The Devil's Excrement

So, through the magic of the bad, evil world of wikileaks we have learned so far the following:

-Some French diplomat says Chavez is crazy

What else is new? Even Edmundo Chirinos was saying that like in 2000

-Cuban intelligence officers compete with Venezuelan intelligence services for Hugo’s attention.

Well, duh, we have known about that for years. In fact, anyone that believes that the words Venezuelan intelligence services can all be used at the same time is out of touch.

-Venezuela’s Embassy sends a cable saying that medical services have deteriorated.

Jeez, replace medical with any word and you got a correct statement.

-Brazil’s Defense Minister all but acknowledged the presence of the FARC in Venezuela, except that admitting that would “ruin Brazil’s ability to mediate”

Wow! FARC in Venezuela! Who would have thought that? Those Brazilians are really clever. Do you mean they vacation in Venezuela? Or do you want videos proving it?

-The US is trying to isolate Venezuela.

You are kidding me? I thought Venezuela was trying to undermine the US openly, then isn’t that called fair play? Didn’t we know about it? Nothing new, that’s like saying Castro wants to end capitalism. Oh? You mean Hugo wants to do that too?

-Israel wants to blow Iran out of the water…

Change Israel for Iran and what else is new? It’s love at first blast, no?

So, so far, not much of interest, after all, who cares about Cristina and her mental state before or after Nestor’s death? Maybe now its more interesting. I am still falling sleep.

But if you ask for Hillary’s resignation Hugo, you should have resigned long ago, like you should have never been sworn in, just for being so out of touch. Do you know it’s raining?…

I was going to write about the fact that the Chavez Government stole Hato Piñero from its rightful owners, only to give it away to the Lybians for God knows what reason. But then I saw this Editorial in Sunday’s El Nacional and decided it was just best to translate it.

The Sad revolution, Editorial from El Nacional

Libya in Cojedes

Just about three years ago, the President traveled to Cojedes, and among his innumerable promises (you can’t deny the the richness of his imagination), he told the people of the area that the expropriation of Hato Piñero would take place ” with the objective of forming a unit of socialist development unit ” The revolutionary leader added: “We will place a large development center for the people of Cojedes and all the people of Venezuela and its products will not be to enrich minorities, because that is capitalism. The meat, food, animals, vegetables, milk, cheese, corn and everything will be produced here will provide cheap food and goods for the people of Venezuela. ”

The President, addressing the state’s governor, said, “Continue following down that road, Theodore. Hit hard the large farm estates and  the capitalist speculators, always in defense of the people” He added that “the national government is committed to the recovery of businesses and estates and houses of leisure abandoned to consolidate projects in order to conform the socialist economy.”

That was in the midst of the campaign for the constitutional referendum in 2007. Chavez traveled around the country expropriating and promising villas and castles. Hato Piñero, a farming unit located between the municipalities of Pao  and Girardot, in the southeastern state of Cojedes, had special connotations because it was sheltering large areas and preserved several species. It was one of the rare places in Venezuela, intimately connected with our history and traditions.

Three years later, there is no such socialist development nor is Hato Piñero being devoted to  the enjoyment of the people of Cojedes. The decline replaced the splendor of nature that was preserved with passion with the care of the species that make their habitat there. Then after such demagoguery came the surprise filtered, incidentally, when the commitments signed with the Arab Socialist Republic of Libya, the country ruled for half a century by Colonel Gaddafi were revealed. It just so happens that Hato Piñero has been negotiated with Libya to develop it. (We Venezuelans are useless).

This is more serious than people realize when they see these stories lost among so many that overwhelm and confuse. We are an open country and we have no discrimination. But for those familiar with the ideas of Colonel Gaddafi criticized for his worldwide sponsorship of causes incompatible with freedom, and familiar with  his doctrine of the Green Book, the handing out of Hato Piñero to Libya generates all sorts of anguish. Gaddafi will install in the 75,000 hectares a Lybian colony, and, when Venezuelans awaken, we will find an irreversible fait accompli. Grave. Very grave.

Today we get the news that the Government wants to extend the so called “Muzzle Law” to the Internet. While some have reported this as a “rumor”, this is not simply a rumor as this document clearly shows. It is a proposal made to the Venezuelan Vice-President Elias Jaua by the country’s telecom commission CONATEL and aims to:

“Have the State protect collective interests, particularly those of kids and adolescents, as receptors of messages via…electronic media, through resounding measures that would allow the control by these actors for the effective compliance with the laws”

later the document adds:

“Inclusion of electronic media as part of the Law; Due to the fact that this service has turned, thanks to the policies of the Bolivarian Government, in one of the main forms of communication which are received by the collective in general. basically without regulation in terms of content, which requires that the Government insure that it may be “apt” especially to kids and adolescents, because currently content is transmitted with apologies for crime which attempt against the peace, security and citizen education, it is necessary to establish responsibilities for those that issue these measures, because of the consequences it may have, as well as the adoption of immediate measures that allow for the withdrawal of such content”

Of course, this is nothing new, it just formalizes the intent of the Government to penalize the use of the Internet in any way it wants, punishing those responsible and forcing for the withdrawal of such messages.

The content is clear, while it aims at protecting kids and young people, making it sound as if the Government wants to control inapropiate content, it later includes messages that attempt against the peace and security as well as theeducation of citizens. i.e, anything the Government finds offensive.

Of course, to enforce these laws, the Government will have to be able to block content coming from abroad, since it will not be able to to force “the withdrawal of such content” and give way to all sorts of controls by the Government over the Internet.

This is simply an extension and formalization of previous actions, as offensive tweets by Venezuelan twitters have already been persecuted, showing clearly that the Government can pinpoint who and where tweets using cell phones originate (All cases so far have been those associated with cellphones, no land lines). Thus, this would become a more formal excuse to block sites, content and scare and persecute and prosecute content depending on Chavez’ whims.

Nothing new, just more of the same. Less democracy, more censorship, more totalitarianism by a Government that believes only in that and has a total disregard for people’s rights and democracy.