The Devil's Excrement

Reporter and Chavez supporter Mari Pili Hernandez: “the Venezuelan revolutionary process has suffered from what all great revolutions have had, including the French one, people still have not realized it happened”. She added that only in twenty or thirty years will Venezuelans be aware of it.

Umm, Did Marie Anoniette’s head take that long to roll down? Or did the burning of the castles take that long? The monarchy was overthrown overnight…What is Mari Pili talking about? I love these revolutionaries geniuses, and she is among the smarter ones!

The Electoral Board (CNE) has just approved a resolution on the use of the fingerprint machines on Sunday. If the person’s data and fingerprint can not be obtained in less than one minute and the machine give the go ahead, the person will be able to proceed and the comparison to all of the previous voters will be done afterwards. Thus, it sounds like the machines will be use to capture fingerprints but not much more as in practice runs it took more than one minute per person. The one minute limit is based on the fact that there are 20,000 machines and 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 people. This gives between 450 to 550 persons per machine, if each person takes one minute, then we are talking about 7.5 hours to 9.1 hours per machine. If it took longer it would essentially be impossible to complete the election in one day of voting and have everyone vote.

And now the Minister of Defense says the opposition has not received a permit to have tomorrow’s rally/march near the La Carlota military airport. The opposition has requested permits from the Mayors of Caracas, Baruta and Chacao where the marches will take place, but the Minister is reviving the concept of security zones, which has not been applied to any Government or opposition marches or activities in the last two years. (Last week’s Chavista march parked buses in at least two such “security” zones). In fact, none of the pro-Chavez marches that went by the Autopista del Este and La Carlota airport have been required such a permit. I wonder what our illustrious Minister plans to do about this? Bring the National Guard and use tear gas like they did on December 3d. 2001? Violate our rights like they did then? Obviously not, the Si campaign would get a huge boost from it and there are too many international reporters in Caracas right now. Come on Minister Garcia Carneiro, make our day!

And now the Minister of Defense says the opposition has not received a permit to have tomorrow’s rally/march near the La Carlota military airport. The opposition has requested permits from the Mayors of Caracas, Baruta and Chacao where the marches will take place, but the Minister is reviving the concept of security zones, which has not been applied to any Government or opposition marches or activities in the last two years. (Last week’s Chavista march parked buses in at least two such “security” zones). In fact, none of the pro-Chavez marches that went by the Autopista del Este and La Carlota airport have been required such a permit. I wonder what our illustrious Minister plans to do about this? Bring the National Guard and use tear gas like they did on December 3d. 2001? Violate our rights like they did then? Obviously not, the Si campaign would get a huge boost from it and there are too many international reporters in Caracas right now. Come on Minister Garcia Carneiro, make our day!

I thought I would translate this letter to a voter by Javier Brassesco that appeared in today’s El Universal, we all have such lists and reasons, here is one of them:

