The Devil's Excrement

I did not want the day to go by before congratulating all of the supporters and lovers of Hugo Chavez on the 16th. anniversary of the bloody, gutless coup staged by Chavez and his buddies on February 4th. 1992. On that day, Chavez led a contingent of soldiers to Caracas under false pretenses to the Miraflores Presidential Palace. Another contingent went to the Presidential home of La Casona in the East of Caracas, where Carlos Andres Perez’ family and wife were and where a bloody fight ensued. It was indeed a bloody and violent day, with an estimated 80 innocent civilians killed (including one girl), as well as 17 police officers.

Despite the large force they brought to Caracas, including using tanks to take over the Presidential Palace, as shown in the picture below:

the coup attempt failed because none other than Hugo Chavez failed to attain his military target, hiding out in the Military Musuem.

This was a bloody military coup attempt, against a democratically elected Government, a fact is always selectively forgotten in the literature and discussions by the cheerleaders of the revolution. Chavez was later pardoned by the silly octogenarian Venezuelans elected in 1993 and he refused to follow the democratic path until 1997, another fact selectively forgotten by PSF’s and the racist supporters of the Bolivarian revolution, who tolerate human rights violations and non-democratic ways that they would be outraged at, if they happened in their own countries.

The truth is that Chavez was never a democrat and his ten years in power (not allowed by the Constitution under which he was first elected) and continued legal contortions and abuse of power to be allowed to continue to run Venezuela forever in autocratic fashion demonstrate it.

So, my friends, continue hiding in the non-rational part of your brains, you indirect support of the deadly and bloody acts and non-democratic ways of Hugo Chavez. One day it all may come to haunt you. In the mean time: Congratulations on your bloody anniversary!

And here is Chavez in military garb celebrating today this non-democratic anniversary, just in case you are not sure what it is I am talking about…

The Government and its apologists have dared suggest that it was actually the opposition that organized the attack on the synagogue in order to make the Government look bad. This goes in line with the message the Government likes  to convey that it is the opposition which is violent and uses force, but we all know otherwise.

But the case of the Venezuelan Government’s anti-Semitism can not be disguised in any form. It was Chávez and his Government that introduced hate against Israel and the Jewish population of Venezuela. While it took a while for Chávez to begin preaching his hate, what he learned from his mentor Ceresole began surfacing and have led to:

—Public statements by Hugo Chávez blaming Jews for killing Christ, Simón Bolivar and taking possession of the wealth in the world:

The world is for all of us, then, but it so happens that a minority, the descendents of the same ones that crucified Christ, the descendents of the same ones that kicked Bolivar out of here and also crucified him in their own way over there in Santa Marta, in Colombia. A minority has taken possesion all of the wealth of the world, a minority has taken ownership of all of the gold of the planet, of the silver, of the minerals, the waters, the good lands, oil, of the wealth then and have concentrated the wealth in a few hands

–Two separate raids on Hebraica, a Jewish educational and cultural center in the East of Caracas. In one of them, it was led by the intelligence police, using rifles and terrorizing the 1,500 kids at the school.

-Twice the Venezuelan government has broken relations with Israel either by withdrawing its Ambassador or expelling Israel’s Ambassador to Venezuela, the last one over the recent Gaza incidents, the only country in the world to do so over Israel’s exaggerated attacks.

-The official TV station VTV continuously promotes hate against Israel, but including the Jewish people in its propaganda.

-Material in Pro-Chávez website aporrea.org is certainly offensive and discriminatory as noted by Daniel recently. While this particular article was pulled (because Daniel wrote about it?), this is the first such incident in which an Editorial comment is made and an article removed.

-Former Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel in his regular column under his “Marciano” byline wrote this week an article accusing Yon Goicochea, Antonio Ledezma and Henrique Capriles, The “Satanic Trio” of having the backing of Mossad and setting up an intelligence network to destabilize the Government with Mossad’s help.

-Government media, including VTV and radio Nacional de Venezuela began blaming the attack first on the opposition and have now shifted to blame Mossad.

Of course, throughout all this, the Government has failed to condemn the constant attacks on the Venezuelan Jewish population. This is part of the revolution by now, the promotion of hate against groups of citizens. By now, it has become institutionalized in the Government’s rhetoric. Once you start a campaign like that, it is extreemly difficult to go back on it.

