The Devil's Excrement

Venezuela has truly become the upside down country. Everything is upside down. The Government justifies shutting down RCTV, arguing that it was just following the law, but it was a political decision. Then Chavez yesterday threatens Globovision indirectly, by saying that any TV station involved in “media terrorism” can also be shutdown.

But who is involved in media terrorism? Globovision for reporting the demonstrations and the repression by the police or Chavez who forces nationwide speeches on the population to threaten everyone? When Chavez is asking the “people” to come from the barrios and defend the shutdown of RCTV, isn’t he creating uncertainty and inciting violence? When he threats the shooters from Puente El Llaguno, isn’t he justifying illegal behavior? When he congratulates the Metropolitan for the job done in fighting the demonstrations, isn’t he justifying abusive use of force and the wholesale violation of human rights?

Who is creating terror and fear in the population? Globovision or Chavez? Who ahs picked a motto that ends in death? Who has challenged the students saying that he is willing to die for the revolution and whether they are willing to die for their cause? The students or Chavez?

Yesterday, when Venezuelans turned in to see their baseball hero play for the Yankees, the sports network that shows the game, had a forced broadcast of Chavez threatening Venezuelans. In which democracy can the ruler force an event of his own political party to be broadcast nationwide? What gives him the power to do that and, on top of that, use the time to threaten precisely those that would not have tuned in to watch him? Isn’t that terrorizing the population and forcing your ideas on them?

So, who is the criminal here?

The problem is that it is Chavez that threatens, abuses and divides. It is he that refuses to be the President of all Venezuelans. That refuses to have any compassion for either those that are murdered regularly when he never mentions the problem of crime after allowing it to balloon for the last eight years or for the RCTV workers when he cynically laughed and mocked their tears last Sunday, when not only RCTV was shutdown, but they lost their jobs in a country with fewer media options and limited jobs in the field?

And rather than show a modicum of respect for the students, they are accused of being manipulated, of having someone behind them, organizing them and funding them. But then who was well funded, coordinated and all dressed up in brand new red shirts to attend the Dictator’s speech on Saturday? Where did the liquor and the naked women come from? Who paid for them? Who paid for the buses? Who organized the march? Chavez’ party or the Government? Where did the money come from? Can one even ask or find out?

And the answer is: of course not. In the absence of checks and balances, there is no rule of law to provide such answers and acciuntability. Such questions cannot be asked and Chavez’ control over those that decide on such matters make it impossible to find out.

And much like on April of 2002, Chavez can terrorize the population at will, threaten and one day even deliver again on the threats with impunity, because nobody can stand up to the Autocrat/Dictator, it is simply not allowed.

And the same limitations are now being applied internationally. Nobody should mention RCTV at the OAS meeting, it is an internal matter. All human rights organizations are right wing ignorants, who are not only interfering in Venezuela’s affairs but haven’t bothered to find out the facts of the case. Brazilian Senators are parrots of Bush because of their decision to ask Chavez politely to bring RCTV back.

But the only parrots were those yesterday at Chavez’ march, all using the same words. “Destabilizing”, “Manipulated students”, “preppy students”, “political movement” and the like.

And one only had to hear the chant of the crowd to know who the parrots were, as all the participants chanted the same slogan:

“El pueblo
lo sabe
y tiene la razon
ahora le toca
a Globovision”

(The people know it and are right; it is now Globovision’s turn)

but the chant started way before the autocrat actually began to make his threats…

While low angle front images showed a high density this had to be one of the worst attended pro-Chavez marches, despite the payments, the buses (more than people?) and the entertainment.

(Thanks M.!)

Today was one of those days in which the lack of scruples of the Chavez revolution and their total control of institutions is used to limit freedom and liberties and not much happens. Being Friday, the events today simply will dissipate the student movement, which was simply trumped up by the Government and its institutions and fell for the Government’s strategy.

