The Devil's Excrement

(Este post en español aquí)

Yesterday, Chavez’ PSUV party held its weekly meeting and the outcome could not have been more cynical and proof of the lack of scruples and disregard for human rights Chavismo has for the citizens of Venezuela.

First, the Minister of Finance and member of the Board of PSUV (only in Venezuela!) said the attack on the 12 reporters was “provoked” and that the reporters were acting as citizens, not as reporters.

Huh?

We will get to the provocation later, but the Minister (and Board member of Chavez’ party) seems to be saying than in this country with no law and order, and Government it is OK to beat up anyone you see in the street exposing and protesting a point of view you don’t agree with.

Because it seems that time after time, it just so happens that it is always the anti-Chavez (not opposition, as we will see later) point of view that gets beaten up. Funny, no?

And the Secretary general pf the Communist party (El Nacional) seemed to agree when he said “we are at war” (Yeah, but who has the weapons?) and “protesting has its risks”

Again, the risks are only associated only with opposing Chavez, it is always opposition marches (with permits) that get gassed and attacked, but somehow Chavista protesters (without permits most of the time) are always free to do so and when an anti-Chavez march is nearby, the police always seems to be protecting them.

But let’s go back to the so called provocation by reporters from the Cadena Capriles, a mostly pro-Chavez (or servile) media outlet which consists of a number of very popular newspapers. These guys were walking peacefully and certainly not very threatening (note the guy on the right, his name is Marco Ruiz and he was injured:

Do these guys and gals look “provoking” or threatening” to you?

Then, the Chavistas intercept them:

Do these guys look like they are “provoking”? On the contrary, they are holding their hands up, while the Chavistas (mostly workers from a Chavez-financed TV station Avila TV) certainly look like they are ready, not for a fight, but to attack.

And they do, as can be seen in the third picture:

where a guy that I don’t think is Marco Ruiz is attacked and hit on the head (Recall 12 reporters of those marching in the first picture were injured in the attack, no Chavistas were hurt, interesting, no?)

Then, there is this sequence to be published by Cadena Capriles tomorrow in the newspapers, where you see Marco Ruiz after being beaten with a bat (nice people! This is what Ali Rodriguez seems to approve of)is down on the floor and anther reporter from his paper (Cesar Batiz) comes to his rescue:

In the last picture even a street vendor (Cap and red shirt), with more morals and ethics that Chavez’ PSUV Board members, intervenes and steos in between the Chavistas and the injured reporter.

There you have it, an outlaw Government who could care little for human rights or the rights of anyone that disagrees with them and justifies an attack on innocent people, because the Government they preside and participate in, is incapable of providing the safety and defending the most basic rights of the Venezuelan citizens.

And they dare call this a revolution!

(Este post en español aquí)

In the world of banking and insurance, there have been  tectonic movements that are transforming the profile of the financial sector. The actors are some of the most notorious boliburgueses.

Pedro Torres Ciliberto is one of the names that sounds the most in these negotiations, along with Ricardo Fernandez Barrueco. Torres Ciliberto, “Perucho” to his friends, including his very intimate buddy Jose Vicente Rangel, bought Baninvest  ten years ago, a small investment bank based in San Cristobal. He then appointed to the executive presidency of this bank, Arne Chacon, a retired lieutenant, the brother of Jesse Chacón.

Now, Perucho Torres  acquired Banco Real, and appointed as executive chairman Arne Chacon, who was replaced by Carlos Santaella at Bankinvest. This bank will be devoted to microfinance, which was in fact praised for Chacumbele in one of its TV programs, but never informed us of where the money comes from for these costly transactions that do not stop there. Soon after Banco Real took the reigns of Helm Bank.

Torres Ciiberto then bought the old insurance company “La Previsora” and appointed Ramon Eduardo Tello as chairman of the company. Then he put his hands on insurance company “Los Andes”, perhaps opening the way for the merger of the two insurers. He did not stop there, as Perucho Torres recently bought the majority shareholders in Central Banco Universal, Lara’s flagship financial institution, and also recently acquired Mi Banco, with which Perucho manages  1.6% of  the total deposits in the financial sector.

On the other hand, the insurance companies managed by Perucho Torres today handle about 12% of all insurance policies, including those of several state enterprises and institutions of the central government as well as regional ones.

Ricardo Fernandez Barrueco, one of the most powerful boliburgueses also invades the banking system. He purchased Confederado, Banpro and Bolívar Banco and recently bougth Banco Canarias.

With this, the so-called Tsar or King of Mercal, owns 5.1% of the banking system, which is no small thing when one considers that the country’s largest bank, Banesco, controls 15%. Although you can not add apples and oranges, between Fernández and Torres Ciliberto they now own about 10% of the banking system.

Ricardo Fernández, very young, by the way, began to grow and diversify himself in the wake of the oil strike, when he placed his huge network of trucks, one of the largest in South America, serving the government to distribute food.

He owns two industrial groups Proarepa and Pronutrico, large producers of corn flour and providers of Mercal. He acquired 40% of Monaca, one of the one hundred largest companies in Venezuela, which mills wheat. Fernandez Barrueco has also internationalized himself and now owns a tuna processing plant in Ecuador and eight tuna ships with foreign flags.

The tuna business is not new. In Sucre State he has a number of companies that freeze tuna.

While these things happen, in what Marx called the “structure” of society, a mother giving birth asks Chavez to help her get a place to give birth. Twenty-first century socialism advances at the beat of the drums and at a victorious pace.