To a Voter by Javier Brassesco

Has your purchasing power improved in the last five and a half years? Do you think there is more prosperity, more employment, more wealth, and more possibilities of improvement? Do you think that people that want to leave the country are more or less than five years ago? Are there more factories open that some years ago? Are there more street peddlers or less? Is your city cleaner than five years ago? Has the number of people asking for money at street corners, sleeping in the streets, rummaging in the garbage, increased or decreased? Did you use to see kids juggling in streetlights before? Do you feel safer when you used to at night? Do you think that living with your neighbors, family, and friends is more harmonious than before? Are you less edgy or more edgy? Does politics have something to do with that? Do you think corruption has decreased? Do you think the oil windfall of the last five years, unprecedented in the country, has been used effectively? Do you think that five and a half years, one hundred and twenty billion dollars per year are a reasonable time and amount so that a Government only begins to pave streets only just when an election is approaching? Is it legal for a regime to use the money it receives from all Venezuelans to launch a campaign in its favor and cover up all of the streets and walls of the country with poster promoting the “No” vote? Do you know how much each poster costs? How about each one of those TV ads and each one of those paid ads?  Or do you believe they are getting that money form the raffle tickets at Bs.1,000 per ticket? Does the President have the morals to speak about “powerful enemies” and with a lot of money? Who in this oil producing country has more money than the Government itself? Who has less scruples when it comes time to waste money? Do you think it is correct, do you believe it is the most natural thing in the world to order all TV channels broadcast the celebration of your birthday? How big an ego does someone need to be capable of doing that? What does he have in his head? Do you agree when he presents the Government’s TV channel as an example of objective reporting? Did you know that that TV station is not private, nor does it belong to whoever is in power, but that we all pay for it? Do you trust the people that surround the President? What do you think about Jose Vicente Rangel? Does Diosdado Cabello have merits to be where he is? And Jesse Chacon? Have you ever heard of Lucas Rincon? Would you buy a used car from Juan Barreto? Have you seen a debate in the National Assembly? Do you think it has given dignity to the profession of being a Deputy? Does the President have more or less power than before? Is this a moment for apathy to say: “Neither these, nor the others, all are bad”? Isn’t it something normal in a democracy to elect between two alternatives that do not fulfill us completely? Have you ever thought that sometimes to elect, you also need courage?

Yesterday the Chavistas in Plaza la Candelaria refused once again to allow the opponents of the President to set up a stand in Plaza La Candelaria. They burned it down and destroyed all of the ads and even burned a motorcycle. The difference was that this time the military police and the National Guard protected the Chavistas and attacked the opposition supporters using live bullets! Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but this poor opposition supporter certainly had the scare of his life!:

From today’s Tal Cual a description of the violence yesterday in Plaza La Candelaria:

“It was the appearance of the military police and the National Guard that induced the mess. As if obeying orders from those that support the “No” vote, they detained and attacked the opposition supporters and opened the way for the pro-Chávez supporters some of whom were going around pistols in their belts, they destroyed the stands and advertising of the opposition supporters. The sound of bullets that stuns and induces fear in all of us, drove away the critics of the President, that were asphyxiating by the bomb of the tear gas bombs, that the Chavistas appeared to smoke if one were to judge by the enthusiasm with which they were destroying the opposition stands. A woman complained to the military with a broken voice what they were doing. Overcoming the fear of being a victim of aggression, she faced the guardsman and poured over his medals the indignation stuck in her throat: You are a national shame!”

Where is the CNE? Where is the Attorney General? Where is the People’s Ombudsman? What ever happened o equality under the law?

(For those that do not know Caracas, La Candelaria is a middle class section close to downtown Caracas which was adopted by the Spanish immigrants of the ’50s and retains a large fraction of Spanish families living there as well as a whole bunch of very nice Spanish Restaurants)

Busy day today working this evening as a volunteer for the election, after a full day of work. Here is this article from Descifrado that says they have proof that at the Caracas military fort people are still being registered to vote, but half a million people were moved from their true center and will have little chance to do change it and possibly vote.

They continue to register people in the electoral registry

If you did not have time to register in the Electoral Registry (REP) you still have a chance. In the centers for flash issuing of a national ID card at Tiuna Fort they continue to register people, despite the fact that the period to register is over and was closed on June 30^th. Moreover, if you were included in one of those strange migrations from one voting center to another and for example, they changed you from La Florida, Los Palos Grandes o Petare, to EL Paraíso, Montalbán or Caricuao, take advantage of it. Because in these centers not only do they register you, but they assign you a voting center in the East of Caracas, maybe you can vote at San Ignacio School if you are lucky. What do Francisco Carrasquero and Jorge Rodriguez have to say about this? The proof is in Descifrado possession at its office.

According to the Venezuelan News Agency, Venpres, the Secretary General of the party Patria Para Todos (PPT) Albornoz which backs Chavez, denounced that US pollster Greenberg, former President Jimmy Carter, Human Rights Watch representative Francisco Vivanco and the President of RCTV Marcel Granier were conspiring to provoke confusion Sunday night so that the results of the recall poll are not recognized.

