Venezuela, today

The situation in Venezuela today is still of protest. The protests are been held mainly by University students from all over the country. But, other sectors of the society are also joined them with the protest.

The civil unrest started by the personal decision of Hugo Chavez of shutting down the biggest and oldest Venezuela TV channel, Radio Caracas Television (RCTV). It went off the air on May 28 at 12 pm.

But, today, the civil unrest still continues and it has gone beyond the closing of RCTV. The political maneuver went wrong. My husband told me yesteday, "Geez, you guys (Venezuelan) can take anything but not to be taken TV, don´t ya?" Maybe. Specially, this TV channel was very well liked and seen by most Venezuelans. Their comedic radio show, Radio Rochela, has been an staple of the Venezuelan family since 1953 I believe. And honestly, the ones who get more affected with this decision are the most poors, those who Chavez says that he want to protect, I would say that they are the ones that he want to indoctrinate, to slave them to his wishes, just like Castro has done shamefully to the people of Cuba. Those most poors are the ones who cannot afford cable and have to resign themselves to watch a propaganda channel, full of indoctrinating cartoons, of hatred propaganda against fellow Venezuelans, I don´t know... I don´t have plans to watch their bullshit anytime soon, I am fortunate I can choose, but other fellow countryman cannot. Apparently, this seems to be the last straw of the abuse of power of Hugo Chavez that Venezuelans have decided to take. Venezuelans love to sit and watch soap operas at night. And Mr. Chavez took their only free entertainment, their little indulgence. Just because. Like their lives are not miserable enough.

He think because oppression has worked in Cuba for a ruthless murderer like Fidel Castro, will it work in Venezuela for another cuckoo? It has for 8 years though, but for how long will this monster live?

I don´t think these protests won´t be over even if his Majesty, Hugo I, King of Venezuela, only ruler, will decide to put the channel again on the air.

And that´s in fact the REAL PROBLEM with Venezuela today. No, it´s not capitalism, it´s not the imperialism, it´s not the business owners, it´s not Marcel Granier, it´s not the CIA conspiring, it´s not GW Bush, it´s not the Unions, the politicians, it´s not even street crime, corruption, poverty, NO. The REAL disease in Venezuela has a first name and a lastname, and it´s Hugo Chavez. The one who decided to push the envelope and take over the rule of law of the country. In other words, to clean his ass with the constitution, the one he helped to redone. Him, and the guys who decided that this was a good idea too, I include in this group Fidel Castro and a whole bunch of international supporters of Chavez, Danny Glover, Medea Benjamin, Eve Gollinger, etc...

Before, we have a hell lotta problems in the country, and then, it came Hugo to put the cherry on the top.

So, this is what is about with this protest, Venezuelans are tired of not having our rule of law. We, Venezuelans are tired of our rights to be stripped away little by little, we are tired of not finding a FREE justice system but only Chavistas judges who doesn´t even have the nessesary academic instructions to be a judge, and who rule only according to Chavez´s wishes. We, Venezuelan are tired of a Chavista-only electoral council, we are tired of a Chavez´s Asamblea Nacional, who only act according to Hugo´s wishes, since we didn´t voted for them. They obey only to the voice of the master who put them in Congress. We are fucking tired of not been able to get a passport, a federal job, if we are not chavistas. We Venezuelans are also tired of the hatred that Chavez has seed into Venezuelan soil.

Chavez came to power to eliminate corruption in the country. That´s why an overwhealming majority of Venezuelans voted for him in 1999. And then, he won. And then he saw, he liked what he saw, and like many cheap Latin America dictators, decided he can get away stealing the whole country to himself.

Now, 2007, Venezuela not only have more corruption that ever, but now the corruption is also gone to a political and nepotism level never seen before in Venezuela.

Will Hugo get away with it until today?

Wishful thinking from me. We will see...

Leave the gun, take the cannoli...

"What the fuck we ever get we didn't have to work our balls off for?"
-Vito Spatafore

From el Universal news:

"La definición del modelo de producción social abarcará una visión diferente de la actividad empresarial, donde la gestión se repartirá con los trabajadores en un esquema de colectivización del trabajo sin distinciones, mientras que las comunidades recibirán parte de las riquezas del sector privado.

(...)

