The Devil's Excrement

Quico covered the incredible story of Carabobo Governor Acosta Carles making a power grab for professional baseball team Magallanes (correct except that it must be a matter of age difference, but to me the equivalent of the Yankees is the Leones del Caracas and not Magallanes). Acosta Carles is the ‘burping” General and while it has not been quoted in the news, I heard him say last night on the radio that he decided to ask a judge to allow him to take over the team “because a team that loses in the ninth inning after being ahead 8-3 in the top of the ninth is very badly administered”.

This attitude is obviously absurd and shows the level of arrogance among Government officials, who simply ignore the rule of law and think that any whim or idea, however crazy that they may have, can be imposed with the collaboration of a servile judicial system.

But today, to make the whole situation even more ridiculous  and absurd, and to prove my point even further, President Chavez on public TV, scolded General Acosta Carles, telling him to keep his hands off his favorite baseball team and stop trying to take it over (link later, when it becomes avaialable).

Thus, the rule of law is very clearly irrelevant in the Chavez autocracy/dictatorship, Governors may do as they want, grab anything they want, but he can trump both them and the law, because he is the top man, the landlord of Venezuela.

Of course, his supporters will say Chavez was restoring order, but that is very wrong. Order and the rule of law would have been for the Court to tell Acosta Carles to keep his hands off the team, which is owned by a foundation and for Chavez to stay out of the Governor’s decision as well as the Court’s.

But HE is the law!

A few people have suggested to me at different times that I translate my blog or do it in Spanish. I first started my blog thinking of all of the things that were happening in Venezuela that the international press was not reporting about. This is still happening and by now I have many loyal readers and friends that come here regularly and I believe I am fulfilling what I think is an important role. I am committed to maintain this as well as I can.

I cannot possibly have the time to translate every post either. Thus, as a compromise, I will translate those posts that I think would be of interest both locally and abroad, as long as I have the time to translate them.

Thus, I have written over one of my old categories and renamed it El Excremento del Diablo and will place some of my articles or posts there. I have started tonight with two posts, this one, which was translated by Larry at El Liberal Venezolano and last night’s post which people have written to me they enjoyed and Quico drew very simple diagrams about to follow it easier if it gets too rough.

Every time I post in both languages I will note it.