch enemy -Bush is resting comfortably in his home in Dallas- one cannot but compare them in the way their governments are talking to the people. The difference is, that Americans are not Venezuelans, and a much bigger majority of Americans rely on the financial markets as a source of income, investment and nesting egg, including the majority of seniors of this country.

I don't know where they want to go with this populistic anti-business speech, but it's not good news. Do they want to follow the road of Venezuela's impoverishment?

Thank you Bruce Willis and Ben Aflect for saving the planet!

2009-03-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

Who cares if Fidel is dead or not, or if Jim Cramer says that Obama is a Leninist guilty of the greatest wealth destruction he has ever seen by any president , we almost cook today. Well, I am exaggerating a little bit, it was gonna be something like a small nuclear explosion so it would have been bad for the people around the explosion. I am glad we got to know after it was over. Imagine if they tell us before. Bad news is that it can happen anytime, and depending on the size of it it can mean a total mess... Like I don't have anything else to worry about. I don't need this type of information lurking in my brain right now.

Thank you, God =D

This YouTube video shows the asteroid's path.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

Although Harvard University astronomer Timothy Spahr spends his life tracking asteroids and minor planets, it's rare when he gets the chance to see one up close.

On Friday night, Spahr received word that an asteroid was headed our way. Though it received little publicity, the asteroid passed by Earth early Monday. At its closest, the asteroid, named 2009 DD45, came within 45,000 miles of Earth, which is around twice as high as some satellite orbits and about one-fifth of the distance between the moon and Earth.

The cosmic object, which was estimated to be 20 yards to 30 yards across, came closest to Earth near the equator somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

It was about the same size as the one that burned up over Siberia in 1908, leveling nearly 800 square miles of forest in the infamous "Tunguska Event" event.

"It's pretty unusual to see one this close," said Spahr, director of the minor-planet center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge. "If an object of this size were to impact the Earth, it would be equivalent to a small nuclear explosion."

Brian Marden, a senior astronomer at the center, said that many such objects pass this close but go unobserved.

"No one is watching the whole sky all the time," Marden said.

He said that light and celestial objects like the moon can affect astronomers' visibility. "If the moon is full, no one is watching," Marden said.

In October 2008, astronomers for the first time tracked an asteroid from space to its impact, when it burned up over Sudan, a mere six hours after it had been discovered.

Spahr said that while asteroids the size of DD45 would pose a catastrophic risk for the planet, they are not the ones that concern him the most.

"Now if an asteroid that was, say, a kilometer across were to strike the earth, that could result in mass extinction," Spahr said. Fortunately for humanity, such asteroids are usually visible several years in advance.

Of the known asteroids, the next time one of such size will come in such close proximity to Earth is in 2029, when the asteroid known as 99942 Apophis, an 885-square-foot space rock, is expected to come within 20,000 miles of the planet.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.

Source.

Is Fidel death?

2009-03-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Chances are that this pict who has been circulating the internet is a very good made photoshop, however... could it be that they are holding the news in the last working freezer of the Island? mmmm.... Just read this, these two men, Felipe Perez Roque and Carlos Lage where ready to start chopping heads... maybe because the leader is death or ready to...

The article Castro published on a government Web site provides the first official hint of why two of the most powerful and public faces of the Cuban government were abruptly removed Monday in Cuba's largest leadership shakeup in decades.

Castro sniffed at suggestions that President Raul Castro is putting his personal stamp on the government he inherited from his older brother a year ago. He wrote that officials sought his advice "even though there was no law requiring those who named them to do that."

And he said the "two most mentioned" were too eager to advance.

"The honey of power, for which they had not sacrificed at all, awoke in them ambitions that led to an undignified role," he wrote. "The external enemy was filled with illusions for them."
Source.

Need help with my template

2009-03-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Does anybody knows why this black border line who comes after scrolling down this blog doesn't come all the way up?

I don't know how to fix that, or take it out. It bothers me. Please, if somebody knows I will appreciate the feedback,

Thanks,

Apologies for a long time break. Hugo Chavez is a liar. Congratulations for the people who voted for him.

2009-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Do I need to say more?

Hello, I have been on a long time break since I have been really avoiding politics lately. Same all same all... with difference faces coming to the arena.

As far as Venezuela news, I mean, how many times I need to post the stupidity that comes from Chavez's mouth over and over again? Always the same, the man haven't change a bit. He has a new arch enemy and he is black. But the speech is the same. I dunno if I want to keep talking about Chavez or not, or Venezuela for that matter. And here in America, things are sour with the recession. I feel like the country. Depressed.

As far as the latest Venezuelan elections, this is all I want to say. Chavez won his referendum to be President for life as long as he will be elected. We KNOW he will be elected indefinitely. Fidel is dead, Hugo is alive. Congratulations to the people who still believes in a man of his word like Hugo Chavez:

The stupidity has no limits. My question is, do I need to keep blogging about this? Sigh...

I need urgent inspiration soon... cheers to all.

Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships, the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War

2008-11-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

On May 8, 2007, this blog made a memorial post about the events that happened on May 19, 1967 in Machurucuto beach in Venezuela, when Fidel Castro and his communist ilk tried to invade the coast in an attempt to introduce communist guerrilla in the country.

It is worthy to mention the proud Venezuelan patriots who died defending their country on that bloody day of May, 1967:

Mayor (Av.) Pedro J González,

ST1 (A.C.) Jesús Eduardo Bermúdez,

Teniente (a.C.) Jesús E. Rodríguez,

Subteniente (a.C.) José Monsalve Planchara,

MT2 (a.C.) Irradio Jesús Herrera,

ST3 (A.C.) Pablo Carero Muñoz,

Teniente Coronel (A.C.) Juan Ignacio Leyceaga,

Capitán (a.C.) Diego Lavado Castillo,

Capitán de Corbeta Fabio Galipolli,

Teniente (Ej.) Leonel Ramón Tapia,

Tte. (Ej.) Abelardo Estrada Vale,

Tte. (Ej.) Lino Irribarren Forzan,

Tte. (GN) Juan Bautista León,

Tte. (GN) Andrés Moreno Uribe,

Tte. (Ej.) Jesús Ávila Paolini and,

Subteniente (Ej.) Alberto Verde Graterol, (brother of a revolutionary chavista General).

Today, we can say that the blood of those Venezuelans heroic patriots was spilled in vain and it is totally disregarded in mockery by Venezuela's communist president, Hugo Chavez, when he allowed Russian warships to arrive this Tuesday, in a (...) show of strength aimed at the United States as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America.

Venezuelan sailors fired off cannons in a 21-gun salute as the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko docked in La Guaira, near Caracas. Russians sailors dressed in black-and-white uniforms lined up along the bow.

The deployment is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War and was timed to coincide with President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Caracas — the first ever by a Russian president. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has eagerly welcomed the ships, basking in the support of a powerful ally and traditional U.S. rival. Via GMANews.tv.

Hugo, looking like Tony Soprano, with Raul Castro and Vladimir Putin.

Shame on Hugo Chavez and his traitors.

Philip Berg questions Obama's birth certificate

2008-11-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Interesting video,

Camille Paglia on Obama and Palin

2008-11-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

Refreshing thoughts from an Obama liberal and a feminist who is not into group thinking.

On Obama's birth certificate:

In the closing weeks of the election, however, I became increasingly disturbed by the mainstream media's avoidance of forthright dealing with several controversies that had been dogging Obama -- even as every flimsy rumor about Sarah Palin was being trumpeted as if it were engraved in stone on Mount Sinai. For example, I had thought for many months that the flap over Obama's birth certificate was a tempest in a teapot. But simple questions about the certificate were never resolved to my satisfaction. Thanks to their own blathering, fanatical overkill, of course, the right-wing challenges to the birth certificate never gained traction.

But Obama could have ended the entire matter months ago by publicly requesting Hawaii to issue a fresh, long-form, stamped certificate and inviting a few high-profile reporters in to examine the document and photograph it. (The campaign did make the "short-form" certificate available to Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.) And why has Obama not made his university records or thesis work widely available? The passivity of the press toward Bush administration propaganda about weapons of mass destruction led the nation into the costly blunder of the Iraq war. We don't need another presidency that finds it all too easy to rely on evasion or stonewalling. I deeply admire Obama, but as a voter I don't like feeling gamed or played.

On Obama's connection with Bill Ayers:

Another issue that I initially dismissed was the flap over William Ayers, the Chicago-based former member of the violent Weather Underground. Conservative radio host Sean Hannity began the drumbeat about Ayers' association with Obama a year ago -- a theme that most of the mainstream media refused to investigate or even report until this summer. I had never heard of Ayers and couldn't have cared less. I was irritated by Hillary Clinton's aggressive flagging of Ayers in a debate, and I accepted Obama's curt dismissal of the issue.
Hence my concern about Ayers has been very slow in developing. The mainstream media should have fully explored the subject early this year and not allowed it to simmer and boil until it flared up ferociously in the last month of the campaign. Obama may not in recent years have been "pallin' around" with Ayers, in Sarah Palin's memorable line, but his past connections with Ayers do seem to have been more frequent and substantive than he has claimed. Blame for the failure of this issue to take hold must also accrue to the conservative talk shows, which use the scare term "radical" with simplistic sensationalism, blanketing everyone under the sun from scraggly ex-hippies to lipstick-chic Nancy Pelosi.

Pursuing the truth about Ayers, I recently rented the 2002 documentary "The Weather Underground," from Netflix. It was riveting. Although the film seems to waver between ominous exposé and blatant whitewash, the full extent of the group's bombing campaign is dramatically demonstrated. It's not for everyone: The film uses gratuitous cutaways of horrifying carnage, from the Vietnam War to the Manson murders (such as Sharon Tate's smiling corpse, bathed in blood). But the news footage of the Greenwich Village townhouse destroyed in 1970 by bomb-making gone wrong in the basement still has enormous impact. Standing in the chaotic street, actor Dustin Hoffman, who lived next door, seems like Everyman at the apocalypse.

Ayers comes off in the film as a vapid, slightly dopey, chronic juvenile with stunted powers of ethical reasoning. The real revelation is his wife, Bernardine Dohrn (who evidently worked at the same large Chicago law firm as Michelle Obama in the mid-1990s). Of course I had heard of Dohrn -- hers was one of the most notorious names of our baby-boom generation -- and I knew her black-and-white police mug shot. But I had never seen footage of her speaking or interacting with others. Well, it's pretty obvious who wears the pants in that family!

The mystery of Bernardine Dohrn: How could such a personable, attractive, well-educated young woman end up saying such things at a 1969 political rally as this (omitted in the film) about the Manson murders: "Dig it. First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them. They even shoved a fork into a victim's stomach. Wild!" And how could Dohrn have so ruthlessly pursued a decade-long crusade of hatred and terrorism against innocent American citizens and both private and public property?

"The Weather Underground" never searches for answers, but it does show Dohrn, then and now, as a poised, articulate woman of extremely high intelligence and surprising inwardness. The audio extra of her reading the collective's first public communiqué ("Revolutionary violence is the only way") is chilling. But the tumultuous footage of her 1980 surrender to federal authorities is a knockout. Mesmerized, I ran the clip six or seven times of her seated at a lawyer's table while reading her still defiant statement. The sober scene -- with Dohrn hyper-alert in a handsome turtleneck and tweedy jacket -- was tailor-made for Jane Fonda in her "Klute" period, androgynous shag. Only illegalities by federal investigators prevented Dohrn from being put away on ice for a long, long time.

Given that Obama had served on a Chicago board with Ayers and approved funding of a leftist educational project sponsored by Ayers, one might think that the unrepentant Ayers-Dohrn couple might be of some interest to the national media. But no, reporters have been too busy playing mini-badminton with every random spitball about Sarah Palin, who has been subjected to an atrocious and at times delusional level of defamation merely because she has the temerity to hold pro-life views.

On Sarah Palin:

How dare Palin not embrace abortion as the ultimate civilized ideal of modern culture? How tacky that she speaks in a vivacious regional accent indistinguishable from that of Western Canada! How risible that she graduated from the University of Idaho and not one of those plush, pampered commodes of received opinion whose graduates, in their rush to believe the worst about her, have demonstrated that, when it comes to sifting evidence, they don't know their asses from their elbows.

Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology -- contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought. One would have to look back to the Eisenhower 1950s for parallels to this grotesque lock-step parade of bourgeois provincialism, shallow groupthink and blind prejudice.

I like Sarah Palin, and I've heartily enjoyed her arrival on the national stage. As a career classroom teacher, I can see how smart she is -- and quite frankly, I think the people who don't see it are the stupid ones, wrapped in the fuzzy mummy-gauze of their own worn-out partisan dogma. So she doesn't speak the King's English -- big whoop! There is a powerful clarity of consciousness in her eyes. She uses language with the jumps, breaks and rippling momentum of a be-bop saxophonist. I stand on what I said (as a staunch pro-choice advocate) in my last two columns -- that Palin as a pro-life wife, mother and ambitious professional represents the next big shift in feminism. Pro-life women will save feminism by expanding it, particularly into the more traditional Third World.

As for the Democrats who sneered and howled that Palin was unprepared to be a vice-presidential nominee -- what navel-gazing hypocrisy! What protests were raised in the party or mainstream media when John Edwards, with vastly less political experience than Palin, got John Kerry's nod for veep four years ago? And Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, for whom I lobbied to be Obama's pick and who was on everyone's short list for months, has a record indistinguishable from Palin's. Whatever knowledge deficit Palin has about the federal bureaucracy or international affairs (outside the normal purview of governors) will hopefully be remedied during the next eight years of the Obama presidencies.

The U.S. Senate as a career option? What a claustrophobic, nitpicking comedown for an energetic Alaskan -- nothing but droning committees and incestuous back-scratching. No, Sarah Palin should stick to her governorship and just hit the rubber-chicken circuit, as Richard Nixon did in his long haul back from political limbo following his California gubernatorial defeat in 1962. Step by step, the mainstream media will come around, wipe its own mud out of its eyes, and see Palin for the populist phenomenon that she is.

The only way is up

2008-11-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

by Ben Whitford

A similarly cautious approach is likely when it comes to Venezuela. When Hugo Chávez this week welcomed Obama's "grand triumph" and declared himself open to meeting the president-elect to forge a "constructive bilateral agenda", the Obama camp issued a terse statement noting that relations between Washington and Caracas "will not improve unless Venezuela respects democracy and the rule of law." That caution is probably well-founded: while the end of the Maletagate trial and of the Bush era brings real hope for an easing of tensions between Venezuela and the US, Chávez may well continue to retreat into anti-Americanism when confronted with political crises. With regional elections looming and domestic tensions running high, it's far from clear whether Chávez's affection for Obama will last beyond inauguration day.

The truth about Prop. 8

2008-11-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

As you might now, since it was widely publicized wordwide, Californians voted for his constitution to have an amendment and keep marriage between a man and a woman.

The title they are looking to add to Californians constitution is this:

"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

Californians have voted twice for the same issue. "For eight years, California’s 2000 ballot initiative Proposition 22 prevented California from recognizing same-sex marriages. Voters adopted the measure on March 7, 2000 with 61.4% approval and 38.6% against. (...) On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court struck down this initiative and related California law in a 4-3 decision, giving same-sex couples the right to marry". Source.

There were a lot of legal problems with this proposition, and it was label as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of California, on May 15, 2008. After that date, a lot of gay couples rushed to get married so they could have their marriage license. Among them, Rosie O'Donell and George Takei, "Sulu" from Star Trek.

The problem with this ruling is that it leaves the majority of Californians who approved this measure without any say on this matter. So the Judiciary branch imposes itself on top of the legislative one. What's up with that?

Then, on this past elections, Californians tackle the issue again, this time passing a prop for an amendment to the California Constitution.

The measure is not welcome by non informed California voters who were against this prop because they claim they don't have equality.

There has been some protests, a lot of internet heat between the liberal (because 70% of Blacks voted FOR Prop 8) and against the Mormon specifically, also here, dunno why.

Yes, the people united voted FOR prop. 8. That's usually the way it works on a democracy. By the way they are behaving they look more than intolerant fascist than people raised in democracy. What are they gonna do now? What is funny about all this insanity, is that any voter who wants to get into the issue a little bit in deep, can do a little internet info search and realize that this is not about marriage equality, since we have The California Family Code, sec 297 and 297.5, who cannot be more clear about this matter:

297.(a) Domestic partners are two adults who have chosen to share one another's lives in an intimate and committed relationship of
mutual caring.
(b)A domestic partnership shall be established in California when
both persons file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the
Secretary of State pursuant to this division, and, at the time of
filing, all of the following requirements are met:
(...)
(A) Both persons are members of the same sex.

297.5.(a) Registered domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law, whether they derive from statutes, administrative regulations, court rules, government policies, common law, or any other provisions or sources of law, as are granted to and imposed upon spouses.
(...) Source.

Sooo... guess what? Lesbian and guy couples already have the same spouse status as married people if they file under domestic partnership.

So, what this is all about? Hmmm... Am I missing something in here? Please let me know.

Low class act

2008-11-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Only when I decided to write something nice about Obama, like, praising his Lincolnesque speech about the elections are over and this is the time for everybody to roll the sleeves and work all united, the man decides to make fun of an 87 year-old ex-first lady making a fine display of low class. Is this gonna set the tone of his presidency? I might be too sensitive about the issue... anyway but I didn't like The President of the United States making fun of an old lady. There are some things that a President better not say.

Maybe the ghost of Ronnie will pull this bad boy's toes at night while he is sleeping in the White House.

The Many Words of the Revolution.

2008-10-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

In a parallel world, Venezuela and Hugo Chavez are not realities but characters from Orwell's "Animal Farm".

Having said that, that's the last thing I want to talk about Hugo Chavez for the moment. I am tired of politics, of the American elections, of the sewer that brings everything related to Hugo Chavez and their Chavista mono neural corrupted revolution from hell.

Anyway, since this blog was originally modeled like a Seinfeld episode, a blog about everything and nothing -politics and religion included, I am gonna be faithful to the original mission statement of talking about whatever that catches my interest for the day(s).

And today's topic isssss.... that's right, you guessed it! The Many-Worlds interpretations of Quantum Mechanics.

Watch this special on Nova about the guy who developed the theory of parallel words, Hugh Everett III. It's gonna be online until the 28th, so hurry up. If you are not able to watch it, at least check out this reading about the theory.

Or, you can watch the same documentary (the BBC version) at the comfort of Feathers's Blog, thanks to the generosity of youtube and yours truly, :P

More about Everett here.

Why the bailout plan is not only about Wall Street

2008-10-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

Very interesting commentary about the economic credit crisis and the bailout plan from investor extraordinaire Warren Buffett, who was interviewed today by CNBC’s Becky Quick.

Here is an excerpt of it.