Additionally, it is ludicrous to suggest that the opposition staged the attack and desecration of the Mariperez synagogue.

To begin with, that synagogue is located in the only municipality in Caracas controlled by a Chavista Mayor and not an opposition one and the Government controls the Metropolitan Police. It would be quite difficult, to say the least, to plan and carry out such an operation without the authorities noticing it. The raiders spent five hours at the synagogue, opened two safes and took some computers containing the database of all Jews in Venezuela. Is that scary or what?

But simply look at this picture of the signs left on a heavily trafficked avenue (even at 3 AM!), Avenida Principal de Mariperez by the attackers:

Not only is the whole gate covered with paint but note the X’s on the Star of David on both sides. (There were also swastikas in many places on the wall). Given that this is a main avenue, you have to be pretty confident the police will not go by while you are doing it. Additionally, on January 15th. there was a demonstration in front of the synagogue, the videos made with the cameras in the picture were turned over to the Government, the raiders made sure to take the videos of their raid with them.

But on top of that, the investigative police showed up at 6 AM looked around and failed to look for fingerprints and/or any other form of evidence. This is absolutely not standard procedure. It was only the day after newspapers reported this surprising behavior by the investigative police (FBI or MI6 type of police), that the police came back to get evidence.

But I think Jewish leaders have been somewhat naive with Hugo Chávez, always giving him the benefit of the doubt, despite the repeated statements and threats. In fact, as recent as August of last year, a group of Jewish leaders came to venezuela and seemed to buy Chavez’ goodwill after so many statements and incidents. They know better now…

But this will be just like the Anderson case, the Prosecutor that was assasinated and whose killer was never found. In the middle, opposition figures were jailed and exiled (to this day), but the “star” witness turned out to have been in a Colombian jail when he supposedly was present at meetings planning the assasination. All roads pointed to Anderson’ unusual life style, but that was never investigated. Nothing will happen in this case either.

Where in the world can the President of a country have a whim on Saturday night that disrupts people’s life and have it implemented within hours in violation of the law?

This is exactly what happened in Venezuela this weekend, as Hugo Chavez gave a speech after playing softball last Saturday and in the middle of it decided to pat himself on the back and declare today a National Holiday in honor of the great job he thinks he has done ver the last ten years.

Never mind that he did not have the power to do it. Never mind that he disrupted plans and schedules.  Never mind that he caused damages to produce and shipments and delayed  bank transfers and payments. Never mind that Venezuela is poorer tonight because of his stupid whim.

But despite the fact that it was illegal, as the decision to make today a National Holiday was not published in the official gazette in advance as required by law, the Government used all of its power and instilled fear on people to insure that they did not go to work today.

Because when you threaten everyone all the time, reminding people that the revolution is armed, it certainly comes in handy when you want something obeyed, even if it is illegal and stupid.

And today it worked. First, the Government immediately began saying it would fine any company that did not abide by the autocrat’s whims. This, despite the fact that there was no legality to back the fines. Second, the Government had the Banking association issue a press release that the banks would follow. Of course banks followed, for most of them the only business model is receive Government deposits in exchange for commissions they pay out. And they think they will live happily ever after.

And then today, the Government used both fear and force. Fear because even parking lots that open on holidays were closed. The same with bakeries, restaurants, stores, twenty four hour drugstores all of which are open all but one or two days of the year , but today they were closed.

And then,  just to make sure, the police and the National Guard were sent out to shut down those that dare to open. As if on a National Holiday you were supposed to shut down completely. That is not what the law says or does. If you work, you have to be paid more, as simple as that. It is up to you to evaluate the costs and decide. Factories and the like shutdown, it is just too expensive. But when perishables are involved, or deliveries, or transactions that need to be completed, you go ahead and just do it.

Instead, a Government that has total disregard for efficiency and costs, somehow stupidly associating costs and efficiency with profit, created the fear that it has been cultivating and storing for years.

And it worked…

Because as the TV showed National Guards shutting down businesses, those that are regularly open on similar days and had opened in the morning, began to shut down just in case. By evening very little was open.

So, Caracas felt almost like a State of Siege day, no cars, no people, all commerce shut down. Few, if any, restaurants to go to.