The students had decided yesterday, more than 24 hours before the fact, that they would march from El Paraiso to the National Assembly to demand an apology from the Assembly leaders. In good faith they asked for the permits, organized themselves and were ready to go, only to find that the permits were not approved, because the students did not know the detailed procedures and the Mayor of Libertador District, oh shucks, could not grant them the permit if all the i’s and t’s were dotted. Thus, their basic rights were denied by the same bureaucrats that allow pro-Chavez marches on the spur of the moment, such as the one on Tuesday that was allowed to march all the way to the Presdiential Palace under the escort of the metropolitan police and the National Guard.

Early one, it already looked unlikely that the marchers will get to the National Assembly. Chavista thugs in motorcycles showed at a Plaza La India in El Paraiso ready to threaten under the claim that first of all, Plaza La India was their territory and second of all they would not allow a march to destabilize their revolution. Of course, these thugs had no permit either, nor did the thousands of red-shirted Chavze supporters scattered around downtown Caracas ready to protect their revolution.

Thus, the police was sent en force to block the students from marching when they announced that given that they were not being allowed to march, they would still go to the National Assembly, simply using the sidewalks in order to behave like law abiding citizens.

But even the sidewalks were barred for the students as the police used the technique of blocking the students inside the University, with the fence meant to keep thieves away at night becoming their own jail. In the only probable victory the students had all day, this police barrier seen in the pictures above (Thanks YB!) dissolved as the students from Universidad Central marched to the rescue of their fellow students from the Catholic University.

At this point the students relinquished their rights and rather than go to the Assembly, they went to the Episcopal Conference where they would hand over their document to some representatives from the National Assembly. Thus, while the Foreign Minister insulted them, Deputy Tascon insisted the students were being manipulated Deputy Iris Varela called them yuppies and destabilizers, the students met with none other than Ismael Garcia, the Secretary General of Podemos, who clearly could only represent himself since he is now in the Government’s doghouse because his party will not join Chavez new, unique party.

Thus, the students accepted that their rights were not respected once again and clearly there are two types of citizens in this country and they do not belong to the class that has all of the rights and today they showed they will yield to that.

So, the students left with the promise that they will be invited for “a dialogue” at some point with the National Assembly, while the true leaders of Chavismo continued the same insults towards them that were the motive for today’s march. There was no apology, no retraction by the Assembly leaders. Whether we (or you) like it or not, they were treated in the same way as the opposition was treated three years ago before the RR: Yes, let’s sit and talk, we will work it out, but in the end you don’t have the full rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

And of course, the march tomorrow by the Comando Nacional de la Resistencia (CNR)can not get a permit either because a part called PUSV already had requested it, hours before the CNR did. Sorry, first come first served in this revolution which is so respectful of the law and regulations. And next week, the students will not be allowed to march because, they will be invited to the Assembly a day before the meeting and they will not be able to have the permits either.

And of course, nobody will retract their insults or apologize to them, there is nothing in their hearts and minds, to apologize for.

And Amnesty International warns the Chavez administration again, this time on the way protestors have been treated this week and says abuses should be avoided. In fact, in the area Of San Antonio de los Altos, 72 students were jailed and held without having contact with lawyers for 48 hours which is a violation of Venezuela’s laws. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor has criminalized protests, which is not part of the country’s legislation. Venezuela’s legislation punishes blocking the street only if you can cause disaster with it or if you are doing it to commit a crime.

Meanwhile that pantomine of a People’s Ombudsman German Mundarain holds a press conference to do what his always does: defend the Chavez administration and not the people. Mundarain spent half an hour doing what is not his job, saying that this is all of “destabilization plan” against Chavez and his Government and forgetting the mandate he was give by the Constitution of defending people’s rights.

So, it is left to organizations like Amnesty International to raise the alarm, when tehy say:

“there have been cases of excessive force on the part of police officers…until May 29th. 182 people ahd been detained, among the, 107 minors, while only 56 people have been released including 7 minors…AI calls on the authorities to insure that police corps under its command make use of force only when it is strictly necessary and in a proportional manner…”

Amnesty International also warned about the conditions under which some minors have been held, saying there shoudl be special attention to minors as required by international regulations.