"Quick: WHEN WE TALKED LAST WEEK ABOUT GOLDMAN SACHS, YOU SAID THE REASON YOU WERE DOING THAT DEAL IS BECAUSE YOU ASSUMED SOMETHING WOULD GET THROUGH CONGRESS. THAT PLAN RAN INTO A WALL THIS WEEK. ARE YOU STILL EXPECTING SOME SORT OF DEAL WILL BE MADE?

Buffett: THE CONGRESS WILL DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN THEY UNDERSTAND. THEY MAY GET SIDETRACKED AS THEY DID EARLIER THIS WEEK. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THE PATRIOTISM AND WILLINGNESS TO ACT IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. IT WON'T BE 435 TO NOTHING, BUT I'M BETTING THEY'LL ACT RESPONSIBLY ON THIS. I HAVE EVERY EXPECTATION THEY WILL, BUT I'LL STILL FEEL BETTER AFTER THE VOTES HAVE BEEN COUNTED.

Quick: THE DEAL WITH GE TODAY AND GOLDMAN LAST WEEK, ARE THESE STILL GOOD DEALS IF NOTHING GETS THROUGH CONGRESS?

Buffett: NO. I THINK WE HAVE TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE PROBLEMS. I SAID TWO WEEKS AGO THAT IT WAS AN ECONOMIC PEARL HARBOR. TWO WEEKS LATER, WE'RE IN WORSE SHAPE BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO DELAY WHEN THERE IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY. I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY OBVIOUS TO A MAJORITY OF CONGRESS. I THINK WE'LL GET ACTION. IF WE DON'T, I WILL HAVE DONE SOME DUMB THINGS.

Quick: THE HOLDUPS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, HOW DAMAGING IS THAT TO THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY?
Buffett: IT HURTS. YOU'VE HAD AN ECONOMY THAT'S LIKE A GREAT ATHLETE THAT'S HAD A HEART ATTACK, CARDIAC ARREST, AND THE PARAMEDICS THAT HAVE COME, INSTEAD OF ARGUING WHO WAS AT FAULT, THE ATHLETES SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHECKING HIS BLOOD PRESSURE MORE CAREFULLY. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO APPLY THE RESUSCITATOR. IT DOESN'T HELP SPENDING TIME WORRYING ABOUT WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE PATIENT HAVING THE HEART ATTACK.
(...)
Quick: MR. BUFFETT, WE HAVE HEARD FROM PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE WRITTEN US AND CALLED IT AND SAID THEY'RE AGAINST THIS RESCUE PLAN BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'S A BAILOUT FOR WALL STREET. YOU'VE COME OUT IN FAVOR, BUT HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WHO DOESN'T HAVE A LOT INVESTED IN THE STOCK MARKET. WHAT DO THEY HAVE AT STAKE?

Buffett: THERE IS NO QUESTION THIS IS A RESCUE PLAN, BUT IT'S A RESCUE PLAN FOR THE AMERICAN ECONOMY NOT WALL STREET. IF YOU LOOK AT HE PEOPLE AT LEHMAN OR BEAR STEARNS OR AIG, THE SHAREHOLDERS HAVE GOTTEN KILLED AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE ARE LOSING JOBS OR LOSING BONUSES AND ALL KIND OF THINGS. THIS IS DESIGNED TO HELP THE AMERICAN ECONOMY FROM GOING INTO THE ULTIMATE TAIL SPIN, BUT WHEN CREDIT IS FROZEN AND WHEN BANKS ARE UNWILLING TO LEND TO EACH OTHER AND 8% OF DEPOSITS IN AMERICAN BANKS HAVE BEEN MOVED -- THESE ARE -- THIS IS AN ECONOMIC PEARL HARBOR AND ONLY THE WHOLE WORLD WANTS TO DELEVERAGE. THE ONLY ENTITY IN THE WORLD THAT CAN LEVERAGE UP TO MATCH THAT FORCE IS THE U.S. TREASURY. THEY ARE NOT DOING THIS FOR WALLSTREET. THIS IS BEING DONE FOR THE AMERICAN ECONOMY."

Read and watch a video of the interview here.

On a different level, and very much different than Buffett's opinion, read the free market brilliant epiphany from the man who have almost destroyed the entire oil business in Venezuela, here.

Bailout defeated - Stocks plunges

2008-09-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

I don't understand the stupidity of some Republicans not passing this bill.

Even though John McCain and Pres. Bush were for this bailout, some still doesn't understand the problem that a market that won't lend money poses to everybody.

"Representative Darrell Issa, a Republican, said he was “resolute” in his opposition to the measure because it would betray party principles and amount to “a coffin on top of Ronald Reagan’s coffin.”

What does that mean? What ideology avoids a Senator not to do what is best for the country? Oh well, I don't think Ronnie was that of a moron.

Today, it wasn't the time to point fingers or stick to principles, it was the time to act.

So what's gonna happen next? The FED will step in supplying more money creating inflation and weakening the dollar, and there is the possibility that people and business are not gonna put that cash into banks due to lack of confidence.

This economical hardship will definitely take a toll on McCain's campaign since people will see it as a Republican mess.

Some great readings from Thomas Sowell

2008-09-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Sowell, one of my favorite live brilliant minds that America have to offer, deserves to be read on a regular basis. I just selected these articles from the topic of the moment, Obama and the credit crisis.

Idols of Crowds

"A human group transforms itself into a crowd when it suddenly responds to a suggestion rather than to reasoning, to an image rather than to an idea, to an affirmation rather than to proof, to the repetition of a phrase rather than to arguments, to prestige rather than to competence."

Jean-François Revel was not referring to the United States when he wrote those words, nor to his own France, but to human beings in general. He was certainly not referring to Barack Obama, whom he probably never heard of, since Revel died last year.

To find anything comparable to crowds' euphoric reactions to Obama, you would have to go back to old newsreels of German crowds in the 1930s, with their adulation of their fuehrer, Adolf Hitler. With hindsight, we can look back on those people with pity, knowing now how many of them would be led to their deaths by the man they idolized.

The exultation of the moment can exact a brutal price after that moment has passed. Nowhere is that truer than when it comes to picking the leader of a nation, which means entrusting that leader with the fate of millions today and of generations yet unborn.

A leader does not have to be evil to lead a country into a catastrophe. Inexperience and incompetence can create very similar results, perhaps even faster in a nuclear age, when even "a small country"— as Senator Obama called Iran— can wreak havoc anywhere in the world, when they are led by suicidal fanatics and supply nuclear weapons to terrorists who are likewise suicidal fanatics.

Barack Obama is truly a phenomenon of our time— a presidential candidate who cannot cite a single serious accomplishment in his entire career, besides advancing his own career with rhetoric.

He has a rhetorical answer for everything. Those of us who talk about the threat of Iran are just engaging in "the politics of fear" according to Obama, something to distract us from "the real issues," such as raising taxes and handing out largesse with the proceeds.

Those who have studied the years leading up to World War II have been astonished by how many people and how many countries failed to see what Adolf Hitler was getting ready to do.

Even though Hitler telegraphed his punches, few people seemed to get the message. Books about that period have had such titles as "The Gathering Storm" and "Why England Slept." Will future generations wonder why we slept? Why we could not see the gathering storm in Iran, where one of the world's leading oil producers is building nuclear facilities— ostensibly to generate electricity, but whose obvious purpose is to produce nuclear bombs.

This is a country whose president has already threatened to wipe a neighboring country off the map. Does anyone need to draw pictures?

When terrorists get nuclear weapons, there will be no way to deter suicide bombers. We and our children will be permanently at the mercy of the merciless.

Yet what are we talking about? Taxing and spending policies, socking it to the oil companies and rescuing people who gambled on risky mortgages and lost.

Are we serious? Are we incapable of adult foresight and adult responsibility?

Barack Obama of course has his usual answer: talk. Rhetoric seems to be his answer to everything. Obama calls for "aggressive" diplomacy and "tough" negotiations with Iran.

These colorful adjectives may impress gullible voters but they are unlikely to impress fanatics who are willing to destroy themselves if they can destroy us in the process.

Just what is Senator Obama going to say to Iran that has not been said already? That we don't want them to develop nuclear weapons? That has already been said, every way that it can possibly be said. If talk was going to do the job, it would already have done it by now.

Go to the United Nations? What will they do, except issue warnings— and when these are ignored, issue more warnings?

But what does Obama have besides talk— and adoring crowds?

-------

If you wanna know what's going on with the credit crisis that generate part of the events we saw this week developed in wall street, you certainly need to read Sowell's explanation on it. This crisis is the perfect example of how bad an irresponible and excessive government regulation practices can do to the economy of a country. In this case, a robust economy like the one of the US of A.

Bankrupt ‘exploiters’

In one of those front-page editorials disguised as "news" stories, the New York Times blames "the lucrative lending practices" of banks and other financial institutions for helping create the current financial crisis of millions of borrowers and of the financial system in general.

It must take either a willful determination to believe whatever they want to believe or a cynical desire to propagandize their readers for the New York Times to call "lucrative" the lending practices that have caused many lenders to lose millions of dollars, some to lose billions and some to go bankrupt themselves.

Blaming the lenders is the party line of Congressional Democrats as well. What we need is more government regulation of lenders, they say, to protect the innocent borrowers from "predatory" lending practices.

Before going further down that road, it may be useful to look back at what got us into this mess in the first place.

Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here.

It was not that many years ago when there was moral outrage ringing throughout the media because lenders were reluctant to lend in certain neighborhoods and because banks did not approve mortgage loan applications from blacks as often as they approved mortgage loan applications from whites.

All this was an opening salvo in a campaign to get Congress to pass laws forcing lenders to lend to people they would not otherwise lend to and in places where they would not otherwise put their money.

The practice of not lending in some neighborhoods was demonized as "redlining" and the fact that minority applicants were approved for mortgages only 72 percent of the time, while whites were approved 89 percent, was called "overwhelming" evidence of discrimination by the Washington Post.

Some people are more easily overwhelmed than others, especially when they find statistics that seem to fit their preconceptions. But if we do what politicians and the media seldom bother to do— stop and think— an entirely different picture emerges.

In our own personal lives, common sense leads us to avoid some neighborhoods. If you want to call that "redlining," so be it. But places where it is dangerous to go are often also places where it is dangerous to send your money.

As for racial differences in mortgage loan application approval rates, that does not tell you much if you are comparing apples and oranges. Income, credit history and net worth are just some of the things that are very different from one group to another.

More important, in the same ways that blacks differ from whites, whites differ from Asian Americans. The fact that whites are turned down for conventional mortgage loans, and resort to subprime loans, more often than Asian Americans do is seldom reported in "news" stories about lending practices, even though such data are readily available.

Shocking as it may be to some, lenders are in the business of making money, and they don't much care whose money it is, so long as they get paid.

Politicians, on the other hand, are in the business of getting votes, and they don't much care whose votes it is— or what they have to say or do in order to get those votes.

It was government intervention in the financial markets, which is now supposed to save the situation, that created the problem in the first place.

Laws and regulations pressured lending institutions to lend to people that they were not lending to, given the economic realities. The Community Reinvestment Act forced them to lend in places where they did not want to send their money, and where neither they nor the politicians wanted to walk.

Now that this whole situation has blown up in everybody's face, the government intervention that brought on this disaster in is supposed to save the day.

Politics is largely the process of taking credit and putting the blame on others— regardless of what the facts may be. Politicians get away with this to the extent that we gullibly accept their words and look to them as political messiahs.

Read part 2 of this article here.

In what respect, Charlie?

2008-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

From the new blog Hollywood Trenches, a director shares his expertise on Charlie Gibson´s dreadful glasses-on-the-middle-of-the-nose snobbish interview to Palin. I wonder if Gibson knows about the existence of bifocals or progressive glasses. Looks like a very promising and interesting blog to follow too, btw.

Charlie Gibson and ABC News Camera Trickery

I'm a Director in Hollywood. I've also created visual effects for movies and commercials for 23 years. I'm not disclosing my name at this point, because frankly I've already suffered enough job loss because I was "outted" as a conservative. But enough about me. I caught a commercial teaser for the Charlie Gibson interview of Sarah Palin and something caught my attention as a Director immediately: The use of the position and choice of lenses to minimalize Governor Palin.

To be objective to see if I was jumping to conclusions, I immediately reviewed Mr. Gibson's interview with Senator Obama. Take a look below at how wide and then how even the heights are between the two. Yes, in real life Senator Obama is taller than Mr. Gibson. The shot was never tighter than the framing on the right.

Now take a look at Sarah Palin's interview below. Funny how all the shots are no wider than the one on the left. There's a reason for this. While it's true that Governor Palin is of less stature than Mr. Gibson, the deliberate choice of the camera's height, framing and the use of telephoto lenses all serve to make Mr. Gibson look overpowering and Governor Palin the weak prey. This is common shooting technique we use to make a villain appear more ominous. How intuitive of ABC News to correctly portray themselves.

To illustrate this further, I utilized some storyboarding software I normally use to figure out what shots need to be set up when I shoot a movie. Notice that by merely adjusting the height of the camera and using a telephoto lens we can manipulate the shot to make either subject we want larger or smaller. The characters themselves were not scaled up or moved at all. Obviously ABC, along with Mr. Gibson and his producers chose to make her look as tiny as possible.

So, it's just one more bit of evidence on the pile of news media's bias against conservatives and women. Oh wait...what about Senator Clinton's interview....

Huh. Guess it's just conservatives. Mr. Gibson is in good company with Oprah.

Since this the first blog, let me give you a glimpse of what's in store for future articles. I'll be giving you a first hand account of such stories as puppeteers chanting to Satan behind-the-scene of a kids film and self professed co-workers of tolerance and diversity launching in to fist-pounding-on-desk, veins-bulging-in-forehead tyraids over soft spoken questions asked of them.

This is your inside look at the real Hollywood and those you give your billions to in ticket sales.

Camillle Paglia on Palin

2008-09-16T02:07:00.000-07:00

This article is worth it to be read it all.

One of the few atheist liberals I kinda like to read, all along with Christopher Hitchens and some other bloggers -they know who they are, is Camille Paglia. Paglia, feminist and pro choice herself, makes a lot of great points criticizing Obama, but I really enjoyed her critique about the intolerant and dogmatic thought of the other band of the feminazi group (Steinem and co) and the absurdity of the women groups and the liberals in general when they want to make an ethical case for abortion.

(...) But what of Palin's pro-life stand? Creationism taught in schools? Book banning? Gay conversions? The Iraq war as God's plan? Zionism as a prelude to the apocalypse? We'll see how these big issues shake out. Right now, I don't believe much of what I read or hear about Palin in the media. To automatically assume that she is a religious fanatic who has embraced the most extreme ideas of her local church is exactly the kind of careless reasoning that has been unjustly applied to Barack Obama, whom the right wing is still trying to tar with the fulminating anti-American sermons of his longtime preacher, Jeremiah Wright.

The witch-trial hysteria of the past two incendiary weeks unfortunately reveals a disturbing trend in the Democratic Party, which has worsened over the past decade. Democrats are quick to attack the religiosity of Republicans, but Democratic ideology itself seems to have become a secular substitute religion. Since when did Democrats become so judgmental and intolerant? Conservatives are demonized, with the universe polarized into a Manichaean battle of us versus them, good versus evil. Democrats are clinging to pat group opinions as if they were inflexible moral absolutes. The party is in peril if it cannot observe and listen and adapt to changing social circumstances.

Let's take the issue of abortion rights, of which I am a firm supporter. As an atheist and libertarian, I believe that government must stay completely out of the sphere of personal choice. Every individual has an absolute right to control his or her body. (Hence I favor the legalization of drugs, though I do not take them.) Nevertheless, I have criticized the way that abortion became the obsessive idée fixe of the post-1960s women's movement -- leading to feminists' McCarthyite tactics in pitting Anita Hill with her flimsy charges against conservative Clarence Thomas (admittedly not the most qualified candidate possible) during his nomination hearings for the Supreme Court. Similarly, Bill Clinton's support for abortion rights gave him a free pass among leading feminists for his serial exploitation of women -- an abusive pattern that would scream misogyny to any neutral observer.

But the pro-life position, whether or not it is based on religious orthodoxy, is more ethically highly evolved than my own tenet of unconstrained access to abortion on demand. My argument (as in my first book, "Sexual Personae,") has always been that nature has a master plan pushing every species toward procreation and that it is our right and even obligation as rational human beings to defy nature's fascism. Nature herself is a mass murderer, making casual, cruel experiments and condemning 10,000 to die so that one more fit will live and thrive.

Hence I have always frankly admitted that abortion is murder, the extermination of the powerless by the powerful. Liberals for the most part have shrunk from facing the ethical consequences of their embrace of abortion, which results in the annihilation of concrete individuals and not just clumps of insensate tissue. The state in my view has no authority whatever to intervene in the biological processes of any woman's body, which nature has implanted there before birth and hence before that woman's entrance into society and citizenship.

On the other hand, I support the death penalty for atrocious crimes (such as rape-murder or the murder of children). I have never understood the standard Democratic combo of support for abortion and yet opposition to the death penalty. Surely it is the guilty rather than the innocent who deserve execution?

What I am getting at here is that not until the Democratic Party stringently reexamines its own implicit assumptions and rhetorical formulas will it be able to deal effectively with the enduring and now escalating challenge from the pro-life right wing. Because pro-choice Democrats have been arguing from cold expedience, they have thus far been unable to make an effective ethical case for the right to abortion.

(...)

It is nonsensical and counterproductive for Democrats to imagine that pro-life values can be defeated by maliciously destroying their proponents. And it is equally foolish to expect that feminism must for all time be inextricably wed to the pro-choice agenda. There is plenty of room in modern thought for a pro-life feminism -- one in fact that would have far more appeal to third-world cultures where motherhood is still honored and where the Western model of the hard-driving, self-absorbed career woman is less admired.

But the one fundamental precept that Democrats must stand for is independent thought and speech. When they become baying bloodhounds of rigid dogma, Democrats have committed political suicide.

Matt Damon for President

2008-09-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

Some terrifying Matt Damon humor from The Spoof, enjoy

"Matt Damon is voting for Matt Damon because Matt Damon knows who Matt Damon is." With those words, actor Matt Damon launched his presidential campaign.

Damon, considered by many to be not only the world's finest actor, but also its greatest political thinker, is sure to gain support among his Hollywood friends who have already contributed 25 million dollars to his campaign fund.

Damon said he took the decision to run because he had not heard of any of the other candidates.

"Sarah Palin? Who's she?" He said. "Matt Damon doesn't know who she is. I think I saw her in a bad Disney movie once. No wait, that was me.

"And if McCain dies, then what happens? Matt Damon doesn't know.

"Why would anyone vote for anyone apart from Matt Damon? Matt Damon thinks that's absurd."

Sheeez, what was that? As soon as I saw Matt Damon talking about Palin, all I could think about was the interpretation of Matt Damon on Team America, in which everything he managed to say for the whole freaking movie was his name.

Sally Quinn on Palin.

2008-09-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just listen to this.

And it get´s better, read Rush´s reply to her rant. This is too good not to read it.