"En el sector privado tiene que haber una relación directa con las comunidades en la toma de decisiones. Tenemos que avanzar en una forma de sociedad, en la propiedad social. No debe ser solamente el lucro", aseguró este miércoles el ministro del Trabajo y Seguridad Social, José Ramón Rivero.

Por ello, consideró que, "Más allá del poder obrero, se trata de que las comunidades -representadas por los consejos comunales- sean parte de los beneficios económicos logrados por el sector privado.

For the lucky ones who didn't understand what was said above(*), some wisdom words from the new Minister of Labor and Social Security, José Ramón Rivero. He said that the chavista thugs, will enforce companies to spread their earnings among the community (you know, after taxes). Not only that, but the labor unions will take executive decisions on your business, and then, they will spread it all like a piece of pie!! HA HA HA HA HA... what earnings after the union makes managerial decision?

Yeah right! I dare Minister Rivero who find me who is the entrepreneur who will work for others, who btw are deterred not to let him work, and/ or make money.

This news, my dear readres, it's only a new form to institutionalize organize crime. You work, I get the money. Where I have seen that before? (The Godfather?)

If I were a Venezuelan entrepreneur I'll prefer to close my company and move to become a taxi driver in NYC than let others profit from my talent. One thing is to share with the community because your own will, other is to be enforced by a group of mediocre thugs, to share my earnings with them. Paid a vacuna. That's what mafia does.

And that's why capitalism works, because it bases the development of their society on the incentive and genius of their best individuals, those who take risks, create things who will improve the quality of life, who work harder, who develop new techniques. Socialism, communism, Marxism or whatever you want to call it, doesn't pay anyone to be better, to be more creative, to work harder or more hours, so Einstein deserves the same payment that Joe Blow. Human nature doesn't work like that, and won't work like that ever. That's why communism never had worked. God created us different. Any complain on why ones are smarter, prettier and less lazy than others, please address them personally to the creator when you have the chance.

Thanks Correfoc for the link.

(*)Update: Read the same article in english here.

I used to be an unflinching Chavez supporter ... but ... it's not so easy any more!

I have to congratulate Ms. Cortazar for her opinion, it's hard to recognize when we are wrong. She is acting as a true Venezuelan patriot. Venezuela is not about Chavez's personal failures, or Manuel Rosales, or Teodoro, or the 4ta ó 5ta Republica, or the MVR. Venezuela is about Venezuela!

(H/T to Ed Brown for the link)

From vheadines.com:

In a hard-hitting editorial from an especially 'inside government' point of view, VHeadline.com guest commentarist Alexandra Cortazar writes: I've recently been going through a bit of an ideological crisis, working in the (Venezuelan) government and all, seeing things from the inside.

Working in a ministry department, I've noticed that the media has a lot of power ... I work with a bunch of them every day. "Institutional" press is simply a euphemism for propaganda pusher. Yes, we give hope to people, but we are also creating an artificial bubble of selected information passed as exaggerated achievements, to give the impression of progress, when in reality, bureaucracy and inefficiency have engulfed this government beyond comprehension ... despite millions of dollars in investment and resources.

• That's just the tip of the iceberg, though, and what I wonder is whether the powers-that-be are the responsible ones ... or whether it's an underlying facet of the Venezuelan society's essence.

Are things here ever going to change? I really doubt it.

Do I sound like the opposition or what? It's not that, though...

I've just started to realize, with help and through my own experience, that maybe things aren't as black and white as I thought they were. Don't get me wrong ... I'm still set on some of my positions, such as anti-Americanism and pacifism, and deep down, I continue to be a leftist, concerned for social justice ... but most important, poverty reduction.

• However, I used to defend Chavez "a capa y espada" (unflinching supporter) like we say here in Venezuela, but now... it's not so easy to do so any more.

I guess I'm disappointed ... the veil has fallen from my eyes ... I hate the fact that we're still Third World ... still underdeveloped ... still poor... and it's not just us here, it's all of Latin America.

If Latin America was suddenly wiped out in some non-violent way ... I mean, if we simply disappeared ... do you realize that in economic terms it would most likely matter at all? It would probably decrease the number of poor in the world. It's truly sad, but true.

