Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
“We would appreciate it if the media gave the family of this fellow from the Army the due consideration that they deserve”
The Minister of Defense after the death of soldier Angel Ciro Pedreanez
Tal Cual’s response: We would appreciate even more if you, fellow member of the Army, told us what happened at Fort Mara
It is quite depressing to realize the level of impunity and cynicism that the authorities have reached in Venezuela. We are being ridiculed day after day, by being ignored, by being ruled by a bunch of cynics without scruples, who have no morals and put the “revolution” above everything else.
This afternoon I read about William Jesus Alvarez in Tal Cual (page 8, by subscription.) William was the young chemical engineer who was shot dead in the East of Caracas last February 27th. Despite the testimony of his family that he never fired weapons of any caliber in his life or that he began running towards his home when the shooting began, falling over and dying as he ran away, the People’s Ombudsman reaches the conclusion that “he fired one or two shots before being hit himself since traces of this were found in both his hands”. Amazing and definite conclusion by an office that has yet to contact any of the family members or any of the people that witnessed his death.
But the People Ombudsman or the Attorney General are servile to the revolution. They appear to be ready to sacrifice their reputation, their ethics and their own soul for this worthless and destructive revolution.
No sooner had I finished reading about William Alvarez that I learn of the death of Angel Pedreáñez. We had earlier heard the claims by Chavez, by Garcia Carneiro and by Baduell about the case and each time they were shown to be lying through their teeth, in their customary fraudulent style of manipulating the truth for their own purposes. Nothing is too grotesque or far fetched for these people; nothing should amaze us about their corrupt and immoral behavior.
And now there is new evidence, new acts that would shock any civilized human being. The second 20 year old involved in the jail incident dies coincidentally of the same cause, cardiac arrest, in less than one month. We had earlier been told by the Government that the soldier had said that the fire began within the cell and suddenly there he is, dead but his presence revived in a videotape saying that they were burned from the outside. That someone actually held a tube, lit it and burnt them. And they burned really fast. And the once improbable and implausible flamethrower that seemed to defy any sense of human decency becomes so incredibly and amazingly real.
Immediately, the cynical Attorney General speaks on TV with some sense of outrage saying the military should turn over the case to the civilian authorities. And the Minister of Defense that has been covering up the case immediately accepts the change in jurisdiction, which can only mean the beginning of a new cover up. As if we trusted either of them. As if either of them had shown even the slightest interest of learning the truth about so many cases, from the deaths of April 2002 to the many useless and tragic deaths of the last two years. Including that Rambo called Joao de Goveia who in two minutes and with a single Glock killed three and injured twenty seven in Plaza Altamira two and a half years ago. To date, these fake leaders of justice and morality claim he was acting alone and the case is closed. And most people believe the official explanation or have forgotten about it. Impunity rules!
And it is not only the impunity that shocks us. It is also the cynical ability to act like Chavez did last Sunday, accusing the US Government of the same crimes his administration has routinely committed in the last five years. Crimes that have been committed as he spoke and soon after. As if diverting attention can somehow release him of his responsibility.
So far, impunity rules. It is the rule of the day. Events are twisted to support and defend the revolution. The pro-Chavez Deputies of the National Assembly approve a Supreme Court bill than in the future will likely be used to violate their rights and those of the members of their families. And they don’t appear to care. The revolution is above everything. The Supreme Court justices will likely give their seal of approval to that bill that will not only allow a totalitarian state to rule the country, but that will likely allow the Government to get rid of many of them, sooner rather than later. Thus, they are preparing the rope to hang themselves.
And I watch that cynical member of the Board of the CNE named Jorge Rodriguez, state with such calm and cynicism that people can violate the same regulations that he approved last September. This is the same guy who argued the laws and the regulations had to be respected, but is now saying that what is written can be interpreted any way that he pleases. Long live the revolution, we will twist the law to promote it!
And perhaps this is the reason why this is a hopeless battle. Step by step, it has been assumed that there was some semblance of ethics, morality or reason in some members of this Government. But the level of impunity indicates that this is simply a shell of a Government, led by a megalomaniac without scruples, who is followed by a bunch of immoral puppets for whom human dignity, death, torture and human rights are simple inconveniences who get in the way of their final objective. Meanwhile, those like me, that oppose them still believe in the rule of law, in ethics, in respect, the truth, the sanctity of human life and all of those precepts that are the foundation of modern civilization.
Impunity rules and in a few weeks some new scandal, human rights violations or whatever will make people forget these new and tragic deaths as we sink deeper into the unknown path of this failed revolution. And we will be shocked and outraged and will react with the same incredulity that we react with today.