QUINN: I've been a working mother for 26 years and practically every friend I have is a working mother and works full time. So, uh, I think we are so far beyond that issue of whether women should work or not, in -- uh, certainly in your world and my world. But in the world of evangelicals, that's not the case. Women are supposed to be subservient to their husbands and they are meant to be stay-at-home moms. And women, in fact, are not allowed to be pastors in the Southern Baptist church.

RUSH: So now we have this. This is Sally Quinn, who is an extreme liberal feminist, now defining for us who evangelicals are and how they live, and getting it entirely wrong. Women are supposed to be subservient to men. By the way, now, you can sit and get mad at all this stuff. It's not going to do any good to get mad. You've gotta do something. You've gotta understand this, understand where this comes from. They're totally frightened. They live a lie. They do not understand half of what they believe, or more, and they act on it; they create policies based on it; and they exist in hate. They exist in hate. So it's a double standard. If you're Sally Quinn or Soledad O'Brien -- who has a bunch of kids, by the way.

Soledad O'Brien's got at least three, I believe. Two of them are twins, I think. I'm not quite sure. I confuse these Drive-By info babes. But if you're Sally Quinn or Soledad O'Brien, well, it's all fine and dandy to have kids and go to work and have the husband do whatever he does. Hire the nanny, get day care, because you are sophisticated and you understand the realities of the world. But these evangelicals? They don't buy this! Women are supposed to have babies; be barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen; never to be heard from, subservient to men. And thus Sarah Palin is disqualified because she has violated the rules of evangelical religious beliefs. It's absurd! It is insane! And yet it is not challenged. Here's more if you want to hear more. She added this to the comment.

QUINN: It's one thing to have one or two or three children, especially if they're healthy children, and everyone knows that women and men are different and that moms and dads are different and that women -- the burden of child care almost always falls on the woman. But I think when you have five children -- one a four-month-old Down syndrome baby, and a daughter who's 17 who's also a child and who is going to need her mother very much in the next few months and years with her own baby coming -- that I don't see how you can not make your family your first priority.

RUSH: When did you start caring about that, Sally Quinn? When did these people start caring about the family? When did they start caring about putting family first? When did these liberal feminists, Sally Quinn of Georgetown, start being concerned about that? So now Sarah Palin, she's not going to have time. She's not going to have time to govern. She's not going to be able to do it right because she had too many kids -- and here again, Snerdley, you lose the bet. She should not have had one that had Down syndrome. Well, no. You could have two or three. We haven't got to the Chinese one baby policy yet.

You could have two or three if you're Sally Quinn or Soledad O'Brien. But you can't have any if you're Sarah Palin and go to work, and you can't have any if you're Sarah Palin and are not subservient to your husband, and you can't have any if you're Sarah Palin and you're going to run for governor. Of course I know how infuriating it is! I've been boiling all night. I've been boiling all morning here. The point here is that the anger, you know, after awhile, then what do you do? All we can do is expose this stuff, add the appropriate commentary to it, and let people take it and digest it for what it is, because it speaks for itself. Of course it's outrageous, but I maintain to you that what's driving all of this is something very simple.

They know Sarah Palin exposes the frauds they are. She exposes them by virtue of her American life. She exposes them by virtue of her essence. She exposes them by virtue of her existence. She exposes them as the 100% lying frauds that they are: the Sally Quinns, most of the women in the media, all of the so-called feminist leaders. I told you yesterday, this is nothing more (well, it actually is more) but it's the same approach that they took to destroy Clarence Thomas, the same approach that they took to destroy Robert Bork and all the others I mentioned in that list. They destroy people who are threats. They destroy people who are threats to their template, to their narrative, to their power. They take no prisoners. They have the Drive-By Media with them, the Washington governing class, as well as the Democrat Party. It's a troika. It's a three-headed beast. That's what we're all up against.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I'll tell you, the e-mail account is smoking as I'm sure the phone calls are smoking with reaction to the ditz Sally Quinn. Let's not forget Sally Quinn is of Georgetown. Sally Quinn is known mostly thanks to her husband. Sally Quinn has never subjected herself to public approval, therefore can make claims without measuring them against what the public actually thinks. She would be outraged if anyone began any kind of an investigation of her, to find out what her childhood was like, other than what she's written, to find out what she's done in her life that we don't know about. To have media demand that she prove her kids are her kids, by doing paternity tests. She would be outraged, she's too sophisticated; she would be insulted. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Bill Clinton a Southern Baptist? I know Jimmy Carter was a Southern Baptist. I think they both were. And, by the way, the Democrats loved 'em. The Democrats still love 'em, two Southern Baptists, the Democrats and Sally Quinn fawning all over themselves for both. Was Hillary not subservient enough? I mean, here you've got a Southern Baptist president, Bill Clinton, and I don't think he's married to anybody subservient.

I'll tell you something else, Sally, old babe, you talk about Sarah Palin not having enough time with all those kids to run around. Last I checked Bill Clinton had more relationships on the side while he was in the White House, plus a daughter in the White House, plus a wife running around. Bill Clinton was as busy as he could possibly be. Were you going to be demanding the paternity tests for John Edwards? Where's the investigation into his affair? Where's the investigation into whose kid it really is? This was a guy with no experience, nothing to recommend him to be president, and you didn't do one thing to do anything about exposing who John Edwards really is, because you didn't care to because he's a fraud just like all the rest of you are. And let's not forget Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi has five children, and she has grandchildren, and do you remember when she was sworn in as the speaker of the House? She brought all that family in there, she brought her kids, she brought grandkids, she had grandkids on the knee, she said it's time for a woman to clean the House, she said she could do it all with her kids, her grandkids, her husband, Paul Pelosi, running around.

The double standard here is striking. It's not new. It's nothing surprising. It is just glaring how overt it has become. And, by the way, none of what Clinton did interfered with his job. Bill Clinton's out there admitting to lying under oath. Bill Clinton is out there having all these different affairs, and you said it didn't affect his job performance, why, it's sex, everybody has sex. But it didn't affect how he led the country. They're just scared, folks, they are frightened as they can be. If your blood's boiling, let me turn up the temperature. Soledad O'Brien to Sally Quinn: "Why wouldn't she make the choice that many working mothers with more than one or two or even three kids make and hand that sick child off to their dad and go answer the phone? Why would that not be sort of in the realm of possibility?"

QUINN: We're supposed to say, at least in the old feminist world, that women and men are the same and they should be equal and that, you know, we have double standards. It's extremely time-consuming. We are talking about John McCain, who has chosen a woman with five children, one with special needs and a daughter, 17-year-old child who's pregnant. That is a distraction, and when you are in a position like that, suppose she became president in the next several months, she would have an enormous number of distractions on her hand. And I can't believe that she would be the dad and her husband would be the mom.

RUSH: Uh, have you heard of nannies? I go back and I recall the Bill Clinton experience. How did Bill Clinton not get distracted, Sally? Sally Quinn of Georgetown. It's a distraction to have five kids? You can have two or three. Let's go through the list, let's find out how many kids all these Drive-By Media babes have and find out how it is they still do their jobs and not be distracted by their families, because they think they're just as important as the vice president. They think they're just as big a part of government as the vice president is, maybe even more powerful than the vice president. So let's go look, let's do a little list of every female Drive-By, find out how many kids they've got, how old they are, who takes care of them and what kind of wonk husbands these people have. Of course it wasn't a distraction for Bill Clinton to have all of his affairs. It wasn't a distraction for Bill Clinton to have all these investigations into his affairs. It wasn't a distraction for Bill Clinton to be impeached because he lied under oath. See what we're up against here?

Read the rest of Rush Limbaugh´s comment here.

Nancy Pelosi talks about the importance to have young women in politics...

2008-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Of course, that interview was before the wrong woman, moose hunter from the Republican party came to the spot light.

I wonder if she had said the same if this interview was held today, or something more on the line of Sally Quinn's comments?

Women in Government

LHJ: You wrote the foreword for the upcoming book about the Sanchez sisters, Dream in Color. Aside from them, who do you see as the rising female stars in Congress; who do you think may be suited to follow in your footsteps?

NP: I think that we have a wealth of young women, and this is really part of my responsibility as I see it -- to attract many more women to Congress, and especially young women, because it's important for women to come into Congress when they are young . That way -- and this applies in every field -- they can build their seniority and be in a place to spring into great power at the same age that men are able to. There shouldn't be a power gap just because, say, women are home raising their children, as it was in my case. I stayed home with my children until they were grown, and that was fine for me, but it's a different era now. In this new era it's important for me to be a voice for their generation, to be a voice for working young women, in the Congress of the United States. That's very important. So I've made it a special mission to encourage that, and to that end -- well, if I start naming names and I don't name everyone that will be a problem. [Laughs] I'm very proud of the number of young women who are here, raising their families, raising those issues on the House floor, and building their seniority. Anything is possible for them -- leadership in this Congress, leadership in their states, leadership even regarding who could be the next president. Well, not next, but a future president.

(...)

Work-Life Balance

LHJ: You are a mother of five and were a homemaker for many years before entering politics. You say in your book that the skills you honed doing those things were the same ones you needed when you got to Congress. How so?

NP: Absolutely, and this is what I want women to know, so they recognize the value of their own path, their unique experience. I've been in politics a while, over 20 years in the Congress of the United States, and this is a very rough-and-tumble.... I shouldn't say 'rough,' let me say a very challenging arena to be in. But as challenging as it is, nothing is as challenging as raising a family -- nothing. That experience forced me to be disciplined, diplomatic, focused, and successful, and I brought that discipline and focus to the Congress. Also, having a family keeps you focused on the future, which is the biggest inspiration in politics. In order to do what it takes to succeed in politics, you have to be inspired by your constituents, the power of your ideas, and the fact that you speak on behalf of children and their future, whether you have children of your own or not. It makes all the difference in the world.

(...)

2006 Elections

LHJ: One of my favorite anecdotes about the 2006 midterms was, you were expecting a grandchild at that time, and the President called with his congratulations, and when you were notified there was a phone call for you, you said "Oh, does this mean the baby's born?"

NP: The phone rang very early in the morning, before 7:00 -- well, that's not that early, but maybe a bit early to get a phone call -- so I picked it up and said 'Oh my, do we have a new baby?' And they said, "No, this is the President calling."

(...)

Work and Family

LHJ: Women since the dawn of time have struggled to balance their careers with their families. What advice would you give to women who are trying to achieve that very elusive balance? Do you think it's possible?

NP: Yes, I think it is, and what I tell women is, you are doing the best you can, even if it's not the best you know how. You can't control every aspect, so don't worry about not measuring up. Just know that it's the best you can do, and know that if you succeed in being a mother, you can succeed in any arena. There's nothing to compare it to. And I always say know your power. That's how I got the title for my book. Mothers have so much power. They have the power to make a difference in the lives of these little people they're raising, and the power to make a difference in the world in which they will grow up and then live. That's a key message of my book. I want women to recognize the value of their unique experience. And in Congress, I've made it my special mission to be a voice for young working women.

(...)

The New Feminism

LHJ: What are your thoughts about the fact that the term "feminism" is falling out of favor with many young women? They feel that they personally have not been discriminated against in their personal lives or at the workplace, so they feel it's no longer relevant.

NP: Well, you know, this is the normal evolution of society, and good for them that they have not felt that. I don't think anyone would say, well, I don't want them to enjoy the benefits of feminism unless they accept the term. I don't think anybody's advocating that. But I do think that we have some obstacles to overcome yet. We just don't have enough women in positions of power, whether it's political power, corporate power, academic power....

(...)

The Elusive Presidency

LHJ: Do you think there's something in particular about American society that somehow we have a "block" when it comes to having a female president? More seemingly "sexist" cultures -- for instance, Pakistan, India, Liberia, Chile -- have all had female heads of state, and we still have not managed to get one here.

NP: I think that we will, and Hillary Clinton's campaign bodes well for our country. She was accepted as a contender -- not merely accepted, she established herself as a contender -- right up until the end with her eloquence, with her knowledge, with her stamina. She showed that any woman can make that fight. It turned out that she did not prevail, but she could have, and so I think the path has really been paved, the opportunity has been established. And anyone who cares about women in power and a woman in the White House owes a great deal of gratitude to Hillary Clinton for her courage in going forward in the manner in which she did, for the strength with which she proceeded and success that she had. I think she showed that a woman can win the White House. It was a close call in the end. And I don't think there was anybody who thought that she couldn't win and that she wouldn't be a great president. I'm very excited about her candidacy. There are those who will do the postmortems on why she -- sorry, not the postmortems; here we call it an "after-action review" -- about what could have been done differently, but there were some things on which we can all agree: It had nothing to do with whether the American people were ready to accept a woman.

(...)

Encouragement for All Women

LHJ: And you don't think those criticisms were particularly because she was a woman?

NP: Well, I mean, you call attention to someone and people pay attention, they notice. Now, is there sexism in the media? Well, yes -- I experience it all the time, but I don't think it makes the difference as to whether you're going to win or not. To take a different tack, I think the people who acted in a sexist way were the losers in all of this. I don't think they looked good at all; it looked like yesterday and just ... silly. I mean, my children have said to me, "Mother, if you had any idea what people say about you." And you know what? I don't care! I've done what I've set out to do. I know that the right-wing media sets out to caricature me, but if you decide to worry about that, then you might as well just pick up another line of work. They have their say and you have yours, and at the end of the day, we won. But in terms of the presidential race, women have to view this as very positive. The respect and admiration for Hillary Clinton in this country has, I believe, increased, and been enhanced by this race. And that's important not only for her but for any woman who sets out on a path to do something new. And it should be a source of encouragement to all women.

Originally published on LHJ.com, August 2008. Link, here.

Gloria Steinem on Palin

2008-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

"Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton."

For Steinem, Palin is the wrong woman. And you know, she is entitled to give her opinion about Palin, but don't tell me these women rights and feminist movements are NOTHING but big political agenda for liberal issues.

So, if somebody like Palin comes to the political arena, instead of being congratulated for her achievement, the same way I always have respected Hillary's achievements but never in agreement with her, Palin is nothing but a puppet of the boy's club. She doesn't have brains because she is pro life. Just like Clarence Thomas.

Let's be very clear, the NOW, the ACLU, and Oprah, don't care about women, or minorities, or blacks or whatever. As long you don't agree with their liberal agenda, you are regarded as nothing.

This is not about defending women's rights, or minorities. For them, this always have been about the liberal agenda. They should stop presenting them as organizations who works for minorities or women because it's not true.

Having said that, I am tired of listening from the conservatives that Palin is a hockey mom. She should be presented as a politician because she got that job because of her work as a politician and not because she is a hockey mom. Don't give more sexist ammo to the left, please!

Bill Melendez.

2008-09-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Bill Melendez has died... but Snoopy and his animations will always live forever.

Morris on Palin

2008-09-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

After years of electing plasticized creations of political consultants, we have the chance to vote for a real person with real peoples' problems. In standing by her, McCain speaks volumes about his attitude toward women and his empathy for those who face family troubles. His loyalty illustrates not just his decency, but his sensitivity and good sense.

All of which illustrates the most fundamental point of this convention: That John McCain is no George W. Bush.

Via Rasmussen Reports and A Second Hand Conjecture.

How the US Gov. made 20 millions today from Hugo's Citgo

2008-09-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hugo's Citgo needs to thanks the W' US Gov. for their generosity so they could continue to do business as usual in despite of Gustav.

The US Govt. just released 250,000 barrels of crude from the Strategic Petro Reserve to Citgo / Venezuela. The avg. price per barrel in the SPR is 28 and change. The current price of crude is 110. About 80/barrel profit x 250K = 20 million bucks.

DOE grants Citgo 250,000 barrels of oil from SPR

NEW YORK -- (AP) Citgo will be allowed to pull 250,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve because of its inability to secure crude in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.

Venezuela's government-controlled Citgo Petroleum Corporation said Tuesday that supplies to its refinery in Lake Charles were cut off when the Calcasieu Ship Channel closed.

The U.S. Energy Department granted the request late Tuesday, so far the only request for fuel from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The reserve is an emergency depot maintained by the Energy Department and can hold as much as 727 million barrels of oil in salt caverns along the Coast of Mexico.

Source.

For some quick facts about the SPR (strategic petroleum reserve), click here.

The party who hates women

2008-09-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Taken from Murphy's blog (PUMA PAC). He/ she is a pro Hillary activist who is very angry with the Democrat party for the way they took Hillary out of the race and was taken over by the Obama people.

The party who hates women and the people who belong to that party, non other than the democrat, Jim Crow law, Bull Conner, George Wallace's party, is making a point to make it very clear.

No much have changed since the goo'ol boy days uh? What was all this shit about late 60s women's rights and NOW (Nat Org of Women who should be called NOL or Nat Org of Lesbians, who is blatantly against Palin for his Pro Life stand, btw) when they rip to pieces a woman who resembles any any day woman like Palin, and who have treated Hillary Clinton the way they had trowing her under the bus?

If they had something to celebrate bringing a black to the presidency, they are really fucking up with the media and the Obama moveon.org lunatic types base who is in a misogynist frenzy attack towards all American girl, anti-establishment , strong, eloquent woman who is Gov. Palin.

Just watch this two pictures and tell me about it.

Do you have to be atheist, ugly and lesbian to be considered a woman and be treated with respect from the liberal media?

You know, first it was the rumor who appeared in Daily Kos (brought up to you by Juan Cole) about Palin's little kid was not her son but her grandson... rumor that was shattered when we find out that in fact the 17 year-old is actually pregnant and couldn't have delivered a baby in March because she was already pregnant.

Now, the attack comes from US Weekly, owned by Obama campaign contributor Jann Wenner:

"The magazine, founded by New York Times Company and owned by Obama campaign contributor Jann Wenner, rips Palin with cover teasers that publicize her teen daughter's pregnancy, an alleged firing of Palin's sister's ex-husband and promises "new embarrassing surprises." The website URL for the Palin story reads, "sarah-palin-very-difficult-to-work-with."

The September feature states:

Mom-of-five Palin is antiabortion (even in cases of rape) and opposed to sex-education classes (she believes in abstinence instruction for teens).

In the wake of the announcement about Bristol, questions have begun to arise about the governor's candor and McCain's judgment (The New York Times reported that McCain's camp vetted Palin only the day before her selection was announced.

"It's conceivable a 17-year-old girl just screwed the GOP," Democratic strategist George Lakoff tells Us Weekly.

A June issue of the same celebrity magazine featured Barack and Michelle Obama embracing on the cover with the headline, "Michelle Obama: Why Barack Loves Her." The teaser reads, "She shops at Target, loved 'Sex in the City' and never misses the girls' recitals. The untold romance between a down-to-earth mom and the man who calls her 'my rock.'" The website URL states, "exclusive-barack-obama-michelle-is-an-extraordinary-mother."

The Obama issue focused on Michelle Obama's "strong sense of family" and genuine personality.