We have to face it ... populism, solidarity, human development ... it's not getting us out of poverty. It's not a solution in the long term. I've said it before ... we'll be living longer lives, with more access to water ... we'll be able to read and write ... that's great ... but what happens when people remain poor? When a country remains underdeveloped and irrelevant? Revolutions can't last forever ... there has to be a period of stabilization, a period of progress.

I'm not pointing fingers here, though I'm just attempting to describe the situation or at least some of my thoughts about it.

Twenty-first century socialism in Venezuela? What a crock. I don't even mean it pejoratively ... it's just such a naive concept. My country is plagued with Venezuelans that love to shop, get drunk on the weekends and protest working conditions to get more money/benefits without being productive, by means of the unions, which in turn are plagued with "fourth republic" power-hungry burros.

Business here is run under a failed capitalist model that nobody complains about. Goods and services are crap ... as well as customer service. Yet God forbid anyone tries to stop Venezuelans from buying things. In case you haven't been here, we're characterized for living off "el cuento y las cuentas" ("tall tales and bills" -- getting in debt, being irresponsibly poor by spending money on stuff you can't afford just to show off... and so on and so forth) and we love it.

We're buying more cars than ever, drinking Scotch, eating McDonald's in obnoxious rates (thanks, ironically enough, to higher government spending, which gives a boost to consumer demand), having lavish parties and increasing sales at malls. To top it off, trade with the US is also on the rise.

Seems to me like Chavez' rhetoric has fallen on deaf ears.

Venezuela's cup runneth over ... and the Scotch whisky flows

Paseo El Hatillo Mall, Caracas

Sambil Mall, Caracas

Sad but true, kids.

Every day, I read the economic news since I work in a (government) entity dealing with industries and trade, and I tell you, it gets depressing. It's extremely frustrating to see other countries, both democracies and dictatorships (such as India or Singapore, respectively) developing at great rates ... people getting out of poverty, even taking jobs away from industrialized nations ... and none of them ever even got close to this model we're trying out here.

Chavez has traveled a lot this year, and he's actually a smart man so why aren't we learning anything from these other countries?

• Why do we continue on this path of idealism that will only keep us in "dignified" poverty, instead of bringing us out into prosperity and economic relevance?

What do we do instead? We keep subsidizing Western creeps who just feel contempt for us, or come to do a bit of ideological tourism, praise the revolution, claim to hate the Empire and then expect to get a wad of cash or a bit of international recognition by doing these minuscule actions.

How many "hippies" have come here for the World Social Forum and assorted leftist events, simply to smoke pot, screw around and admire how unlike their countries we are?

Sure, it's great when you come here and it's an adventure, and in two weeks time, you get to go back home to your roads without potholes, air-conditioned homes, your great customer service, your booming industries and your impeccable, crimeless streets ... because you don't have to deal with this crap every damned day.

Despite the fact that our help was rejected in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli failed to recognize Venezuela's aid to Americans through CITGO (which he described as "an American company helping Americans"); that a recent poll by Quinnipiac University showed US Americans feel warmer towards the so-called "cheese-eating surrendering monkeys" in France, the Chinese "Threat" and the Saudi Arabian dictatorship than about Venezuela ... among many other slaps in the face we have received from that ethno-centric nation … it is startling (to say the least) to see that Venezuelan fuel now goes to Alaskans in the United States ... as well as cheap diesel goes to one of the richest cities in the world, London.

So much for anti-imperialism and the Non-Aligned Movement crap...

The rather hilarious thing is the fact that, even as we Venezuelans continue giving away our oil to imperialists, in a "solidarity" effort to help the poor in the United States (who should be taken care of by THEIR elected government, not OURS), some US Americans are actually calling for a boycott of CITGO because of Chavez' latest remarks about their president at the United Nations ... even some prominent democrats came to Bush's rescue, calling Chavez a "thug" and condemning him for speaking his mind at the talk shop that is the UN General Assembly.

The punch line of this entire circus of hypocrisy?

On September 28, the Ledger Enquirer (Georgia) reported that some beneficiaries of the CITGO heating oil program are having "second thoughts." Que malagradecidos!

So much complaining about Bush, so much gnashing of teeth regarding "stolen" elections, statements saying that "Bush is not my president," and then, what? Americans once again stand behind their choice of 2000 and 2004, proving that indeed, they are not exempt from the blame shifted on "the US government" instead of the American people as a whole.