Daily El Carabobeño ran this empty front page today with the sub-title below

Can you imagine life without information?

Pinocchio. TVes la nariz? (Do you see your nose) by Laureano Marquez

On Tuesday, on an obligatory nationwide TV (cadena), they told us the tale of Pinocchio (How curious, how strange and what a coincidence!: a TV station is now considered to be dignified when it shows cartoons while people protest in the streets). A Pinocchio of the XXIst. Century, who has nothing to do with the capitalist ideology with which Walt Disney has sold us history, almost centenary of Carlo Collodi. It happens to be, in this version, of an endogenous puppet that interprets the dialectic process of society, who does not lie, but strips off the facts of its ideological content, molding reality for each circumstance. Thus, for example, according to the latest part of the tale:

· An opposition student is not necessarily a student.
· If he is a student, he is being manipulated, has no convictions
· If they have convictions, they are the ones of the Empire that thru the CIA, buys consciences.
· If the CIA has bought them, it is to use them as meat for the slaughterhouse (A terrible statement when it is made by the owner of the slaughterhouse.) and the irresponsible parents.
· They are numerically insignificant, only the tricks of the mediatic manipulation make them appear as a crowd.

On the other hand

· The pro-Chavez student is a conscientious and critical being.
· He marches because of his convictions. Nothing is behind him.
· He can reach the Miraflores Presidential Palace because he is part of the “people”
· There are always millions of them.
· Their parents do well in letting them march, they are young and should have a conscience, not go lazing around like the other ones.

But on top of that:

· Actors do not suffer, they are trained to cry
· If violence is exercised on the part of pro-Chavez forces (including the use of weapons) it is not violence, it is part of the defense of the pretty fatherland.
· When someone in the opposition calls for a demonstration, he is a conspirator. But if, from the heights of power, you convoke your supporters to instill fear, it is the pretty fatherland that is being protected.
· The image of the attempt on John Paul II’s life is an invitation to kill Chavez.
· And last, it was not a shutdown, it was the end of the concession. How many times am I going to say it!

These and many other things came out of the mouth of Pinocchio. Nobody dared say it, but they all noticed that the nose was growing and growing. It was so public and noticeable that people were trying to get away from him to avoid being hit by it. It was very curious, by the way, that the more it grew, the less the sense of smell. Meanwhile, Jiminy Cricket, “in an infinite chant of peace”, travels around the streets of the country, shouting to the world that in this country there is still conscience and hope. It is no surprise that some have begun calling that crowd of crickets that whistles in the streets “The generation of the 28th”*

*This is the name of a group of students that in February 1928 dared to confront Dictator Juan Vicente Gomez and later became teh political leaders of Venezuela’s nascent democracy. Monday was May 28th….

Protesting students met today at Universidad Simon Bolivar to be in an environment protected from the police and decide what they will do next and hold a press conference with the press to explain their plans. They announced they will be marching tomorrow to the National Assembly to “request that the Deputies rectify” in their attitude towards their movement, what they stand for and their right to defend their ideas, ideals and the right to free speech. The march will begin in El Paraiso, in Western Caracas, and end at the Capitol building, although late tonight the students did not yet have the requiere permits.

The Brazilian Senate voted to ask Chavez to reverse the decision to shut down RCTV, which the President not only rejected tonight, but as usual he became a little insulting accusing Brazilian Senators of being subordinated to the interests of the US. This is not likely to sit very well with Brazilian politicians who are not only very Patriotic, but also very independent and less obsessed with the US that our President.

Some pro-Chavez Deputies held a press conference purportedly to show how politicians were controlling the student movement, but the illegally obtained conversations basically showed conversations that any two people in Caracas may have had this week, discussing their involvement or lack thereof in the latest protests. The most laughable part was the threat of using these tapes in building cases against those involved, given the illegal nature of them. Once again this shows the lack of checks and balances in Venezuela, as clearly the Government is taping telephone conversations of its enemies routinely, in violation of the Constitution, the laws and the rights of those involved.