According to a Daily Standard report, Wenner has contributed $5,300 to the Obama campaign since 2007. In a March Rolling Stone article, he praised the senator: "[A]long comes Barack Obama, with the kinds of gifts that appear in politics but once every few generations. There is a sense of dignity, even majesty, about him, and underneath that ease lies a resolute discipline. It's not just that he is eloquent – with that ability to speak both to you and to speak for you – it's that he has a quality of thinking and intellectual and emotional honesty that is extraordinary."

Taken from World Net Daily.

Super Obama comes to the rescue and says that Gov. Palin personal life is out of the question and he will fire anybody who spread rumors etc, but the reality is that all those dirty attacks have come from the Democratic Party, the same ones who took Hillary and Bill to the trash can, and the voters are noticing.

No wonder why the Hillary base is so pissed off. They are showing off what a pile of heinous shit has taken over the leadership of the Democratic Party.

Some rules about driving, vrromm, vrrrooom...

2008-09-01T03:25:00.000-07:00

Please watch the videos posted by McPerro. Venezuelan race driver and Chavista extraordinaire Milka Dunno making a big low class manners show at the race track when confronted by her American colleague Danica Patrick last May at Indy.

What was she trying to do?

What I know, and I don't know that much about racing, is that you cannot cut a faster driver coming behind you this way mein Gott. A race is between the pilot and the racetrack, not a cat fight between drivers making everybody's life more dangerous than what already is at the racetrack. Does she knows anything about racing?

That's what she was mad and started yelling to Patrick "you like show?" and "you not welcome here" (lol!), she knew she did very wrong. Very unprofessional attitude too. Shameful!

Having said that, Danica Patrick is known to be a hothead too. Wrong from both of them to have put that show.

OMG, It's Sarah Palin!

2008-08-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is the news that had awaken feathers from her limbo an need to make a post about it. This is the speech that moved me, not Obama's last night one, but this one. So refreshing, no need for a big stadium and all the rock star shit and personality cult that revolves about the Black Messiah.

Let's shatter that glass ceiling once and for all! Who hoooo...

Now this was a speech I like. Full of the things she accomplished and with little melodrama.

Why Obama hasn't been so clear with the things he had accomplished as a Washington bureaucrat?

This is so freaking exciting! Mc Cain proved he is a real maverick having the guts to pick the governor of Alaska, a woman, mother of 5 Sarah Palin in his ticket. The reason on why I am so excited about this woman, it's because she is a great example to all women out there, not that Hilly wasn't an example on her own as a career woman but Palin is a better example in my opinion, because she also is a mother of 5 and a governor. In addition, she deserves a special consideration of her character when you know that she was pregnant with a baby with down syndrome and had the balls to keep it. You know, she doesn't even preach that she is pro life, but she has proven by a hard example.

And she doesn't have that disgusting populist personality cult that Obama and his Evita wife seem to have everywhere they go. Let's talk about blue collar, put Harvard educated Obama and Michelle against Palin and family. C'mon, we all have a friend, a boss, a sister, a cousin, a women in our life that we admire, and probably you think of Palin, not Hillary, not Michelle Obama.

And she is so charming and graceful, just like Reagan. Just listen to her speech, so candid too. Didn't have the scripted look of Obama.

But who is Sarah Palin? Some things about her:

• She was the first woman and youngest person to be elected governor in the state of Alaska.

• 80% of Alaskans have a favorable opinion of Palin.

• She is the first Alaskan politician to to run on a national ticket for president or vice president.

• Went to University of Idaho, not Yale, not Harvard. And have a degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science. Definitely not your average east-coast Ivy League politician.

• She was a hockey mom who got involved into the school PTA and later was elected or appointed to the city council and then elected as mayor of her little town. Then for governorship of the state. Now VP, and hopefully one day President. As a woman, cannot be more proud of a woman like her to become first president of the leading nation of the world in the near future.

• She has experience dealing with special interest groups. (Oil).

"In response to high oil and gas prices, and in response to the resulting state government budget surplus, Palin proposed giving Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit cards. She also proposed providing grants to electrical utilities so that they would reduce customers' rates.[34] She subsequently dropped the debit card proposal, and in its place she proposed to send Alaskans $1,200 directly and eliminate the gas tax"

• Husband is a commercial fishermen and member of unions. That will also play very well grabbing the independent blue collar union members. (Curiously, they married on a day like today Aug 29, 88, 20 years ago). Congratulations for getting a VP nomination and celebrate 20 years of marriage the same day. Definitely a good omen. Today is McCain birthday too, btw.

• Palin's nineteen-year-old son Track, serves in an infantry brigade and will be deployed to Iraq on September 11, 2008.

• Outdoor enthusiastic family, her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant from Idaho. She likes to wake up early in the morning to go hunting. Yes, she proudly have a membership with the NRA.

• She finished second in Miss Alaska Pageant, which won her a scholarship to help pay her way through college.

• She was born on a February, 11, the same day that my grandmother. :D (Needless to say my grandmother was one of a kind woman, strong and didn't take bullshit from anybody.)

Now, having said all this great things about Palin, and, even though I think McCain did pick a great partner with a strong chance to win, we have to question the fact that she was picked because she was a woman. I think is great, I think she can do a great work, and more than anything, she can bring CHANGE to Washington. And she can help Republicans to win, which this is all about. It's the she same reason on why the empty suit of Obama was picked for his party nomination, because he was black.

The American society have to questions that because at the same time we are favoring people by race and gender we are neglecting the opportunity to other more qualified (probably white man) to do their job. And, I have to say, I am totally against favoring anybody because their race or gender.

All of this reminds me to that fantastic letter to Sister Doris Gormley written by T. J. Rodgers, President & CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, that we all capitalist should read once in a while and ponder about it.

Do we want the most experienced people to run Washington or not?

In any case, this elections will be fascinating to watch.

Congrats and good luck Gov. Palin!

To know everything. A nation of informers.

2008-06-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

I hope this movie, The Life of Others (Das Leben der Anderen, in its original German) is familiar to many of you. If not, you must see it. I recommended specially to the fellow Venezuelans who are living in Venezuela's territory right now.

I wonder what celebs like Sean Penn, Naomi Campbell, Danny Glover and Kevin Spacey, and anti-war activist Medea Benjamin from the Pinkos club and Noam Chomsky think about this new lunacy from "democratic" President Hugo Chavez. And what about those Obama supporters who love Hugo? Joe-for-Oil Kennedy, any comments about this?? Just to name a few of those peace loving Hugo Chavez's supporters who habitat in democratic countries all over the world.

If they think the Patriot act is the ultimate attack to freedom, they haven't seen nothing yet. This law is far more ruthless since it requires all its citizens, including their own chavista Judges to "... comply with requests to assist the agencies, secret police or community activist groups loyal to Mr. Chávez. Refusal can result in prison terms of two to four years for most people and four to six years for government employees."

I don't need to say more, but let NY Times Simon Romero's front page article speaks for itself.

A total disgrace for the once democratic country of Venezuela. Mr. Comrade have arrive to stay, and with the support he gets from abroad, well, seems he is not going anywhere. =(

Daniel have an interesting post about this horror as well, don't miss it.

Venezuela increases petroleum imports despite vast deposits at home

2008-05-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press
Published: May 30, 2008

CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuela's state petroleum company, PDVSA, increased petroleum imports by nearly 150 percent between the first quarter of 2007 and the same period this year, bank statistics show.

A report by the Venezuelan Central Bank this week demonstrated that petroleum imports reached US$1.5 billion (€964 million) during the first quarter of 2008. The imports — which include diesel oil, gasoline and chemical additives for gasoline products — are the country's highest in more than a decade.

A spokesperson for PDVSA said the company had no immediate comment on the issue.

Economist Gustavo Garcia, a professor at a Caracas business school, said called the increase "one more factor that shows how production has fallen," forcing the company to purchase petroleum products outside of the country.

Venezuela's state oil company says they produced 3.15 million barrels per day last year. Analysts including the Paris-based International Energy Administration put Venezuela's production at around 2.4 million.

Garcia said that while the petroleum sector reported growth of 3.3 percent in the first quarter, this figure is "not consistent with the number of active rigs." PDVSA declared an emergency shortage of oil rigs last July, and the company's year-end report showed they had just 111.

Venezuela's total petroleum-related imports reached US$4.03 billion (€2.59 billion) last year. The country is one of the world's largest oil exporters and the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to the United States.

Source. (Thanks to Kate for the link)

The latest anti-terrorist weapon from the yanks, Makuna-Matata

2008-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well... I have to apologize to the occasional reader(s) of my blog, but my muse went on vacation again. Happens that writing about Hugo Chavez and what´s going on in Venezuela doesn´t change. Year after year is the same bs so it gets tiring.

Anyway, this is a story that deserves a little bit of attention for two reasons. One, the communist propaganda kettle is calling the Yankee pot black. And, secondly, because doesn´t matter how many ways Marcuse tried to make ugly pretty, ugly is always gonna be ugly.

Kudos for creativity to the Eurotard professor who talks in this video for such an elegant demostration of doublespeak:

Rey León y Monedero
Uploaded by frankib

I wish I have an English translation to this video, but basically the thesis of this guy is that the yanks, under the branch of the Ministry of Disney, use notorious communist propaganda techniques to foul the poor people of the United States of America.

Scar, where´s your turban bro?

So, according to this guy whose name is Juan Carlos Monedero, who is one of many Euro-apologist of Big Hugo, and is also a political science professor at the Complutense of Madrid, everybody have to obey Lion King otherwise he will eat them (the fact that lions are called King of the Jungle and make a good base for a nice story is totally irrelevant, I guess). He continues saying that the "bad" lion (Scar) looks like Ayatollah Khomeini and it´s always represented under a half moon on the back (couldn´t confirm that one but will assume is true). And, the speech of the hyenas are afro in the English version and Mexican in the Spanish so it is reinforcing the fact that blacks and Hispanics are "bad" (not sure about this either but I would also assume it's true).

The people in Disney are using their characters who make a representation of good and evil. Now, I'm sure this is true. SO? Everybody have an idea of what is good guys and what is bad in their minds AND, FREE THINKING PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO IT SO. What is astonishing to me is that he is criticizing it. Like commies don´t do the same all the time and forbids their people to think differently?

At least in America everybody can have their own sets of crazy (or not) opinions and keeping them and using them as they wish.

Morover, isn´t the Ayatollah a proven bad guy? Or is the religious state of Iran the fountain of happiness and freedom? Make up your mind and keep it handy next time you are looking for an "evil" character for your soap opera.

And what about the hyenas? Because of politically correctness we have to portrait all the bad guys as whiteys? When was the last time you saw a black or a Hispanic criminal on a commercial? Could it be that nowadays bad people only come in white?

You know, he is in his right to say whatever he wans to say, but Disney too!! Same way that the communist Cubans and Chavistas do all the time. They live in their own little word where, just like Orwell´s 1984: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength". Go figure! Like anybody doesn´t knows what these idiots are up to.

The thing is, that Disney is a private company and is not a branch of the US government and they can say and do whatever they want. And, the other thing is that The Lion King is inspired by Hamlet and Bambi. Oh, talking about Shakespeare, let´s not forget he was in the same racist conspiracy against blacks and Arabs when he wrote Othello. Therefore, he should be banned and his books should be burned and never red!!

And that´s how life is in Venezuela these days... people eating shit heavily and liking it.

Unbelievable.

INTERPOL’s forensic report on FARC computers and hardware seized by Colombia

2008-05-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

BOGOTA, Colombia - INTERPOL today presented the results of its forensic examination of eight seized FARC computer and hardware exhibits following a request for assistance in March of this year by Colombia, one of INTERPOL's 186 member countries.

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble advised senior Colombian law enforcement officials that INTERPOL's team of forensic experts discovered 'no evidence of modification, alteration, addition or deletion' in the user files of any of the three laptop computers, three USB thumb drives and two external hard disks seized during a Colombian anti-narcotics and anti-terrorist operation on a FARC camp on 1 March 2008.

'Based on our careful and comprehensive forensic examination of each of the eight seized FARC computer exhibits and on consideration of all the evidence reviewed by our experts, INTERPOL concludes that there was no tampering with any data on the computer exhibits following their seizure on 1 March 2008 by Colombian authorities,' said Secretary General Noble.
(...) Read all the article in here.

Download the report in here.

After this incident one only have to assume Hugo Chavez will be pressured to resign from office, but no, he is threatening Colombia with war instead.

No pressure, because the groups that should be doing it, the moronic Venezuelan political opposition and the military, are either with him, or scratching their bellies. I have to think they support him if they don´t speak up and pressure right now as a united force.

NO EXCUSES.

Hugo, we are watching you....

2008-04-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Naval Special Warfare Commander, this is not any line officer, was appointed to reestablish the 4th fleet... guess who must be taking some Valium right now so he can get some sleep, :)

Former top SEAL to command Navy's reestablished 4th Fleet

By Steve Stone
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 24, 2008

Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, the Navy's former top SEAL and current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, has been tapped by the Pentagon to head the reestablished 4th Fleet.

Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of Naval Operations, announced Kernan's appointment today to head the fleet which will be responsible for naval forces operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

"Re-establishing the 4th Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere," Roughead said in a statement this afternoon, "and signals our support and interest in the civil and military maritime services in Central and South America."

Roughead said U.S. naval strategy relies on having a good working relationship with international partners "as the basis for global maritime security."

He said the new fleet will show a commitment to the region and will serve "to build confidence and trust among nations" in the region "through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests."

The new fleet, to be headquartered in Mayport, Fla., will become operational July 1, the Pentagon said. But its establishment will not involve any increase in forces assigned to Mayport.

Kernan will be the first Navy SEAL to serve as a numbered fleet commander.

The 4th Fleet, first established in 1943, was a major U.S. Navy command in the South Atlantic during World War II. Its mission was to protect the U.S. against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines.

The fleet was disestablished in 1950 and its responsibilities shifted to the 2nd Fleet.

The other U.S. naval fleets and their areas of operation are:

• Second Fleet, in the Atlantic.

• Third Fleet, in the Eastern Pacific.

• Fifth Fleet, in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

• Sixth Fleet, in the Mediterranean.

• Seventh Fleet, in the Western Pacific.

During World War II, there also were an 8th, 10th and 12th fleet.

News also here.

Richardson working hard for his VP spot with Obama

2008-04-26T09:47:00.001-07:00

What do you know. Bill Richardson, the disloyal man who left Hillary hanging like a Christmas ornament after he endorsed Obama, is now working hard for his VP spot on Sen. Obama's presidential campaign.

Richardson is the clear Obama choice for VP. The Obama people knows that the Hispanic community, Mexican descent in its majority, are not gonna vote for a brother, so the choice has to be an Hispanic candidate.

So Richardson first move, is to make friendship with the Marxist friends of the continent.

And, so it is, he is visiting Venezuela (or Minnesota?), in order to meet with Chavez. The excuse, is the excuse of everybody, the hostage thing with the Colombian terrorist group FARC. Only Chavez can help.

So, Richardson, being the Democratic populist he is, has to partake in the hostage party a la Jimmy Carter during the Iranian hostage crisis. Ufff...

This is Jimmy Carter visiting Hamas. Their politics is to meet with dictators any time.

This visit also makes me go back to the documents found on the computer of Raul Reyes, when he had some account of an envoy of Obama stopped by to say hello. People cry loud, very loud, to say this wasn't Obama people, that Obama doesn't know (pobrecitoooooooo vale, he doesn't know shit).

Well... I dunno... I see a very reasonable assumption that those people were in fact, Obama people testing the water. As Richardson is doing the same right now. This is only another signal of what's gonna be Obama's relationship with Chavez.

Some people, of course, those talented American-Venezuelan politics experts, will see this as a good sign, after all Hugo is el Señor Presidente, no? And Richardson is Hispanic descent. This seems like good news uh? Not!

Let's not forget what Hugo Chavez is. His friendship with the presidency of the US of A would only set him for life in Miraflores. The people of Venezuela who are fighting for clear elections and Democracy in the country would be disregarded the same way that Marx disregarded the middle class who is not revolutionary. Let's not forget the way the Hispanic lobby agenda in the united states is very Marxist, the same way Chavez uses the Indigenous false pride for his own benefit, the Hispanic agenda in the US acts the same way, fueled by groups like Mecha, and the Hispanic council for the races (La Raza)... they are the Chavistas of America. Kind of the same people, eh.

We only need to wonder how much Richardson is asking Chavez to contribute to Sen. Obama's campaign.

The strange Minnesota-Venezuela connection

2008-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Do something like that ever happened to you, Venezuelan living in America reader? It did happen to me once. A guy asked me where I was from, I said "Venezuela", and after that, he kept telling me how cold it was. I was thinking to myself what? Venezuela, cold? So I told him, you know, Venezuela is warm all year long. He was like, aww, I though you said "Minnesota".

Minnesota? Venezuela? I honestly cannot see how come when I say Venezuela they understand Minnesota, but it must be something that Venezuelans say that native America speakers understand as Minnesota, since it's a common joke.

I had no idea. LOL.

I cannot imagine how annoying must be to be a Venezuelan living in Minnesota :)

There is even a Facebook group for this phenomenon hahaha

This little HBO Latino "Habla ..." shorts can be very funny. Don't miss the one of the Asian looking Brazilian Carla... hahahahah

A Living Lie

2008-04-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

I love to read Sowell. He brings rationality on his arguments towards the irrationality of the people who are gonna vote for this living lie. I am horrified to know that many Venezuelan-Americans in fact are gonna vote for the American version of Hugo Chavez. You think they would know better.

By Thomas Sowell
April 15, 2008

An e-mail from a reader said that, while Hillary Clinton tells lies, Barack Obama is himself a lie. That is becoming painfully apparent with each new revelation of how drastically his carefully crafted image this election year contrasts with what he has actually been saying and doing for many years.

Senator Obama's election year image is that of a man who can bring the country together, overcoming differences of party or race, as well as solving our international problems by talking with Iran and other countries with which we are at odds, and performing other miscellaneous miracles as needed.

There is, of course, not a speck of evidence that Obama has ever transcended party differences in the United States Senate. Voting records analyzed by the National Journal show him to be the farthest left of anyone in the Senate. Nor has he sponsored any significant bipartisan legislation -- nor any other significant legislation, for that matter.

Senator Obama is all talk -- glib talk, exciting talk, confident talk, but still just talk.

Some of his recent talk in San Francisco has stirred up controversy because it revealed yet another blatant contradiction between Barack Obama's public image and his reality.

Speaking privately to supporters in heavily left-liberal San Francisco, Obama let down his hair and described working class people in Pennsylvania as so "bitter" that they "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them."

Like so much that Obama has said and done over the years, this is standard stuff on the far left, where guns and religion are regarded as signs of psychological dysfunction -- and where opinions different from those of the left are ascribed to emotions ("bitter" in this case), rather than to arguments that need to be answered.

Like so many others on the left, Obama rejects "stereotypes" when they are stereotypes he doesn't like but blithely throws around his own stereotypes about "a typical white person" or "bitter" gun-toting, religious and racist working class people.