It's not working ... it's not working at all ... nobody's giving any solutions and we're just stuck on the wrong paths to economic development while continuing on a two-sided discourse that just makes a mockery of Venezuelans and whatever ideology was brewing here.

Where's the solidarity towards us, Venezuelans? What are we getting from these deals?

I understand when we help sister nations such as Cuba, who in turn have sent thousands of doctors to help my people; but US Americans and Britons (the latter who appear to be rather indifferent to our efforts ... but at least they don't insult)?

• Are their hearts bleeding for my poor, my indigenous tribes? What, other than insults and snubs, have Venezuelans received from these one-sided agreements?

My anger and indignation will cease when we see a scenario where the UK sends us hundreds of those big beautiful red buses to modernize our public transportation, in exchange for the damn cheap diesel we give them so they can pay less when going to work; when US tribes offer a program to give our indigenous people a place to stay for a vacation, to enjoy a bit of the comforts of life in the first world.

How fair would it be for the Pemon and Yanomami tribes to be able to stay with the American Eskimos getting our oil, learning local customs and a different perspective of the world? For poor Venezuelans to be able to see the bright lights of New York City, staying with their US American counterparts of Harlem and the Bronx or learning English in Boston colleges? Training or resources to our police forces for violence prevention in Caracas, as a nod to the US$100,000 we shelled out to a California-based community organization?

It could all be arranged ... easy visas for our criollos registered in the program, air transportation courtesy of Conviasa, and then it's up to the US Americans to make my people feel as warm and toasty as they will this winter, thanks to Venezuela.

That's solidarity!

As of now, though, Venezuela continues to be a victim of regional chulo (pimps), who receive without giving anything meaningful back. In turn, the "first-world freeloaders" keep on supporting a government that wants to destabilize our country, rejects our help, accuses us of not having any freedom of expression and is pushing to keep our voice out of the UN Security Council.

Unfortunately, neither Chavistas nor oppositionists even debate about these freeloader setups we're in ... if there is no political gain, leaders won't touch it ... and if it's not bothering their spending sprees or their "cambur" (safe jobs in the public administration), neither will the people. This mentality is exactly what is keeping us irrelevant in the economic sense and primitive in the sense of infrastructure and society.

A glimpse of the state of affairs outside Caracas ... exemplified in a special report about Cemento Andino cement plant in Trujillo state, western Venezuela. It's so important to really capture the reality of the country. The largest city in Trujillo, Valera's airport is a true monument to underdevelopment, surrounded by ranchos and grass, it can barely service little 15-person Avior Express jets.

All you can see on the way to the cement factory (about an hour and a half from Valera) is how economically depressed this state is. I'm sorry, comandante, but the revolution is definitely not making a significant impact here. Sure there are Mision Robinson and Mision Barrio Adentro modules around ... and people seem to support Chavez ... but the lack of industrialization and the prevalence of informal economy over real jobs and wealth creation is just another sign that we may not necessarily be on the right path, at least concerning domestic policy.

Trujillo neighborhood

Shack on the side of the road (Trujillo)

Informal Economy (Trujillo)

These people will probably live in poverty and underdevelopment throughout their entire lives ... but they'll be able to read, write and have access to doctors. Ah, the never-ending dilemma between "Human development" a la Cuba versus poverty reduction a la China.

The cement plant continues to be surrounded by poverty, despite the fact that it is the single most important economic engine of the area ... I was in awe. I didn't even realize we had such infrastructure ... it's a business that makes about 300-500 million bolivares (US$140,000 to $232,000) daily, employing about 300 trujillanos, whose community still remains a dump, but they believe in the revolutionary process.

Cemento Andino, Trujillo

No volveran (don't come back!), I say to the opposition...

...but, it's definitely time to take a long, hard look at what the government is doing ... and more importantly, at what el bravo pueblo's mindset is achieving to make our nation a great one.

Considering all of these developments and realities, we ought to consider helping and developing ourselves in the global south (first and foremost) before we even think about investing our measly oil revenues in prosperous and wealthy first world nations.

Alexandra Cortazar
ecstasy277@yahoo.com