Until the next one…
It is quite depressing to realize the level of impunity and cynicism that the authorities have reached in Venezuela. We are being ridiculed day after day, by being ignored, by being ruled by a bunch of cynics without scruples, who have no morals and put the “revolution” above everything else.
This afternoon I read about William Jesus Alvarez in Tal Cual (page 8, by subscription.) William was the young chemical engineer who was shot dead in the East of Caracas last February 27th. Despite the testimony of his family that he never fired weapons of any caliber in his life or that he began running towards his home when the shooting began, falling over and dying as he ran away, the People’s Ombudsman reaches the conclusion that “he fired one or two shots before being hit himself since traces of this were found in both his hands”. Amazing and definite conclusion by an office that has yet to contact any of the family members or any of the people that witnessed his death.
But the People Ombudsman or the Attorney General are servile to the revolution. They appear to be ready to sacrifice their reputation, their ethics and their own soul for this worthless and destructive revolution.
No sooner had I finished reading about William Alvarez that I learn of the death of Angel Pedreáñez. We had earlier heard the claims by Chavez, by Garcia Carneiro and by Baduell about the case and each time they were shown to be lying through their teeth, in their customary fraudulent style of manipulating the truth for their own purposes. Nothing is too grotesque or far fetched for these people; nothing should amaze us about their corrupt and immoral behavior.
And now there is new evidence, new acts that would shock any civilized human being. The second 20 year old involved in the jail incident dies coincidentally of the same cause, cardiac arrest, in less than one month. We had earlier been told by the Government that the soldier had said that the fire began within the cell and suddenly there he is, dead but his presence revived in a videotape saying that they were burned from the outside. That someone actually held a tube, lit it and burnt them. And they burned really fast. And the once improbable and implausible flamethrower that seemed to defy any sense of human decency becomes so incredibly and amazingly real.
Immediately, the cynical Attorney General speaks on TV with some sense of outrage saying the military should turn over the case to the civilian authorities. And the Minister of Defense that has been covering up the case immediately accepts the change in jurisdiction, which can only mean the beginning of a new cover up. As if we trusted either of them. As if either of them had shown even the slightest interest of learning the truth about so many cases, from the deaths of April 2002 to the many useless and tragic deaths of the last two years. Including that Rambo called Joao de Goveia who in two minutes and with a single Glock killed three and injured twenty seven in Plaza Altamira two and a half years ago. To date, these fake leaders of justice and morality claim he was acting alone and the case is closed. And most people believe the official explanation or have forgotten about it. Impunity rules!
And it is not only the impunity that shocks us. It is also the cynical ability to act like Chavez did last Sunday, accusing the US Government of the same crimes his administration has routinely committed in the last five years. Crimes that have been committed as he spoke and soon after. As if diverting attention can somehow release him of his responsibility.
So far, impunity rules. It is the rule of the day. Events are twisted to support and defend the revolution. The pro-Chavez Deputies of the National Assembly approve a Supreme Court bill than in the future will likely be used to violate their rights and those of the members of their families. And they don’t appear to care. The revolution is above everything. The Supreme Court justices will likely give their seal of approval to that bill that will not only allow a totalitarian state to rule the country, but that will likely allow the Government to get rid of many of them, sooner rather than later. Thus, they are preparing the rope to hang themselves.
And I watch that cynical member of the Board of the CNE named Jorge Rodriguez, state with such calm and cynicism that people can violate the same regulations that he approved last September. This is the same guy who argued the laws and the regulations had to be respected, but is now saying that what is written can be interpreted any way that he pleases. Long live the revolution, we will twist the law to promote it!
And perhaps this is the reason why this is a hopeless battle. Step by step, it has been assumed that there was some semblance of ethics, morality or reason in some members of this Government. But the level of impunity indicates that this is simply a shell of a Government, led by a megalomaniac without scruples, who is followed by a bunch of immoral puppets for whom human dignity, death, torture and human rights are simple inconveniences who get in the way of their final objective. Meanwhile, those like me, that oppose them still believe in the rule of law, in ethics, in respect, the truth, the sanctity of human life and all of those precepts that are the foundation of modern civilization.
Impunity rules and in a few weeks some new scandal, human rights violations or whatever will make people forget these new and tragic deaths as we sink deeper into the unknown path of this failed revolution. And we will be shocked and outraged and will react with the same incredulity that we react with today.
Until the next one…Angel Ciro Pedreáñez, one of the soldiers who were burnt in Fort Mara over a month ago, died today after appearing to be in better condition. Reportedly, he died while being operated for skin grafts of cardiac arrest. He is the second soldier to die from the fire in a case that gets more and more complicated as days go by.