In politics, the clearer a statement is, the more certain it is to be followed by a "clarification," when people react adversely to what was plainly said.

Obama and his supporters were still busy "clarifying" Jeremiah Wright's very plain statements when it suddenly became necessary to "clarify" Senator Obama's own statements in San Francisco.

People who have been cheering whistle-blowers for years have suddenly denounced the person who blew the whistle on what Obama said in private that is so contradictory to what he has been saying in public.

However inconsistent Obama's words, his behavior has been remarkably consistent over the years. He has sought out and joined with the radical, anti-Western left, whether Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers of the terrorist Weatherman underground or pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli Rashid Khalidi.

Obama is also part of a long tradition on the left of being for the working class in the abstract, or as people potentially useful for the purposes of the left, but having disdain or contempt for them as human beings.

Karl Marx said, "The working class is revolutionary or it is nothing." In other words, they mattered only in so far as they were willing to carry out the Marxist agenda.

Fabian socialist George Bernard Shaw included the working class among the "detestable" people who "have no right to live." He added: "I should despair if I did not know that they will all die presently, and that there is no need on earth why they should be replaced by people like themselves."

Similar statements on the left go back as far as Rousseau in the 18th century and come forward into our own times.

It is understandable that young people are so strongly attracted to Obama. Youth is another name for inexperience -- and experience is what is most needed when dealing with skillful and charismatic demagogues.

Those of us old enough to have seen the type again and again over the years can no longer find them exciting. Instead, they are as tedious as they are dangerous.

--------

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His Web site is www.tsowell.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

Thank you Venezuela es Noticia

2008-04-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

Just when you are at the bottom of the pit, when my Bolivarian muse went away -again- for vacations, Venezuela es Noticia has been kind enough to remember this blog while giving a 15 blog nomination for blogs who defend Democratic values and freedom.

These prizes are part of the Premios 11 de Abril, created by blogger Alexis Marrero.

Now I have to get a nomination to 15 more blogs. I will tomorrow,

Thank you.

To free trade or not to free trade with Colombia?

2008-04-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

And it´s happening. What else can you expect from a Democrat Congress?

It is also important to mention the opinion of Sen. Barack "Jimmy Carter" Obama about this news:

The Illinois senator said he would oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement “because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements.”

Let´s play politics then and not reward the effort that Colombia is doing to clean the dirt from their home.

From my cold dead hands: remembering Charlton Heston

2008-04-06T18:22:00.001-07:00

"...the God fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle- class Protestant-or even worse, evangelical Christian, Midwestern or Southern- or even worse, rural, apparently straight-or even worse, admitted heterosexuals, gun-owning-or even worse, NRA-card-carrying, average working stiff-or even worse, male working stiff-because, not only don’t you count, you are a down-right obstacle to social progress. Your voice deserves a lower decibel level, your opinion is less enlightened, your media access is insignificant, and frankly, mister, you need to wake up, wise up, and learn a little something from your new-America and until you do, would you mind shutting up?"

Charlton Heston

A legendary movie star died yesterday. Funny thing is that while the liberals see this man as a lunatic conservative for guns, thanks to that "interview" from Michael Moron in Bowling from Columbine, and others like George Clooney, Charlton Heston was truly a great American who fought for the rights of the people of his country. For the right of people to have guns, he proclaimed that the government could only get his gun if they took it from his cold dead hands. He explains his position on the rights to have guns in these videos. But, also he was one of only a few actors, "long before Hollywood found it fashionable", who took a stand against racism during the civil right movement days.

And what about his movies? Planet of the apes, The Omega Man and Soylent Green are big time favorites of mine. As well as all the other movies he made, Ben Hur, The 10 commandments, El Cid, The agony and the ecstasy, etc...

Some of my fav. scenes from Planet of the apes, a true classic (I can post more scenes from more movies, but this is gonna get too long):

Venezuela takeover cements Chavez's tough style

2008-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

By Frank Jack Daniel

CARACAS (Reuters) - A shock nationalization of Venezuela's cement industry is a reminder that President Hugo Chavez has not abandoned his socialist ideology despite promising to focus on more mundane problems such as crime and food shortages.

Chavez, who launched a multi-billion dollar nationalization drive last year, taking over energy and utility assets, announced the cement seizure late on Thursday in a new move to increase government influence in key industries.

After a painful defeat in a December referendum on speeding up leftist reforms and giving him wider powers, Chavez put on hold some radical policies such as eliminating the central bank's autonomy.

He instead vowed to tackle issues such as a scarcity of milk that has hurt his popularity, but has shown with the new nationalization move that he plans to push ahead with his self-declared socialist revolution.

Chavez has had a rough-and-tumble few months, embroiled in a legal fight with Exxon Mobil over his oil industry nationalization and a diplomatic crisis with Colombia that briefly raised fears of a border conflict.

Support for his government sank to 34 percent in February, according to one poll, its lowest point since 2003.

Analysts said the planned cement takeover was a further bid to win back supporters who have criticized the government for failing to build enough houses to cover a shortfall in Latin America's third largest cement producer.

"The measure in some ways is an attempt to move more rapidly in one of the problem areas," said Daniel Hellinger a political science professor at Webster University in St Louis.

Chavez had threatened in the past to nationalize the industry and his announcement on Thursday will stoke fears of takeovers in other areas where he has also warned assets could be seized, such as the banking and steel sectors.

Chavez accused the cement industry, privatized in the 1990s, of worsening the housing situation by exporting their product instead of selling it to builders in his OPEC nation.

The nationalization affects companies like Mexico's Cemex, Frances Lafarge and Switzerland's Holcim, and follows a shopping spree for milk companies and plants that has expanded the government's role in food production and distribution.

Cemex shares were down almost 3 percent on Friday.

Chavez, who typically pays compensation for takeovers, called for the nationalization to happen "in the short term." Mining Minister Rodolfo Sanz said on Friday he had no further details about how the takeover would proceed.

Chavez scored a victory in March when a British court threw out a $12 billion asset freeze that Exxon had won, an implicit recognition of Venezuela's willingness to pay for takeovers.

DEFAULT STRATEGY

Nationalizations appear to be a default strategy for the former paratrooper to resolve problems. In diplomatic disputes with Spain and Colombia in recent months, he threatened to take over companies from those countries doing business here.

In 1992, Chavez tried to seize the presidency in a botched coup and had a manifesto to reverse the privatizations of previous governments. Since winning power at the ballot box in 1998, he has implemented much of his pre-coup program.

Despite stepping back from proposals rejected by voters in December, such as extending his expropriation powers, Chavez has never hidden his desire to make Venezuela a socialist state.

After his referendum defeat, the government plastered Caracas with large billboards that said "For Now...," making clear it plans to revisit the socialist reforms later.

Chavez is now preparing a windfall oil tax to increase the government's share of income when crude prices are high.

He had taken a more conciliatory tone with business in recent months, for example cutting red tape for dairy firms like Nestle and Parmalat to speed up imports and put milk back on the shelves.

Last month, he announced plans to expropriate a 200,000 acre (80,000 hectare) farm, but the dairy supplier and milk plant were both bought on the open market.

Alberto Ramos, senior economist at Goldman Sachs, said the cement industry nationalization would create inefficiencies in the economy.

"This is another iteration of the gradual move to a command economy as the government is steadily encroaching on private sector activity," he said in a research note.

(Editing by Saul Hudson and Kieran Murray)

Read Daniel's take on this story here.

And, Katy's here.

Fitna: A movie about Hugo Chavez´s middle eastern religious friends.

2008-03-27T13:43:00.001-07:00

In case you forgot. Here is Chavez with one of them.

A movie about the country who once was Van Goth´s. Made by the Netherlands parliament member Geert Wilders. He also have a very impressive address to the members of his Congress that you can read in here. It seems that his words are very harsh, but I am afraid that what the man is doing is addressing some facts. Is he taking out of context the Koran? The same way the radical Islam does and it haven´t been stopped or criticized by them.

Some people call Wilders an eccentric lunatic, an right wing fascist, a racist, etc... you know the drill. And, honesty, I don´t know too much about this guy. What I know is that, as a Dutch man, he is absolutely right to stand up and talk about what he thinks is good for his country. And, living in such a tolerant and free country like the Netherlands, he shouldn´t be living in hiding and in fear, as he does right now because of what he thinks. Go figure, if a member of its parliament can´t speak freely.

'Islam is something we can't afford any more in the Netherlands. I want the fascist Koran banned. We need to stop the Islamisation of the Netherlands. That means no more mosques, no more Islamic schools, no more imams... Not all Muslims are terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslims.'

Free speech or hate speech? 'I don't create hate. I want to be honest. I don't hate people. I don't hate Muslims. I hate their book and their ideology.'

For more than three years, Wilders has been paying for his 'honesty' by living under permanent police guard as the internet bristles with threats on his life. He has lived in army barracks, in prisons, under guard at home. 'There's no freedom, no privacy. If I said I was not afraid, I would be lying.'

There is little doubt that if Wilders's film exists - and it's shrouded in secrecy - and is broadcast, it will be construed as blasphemy in large parts of the world and may spark a new bloody crisis in relations between the West and the Muslim world.

He does not seem to care. 'People ask why don't you moderate your voice and not make this movie. If I do that and not say what I think, then the extremists who threaten me would win.'

Source.

Well, the time has come and the movie has finally released:

You tell me what do you think of it. I say that it´s a miracle we are able to watch this movie without being it taken out of the internet because it offends Islam. Networks Solution, an AMERICAN company decided to removed it from its server. Just imagine if the western world or anybody for that matter care about what Catholics feel offended for. Nop, it is only about what might offend the feelings of the beheader.

Chavez finally endorses Obama

2008-03-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Could it be that Chavez is shit scared of this man? That's the best propaganda McCain can get. And, it's free! Chavez knows that among all the candidates, McCain is the one who is not gonna take any shit from him. Maybe even less than Bush.

I personally read this news as a very clever endorsement for Obama, not Clinton. I tell you why, Castro and Ortega already have supported Obama. Both Obama and Chavez have the same racial and social manipulation towards minorities. They both presented themselves as the minority candidate who will save the poor of the Universe. Not that Clinton is not in the same boat, but seems to me that Obama is the commies fav. candidate. So, Chavez has more in common with Obama -the emptyness of their message?- than Clinton's. In addition, The Kennedy clan, Jessy Jackson and others who are open sympathizer -and leeches- of Chavez, the majority of these radical left airheads are already for Obama.

Having said that, Chavez is very discredited among the moderate faction of the demos which is the majority, so probably he was advised to say it on an indirect way, that he is against McCain, so he won't scare demo voters off from Obama.

Now Obama only needs the official Bin Laden's and Ahmadinejad's endorsement to be the fav. candidate of the terrorist.

From John Adams to The Hills

2008-03-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was just watching this fabulous and super well made miniseries about the life of John Adams on HBO. Adams, interpreted by Paul Giamatti, was the 2nd President of the United States, he also was a post-puritan farmer and lawyer who pushed the independence of America from the British. This man changed America's history. Thomas Jefferson called him "Colossus of Independence". Hadn't he pushed the issue and negotiated Independence with the members of the Continental Congress, America's revolution probably would have come much later, or maybe it would have never happened. America's history probably would have been more like Canada's. For better or for worst, we would have never known.

The life of the forefathers was so inspiring, and also the people who lived those years, Mrs. Abigail Adams's life and letters. Wife and mother of two presidents. Amazing woman. Actress Laura Linney doesn't do a lot to the character of the real Abigail Adams, but still one can get the idea of how much of an influence the real Abby was to her husband John.

So, after I finished watching it, my mind still was wondering on a 1778 world, they did a great job taking you there, so I was flipping through channels on a 2008 tv thinking on 1778 mode, when suddenly found myself watching MTV's "The Hills"... the reality show soap opera of the young, beautiful and shallow (yes!) people of Hollywood, of Hollywood Hills. I almost have a heart attack due to the futuristic cultural shock. I only can imagine what a couple like John and Abigail Adams would have said of today's society. Is that what we fought for, John Adams? Probably that's what Abigail would have said to her dear husband.

Funny thing is that in both episodes, and for very different causes, the characters have to go to France. Adams goes to the court of Louis XVI representing the Continental Congress to ask for help to win the war against the British, and The Hills girls, who work for Teen Vogue, go to a super chic débutante ball in Paris.

I have to say, the way the miniseries shown Adams in the court of King Louis XVI was great. Just imagine, a simple and very correct Massachusetts man on the most decadent court of France of all times. He didn't like what he saw. On the other hand, the girls of The Hills were totally taken over by the French and by the pretty city of Paris.

It's not the fault of any of this characters to live the time that life give them to live. God knows what type of person John Adams would have been if he would have been born in Los Angeles's 80's or how would be the life of one of the girls of The Hills had they lived on XVIII Century.

In any case, comparing John Adams' 1778 America to The Hills' 2008 America left me with a sour and empty feeling on my stomach. The only really great thing of these days I can think about is the medical advances, like anesthesia, and the dentist. I only can wonder how year 2308 will look like.

You can write a thesis on sociology on everything that is wrong in America from that pile of shit that MTV feeds America's kids. It seems that the only thing that MTV is interested to accomplish is to make America's children -and the world's- a bunch of sexed up retards.

Teenagers on Adams' time. He takes his son, John Quincy with him on his first trip to France on 1778. The 14 year-old was versed on French so he was great help to his dad, who didn't speak the language. On one episode in the Netherlands, John Quincy is invited by Francis Dana, who appointed to go to Russia to gain recognition of the new republic, to go with him as a secretary. John Quincy asked his dad with a hesitant and sad look if Russia was very cold. To which his dad replied, not for a Massachusettsan. The 14 year-old didn't want to go, but his dad pushed him by telling him he is a man already and that he have to take his duties.

Do you hear that? A man already. DUTY. 14 year-old. No MTV, no computer games and no treat him like an little baby until he is 45.

Have you ever seen a movie call Idiocracy with Luke Wilson? I hope we never go there, but it seems this is the road we are driving to :)

The verbal diarreah starts again...

2008-03-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

Photo thanks to Correfoc :)

He he, don't tell me this isn't the greatest pict of Hugo ever! After the Rio group meeting, and Alvaro Uribe's threat to take him to court due to the information take it from Raul Reyes' computer, Hugo Chavez had kept his mouth quite contained... that is after Holy Week passed and Satan slapped his butt once again.

Anyway, the man has come stronger with his verbal diarreah, this time blaming one more time everything under the sun to the Americans, the US of A.

And, of course, how could he not include in the mix just a little something about Bush puppet too?

Long are the days of the Grupo de Rio kumbayah hug. We all know this fake peace wasn't gonna hold for too long anyway.

And Venezuela? Doing worst than Hugo Chavez. A 34% still loves the guy. I imagine 34% is a number that somehow could have been inflated, but still... 34%?? Give me a freakkin' break.

Doesn't matter th guy is starving them to death. That is also America's fault. Unbelievable.

The ancient Romans used to say, give them Bread and Circus. So after a quite break, we have circus again courtesy of Mr. Hugo to entertain us. This time no bread.

Sometimes I get so bored of writing the same thing over and over again...

The Speech

2008-03-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

"The fact that Mr. Obama talks differently than Jeremiah Wright does not mean that his track record is different. His voting record in the Senate is perfectly consistent with the far left ideology and the grievance culture.

Mr. Obama's political success thus far has been a blow for equality. But equality means that a black demagogue who has been exposed as a phony deserves exactly the same treatment as a white demagogue who has been exposed as a phony."

-Thomas Sowell

Right on Dr. Sowell! I haven't been into Venezuelan news lately. I am kind of captivated by the Obama phenomenon and how come this guy who is nothing more than a black supremacist who is getting away with murder.

I don't know if it's a blessing that English is not my mother language, because I didn't get at all the Obama speech. Only that he had like 8 flags behind him, couldn't be 9 because there wasn't more space left.

Seems to me Geraldine Ferraro was right when she said that Obama was a very lucky man to be black, because if he were white he wouldn't be where he is.

Sowell regarding "the" speech:

Wright Bound
Obama’s speech.

By Thomas Sowell

Did Senator Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia convince people that he is still a viable candidate to be president of the United States, despite the adverse reactions to statements by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright?

The polls and the primaries will answer that question.

The great unasked question for Senator Obama is the question that was asked about President Nixon during the Watergate scandal; What did he know and when did he know it?

Although Senator Obama would now have us believe that he is shocked, shocked, at what Jeremiah Wright said, that he was not in the church when pastor Wright said those things from the pulpit, this still leaves the question of why he disinvited Wright from the event at which he announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination a year ago.

Either Barack Obama or his staff must have known then that Jeremiah Wright was not someone whom they wanted to expose to the media and to the media scrutiny to which that could lead.

Why not, if it is only now that Senator Obama is learning for the first time, to his surprise, what kinds of things Jeremiah Wright has been saying and doing?

No one had to be in church the day Wright made his inflammatory and obscene remarks to know about them.

The cable-news journalists who are playing the tapes of those sermons were not there. The tapes were on sale in the church itself. Obama knew that because he had bought one or more of those tapes.

But even if there were no tapes, and even if Obama never heard from other members of the church what their pastor was saying, he spent 20 years in that church, not just as an ordinary member but also as someone who once donated $20,000 to the church.

There was no way that he didn’t know about Jeremiah Wright’s anti-American and racist diatribes from the pulpit.

Someone once said that a con man’s job is not to convince skeptics but to enable people to continue to believe what they already want to believe.

Accordingly, Obama’s Philadelphia speech — a theatrical masterpiece — will probably reassure most Democrats and some other Obama supporters. They will undoubtedly say that we should now “move on,” even though many Democrats have still not yet moved on from George W. Bush’s 2000 election victory.

Like the Soviet show trials during their 1930s purges, Obama’s speech was not supposed to convince critics but to reassure supporters and fellow-travelers, in order to keep the “useful idiots” useful.

Best-selling author Shelby Steele’s recent book on Barack Obama (A Bound Man) has valuable insights into both the man and the circumstances facing many other blacks — especially those who were never part of the black ghetto culture but who feel a need to identify with it for either personal, political or financial reasons.

Like religious converts who become more Catholic than the pope, such people often become blacker-than-thou. For whatever reason, Barack Obama chose a black extremist church decades ago — even though there was no shortage of very different churches, both black and white — in Chicago.

Some say that he was trying to earn credibility on the ghetto streets, to facilitate his work as a community activist or for his political career. We may never know why.

But now that Barack Obama is running for a presidential nomination, he is doing so on a radically different basis, as a post-racial candidate uniquely prepared to bring us all together.

Yet the past continues to follow him, despite his attempts to bury it and the mainstream media’s attempts to ignore it or apologize for it.

Shelby Steele depicts Barack Obama as a man without real convictions, “an iconic figure who neglected to become himself.”

Senator Obama has been at his best as an icon, able with his command of words to meet other people’s psychic needs, including a need to dispel white guilt by supporting his candidacy.

