Such a polite and respectful President!
The Devil's Excrement
Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
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The Devil's Excrement 
February 21, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Said he on TV, 15:00,
lesion on the same place, 2 cm big.
He said no metastasis (well, definition to look at).
February 21, 2012 at 2:49 pm
So Bocaranda was right again, he has good sources indeed. He went to Cuba saturday for a check.
I wonder if this video they ran today was pre-recorded and he’s still there.
February 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm
And yep, it was right:
Chávez was in Havana, has a new “lesion”, to be operated
February 21, 2012 at 11:05 am
Why do we have to live with such level of uncertainty? We are not in control of anything in our life…. because of one man……. We do not have a clue about what is going to happen with our property, our relatives, or even with our life, which value is equal to that of a cell phone. We live separated from our friends and families. Those who can move abroad make huge personal sacrifices to protect their families. I hope (and believe) the guy is just discussing electoral strategies at this moment. He needs to pay for his actions here in earth before he faces God.
February 20, 2012 at 9:45 pm
O/T (Venezuela should have a competition. Chavez might win…) http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2012/02/20/el-hombre-mas-feo-del-mundo-es-asi-foto/
I like one of the comments:
“papá!! q haces en la internet??? eres famoso!!!”
February 20, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Devil, there’s a rumor running right now on Twitter that Ronald Blanco La Cruz is going to be appointed vice-president. If true, it’s what you predicted!
February 20, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Learn to trust el Diablo for news and information found nowhere else,
I have.
February 20, 2012 at 9:17 pm
I will not gloat and it will not surprise me. Thanks Charles C, I try, I try.
February 20, 2012 at 9:27 pm
In the race for lack of scruples, does it really matter who “wins” the VP slot (a rhetorical question)??
February 21, 2012 at 10:45 am
Yes it does matter. In the event the president becomes incapacitated or past tense, it is better to have a VP who can hold things together until the election. What we DON’T want is for the government to fall so far into chaos that the military feels obliged to step in. For this purpose, Blanco la Cruz is far better than Juau.
February 21, 2012 at 10:58 am
>>>What we DON’T want is for the government to fall so far into chaos that the military feels obliged to step in. <<<
Democracy by the consent of the military is a shameful state of affairs! Unfortunately, starting with Betancourt, the "democrats" tried to keep the military in check with bribes — el bozal de arepa. It didn't work, did it?
In the next round of democracy, if there is one, we ought to dismantle the military like the Ticos (Costa Ricans) did.
February 21, 2012 at 11:51 am
The only one who MAY be able to “hold things together” is Diosdado, and he will have to be bought off and allowed to leave later with his billions. In any event, another Chavez military government, even in transition, is not the answer, and even a typical transition “civico-militar” one wouldn’t work if two-thirds are a combination of Chavista military and civilians.
February 20, 2012 at 1:27 pm
News media is known for keeping updated obituaries for famous people so, when one of them dies, they do not have to start writing it. On this train of thought, does the opposition have a plan B in case Chavez croaks? I mean, it can happen any time now (much like in the case of all of us). I think, if he in fact dies before Oct. 7, the message needs to come out quickly and unified. It will not be a time to improvise.
Anybody can shed any insight into this?
February 20, 2012 at 5:29 pm
I’d guess the opposition does have a plan in case HC decides “estirar la pata” before October 7th. They don’t seem to be improvising much anymore. Even a fragmented group of characters as the Venezuelan opposition (not so much anymore) seems to slowly have learned from past mistakes, particularly the April 11th 2002 events when they seemed to be improvising almost completely, or boycotting the 2005 parliamentary elections (a decision that only played into HC’s hands).
Now, having a plan is definitely better than having none. A completely different thing is events subsequently happening according or at least close to plan. Should HC die before October 7th a lot of things will be happening out of the opposition’s control. Either way, with or without HC, I expect as we get closer to October 7th things will get uglier.
February 20, 2012 at 6:16 pm
I am sure they have a contingency plan for this, and that (like the obituaries) it is kept updated as events warrant. I would imagine that the high points are:
1. All members call for calm and for the public to avoid any untoward behavior in public that might be interpreted badly by those who favored the president.
2. Everyone accepts the elevation of Jaua to the presidency and pledges their support.
3. When the dust has settled, the MUD (very tentatively) asks the PSUV, “Who is your candidate?”
The goal would be to assure a calm and peaceful transition of power, and give no excuse for the military to declare a state of emergency. All they need to do is promote calmness and respect for the constitution.
February 20, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Real news media do this. I can assure you that VZ state-runned media doesn’t do this at all.
Like Nazi Germany, the thought of VZ losing their indispensable Fuhrer Chavez is unthinkable, so no obits are prepared.
As a matter of fact, they’re most probably busy writing stories right now on why Capriles’ victory in October is illegal, and why, according to the law, Chavez is legally obligated to continue to “lead,” and to disqualify the results of the election.
February 20, 2012 at 1:08 pm
No one in the history of latinamerican politics has spent more time demeaning, insulting, disrespecting, dishonoring, degrading, and bashing his opponents as Hugo Chavez, not even Fidel. After all, he’s the guy who called Angela Merkel a Nazi for daring so say that he didn’t speak for the whole of latinamerica.
And at the same time, no one in the history of latinamerican politics has spent more time wailing like a spoiled five-year-old boy about how everyone disrespects him because they don’t treat him like the world-savior he thinks he is.
“He doesn’t have issues, he has subscriptions…”
February 20, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Nelson Bocaranda S. @NelsonBocaranda
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Runrun:Me aclaran que videochat con médicos fue la semana pasada.El caudillo no quiere operarse de nada,solo retomar “la batalla contra HCR”
February 20, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Whichever way is “quicker”–for the good of the Country!!!