Last week, it was reported that the soldiers were burnt using a flamethrower, a charge that was denied by the military. Last week, it was reported in the newspapers that Pedreáñez himself had testified that the fire began in the inside of the jail cell, leading to charges that the Government had pressured him to say that. But in a chilling interview released by his family today, which was reportedly taped on Monday he says (complete text in this link) that when he was falling sleep “a mf… appeared at the door and he lit like a pipe and the mattress caught fire and we garb them but they were ablaze they caught fire too fast and that is why we burnt all over”. They asked for help “but they could not open the lock, it took 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive”
The family of the soldier claimed that he was murdered. The military at least showed total contempt for the family by not informing them of the soldiers death, which they learned about from the media.
The Attorney general suggested military justice should decline jurisdiction over the case, which was accepted by the Minister of Defense. Up to now, the military has covered the whole incident with a veil of secrecy, despite many claims that the truth will be known. Chavez himself had claimed the whole thing had been blown up out of proportion by the media a day before the first death and before the charges that the cellblock was burnt using a flamethrower. This has magnified the case even more, which can only get worse with the tragic death of the soldier and the damaging video he left behind.
Angel Ciro Pedreáñez, one of the soldiers who were burnt in Fort Mara over a month ago, died today after appearing to be in better condition. Reportedly, he died while being operated for skin grafts of cardiac arrest. He is the second soldier to die from the fire in a case that gets more and more complicated as days go by.
Last week, it was reported that the soldiers were burnt using a flamethrower, a charge that was denied by the military. Last week, it was reported in the newspapers that Pedreáñez himself had testified that the fire began in the inside of the jail cell, leading to charges that the Government had pressured him to say that. But in a chilling interview released by his family today, which was reportedly taped on Monday he says (complete text in this link) that when he was falling sleep “a mf… appeared at the door and he lit like a pipe and the mattress caught fire and we garb them but they were ablaze they caught fire too fast and that is why we burnt all over”. They asked for help “but they could not open the lock, it took 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive”
The family of the soldier claimed that he was murdered. The military at least showed total contempt for the family by not informing them of the soldiers death, which they learned about from the media.
The Attorney general suggested military justice should decline jurisdiction over the case, which was accepted by the Minister of Defense. Up to now, the military has covered the whole incident with a veil of secrecy, despite many claims that the truth will be known. Chavez himself had claimed the whole thing had been blown up out of proportion by the media a day before the first death and before the charges that the cellblock was burnt using a flamethrower. This has magnified the case even more, which can only get worse with the tragic death of the soldier and the damaging video he left behind.
The Coordinadora Democrática has a tough job to do. Its members range from Bandera Roja to Copei, going through a wide variety of NGOs with different objectives. Besides this, there are widely different political objectives and egos that need to be taken into account. Add to that the absence of a charismatic leader and a rank and file that is impatient, tired and disillusioned and you got a very difficult organization to manage.
That is why I seldom agree with a lot of the criticism of the Coordinadora Democrática that I read regularly. The Coordinadora is a democratic institution where decisions are reached by consensus. In fact, it represents the antithesis of what the Chavez Government stands for, an organization with debate and consensual agreement on all subjects with no “caudillo” who has to be followed or obeyed.
But it is quite difficult for me to understand how negotiators agreed to a set of rules for the ratification process that are so asymmetrical. According to the regulations approved last October, the ratification process was supposed to take place to have those whose signature was questioned step forward and say they did sign, or to have those who did not sign, go and say they did not.
Instead, CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez said that it had been agreed with the Coordinadora to have people go and say that they withdraw their signature, if they so desired. This of course plays into the Government’s strategy of pressuring Government workers and those that do contract work for the Government to withdraw their signature.
While fair, what I fail to understand is why such an asymmetrical agreement was reached. If those that did sign can go and withdraw their signatures, it would seem to me that those that did sign but their signatures is nowhere to be found, should also be able to express their interest in having their signature count. Fair is fair, no?
While this issue is being discussed with the CNE and Alianza al Bravo Pueblo is going to ask for an injunction from the Supreme Court, I doubt either of those efforts will work. The time to negotiate this was when the regulations for the ratification process were being discussed, not now. I simply fail to understand while one issue was not exchanged for the other by the Coordinadora Democrática. This asymmetry may have sealed the fate of the whole recall process for the opposition.
The Coordinadora Democrática has a tough job to do. Its members range from Bandera Roja to Copei, going through a wide variety of NGOs with different objectives. Besides this, there are widely different political objectives and egos that need to be taken into account. Add to that the absence of a charismatic leader and a rank and file that is impatient, tired and disillusioned and you got a very difficult organization to manage.
That is why I seldom agree with a lot of the criticism of the Coordinadora Democrática that I read regularly. The Coordinadora is a democratic institution where decisions are reached by consensus. In fact, it represents the antithesis of what the Chavez Government stands for, an organization with debate and consensual agreement on all subjects with no “caudillo” who has to be followed or obeyed.