But president of the United States, in a time of national danger, under a looming threat of nuclear terrorism? No.

© 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'

2008-03-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

An election-season essay

by David Mamet
Published on The Village Voice

John Maynard Keynes was twitted with changing his mind. He replied, "When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do, sir?"

My favorite example of a change of mind was Norman Mailer at The Village Voice.

Norman took on the role of drama critic, weighing in on the New York premiere of Waiting for Godot.

Twentieth century's greatest play. Without bothering to go, Mailer called it a piece of garbage.

When he did get around to seeing it, he realized his mistake. He was no longer a Voice columnist, however, so he bought a page in the paper and wrote a retraction, praising the play as the masterpiece it is.

Every playwright's dream.

I once won one of Mary Ann Madden's "Competitions" in New York magazine. The task was to name or create a "10" of anything, and mine was the World's Perfect Theatrical Review. It went like this: "I never understood the theater until last night. Please forgive everything I've ever written. When you read this I'll be dead." That, of course, is the only review anybody in the theater ever wants to get.

My prize, in a stunning example of irony, was a year's subscription to New York, which rag (apart from Mary Ann's "Competition") I considered an open running sore on the body of world literacy—this due to the presence in its pages of John Simon, whose stunning amalgam of superciliousness and savagery, over the years, was appreciated by that readership searching for an endorsement of proactive mediocrity.

But I digress.

I wrote a play about politics (November, Barrymore Theater, Broadway, some seats still available). And as part of the "writing process," as I believe it's called, I started thinking about politics. This comment is not actually as jejune as it might seem. Porgy and Bess is a buncha good songs but has nothing to do with race relations, which is the flag of convenience under which it sailed.

But my play, it turned out, was actually about politics, which is to say, about the polemic between persons of two opposing views. The argument in my play is between a president who is self-interested, corrupt, suborned, and realistic, and his leftish, lesbian, utopian-socialist speechwriter.

The play, while being a laugh a minute, is, when it's at home, a disputation between reason and faith, or perhaps between the conservative (or tragic) view and the liberal (or perfectionist) view. The conservative president in the piece holds that people are each out to make a living, and the best way for government to facilitate that is to stay out of the way, as the inevitable abuses and failures of this system (free-market economics) are less than those of government intervention.

I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.

As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.

These cherished precepts had, over the years, become ingrained as increasingly impracticable prejudices. Why do I say impracticable? Because although I still held these beliefs, I no longer applied them in my life. How do I know? My wife informed me. We were riding along and listening to NPR. I felt my facial muscles tightening, and the words beginning to form in my mind: Shut the fuck up. "?" she prompted. And her terse, elegant summation, as always, awakened me to a deeper truth: I had been listening to NPR and reading various organs of national opinion for years, wonder and rage contending for pride of place. Further: I found I had been—rather charmingly, I thought—referring to myself for years as "a brain-dead liberal," and to NPR as "National Palestinian Radio."

This is, to me, the synthesis of this worldview with which I now found myself disenchanted: that everything is always wrong.

But in my life, a brief review revealed, everything was not always wrong, and neither was nor is always wrong in the community in which I live, or in my country. Further, it was not always wrong in previous communities in which I lived, and among the various and mobile classes of which I was at various times a part.

And, I wondered, how could I have spent decades thinking that I thought everything was always wrong at the same time that I thought I thought that people were basically good at heart? Which was it? I began to question what I actually thought and found that I do not think that people are basically good at heart; indeed, that view of human nature has both prompted and informed my writing for the last 40 years. I think that people, in circumstances of stress, can behave like swine, and that this, indeed, is not only a fit subject, but the only subject, of drama.

I'd observed that lust, greed, envy, sloth, and their pals are giving the world a good run for its money, but that nonetheless, people in general seem to get from day to day; and that we in the United States get from day to day under rather wonderful and privileged circumstances—that we are not and never have been the villains that some of the world and some of our citizens make us out to be, but that we are a confection of normal (greedy, lustful, duplicitous, corrupt, inspired—in short, human) individuals living under a spectacularly effective compact called the Constitution, and lucky to get it.

For the Constitution, rather than suggesting that all behave in a godlike manner, recognizes that, to the contrary, people are swine and will take any opportunity to subvert any agreement in order to pursue what they consider to be their proper interests.

To that end, the Constitution separates the power of the state into those three branches which are for most of us (I include myself) the only thing we remember from 12 years of schooling.

The Constitution, written by men with some experience of actual government, assumes that the chief executive will work to be king, the Parliament will scheme to sell off the silverware, and the judiciary will consider itself Olympian and do everything it can to much improve (destroy) the work of the other two branches. So the Constitution pits them against each other, in the attempt not to achieve stasis, but rather to allow for the constant corrections necessary to prevent one branch from getting too much power for too long.

Rather brilliant. For, in the abstract, we may envision an Olympian perfection of perfect beings in Washington doing the business of their employers, the people, but any of us who has ever been at a zoning meeting with our property at stake is aware of the urge to cut through all the pernicious bullshit and go straight to firearms.

I found not only that I didn't trust the current government (that, to me, was no surprise), but that an impartial review revealed that the faults of this president—whom I, a good liberal, considered a monster—were little different from those of a president whom I revered.

Bush got us into Iraq, JFK into Vietnam. Bush stole the election in Florida; Kennedy stole his in Chicago. Bush outed a CIA agent; Kennedy left hundreds of them to die in the surf at the Bay of Pigs. Bush lied about his military service; Kennedy accepted a Pulitzer Prize for a book written by Ted Sorenson. Bush was in bed with the Saudis, Kennedy with the Mafia. Oh.

And I began to question my hatred for "the Corporations"—the hatred of which, I found, was but the flip side of my hunger for those goods and services they provide and without which we could not live.

And I began to question my distrust of the "Bad, Bad Military" of my youth, which, I saw, was then and is now made up of those men and women who actually risk their lives to protect the rest of us from a very hostile world. Is the military always right? No. Neither is government, nor are the corporations—they are just different signposts for the particular amalgamation of our country into separate working groups, if you will. Are these groups infallible, free from the possibility of mismanagement, corruption, or crime? No, and neither are you or I. So, taking the tragic view, the question was not "Is everything perfect?" but "How could it be better, at what cost, and according to whose definition?" Put into which form, things appeared to me to be unfolding pretty well.

Do I speak as a member of the "privileged class"? If you will—but classes in the United States are mobile, not static, which is the Marxist view. That is: Immigrants came and continue to come here penniless and can (and do) become rich; the nerd makes a trillion dollars; the single mother, penniless and ignorant of English, sends her two sons to college (my grandmother). On the other hand, the rich and the children of the rich can go belly-up; the hegemony of the railroads is appropriated by the airlines, that of the networks by the Internet; and the individual may and probably will change status more than once within his lifetime.

What about the role of government? Well, in the abstract, coming from my time and background, I thought it was a rather good thing, but tallying up the ledger in those things which affect me and in those things I observe, I am hard-pressed to see an instance where the intervention of the government led to much beyond sorrow.

But if the government is not to intervene, how will we, mere human beings, work it all out?

I wondered and read, and it occurred to me that I knew the answer, and here it is: We just seem to. How do I know? From experience. I referred to my own—take away the director from the staged play and what do you get? Usually a diminution of strife, a shorter rehearsal period, and a better production.

The director, generally, does not cause strife, but his or her presence impels the actors to direct (and manufacture) claims designed to appeal to Authority—that is, to set aside the original goal (staging a play for the audience) and indulge in politics, the purpose of which may be to gain status and influence outside the ostensible goal of the endeavor.

Strand unacquainted bus travelers in the middle of the night, and what do you get? A lot of bad drama, and a shake-and-bake Mayflower Compact. Each, instantly, adds what he or she can to the solution. Why? Each wants, and in fact needs, to contribute—to throw into the pot what gifts each has in order to achieve the overall goal, as well as status in the new-formed community. And so they work it out.

See also that most magnificent of schools, the jury system, where, again, each brings nothing into the room save his or her own prejudices, and, through the course of deliberation, comes not to a perfect solution, but a solution acceptable to the community—a solution the community can live with.

Prior to the midterm elections, my rabbi was taking a lot of flack. The congregation is exclusively liberal, he is a self-described independent (read "conservative"), and he was driving the flock wild. Why? Because a) he never discussed politics; and b) he taught that the quality of political discourse must be addressed first—that Jewish law teaches that it is incumbent upon each person to hear the other fellow out.

And so I, like many of the liberal congregation, began, teeth grinding, to attempt to do so. And in doing so, I recognized that I held those two views of America (politics, government, corporations, the military). One was of a state where everything was magically wrong and must be immediately corrected at any cost; and the other—the world in which I actually functioned day to day—was made up of people, most of whom were reasonably trying to maximize their comfort by getting along with each other (in the workplace, the marketplace, the jury room, on the freeway, even at the school-board meeting).

And I realized that the time had come for me to avow my participation in that America in which I chose to live, and that that country was not a schoolroom teaching values, but a marketplace.

"Aha," you will say, and you are right. I began reading not only the economics of Thomas Sowell (our greatest contemporary philosopher) but Milton Friedman, Paul Johnson, and Shelby Steele, and a host of conservative writers, and found that I agreed with them: a free-market understanding of the world meshes more perfectly with my experience than that idealistic vision I called liberalism.

At the same time, I was writing my play about a president, corrupt, venal, cunning, and vengeful (as I assume all of them are), and two turkeys. And I gave this fictional president a speechwriter who, in his view, is a "brain-dead liberal," much like my earlier self; and in the course of the play, they have to work it out. And they eventually do come to a human understanding of the political process. As I believe I am trying to do, and in which I believe I may be succeeding, and I will try to summarize it in the words of William Allen White.

White was for 40 years the editor of the Emporia Gazette in rural Kansas, and a prominent and powerful political commentator. He was a great friend of Theodore Roosevelt and wrote the best book I've ever read about the presidency. It's called Masks in a Pageant, and it profiles presidents from McKinley to Wilson, and I recommend it unreservedly.

White was a pretty clear-headed man, and he'd seen human nature as few can. (As Twain wrote, you want to understand men, run a country paper.) White knew that people need both to get ahead and to get along, and that they're always working at one or the other, and that government should most probably stay out of the way and let them get on with it. But, he added, there is such a thing as liberalism, and it may be reduced to these saddest of words: " . . . and yet . . . "

The right is mooing about faith, the left is mooing about change, and many are incensed about the fools on the other side—but, at the end of the day, they are the same folks we meet at the water cooler. Happy election season.

Hugo's own Emperor's Club

2008-03-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

The little suitcases are related to Hugo's $$$$ funding and other little monetary gifts here and there ($800,000 suitcase to Cristina Kirchner, 300 Millions to the FARC, checks to Evo, etc).

Hhmmm... I wonder if Obama should be in this list too.

Photo-Cartoon taken from En la pared.

NY Governor to prosecute himself

2008-03-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Opps, whatch out for that sign language Spitzer! He heh...

The people's cube warned us about Spitzer about a year ago.

Remember those juicy scandals in the White House? Take notice my dear demo friends, this is an appetizer for the next four years to come.

And, don't forget that the bad guy in this story is not Elliot Spitzer, it always resumes to the mother of all bad guys of the Universe:

The road to become a Chavista business man is paved with bribing politicians, government and high ranking officials.

2008-03-10T11:40:00.001-07:00

Lovely. The man with the colorful Easter bunnies is corrupted multi-millionaire Franklin Duran, who made his fortune under Chavez regime and now lies under an American prison charged to be illegal Venezuelan government agent working inside the US without notification to the Attorney General. The guy is even cocky enough to write his own wikipedia page as it was posted before (now tainted a little bit by reality by not-so biased editor who decided to post about the suitcase scandal). He also have a website of his "sucessful" company.

In December, Venezuelan multimillionaire Franklin Duran told agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation that he loved traveling to his mansion on the wealthy island enclave of Key Biscayne to "scuba dive, swim with the dolphins and have peace of mind."
Peace of mind for Mr. Duran may be hard to find these days. The owner of Industrias Venoco CA, a leading Venezuelan petrochemical company and lubricants manufacturer, is being held without bail in Miami on charges related to a cash-stuffed suitcase at the center of an international scandal involving the U.S., Argentina and Venezuela. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
After his December arrest, Mr. Duran was interviewed by FBI agents. In the FBI's account of the interrogation, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, he described widespread corruption in the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez. At one point in the interview, according to the FBI account, Mr. Duran says his rise as a businessman was paved by bribing "politicians, government officials, and high ranking officials."
Mr. Duran's statements also provide a fascinating glimpse into Venezuela's "Boli-burgueses," or Bolivarian bourgeoisie, a class of newly rich businessmen who share an extravagant lifestyle, boast close ties with Mr. Chavez's government and its self-proclaimed "Bolivarian Revolution," and make Miami their playground of choice.

Keep reading about this article published today on WSJ on Miguel's blog here.

This is the problem with this revolution, who is not really a revolution, is more of the same lame and corrupt governments that Venezuela had had but worst!!! Since this one is also corrupt, like many other Venezuelan government, but with the difference that the others always respected to live in "Democracy". Not the finest democracy on the planet, but free enough if comparing to what Hugo Chavez is doing right now.

Venezuela NEVER will find peace until criminals like this guy, and the master of all, the King of the country, be judged and put to jail for life without parole by Venezuelans on Venezuelan soil, that is, in the case of Duran, Kaufman etc... after the come out American justice, if they ever do.

And yet people are stupid enough to eat the story that Hugo and his ministers tell daily on Venezuelan TV about the misery they are living in Venezuela right now is CIA and the gringos' fault. Wake up imbeciles!

Uribe and Chavez in the Summit

2008-03-07T11:05:00.001-08:00

UPDATED. I am listening to the Summit right now. Uribe, what a president! I have a serious case of president envy. I am very happy for the Colombian people right now. Not long ago, a Colombian friend told me how hard was to travel with a Colombian passport. So this man is working very hard to save his country, we have to understand the tragedy of Colombia, it seems nobody is putting themselves on Colombian shoes. Every single word he said was very well said. Serious, to the point. He made his case. Something very important he said, in my opinion, is that they had Reyes 6 times before in Ecuador soil, and every time they informed it to the Ecuador government, Reyes disappeared.

Watch his speech here (In Spanish).

I didn't listen to Rafael Correa.

Brasil, very serious and professional speech.

Bachelet, same line than Brasil.

Cristinita Kirchner... lame... clownesque style... but at least she was to the point.

In genereal, the presidents condemned Colombia and put on the side of the "humanitarian" talks, do I have to tell you? The populist "peace" speech. But any of them -of the ones I saw- dared to talk about the big problem that the FARC represents to our Latin American societies. Only Uribe.

And then we ask to ourselves why Latin America has so many problems? With so many clowns as Presidents?

Chavez has been talking for 15 minutes and all he has said was sad jokes, about Samper wanting him to put in in jail. And the Presidenta Kirchner laughing at his jokes. Now he is deviating to this and that to the other, to get to the point that he has been incriminated many times. He hasn't finish and don't think he will...

Chavez is talking about respect now... the nerve...

He mentioned Raul Reyes's computer, laughed and said mentioned we have to get calmed otherwise we all will get very hot... it sound like a threat to me (he was obviously referring to Uribe's taking him to International Court).

Chavez keeps talking, he has just hit the nail on the head on why Latin America is the septic tank it is. He said that Uribe wants to push the "terrorist" status to the FARC, that he "respect" that from Uribe but he wasn't gonna be shoved with it from Uribe. Then make a joke, and all the clowns laughed...

I am so ashamed to be Venezuelan right now... ufff... que papelón!...

Now Chavez mentioning the USA... of course... Chavez cannot go a day without mentioning the USA... the Iraq war, weapons of mass destruction, etc... the socialist dissociate speech...

Chavez said that Colombia is revindicating a principle that he invented himself (?)

Did Hugo knows about United Nations Resolution 1373? Could it be this and "invented" principle for Hugo Chavez?

He is asking for Piedad Cordoba, and the mother of Ingrid Bethancourt to step in in the summit.

I can hear the populist violin music sound right now...

Again, I ask to ourselves why Latin America has so many problems? With so many clowns as Presidents? That's the simple answer. These people have no interest in solving any problem for our countries.

I see Uribe's face right now on the TV and he tells me everything that I need to know. How can a serious president who is really determined to eradicate the cancer of terrorism in his country WORK with this collection of clowns that he has for neighbors?

As I am writing this Chavez is singing... coñooooooo.... that's why Latin Americans are the clowns of the world.

Chavez now mentioning Einstein... geez...

Uribe is retaking the speech and answering like the man he is to Correa, Ortega and I imagine Chavez soon...

The summit has ended and Uribe has stand and giving a hand shake and a hug to Hugo Chavez, Correa, Ortega, CK, etc... oh well... the fact that those government are pro-FARC won't end with a hug or a hand shake.

Computer vs. computer...

2008-03-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

UPDATED.

The Chavismo has been peeing their pants about Raul Reyes' computers since they were seized.

They insist they are a plant from the "puppet" government of Uribe, that it is impossible that a computer survived a bomb attack, and that in the case these are really Raul Reyes' computers, he only used them to play solitary and bejeweled (I made up this part).

And, on the most funniest and ridiculous speech I ever seen in my entire life, Interior Affairs Minister Raul Rodríguez Chacín from Venezuela, on a high level of socialist dissociation trip, said that Raul Reyes' computers were a false, or the data in them, he wasn't too clear to specify what was false. Then, after mentioning many times that computer evidence were easy to forge and not valid, he said that they also have an incriminating computer from drug trafficker Wilmer Varela aka Jabón (Soap) caught not long ago in Venezuela. He shows this office envelop and from nowhere, voilá, he pulls a laptop like a piñata magician. You know, the whole thing was as funny as watching Monty Python. He proceeded with his show, saying that in that laptop they have incriminating evidence that links Gen. Naranjo (Chief of Colombian police) with drug dealing and bribes. Didn't he said minutes ago that computer evidence was easy to forge and not valid? Somebody asked why they didn't come up with that oh so incriminating information about Gen. Naranjo but until now, then... brace yourself, he said that they didn't because of ... ETHICS, and also, because, what for (!?), that who they were gonna give this info to, to the DEA? That this was ridiculous since the DEA is also implicated in all "this" (I don´t know what he tried to say)...

ETHICS?? To whom? To the drug dealers? LOL

Well, having said all that, and continuing with Raul Reyes' computer, Interpol just caught today the world´s biggest arm dealer, russian Viktor Bout, non other than the Lord of War himself. The original news mentioned that the computers seized from Raul Reyes were somehow part of this caught although it is not clear if this is true or not. In any case, while the imbecile we have in Miraflores is making a case that has no base, the police of the word is using the info from those computer without wasting time. Shall we ALL citizens of the world thank Uribe for this?

