And Simón Romero of the NY Times makes a video about the murder rate in Venezuela and includes the picture from El Nacional in it. There is also an article associated to it.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Venezuela’s Murder Challenge, posted with vodpod
(If it takes time to download, clikc in the link above or here)
The Devil's Excrement 
August 24, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Once crime becomes a thriving and profitable industry, it gets hard to eradicate crime. Look at Mexico! In Mexico, there’s an alliance between government corruption and organized crime. Then, on top of that, the weakening of the private enterprise system makes it even harder for entrepreneurs to make a living ethically and honestly. Not good!
August 24, 2010 at 8:48 am
There are only 3 workable solutions to the problem of crime:
First, construct a police state so complete and powerful that it controls every aspect of life. Catch the criminal, kill the criminal. Problem solved quickly, but at the cost of liberty.
Second, change the culture in a radical way. This is almost impossible short of a near-total religious conversion of the population, or near-total destruction of the population.
Third, arm everyone and let the chips fall where they may. The true power of the malandros is knowing that their victims are unarmed.
Personally I have been to too many funerals for people who should have had the right to the tools necessary for the defense of the lives of their family and friends, not to mention their own lives. The true crime of this government is denying the honest people the right to defend themselves from the criminals.
August 24, 2010 at 7:58 am
In another subject, today in Tal Cual Newspaper, point out to the detail that 122 Syndical representatives have been killed in the last two years.
Before anyone can argue that they are been killed by politics motives, they because the control of the sindicalistic mafias in construction and oil sectors.
As unemployment are officially in 8,4 %, sindicalistic mafias should not be a problem, and everyone should get a job without problem, except the true is that the employment is a critical problem, and lot of the jobs in syndical control position have to pay to their Syndical boss to get a job in not legal ways.
Syndical representatives can change their condition from poor to rich in a minute, feeded with a part of the salary of all of their controlled syndicated workers. To they that is a lot of money to worth kill the adversary.
Another reality in our beautiful country.
August 23, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Thanks, Miguel! I just know that it’s not the best of times for anyone, and maybe, in particular, bloggers in VZLA! Saludos!
August 23, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I understand he is fine, just busy.
August 23, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone (in VZLA, particularly) know what’s going on with Caracas Gringo? He hasn’t posted anything since the middle of July.
August 23, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Crime doesn’t interest Chavez because the more unstable things are, the better able he is to manipulate things. Of course, to any sane human being, the idea would be to create a stable society and then improve it.
But narcissism in its extreme, as with nearly everything, is a form of mental illness.
Need an example? Well, we’ve now been discussing crime for a number of days. Guess what we’re not discussing? How to eliminate the (ultimate) cause.
I don’t mean to accuse anyone, I’m just offering up my perspective. The worse things get, the more able Chavez is to divide and conquer. Sick? No doubt. Effective? Obviously.
August 23, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Crime doesn’t interest Chavez, because many of the criminal elements are supporters of Chavez, or are on the political fringe of the PSU. Many are members of Lena Ron’s gang and Freddy Bernal’s group. Lena Ron is supposed to have over 500 in her gang alone. And Freddy Bernal has many more in his.
A similar situation happened in Jamaica, when members of the JLP (Jamaican Labour Party) and the PNP (Peoples National Party) political leaders ( Seaga, and Manley ) armed their supporters in the naive belief, they would only use their guns in political support of their parties.
The violence in Jamaica today, is a direct result of this folly, and Chavez has instigated the same policy in Venezuela, in the belief that these criminal elements would be some kind of last line of defence, of the regime. The regular police know these groups are “untouchables and don’t bother to go after them, for their crimes, so the Venezuelan people pay the price in blood for the support these groups give Chavez
August 23, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Very good video.
The problem is much more to do with drug use, drug sales, etc. than poverty
August 23, 2010 at 11:36 am
Amazing number of PSF’s commenting on the article with rebuttal from Caracas residents.
August 23, 2010 at 10:58 am
The video is there, it just takes a long time to download, technically I can not embed it, so I had to use Vodpod (First time I use it)
August 23, 2010 at 10:55 am
MO,
There is a blank space up of the link, “Venezuela’s Murder Challenge”
Excelent references, resume: Venezuela, more murders than Irak and Mexico Drug Wars
(I am using MS explorer 8)