February 20, 2012 at 2:09 pm
at first thought you are right….whichever is quicker….but after a thought or two…would it not be better, to take this creature to courts, national and international and have him spent the rest of his life, toguether with his closest 20 associates/partners, in jail…?, showing the world, and mostly the poor people in Venezuela all his lies, how his family from being low middle class, and low, low, has become very very rich…all the corruptions in order to help the castros, without giving a damn if their needs were the same as his own country, always choosing the well being of cuba, before Venezuela, the listas tascon, the use of the judicial system in order to prosecute all does that did not follow his criteria, all the stealing done through the “expropiations”, without payment of the assets taken, just because he felt like take them away from..last week, he clearly stated how much “fun” he gets from, using price controls, by putting unreal prices on goods made and produce in the country..and I could go on, and on and on….but, death, a rapid one, maybe is too good for him…maybe he does not deserve it…..some/lots..? of suffering would give back some of the things he has done to most Venezuelan…I was taught that it is bad and against everything to wish ill to other people…but this guy is not just another “people”….
February 20, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Hear! Hear!
February 20, 2012 at 4:40 pm
“would it not be better, to take this creature to courts, national and international and have him spent the rest of his life,”
How are you going to take him to court if he decides he’s not going to leave.
All the power is on his side.
February 20, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Yes, you are completely right…at this “moment”, he has all the power…but…as soon as he looses the elections, most, and I mean and believe that, at least 80% of all his devotees, will run and hide from him, they will just be looking for a way to save themselves, the guy would just be left “almost” alone……this has happened to him before, and others that are his fidelle…will not touch him with a 20 foot pole plus he has demonstrated already a few times, that he is a chicken…that, to get him scare and or afraid is not very difficult…history….2002…1992…
February 20, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I would just as soon flush it down the toilette as put it on display in a court of justice.
February 20, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Flush twice- it’s a long way to Cuba…
February 20, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Ximena, you’re right, of course, in an ideal world. But it is somewhat of a double-edged sword–i.e., which is better, a dead “martyr” or a live “martyr”.? A live “martyr”, although meeting justice on this earth, could cause a lot of problems with vote mis-counting, armed civilian groups, armed certain military groups, and a probable “deal” whereby certain regime figures would get away free with their obscene ill-gotten gains. A dead “martyr”, while in my opinion surely meeting his true “maker” (lower case “m” intended), would obviate most of the problems, since, as “Caracas Gringo” introduces his blog, “When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.” Justice could then be meted out by the courts for most of or all of those who truly deserve it.
February 21, 2012 at 1:34 am
I agree with NET. A dead martyr is easier to deal with than a live ex-dictator, which, almost by definition of a dictator, would leave office loaded with $$$, and not too old to keep gumming up the works for years to come.
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. To a big extent April 11 2002 was for HC a dry run of a scenario that might repeat itself again, sooner or later. Should HC not end up with enough votes in the October elections, he will not let go anyway. But, by now he’s had 10+ years to prepare for this, bringing in Cubans in the thousands, some of them, no doubt, brought in with the only objective of constituting a parallel army ready to prop him back up should there be a need. And, there’s the parallel army “criolla” as well (Tupamaros, etc.) ready to spring up as well. So, once again, before or after October, a dead martyr is the best scenario.
February 20, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Are Hugo and Fidel throwing water-filled balloons at each other right now honoring Venezuela’s finest carnaval traditions?
February 20, 2012 at 11:05 am
It lacks”Such an ass” , and am not being disrespectfull.
February 20, 2012 at 10:53 am
In the book Blunder, author Zachary Shore narrates the story of a young British officer, Eric Blair, deployed in Burma when called by agitated Burmese villagers to deal with an elephant gone berserk. When Blair got to the elephant, it was pacing calmly in a field, the madness gone. The villagers urge him to act and Blair aimed at the peaceful animal with his rifle and shot. He had to shoot several times witnessing the animal lying on the ground and wailing miserably. He could not stomach that much suffering and left. Upon returning to England, Blair took the pen name of George Orwell and dedicated his life and his writings to confront authoritarianism and the abuse of power.
Shore refers to the mental pressure that drove the officer to shoot at a peaceful animal as Exposure Anxiety (EA), the fear of appearing weak in front of an audience.It is one of the more important components of blunders in politics.
Capriles won a decisive victory in the primary elections and demonstrated that he has the trust and support of millions of Venezuelans who, despite the veiled and blunt threats decided to show their support for a change in the conduct of government. And that definitely represents a threat to the autocrat in power.
His irrational response can be explained to a large degree by EA. The fear to appear wounded propels him to raise his level of stupidity to new heights. EA also leads him to ignore medical advise to rest, deciding instead to show boundless levels of stamina, thus worsening his health.
He is free to harm himself as he so chooses, but the tragedy is the immense harm he causes to the country, both chavistas and democrats.
February 20, 2012 at 11:38 am
Zachary Shore seems to be writing about a bipolar elephant, just like ours! Ours is still around to do more damage.
February 20, 2012 at 4:22 pm
confront authoritarianism? It was the elephant and not his fighting with the commies in the Spanish Civil War that did it??
February 21, 2012 at 2:06 pm
I would say, a lot of chavistas consider themselves “democrats”. Otherwise, nice story.
February 20, 2012 at 10:47 am
Quino anyone?……
February 20, 2012 at 11:58 am
It kinda remainds me of Quino. That man is a genius.
Good drawing. Very accurate.
February 20, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Of course, it seems inspired by him
February 20, 2012 at 10:39 am
And the faithful will STILL love him…
February 20, 2012 at 10:27 am
Absolutely perfect.
Love the accuracy of the drawing.