The difference between these computers (Reyes' vs. Jabón's) is that the Colombian put the info they caught from Reyes's computer for the world to use, they made it available to the OAS yesterday to verify its data as true, and maybe also with the hope to stop Hugo Chavez's big mouth accusing that the data from that computer is falsa de toda falsedad.

Now, when the Chavistas are gonna make available the information from Jabón's computer to the International organism to be analyzed and etc?

Big behavior difference, uh?

Will Hugo Chavez go to International Court?

2008-03-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Colombia said they will keep their pursuit in taking Hugo Chavez to International Court after the conflict with Ecuador has been resolved on the OAS this afternoon. Here, here and here the news in Spanish, more detailed. Nobody is untouchable. Did you hear that well Hugo?

There are some voices of concern inside Colombia for this, but I have to disagree with them. Chavez needs to be take to Justice for his acts. Not only for his cooperation to the FARC, but to crimes against humanity committed against Venezuela and Venezuelas. I hope they don't back off.

Would be great if the Venezuelan opposition take this wave too, I wish they do, if they can. I don't know how viable it is to impeach-demand a president on an international court.

Funny thing of all this business that Chavez created, is that Chavez himself was the reason on why the Colombian Army finally located Reyes. He phoned Reyes to his satellite phone after the recent liberation of 4 kidnapped people... and the Colombian Army finally could locate him. Another who falls under Hugo's curse. Maybe that was the reason on Chavez's rage and disproportionate reaction against this news.

Maybe Hugo will fall under his own curse too, oh well, I am not gonna get sad for it.

More incriminating evidence coming from Raul Reyes's computers...

2008-03-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

Oscar Naranjo, police chief of the Colombian police, had just said that among documents recuperated from Raul Reyes's computer, there are some that proves that Chavez supported the FARC with 300 MILLION FREAKING DOLLARS...

Guess where that money comes from? From the people of Venezuela.

For how much was Carlos Andrés impeached? 250 Millions of 1992's Bolivares...

Venezuelan opposition political parties united against Chavez's lunacies

2008-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

"Today it's much easier in Venezuela to find a guerrilla member than a container of Milk"

-Antonio Ledezma

At last! They are speaking right now on the Venezuelan TV, giving a declaration against Chavez's support for the FARC and also his crazy and totally disproportionate attitude for the Colombian-Ecuador incident.

"Unidos por Venezuela" is the name they have chosen for this speech.

I support and applause this initiative. I don't support everything they have said, since Luis Eduardo Planas is taking about Colombia's intromission in Ecuador's soil. I don't think they need to fix a position in this matter, or about it, since it's not our business but for Colombia to resolve this problem with Ecuador, and also specially when it is coming to light all kinds of agreements between the Ecuador government and the FARC.

But, today I am not gonna criticize them, they need to be spoken and take responsibility as the political opposition they represent, against this warmongering position from Chavez.

And, governments of the world, please don't pay too much attention to the mambo chimp, all he wants is attention, to be labeled as a terrorist state, to become the martyr of the people, to engage in a war, an excuse to apply martial law and kill a bunch of people...

Under any circumstance we can take the war bait from Chavez.

Colombian military found compromised papers from criminal Raul Reyes with Ecuatorian Government

2008-03-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

The plot thickens my friends...

Correa y las FARC
Uploaded by frankib2

The Colombian military have found compromising documents from the FARC leader Raul Reyes' personal computers. Those documents have been linked to one of Rafael Correa's defense minister Gustavo Larrea, in which had a meeting with Reyes and COMPROMISED TO GET RID OF FARC HOSTILE ECUATORIAN MILITARY OUT OF THE ECUATORIAN BORDER, in exchange for some Ecuatorian kidnapped.

Just like Chavez... but Chavez doesn't even BOTHER to ask for an exchange for Venezuelan kidnapped.

This whole business if showing how much Venezuela and Ecuador terrorist states are supporting the criminal drug guerrilla of Colombia, who have killed and caused so much pain to the Colombian people.

If you read Spanish, you MUST read the Editorial of March 3 of El Tiempo de Colombia. English translation available here courtesy of Miguel.

The ultimate insult...

2008-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

Minuto de silencio
Uploaded by frankib2

Who do you think Hugo Chavez is holding a minute of silence for?

The 46 Venezuelans who were killed on last week flight accident in Mérida? The Colombian families who have lost their family members to the guerrilla?

NO! The minute of silence are for the criminals from the FARC who were killed...

I have no words to express how I feel right now watching this video.

Warmongering mad man Hugo Chavez unchained bcause of the killing of FARC leader

2008-03-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

I wish I can spend more time writing this, but I have to go right now. I just want to point out that I was watching Venezuela's supreme mad man on the TV, and I have to say, this guy is salivating to get into an armed conflict with Colombia.

I don't know what else he can do to provoke them. He just call the Colombian government a "sewer". I hope they don't take the bait and simply ignore him.

Let's recap a little bit... Colombia got into a high tech armed operation to kill Raul Reyes, who was sleeping like sleeping beauty on a frontier camp in Ecuador's border with Colombia. FARC number 2, pedophile, kidnapper, a real piece of work. Ecuador's president Rafael Correa, with all the right he has as President, wants to know if Colombia got in Ecuatorian territory on a lawfully way or not, but he also sent a message to the FARC that he doesn't want him on his territory and that they will be repelled if they come in (the same way Hugo Chavez has repelled them in Venezuelan's territory, I ask?)... In any case, he is acting properly... seems so.

I imagine Colombia and Ecuador will fix their problems pretty soon in case they have any with respect of this operation, the civilized way people do, on a diplomatic manner.

Now, the funny-tragic-pathetic thing is that out of the blue comes Chavez retiring his ambassador from Colombia like if Uribe killed a bunch of Venezuelans or something. Is the terrorist state of Venezuela representing the FARC now?

Why is he interfering with Colombia's affairs with Ecuador like this is his business?

I need to read more about this, 'cuz I am not understanding Chavez's nosy behavior right now.

I will wrote more tonite.

Behind the Chavista bomb attack and the invation to the Archbishop Palace

2008-02-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

"The next five years saw a brutal dictatorship in a country that by now was notorious as the almost archetypical home of Latin American dictators. A regressive new constitution reverted to indirect elections for president by a puppet legislature. Pedro Estrada, described by historian Hubert Herring as "as vicious a man hunter as Hitler ever employed," headed the vast National Security Police (Seguridad Nacional-SN) network that rounded up any opposition, including military officers, unable to escape. Hundreds, if not thousands, were brutally tortured or simply murdered at the notorious Guasina Island concentration camp in the Orinoco jungle region. Labor unions were harassed, and the Venezuelan Confederation of Labor was abolished and replaced by a confederation under the control of the FEI. When the Central University of Venezuela became a center of opposition to the regime, it was simply shut down. Strict controls over the press recalled the worst days of the Gómez regime. Political power concentrated around Pérez and an inner circle of six tachirense colonels who held key cabinet positions. Pérez revived Gómez's old "Democratic Caesarism" doctrine and gave it a new name, the "New National Ideal," under which politics would be deemphasized in favor of material progress (dubbed the "conquest of the physical environment" by apologists for the dictatorship)."

-Richard A. Haggerty, ed. Venezuela: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1990. (Source here)

Yesterday, I was thinking over the bomb attack to the Venezuelan chamber of commerce (FEDECAMARAS), and the Chavista invasion of the Archbishop Palace, and Chavez father-scolding-a-child attitude like he didn't know anything about these two insurrection incidents coming from his own people.

Those two incidents had unclear motivations. The fact that they left casually a police officer credentials -with a note from some Chavista violent terrorist movement taking responsibility of the act- on the site couldn't be a mistake, but on the other hand it didn't make any sense for them to do that. Secondly, the crazy invasion to the Archbishop palace. The Devil's Excrement questioned the reasons for Chavismo to have taken this place. There was no reason, but to make noise, in my opinion. That, until today.

Now it comes very clear to me that the insurrectionist attitude of Lina Ron, Chavez most faithful lap dog who apparently acted without her master's knowledge, was pretty well planned. And, the credentials of the police officer had a reason to be left out on the site of the bomb attack to Fedecamaras.

You see, Hugo Chavez needed those two incidents to have a excuse for the law that was approved today by the Enabling Law Cabinet. It was proposed in May 2007, and it was approved today.

Chavez might have lost a "democratic" Constitutional reform referendum on Dec 2, but Happens that through Chavez's Enabling Law, he still have the constitutional RIGHT to do whatever he pleases. This comes in evidence today, when the news that he will reform the police, and make a new Policia Nacional (National Police), should we name it Nazional Police? I don't have to tell any of you what this police will do. I can bet that the 50's Seguridad Nacional will be regarded as a nice one comparing to this one. Chavez also mentioned, about this police, that there will be on the fashion of the Cuban and Nicaraguan police.

I think those two incidents make the perfect excuse and propaganda for Chavez to say that he is working to eliminate those problems of political violence and street crime with the creation with this police, that won't nothing but similar to the Perez Jimenez's Seguridad Nacional. People will think that this is good news, that at least they will be leaving without crime, but it won't be for free.

In spite of that it is costume for us Venezuelans, and for me in particular to make fun of Chavez because of his clown-esque style, this news is no joke at all.

You know, I don't know if the rest of the people are blind or I am absolutely crazy, but this news to me is Chavez sticking his reform to Venezuelans with Vaseline. He need first to control the people, to become a terrorist state, so he can do his reform as he promised in spite of people voting against it.

I don't think that after the implementation of this police, the people, anybody, will be inclined to protest, or get out of the road too much... what do you think?

The curse of the Pharaoh, part II

2008-02-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

The same way Sean Penn lost his Malibu home on the Oct 2007 fires, Naomi Campbell has to be rushed to the Hospital in Brazil due to an ovarian cyst that had to be removed on an emergency procedure.

The model is recuperating from her surgery pretty well.

A chavista suicide bombing by accident

2008-02-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

First, the threat:

Chavez y Fedecamaras
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Translation: "Here we go again, the Fedecamaras President defying the government, I won't recommend this to you, the former President of Fedecamaras has flee the country, and the other is in Colombia. Are you gonna do the same? Will you keep defying the government? Are you a business man or a politician?"

This is probably the comment of the Fedecamaras President that enraged herr majesty:

"The same day as Carrizales`s announcements, the president of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Production (FEDECAMARAS), José Manuel González, suggested that Chávez`s accusations against Polar and government interventions in the private sector discourage "necessary investments" that "produce decent employment and feed the country," and that the government is "toying with chaos [and] food scarcity". He added that in the past, "when there were not so many controls... and the private sector could work in peace in this country, absolutely everything could be found."

Source: here.

Second, the attack:

Bomb explodes outside Venezuelan business chamber, killing 1

5 hours ago

CARACAS, Venezuela - A small bomb exploded outside the headquarters of Venezuela's leading business chamber Sunday, killing one person, police said.

The blast occurred near the entrance of the Fedecamaras business chamber headquarters in Caracas's middle-class district of La Florida at approximately 1 a.m. local time, killing an unidentified man and shattering windows, federal police Chief Marcos Chavez said.

"There's a person who was close by, and presumably could have been hit by the shock wave," Chavez told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview. "We still have not identified the person."

The explosion could have been meant to scare business leaders who have been critical of President Hugo Chavez, said Fedecamaras President Jose Manuel Gonzalez.

"These actions do not intimdate us. They commit us to continue fighting for Venezuela," Gonzalez told Union Radio.

Lope Mendoza, the chamber's deputy vice-president, noted that unidentified people have tossed several small explosives at Fedecamaras offices in recent years. Like Sunday's blast, those explosions occurred at night.

The chamber's headquarters have been repeatedly vandalized. Last year, dozens of government supporters wearing red - the colour of Chavez's ruling party - gathered outside the building during the day, spray-painting pro-Chavez slogans on its walls. None of the demonstrators were arrested.

Government officials have denied that Chavez's administration was behind previous attacks.

Last week, Gonzalez strongly criticized Chavez for accusing local businesses of stockpiling products to sell later at inflated prices as Venezuelans struggle with sporadic food shortages.

Chavez warned recently that any business caught hoarding goods such as chicken, eggs and milk "should be seized and taken under government control" - threats that alarmed Fedecamaras.

The socialist leader called Empresas Polar - Venezuela's largest food producer - a "clear example" of the kind of business that is ripe for takeover.

Source: The Canadian Press

The lamest thing of all, is that the possible suicide bomber by accident -the bomb exploded in his arms, not that he was expecting his 72 virgins or anything like that, only bad luck for this pobre diablo- was... he was... guess... a police officer from the crowd of Chavista Mayor Juan Barreto! (Correction, were under Juan Barreto, Mayor, NOW they are under the Bureau of Interior Affairs and Justice, under the command of non other than Minister Ramón Rodriguez Chacín). Yep, the same one.

Credentials were found at the site of the accident, and a note from the terrorist organization who committed the act:

I don't think the fact that they left a note and credentials of the police officer who loft his life in this act is a mistake. There is a motivation from the side of the government to do this, I just don't know yet what it is.

The bomb exploded on Chavez's face, unfortunately killing this guy who died blindly by serving his Guru, King Hugo I and his terrorist government. Do you think this guy dying was a mistake, or not? I don't know what to think anymore. Chavistas can be total clumps, but they have the masters of propaganda, the Cubans, behind this type of operations...

The insanity...

Tragedy strikes one more time on Venezuelan air...

2008-02-21T22:49:00.001-08:00

Tragedy has stroked Venezuela's air one more time. A plane with 46 passengers flying from Mérida to Caracas (Maiquetía) went missing, but it has been discovered in the Andean mountains in Venezuela. Unfortunately the plane did crashed. The news are not talking about survivors.

Among the passengers were the internationalist Italo Luongo (here you can watch an interview with him), and a Chavista precandidate for Merida's governorship and Mayor of Rangel Township in the same state, Alexander Quintero, traveling with his 11 year old son.

This is terrible news. But more than this news, is also the amount of planes that have been in accidents in Venezuela during the last month. Only this Monday a Cessna plane with 3 people aboard also crashed in Anaco, Anzoátegui State. And between December and January, two tourist planes going to Los Roques went down as well.

Scary...

Lunar eclipse and satellite down...

2008-02-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

Being the lunatic moon child I am, I couldn't pass to post cool pictures about this lunar eclipse, and why not, mention the other space event, the spy satellite shutdown...

Through time, people have always been scared of eclipses. In astrology, the lunar eclipse means changes. So, this is the time to get rid of old habits, bad relationships etc... and start with new beginnings.

In Venezuela, it was the only country in the whole planet where the eclipse was seen in two ways. Thanks Plinio :)

(AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski). A shadow from the Earth falls on the moon during a lunar eclipse seen from Vodno mountain, south of Macedonia's capital Skopje, early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008.

REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang (UNITED STATES). The Moon photographed at 10:00 p.m. EST (03:00 GMT) in Great Falls, Virginia just outside Washington February 20, 2008 during a lunar eclipse. During the eclipse, the Earth lined up directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth's shadow over the Moon.

(AP Photo/Kevin Frayer). The Moon glows orange as it is seen above the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, during a total eclipse early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurred Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

(AP Photo/Petko Momchilov). A partially eclipsed moon is seen near a golden domed cathedral in the town of Varna, east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurred Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

REUTERS/Jose Miguel Gomez (COLOMBIA). The Moon is seen during a phase in a total lunar eclipse, from Bogota February 20, 2008.

(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko). The moon, partially covered, and the emblematic Obelisk are seen in Buenos Aires, Thursday Feb. 21, 2008. The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurred Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

More picts here...

Adios Fidel! Certainly, you won't be missed...

2008-02-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

The old man is leaving... soon he will have a big welcoming reception down in hell. Babalu blog doesn't know how to react to so many emotions that the news that Fidel Castro has retired has produced.

Do the reader think dramatic changes are coming for Cuba or the communism in the island more or less will stay the same? I think the party will try to stay in the same political stagnation that they have been since 1959 but in absentia of the mythical dictator "comandante en jefe", things are certainly not gonna be the same.

The end is near!

Che Guevara and the Obama Campaign by Humberto Fontova

2008-02-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

"The U.S. is the great enemy of mankind!" raved Ernesto "Che" Guevara in 1961. "Against those hyenas there is no option but extermination. We will bring the war to the imperialist enemies' very home, to his places of work and recreation. The imperialist enemy must feel like a hunted animal wherever he moves. Thus we'll destroy him! We must keep our hatred against them (the U.S.) alive and fan it to paroxysms!"

Compared to Che Guevara, Ahmadinejad sounds like the Dalai Lama.

On November 17, 1962, J Edgar Hoover's FBI discovered that Che Guevara's bombast had substance. They infiltrated and cracked a plot by Cuban agents that targeted Macy's, Gimbel's, Bloomindales and Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal with a dozen incendiary devices and 500 kilos of TNT. The holocaust was set to go off the following week, the day after Thanksgiving. Che Guevara was the head of Cuba's "Foreign Liberation Department" at the time.

A little perspective: for their March 2004 Madrid subway blasts, all 10 of them, that killed and maimed almost 2000 people, al-Qaida used a grand total of 100 kilos of TNT. Castro and Che's agents planned to set off five times that explosive power in the some of the biggest department stores on earth, all packed to suffocation and pulsing with holiday cheer on the year's biggest shopping day.

A month earlier (during what came to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis) Fidel Castro and Che Guevara had salivated over the prospect of a much more satisfying holocaust. "Say hello to my little friends!" they dreamt of yelling at the Yankee “hyenas,” right before the mushroom clouds. But for the prudence of the Butcher of Budapest (Nikita Khrushchev) they might have pulled it off. Despite the diligent work of Camelot court scribes and their ever-eager acolytes in the MSM, Publishing and Hollywood, most serious analysts conclude that Fidel and Che's genocidal fantasy was a much bigger factor in Khrushchev's decision to yank the missiles from Cuba than Kennedy's utterly bogus bluster, threats and "blockade".

"The solutions to the world's problems lie behind the Iron Curtain," stressed Ernesto “Che" Guevara who often signed his correspondence with the moniker "Stalin II". "If the nuclear missiles had remained we would have fired them against the heart of the U.S. including New York City," he boasted. "The victory of socialism is well worth millions of atomic victims."

During recent interviews of Obama campaign workers on Houston's Fox TV station, the offices of two Texas Obama campaign volunteers ( including a precinct captain and head of the "Houston Obama Leadership Team") were found prominently decorated with Che Guevara images, against the backdrop of Cuban flags. The MSM kept mum, but the conservative blogoshere spread the story. Intrepid blogger Henry Gomez (Babalu Blog), uncovered 15 different pages of Che Guevara well-wishers on the official Obama campaign site.

Two days after the Fox TV airing the Obama campaign finally went on record and in a terse statement described the Houston office posters as "inappropriate."