According to Albornoz, the plan is to release data at 9:30 AM which goes against the “NO” votes so that later Governor Enrique Mendoza and the Secretary General of AD will announce that they do not recognize the results of the vote.

What a combination! Maybe Carter works for the CIA!

(Note; By the way, polls could not be released after Sunday by CNE ruling, but the Venpres website published a story with the results of all polls today. I am sure CNE Director Rodriguez will say nothing about it.)

Humorist Laureano Marquez wrote this article ‘Si, I am a terrorist” in last week’s El Mundo, it is a tribute to opposition leader Alejandro Armas who died last week. Armas was a former Deputy that supported Chavezand split from Chavismo when he was removed as Head of the Finance Committe of the National Assembly because he wamted to continue an investigation. Soon after he got very sick and almost died but survived for two years and was part of the team that negotiated the garement between the Government and the opposition. He died of a heart attack two weeks ago.

Si, I am a terrorist by Laureano Marquez

I can’t stand it anymore, I confess.

Chavez is right, I am a terrorist and of the worst trained by Otrova Gomas (a Venezuelan humorist). If I were the President, I would also be scared, and with a reason, because for the upcoming August 15^th. the command that I belong to is preparing a great attempt, the largest terrorist act that has ever taken place in the world’s history.

A terrorist act that will not spatter even the blood contained in a hummingbird, which makes it extremely dangerous. No wonder this Government is terrorized; no wonder it has deployed all of those security operatives; no wonder it takes away a Constitutional right from thousands of Venezuelans abroad and is threatening to intervene CANTV. No wonder, what’s coming is big and they know it. It makes you shit on your pants to see a population that, after everything that has been done in an orderly and systematic fashion to clip their constitutional rights to decide their destiny via a democratic vote, persists in the idea of expressing themselves, no matter what, in a peaceful way.

If I were Chavez, I would be like a stick in the henhouse: we have thousands of fingers trained for a suicidal attempt. No matter that somebody chops them, they are ready to press that button that says “Si” and once this happens, this farce, this lie, this new rip off of Venezuelan history will blow up in the air. They will be so naked when they no longer have the threat of power to infuse fear, nor the resources to cheat, corrupt or buy consciences, they will be so naked that, like Adam and Eve in Paradise, they will look for leafs to cover themselves up, no so much in front of the rest of theme, that know them well, but because of the shame that you will cause to yourself, the total lack of scruples, which is the nakedness of a politician.

Yes, I am a terrorist and here is my plan for the upcoming 15^th.:

5:00 AM: The alarm clock Hill ring and in a hurry, I Hill shower, being very careful of cleaning myself with anti bacterial soap my index finger in my right hand , so that Jorge can not void my vote due to excess grease or something like that

5:45 AM: I Hill arrive at the place of the attempt to make the line together with the rest of the terrorists.

There we Hill encourage each other, telling jokes in the line and those with the better information, those that carry radios and communication equipment, will give us details of how the rest of the plan is going in the country.

6:10 AM: the Bolivarian circles Hill go by with the intention of scaring us, but they Hill be terrorized to see that magnitude of the liens and will go away.

7:30AM: They Hill inform us that there are problems installing the polls, that if we want, we can leave and come back some other day or next year at the same time and we will say it does not matter and we will remain in line sitting down, sharing junk food and ruminating anxieties. That’s the way we terrorists are.

9:50 AM: Semtei will speak and will make people in the line laugh, making it more agreeable.

11:00 AM: We will start voting and we Hill do it with joy and with courage, challenging all adversities and obstacles. We will push that button with the conscience that in that act we are betting our destiny, the life of our children and freedom. In that button our soul goes away. When we are done, we Hill help the elderly that are worse than us, more aggressive when it comes to voting, because they are pure memory and know what a tyranny is.

Thus, between one thing and the other, around midday, everything will have been accomplished.

Are we not thinking of bringing weapons? Of course we are, we will carry the memory of Alejandro Armas in our hearts.