But it is quite difficult for me to understand how negotiators agreed to a set of rules for the ratification process that are so asymmetrical. According to the regulations approved last October, the ratification process was supposed to take place to have those whose signature was questioned step forward and say they did sign, or to have those who did not sign, go and say they did not.
Instead, CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez said that it had been agreed with the Coordinadora to have people go and say that they withdraw their signature, if they so desired. This of course plays into the Government’s strategy of pressuring Government workers and those that do contract work for the Government to withdraw their signature.
While fair, what I fail to understand is why such an asymmetrical agreement was reached. If those that did sign can go and withdraw their signatures, it would seem to me that those that did sign but their signatures is nowhere to be found, should also be able to express their interest in having their signature count. Fair is fair, no?
While this issue is being discussed with the CNE and Alianza al Bravo Pueblo is going to ask for an injunction from the Supreme Court, I doubt either of those efforts will work. The time to negotiate this was when the regulations for the ratification process were being discussed, not now. I simply fail to understand while one issue was not exchanged for the other by the Coordinadora Democrática. This asymmetry may have sealed the fate of the whole recall process for the opposition.
I have said little about the Supreme Court bill. There is little to be said. It is an absurd bill. To name Justices of the Supreme Court by a simple majority is absurd. To increase the Justices in the Court because you want to is absurd. To break all of the rules to approve it is absurd.
In order to approve the bill, the pro-Chavez majority violated the Constitution by having alternate Deputies be part of the quorum without the approval of two thirds of the National Assembly members. Similarly, articles of bills are supposed to be discussed one by one and they were approved by blocks, also in clear violation of the laws. The bill also introduces mechanisms to remove justices by which the simple questioning of a Justice by the People’s Defender will remove him from his position until a simple majority of the National Assembly decides on the case.
The opposition plans to use the Constitution to invalidate this bill. Article 74 of the Constitution allows for this if 10% of the electorate signs a petition to hold a referendum on the issue. Unfortunately, 40% of the electorate would have to vote yes on the issue. This is a huge 4.8 million voters. Not even Chavez in the heyday of his popularity received so many votes. In fact, he got one million fewer votes than that.
If the bill is approved and the Supreme Court rules there is nothing illegal in it and it was approved legally, the most likely outcome, the Government would totally control all powers and the totalitarian nature of this state would be sealed. Only the Central Bank would have some independence and I am sure that will be the Government’s next objective. Very gloomy panorama ahead.
I have said little about the Supreme Court bill. There is little to be said. It is an absurd bill. To name Justices of the Supreme Court by a simple majority is absurd. To increase the Justices in the Court because you want to is absurd. To break all of the rules to approve it is absurd.
In order to approve the bill, the pro-Chavez majority violated the Constitution by having alternate Deputies be part of the quorum without the approval of two thirds of the National Assembly members. Similarly, articles of bills are supposed to be discussed one by one and they were approved by blocks, also in clear violation of the laws. The bill also introduces mechanisms to remove justices by which the simple questioning of a Justice by the People’s Defender will remove him from his position until a simple majority of the National Assembly decides on the case.
The opposition plans to use the Constitution to invalidate this bill. Article 74 of the Constitution allows for this if 10% of the electorate signs a petition to hold a referendum on the issue. Unfortunately, 40% of the electorate would have to vote yes on the issue. This is a huge 4.8 million voters. Not even Chavez in the heyday of his popularity received so many votes. In fact, he got one million fewer votes than that.
If the bill is approved and the Supreme Court rules there is nothing illegal in it and it was approved legally, the most likely outcome, the Government would totally control all powers and the totalitarian nature of this state would be sealed. Only the Central Bank would have some independence and I am sure that will be the Government’s next objective. Very gloomy panorama ahead.
The Chavez administration announced an increase of 20% in the minimum salary with a second increase coming in August. Yes, it is political. Yes, it is opportunistic. Yes, it will hurt companies a lot. Yes, it was done without any negotiation. But I can not criticize it. During the forty years prior to Chavez, Government’s would do the same thing. In fact, it was even worse because they would announce general salary increases, not just increases in the minimum salary.
This increase is clearly another announcement to make the Government look good in the face of the ratification process and a possible recall referendum against Chavez. During the last five years, the Chavez administration had never increased the minimum salary by an amount comparable to inflation like it just did. Unfortunately, this impacts the Government strongly which given the fiscal problems implies further devaluations down the line. This is part of the usual perverse cycle of large fiscal deficits, devaluations, salary increases and the cycle feeds on itself. u
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The Devil's Excrement 