Inappropriate? Yes, and in the same league as cross-burning or swastika-painting are “inappropriate.” This is not trivial.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara was second in command, chief executioner, and chief KGB liaison for a regime that outlawed elections and private property. This regime's KGB-supervised police -- employing the midnight knock and the dawn raid among other devices -- rounded up and jailed more political prisoners as a percentage of population than Stalin's and executed more people (out of a population of 6.4 million) in its first three years in power than Hitler's executed (out of a population of 70 million) in it's first six.

But don't misinterpret Che Guevara’s bluster with actual bravery. His stock in trade was the mass-murder of defenseless men and boys -- bound and gagged is how he demanded his victims. On Oct. 8 1967, upon finally encountering armed and determined enemies, Che quickly dropped his fully-loaded weapons and whimpered: "Don't Shoot! I'm Che! I'm worth more to you alive than dead!"

Che Guevara's regime also shattered -- through executions, jailings, mass larceny and exile -- virtually every family on the island of Cuba. Many opponents of the Cuban regime qualify as the longest-suffering political prisoners in modern history, having suffered prison camps, forced labor and torture chambers for a period THREE TIMES as long in Che Guevara's Gulag as Alexander Solzhenytzin suffered in Stalin's Gulag. But please, please, please don’t bother looking for any History Channel, NPR, or 20/20 interviews with these heroes. They were victims’ of the Left’s premier poster boys, you see.

The regime Che Guevara co-founded stole the savings and property of 6.4 million citizens, made refugees of 20 per cent of the population from a nation formerly deluged with immigrants and whose citizens had achieved a higher standard of living than those residing in half of Europe.

Under Che Guevara's rule "Change" indeed came to Cuba.

Imagine -- say -- Huckabee campaign volunteers in -- say -- 'Possum Gulch Arkansas, discovered with their offices displaying David Duke (who despite his looney ravings has killed no one, and who -- as far as I know -- has never advocated the nuclear extermination of the U.S. population) posters.

Do you think there might be a media hullabaloo, with the attendant harrumphing and extortion of apologies by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson?

Do you think that a campaign spokersperson's lame exculpation of these Duke posters as "inappropriate" would suffice and end the matter?

We all know better. The orgy of self-flagellation, groveling, hoop-jumping, and whimpering (not that they would have gotten it) demanded from any Republican candidate would have made Dom Imus' recent antics look like Ollie North in front of the Iran-Contra hearings.

Now, what might Ernesto “Che” Guevara himself thought of Obama’s campaign and his campaign workers (volunteers and otherwise)? His own writings and utterings give a strong clue:

"The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving,"

“South American peasants are simply little animals.”

“Mexicans are a rabble of illiterate Indians.” We can only guess what he had said about the press or the Democrats.

by Humberto Fontova

Disclaimer by Feathers: The pictures are not in any way tied to Mr. Obama campaign, I have no idea who Jay Z, Adriana Lima, Madonna, Johnny Deep, Carlos Santana and this blond model dude are gonna vote for, but the idea of the pictures is to show how El Ché is not longer a murderer for the liberal media but only another Mickey Mouse. Who started this nonsense? Is this the communist new plan to take over America by capitalism? If so, they have succeeded.

And what is the Obama people doing? Following the trend and taking advantage of the lack of critical thinking of teenagers (and the not that young). Ché picture is cool, therefore Obama must be too. I am sure that to this point the Obama people is trying to get rid of this Ché endorsement, but maybe they don't want to do it too strongly so they won't hurt too many sensibilities and loose a big chunk of their voters...

Shameful, shameful and three times shameful... and more shameful the people who are following for this! If I can slap your faces in person I would.

JFK must be upside down on his grave! I am sure he won't recognize his own party.

-f

What?

2008-02-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

Yes! I haz cheezburger in can. I can haz cheezburger.

The question is, who would are to eat such culinary monstrosity besides Mr. Chubby Kitty?

No, this won't solve any food scarcity problem in Venezuela... don't get more weird ideas Hugo...

Joe Kennedy's oil

2008-02-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

While in Venezuela people are experiencing one of the worst shortage of food in its whole history thanks to Chavez's socialist-communist policies, this is how the same Chavez help the USA people with so much looove (have the Pepto handy):

Michael Wade from A Second Hand Conjecture wrote about this:

"Chavez’s machinations to wield ever greater power within Venezuela, and increased influence without, are slowly grinding the common man into the ground. Venezuela is a massive welfare state, that increasingly forbids any sort of private initiative, and which is almost entirely funded by its oil revenues. But by funding social welfare programs instead of oil infrastructure, and by chasing out the foreign investment needed to keep the industry going, Chavez is killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. On top of all that, a sizable portion of the oil Venezuela does manage to produce is given away in an attempt to buy international influence. Such giveaways, championed by the likes of Joe Kennedy, take money directly out of the pockets of Venezuelans, and decreases their ability to support themselves. Without those petrodollars, the state does not have enough money to subsidize farmers in order to keep them producing food and selling it at the prices mandated by the government. In short, the oil under Chavez’s control represents the welfare of the nation, and he trades so much of it for his own self-aggrandizement that there is not enough left over to feed his own people.
Said another way, Joe Kennedy supports expending Venezuelan blood so that Americans can enjoy their oil. Is that a problem for anyone?"

America's second revolution?

2008-02-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Keeping with the Obama topic, my friend Kate is writing about Daniel Noriega's recent endorsement to Barack Obama.

Now, we only need to wait for Osama's, Hugo Chavez's, Oliver Stone's, Sean Penn's and Ahmadinejad's endorsement... pheewww...

What's going on in here? I understand that some gringos doesn't know better, but I am asking all my Latin American related friends who are going to vote democrat to open their eyes about this.

Attention Obama shoppers!

2008-02-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

Photo via Jason from postpolitical.

"I don't actually agree with Chavez's policies or how he's dealing with his people. I think he has consolidated power. I think he has strong despotic tendencies. I think that he's been using oil revenue to stir up trouble against the United States," Obama said.

There's something about Obama that I never like. And I am not talking about the obvious, he is a liberal and I am a conservative. Taking that apart, Obama always looked to me like the "perfect" candidate. Kind of suspicious for this little penguin. Like somebody in some pent-house office somewhere decided to fabricate the perfect candidate. He must be black, have a great "Clay Davis" like smile and charm, yadda yadda yada... and poof! Obama the superstar, always with the perfect quote and tone of voice comes to the arena. Manchurian candidate anyone? Here he is.

And, like this is not enough to worry about, there's another problem with Obama, and is the type of people he is attracting to volunteer for him. You know the type, the Medeas Benjamins and Cindies Sheehans out there, the Danny Glovers and Sean Penns. All of them very loud and spoken supporters of Hugo Chavez.

Take for example this woman, a latino volunteer in the Houston area:

And this one:

Che-Guevara picts via Little Green Footballs.

WTF? What would you think about a Rep candidate whose volunteers have a NAZI flag on their offices?

Something is smelling rotten here. The candidate says "A", but people who believes in "B" are behind him... hhhmmmm. Either these pair didn't read that Obama quote I put on the beginning of this post, or they simply don't think that Che Guevara is the same animal that Hugo Chavez is. I wonder what these two think about Hugo Chavez's revolution. I bet they love it, just like Medea, Seann, Danny...

Continuing with far left cuckoo Medea Benjamin and her legion of code pinkos and common dreamers, who would you think she will endorse? Haven't found out yet. BUUUT, if you look on the webpage of this lovely convention called "Take Back America 2008" that Benjamin is actively promoting, guess who is comming to dinner... among the speakers, Danny Glover, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton, among other "progressive" (according to whom?) leaders. Chances are that Obama will be her ticket.

You know, maybe Obama is sincere, he makes sense, he is charming. But what kind of people will work for him? How many Medeas Benjamin and Danny Glovers will be working for the State department? You know, if Bill Clinton sold his soul to China, what are we gonna expect from people who have a Che-Guevara flags on their offices?

In a way, I want this election for Obama to win, and see how he will do... dismantle the myth that this man is "good" for the country, or eat my words.

So, you know who you are my dear readers who sympathize with Obama, what do you think about the Che Guevara volunteers? I would have a problem with a Rep candidate whose volunteers have a Nazi flag on their offices, and you should too, you know?

Just another Cowboy...

2008-02-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

Coincidence that I decided to post the picture of Ronald Reagan for my last post, playing the cowboy when he was an actor.

But, there are also revolutionaries who love the outfit as well... take a look at this picture taken days ago during the last Caracas' carnivals, Freedy Bernal, the very Chavista Mayor of the Caracas township dresses as a cowboy. Lovely, isn't it? He looks just like Woody from Toy Story. There is something utterly fascinating about a communist dressed in such an imperialist outfit.

Ronnie's birthday

2008-02-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

One day like today in 1911, a great American with a great smile and great spirit was born. He gave back to America its lost self-confidence.

Jungle Mom wrote a post to remind us all about it.

All I want is a Super Tuesday for Venezuela!

2008-02-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

I guess today is the perfect day to be sick and stay in bed with a big box of Kleenex handy and my big fuzzy cat making some purring company. My nose feels as big as the state of Kansas, also very runny. My eyes, very watery and itchy. I wish I can take my nose and eyes off and leave them by the sink for a rest. In any case, my discomfort haven't prevented me to be following up all the Super Tuesday news on the TV and the blogs like the obsessive maniac I am. I loved to watch the bios of the candidates. Republicans or Democrats, all very accomplished people.

Photos via Yahoo, San Diego Union Tribune and El Universal.

In spite of my cold, I had to do some errands early this morning. The street felt so normal for this Venezuelan monkey, no "Plan República", no intimidating military with guns up to their eyeballs "taking care" of the voting polls. Business as usual, in my little California neighborhood. People going to their works with little stickers that said "I voted". The streets blocked will elderly driving their also elderly cars doing their errands at 5 miles per hour. I imagine also that part of the errands were to go to vote in person to the voting poll. One of the nicest thing of the electoral system in the US is that you can cast your vote in advance and sent it by mail so you can go to work and not to worry about it if you don't have the luxury of taking time off for voting. Funny thing is that, in the years I have been living here, and because I wasn't a citizen and I was in school, working etc... I never noticed an electoral day but the presidential one.

It seems, for what I have read, that this Super Tuesday is having a big turnout of people. Isn't it great? I couldn't vote yet though. I am still in the process to become an American citizen, so I guess I will cast my vote in November hopefully, otherwise America will have to wait for my opinion for the next electoral process.

The casting ballots needed to be read in advance, not only you are voting for people, but usually every state stacks a whole bunch of propositions for your state and city that if you haven't made up your mind for the day of the election, probably you wouldn't be able to do it so. You can ask for a Democratic or a Republican ballot, if you want. I am not sure what's the difference.

So, primaries are not only a "thing" coming from internal political parties. No, they belong to the electoral system of the country, and as it belong to all, the state also takes advantage of it by asking their citizens for their opinion on other matters.

Wouldn't be great for a country like Venezuela to have a day like this in its lifetime? Unfortunately, people who belong to the political parties in Venezuela, doesn't think so. They don't feel like pushing the issue. I feel terrible that Venezuela's political parties are not ready to embrace a real needed change. They prefer to keep choosing their candidates by close doors, like the old "Acción Democrática" used to do. Katy (also here) and Quico talked about this important issue a couple of weeks ago.

I have the feeling the political parties haven't got the message yet. Acción Democrática lost their stand not because of its social democratic ideology, but because of its cogollo (*). People got tired of the clientilism, and decided to launch themselves desperately to the abyss voting for a loser Lt. Col. who had intended a coup and failed, but promised to eliminate corruption and the "cogollocracia". Well, we know by now that all of that was a lie. That the corruption an the cogollocracia has only evolved to an alarming level of amorality never seen before. That now it's not corruption between Adecos and Copeyanos, but between Chavistas (who belonged once to AD and Copei)...
Wouldn't be nice for the neighborhods and barriadas to choose their leaders and see those leaders grow and take more important positions in the political life of the country if their keep being elected? Isn't it what democracy and participatory democracy is all about?

Maybe this is the time for a new party to come to the surface and implement primaries, so they will elevate the standards for the other to do it so too. Maybe this party will come from the student movement. Dreams don't cost a thing.

(*) cogollo: It's the small appendage found in the upper part of the piña. In Venezuelan politics, the cogollo means the top. The top people.

Note: Please take note of the pictures of the primaries in the USA, people voting on private homes, laundry mats, diners and even abroad. In Venezuela, the drill of an electoral process is super different. Very intimidating. Military with guns everywhere. Wouldn't be nice to make elections as normal and festive as they do it in the USA?

Venezuela's PdVSA Buys Colombian Gas Despite Diplomatic Clash

2008-02-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

This is type of news that really make my blood boils.

Can anybody explain me and Kate, who sent this news to me why Venezuela, a country loaded with natural gas, is buying natural gas from Colombia? Hello Hugo, you have any explanation for this? I certainly would like to know.

Oh! I know, the clown of Miraflores and his helpers spend their days talking about how much they people of Venezuela needs a revolution, to independence from the colonialist evil empire, to crush those bastards, to defend ourselves from the paws of capitalism, but yet, they don't spend enough time doing some strategic thinking.

So what they do? They help Colombia's economy instead of invest in ours. They don't have money left to invest, they have taking them all, and more. I wonder if they also took the office stapler too. The thuggery is bigger than their revolutionary ideas. This is only another news that proves how much full of BS and how much of street thugs Hugo and Chavismo are. Honestly, I don't understand them. You know, you can be a thug and also invest in things that will make you richer and stronger. Brilliant work on idiocracy Hugo, just brilliant!

Is Omar the flying squirrel now?

2008-02-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

Not gonna tell you. I already know what happened to the homo thug we all have learn to love since I am watching the advance episodes on monday on HBO on demand.

For the ones who have no idea what I am talking about, I need to recommend you one of the best show on the TV, The Wire. This show was created by a writer and crime reporter (David Simon) and a police (Ed Burns - also here) from the city of Baltimore and it is based on real events. What I mostly like about this show is that every season there put a new focus on the story. For example, season one was about the problems of drugs, the second season was about the corruption inside The Port of Baltimore, the third season was about the politics of the city, the fourth about the education system, and this last one, about the media. They all interact very intimate with one another, but they all have their different flavor. This is definitely classic TV.

And the character development is really delectable to watch.

Yes, there was a real "Bubbles". And actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, was really a street kid who decided to go back to school and not to get lost in the streets, good for her! My fav characters? Hard to tell, Omar, Bunk, Freamon, McNulty, Kima, Sen. Clay Davis, they all are so great, definetely the criminals are so well played and they are the ones who really carry the show, Marlo, Prop Joe, Avon, Stringer Bell, "Snoop", Bodie... oh gosh, and how about Brother Mouzone? That character was so good too.

And, if you watch the show, you probably will know what's Sen. Clay Davis catchy phrase:

"No more FARC" all over the world...

2008-02-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Photo via Plinio.

Yesterday, protests made by our Colombian neighbors to stop the FARC had been held all over the world.

In Caracas, there was a big support to it. Daniel and Plinio reported from Caracas. Ovario posted her picts (also from Caracas). Kate reported from Washington. Fausta have a comprehensive post about it as well. And, forums like Noticiero Digital, Megaresistencia and Noticias 24 also have news about it.

More on the Chavez-FARC drug connection.

2008-02-03T10:01:00.001-08:00

Not to miss. Fausta is picking up on the John Carlin article that was posted on the Guardian today about Hugo Chavez government's role in the international drug trafficking business. Quico and Daniel are also commenting about it.

A different version by the same author was posted in "EL PAIS" from Spain a week ago (I made a humble English translation of it last week).

Related news: This short video made by journalist Matthew Bristow about the cocaine trail. Mr. Bristow also writes on his own blog about Colombia. Interesting site.

Africa: The last frontier for light sweet crude

2008-02-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

Lee, always on top on the most stimulating topics, interviewed journalist and historian John Ghazvinian about his book Untapped: The scramble for Africa's oil. They talked extensively on China aggressive investing on Africa's oil.

Interesting read. However, I am not sure I agreed with the author's view on China. He thinks Chinese won't mess up with African politics, but only are to do business. I don't think this is totally true. I think their main interest if economic, but eventually they will end doing whatever they want in there, if they are let to.

Why wouldn't they? Who is gonna stop them?

Venezuela's Bolivar Fuerte breakes when thrown to the floor...

2008-02-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

There's something tragic-comedic and profoundly sad about this news that noticias24's economic website posted on its site. Venezuela's government corruption has no limit and now they will destroy our currency. It happens that the so-called new Venezuelan currency, the Bolivar Fuerte (fuerte means strong in Spanish), physically can break easily. Apparently, the coins can brake if you throw them to the floor. Fuerte, pero no tan fuerte. Bad omen for Chavismo and Venezuela's economy.

You know, when I read this news, at first I though that people were becoming so uncivilized that they were doing something harsh to break the coins. Some sort of CIA-led opposition coup, but no, the coins apparently are not that greatly made. The government, of course, is saying that this coins are made in Europe and that therefore, they meet the international standards. Uff, what is with the "they are made in Europe", like if they are made in Venezuela this is more expected? You know what I mean? Is this the way the Venezuelan government want to promote us? And then they get mad when foreigners treat them like monitos from the Zoo.

Even Infobae, the Argentinian media who mentioned this news make fun of this:

"Así, la entidad financiera envió un irrisorio comunicado en el que explica que las piezas están echas por empresas europeas, y que si se emplean adecuadamente, cumplirán perfectamente su función."

So, they meet the international standards, uh? I don't know what to think. Either they are lying and these coins don't meet the international standards. Or, Venezuelans have become so uncivilized and barbarians that they actually break the coins. What's your pick? My opinion, and I can bet my head for it, those coins came chimbas because someway along the production line, somebody in the government saw the opportunity to make money, and something that needed to be done, wasn't done, or was poorly done, subcontracted, and that government official took a suitcase full of money for it.

The reality is that the Chavista mafia don't care about our nationality.

Hasta cuandoooooooo!!!!!!!

About the use of language...

2008-01-30T11:07:00.002-08:00

The Venezuelan congress recently approved 10 articles of a law who looks to promote indigenous languages in the country.

If you ask me, it sounds great from a cultural point of view, but I am not sure if economically it will viable to make so many languages official. That will depend on what the government is thinking, and the news is not too explicit on why they are making this a law. If the government have to print every single BS they approve on the National Assambly, all kinds of speeches of Hugo Chavez, and all kinds of official documents in so many languages, then the budget and the use of paper will be multiplied with no reason.

How many people in Venezuela speak kapón (akawayo), amarúa, añú, arahuaco, ayamán, baniva (baniwa), bare (barí), chaima, arekuna, taurepan, chase (piapoco), puinave, pumé, sáliva, sanemá, sapé, timote, uruak (urutani), piaroa, mopuoy (mapoyo), warekena, warao, wayuu, yanomami, yabarana y yukpa?

Probably the percentage is really small, since they are all indigenous languages.

What do you think about this news? Should we all unify our communications skills around one language, or instead, promote various so it will be harder for us all as a society to express our ideas and get on common grounds? After all, what is language for?