The people are afraid. The years of intimidation have worked. The abuse of power by the Government is a daily affair. Everyone is afraid of the autocrat and his Government. Very few protest.

Caracas was proof of this today. Fear and intimidation rule. Democracy, whatever is left of it, loses.

Saturday it was a despicable attack on the Venezuelan Jewish community and its religion and culture. Today it was a direct attack on the rights of all hard working Venezuelans, tomorrow is anybody’s guess.

Sad, very sad. But get ready for it, unless you want to fight.

The constant disregard for the law and the promotion of the revolution, whatever that may be, is beginning to take its toll in Venezuela. In many cases, while groups ask that the law be followed, the Government ignores it or forgets about it if in doing so, it will promote the revolution.

The problem is that these days, it is the Government that is in both sides of the conflict or the controversy and there is a significant breakdown in the established order which threatens to get out of hand as it did last week in Barcelona in Anzoategui State.

The conflict began when MMC, the company that assembles Mitsubishi cars in Venezuela, decided to terminate its outsourcing contract with a  company called Induservis at the end of 2008. This was a legal and valid decision by MMC and why it did it should be of no concern or importance to anyone outside the company.

Except that as the rule of law has broken down, pro-Chávez unions have learned that they are on the side of strength and they decided that they would not accept the decision by MMC and would go beyond it: they began demanding that MMC directly hire all of the 135 Induservis workers.

The company obviously refused, as it just wanted to switch which company provided the maintenance services, not add to its payroll at a time when the auto industry in Venezuela faces a sharp drop in production and sales.

When it refused to hire them, then the union of workers of MMC backed the take over of the company’s installations by the 135 Induservis workers, holding regular MMC workers hostages inside the facility and threatening not to leave until the MMC hired them all.

MMC went to Court and asked for three separate injunctions, demanding that the authorities act and remove the workers who had taken over the company and the release of the workers who were inside.

A judge granted the injunction and when the Judge went to the MMC installations with the police of Anzoategui State the workers turned violent against the police and the owners of the plant and in the ensuing scuffle with the police, two of the workers were shot dead by the police.

Now, just as a refresher, Anzoategui State has been run by Chavismo for the last ten years and its current Governor Tarek William Saab is a staunch Chavista supporter, but it was his police that killed the workers.

Nothing has been resolved. the plant remains under the control of the workers who demand to be hired, the judge’s orders have not been implemented, fifty cops have been suspended and there seems to be no way to resolve the conflict.

Now all of the auto unions are threteneing with a strike, everyone is blaming the other side and no cars are being built. And has been the case in most of similar cases, nobody dares intervene to resolve it. Maybe they are trying to figure out first on which side of the conflict Hugo chavez stands, before acting.

Of course, today they are all celebrating how we got here during the last ten years.

1. Because only Chavez guarantees that the crime problem will not be solved and Venezuela will be able to hold the record for most homicides per 100,000 inhabitants and only the poor are affected by this.
2. Because only with Chavez will Venezuela continue spending billions of dollars in military weapons which will one day allow us to invade any country we want.
3. Because only with Chavez will public services get worse and I love eating by candle light and the smell of garbage.
4. Because only Chavez insures that few people will their own house and if I don’t have one, why should anyone else?
5. Because only under Chavez will we be able to prove whether Venezuela can have 100% inflation per year.
6. Because Chavez is the only guarantee that a few Venezuelans will become multi-millionaires thanks to rampant corruption and a new wealthy Chavista oligarchy will replace (has replaced?) the old one.
7. Because only under Chavez will my whole family be able to find jobs in Government-owned companies doing little and with no discipline.
8. Because only Chavez will make the rich poor.
9. Because only Chavez will keep sending billions of dollars in gifts to other countries in Latin America, most richer than Venezuela.
10. Because only under Chavez will the public hospital system finally collapse and all Government workers will get private insurance and be able to use private clinics.

And all of it will be done with love…Vote SI

And to celebrate what a great guy he is and what a wonderful job he has done in the last ten years, Hugo Chavez decided today to make tomorrow a holiday, the anniversary of when he first assumed the Presidency. Of course, he hopes to pick up a votes along the way.

I think there is no better way to celebrate his autocracy…maybe it should be permanent, Hugo Chavez Day, or the Autocrat´s Day, or Abuse of Power Day, or Look Ma! I can do anything I want Day…