Americo Da Grazia, the opposition Deputy from Bolivar State, the same one that was pushed down the stairs of the National Assembly a few months ago by a group of Chavista Deputies, gave this excellent speech during the discussion to approve a resolution backing Maduro’s decision to expel three US diplomats. Da Grazia is a member of Causa R, the Guayana socialist party associated with the union movement.
For those that do not speak Spanish, Da Grazia starts by showing his birth certificate and saying he is Venezuelan and where he was born. He then recalls the murder of a Causa R leader last weekend. He then says among other things:
-What a pity that this assembly refuses to discuss Venezuela’s problems.
-Pity you don’t care about what Venezuelans care about.
-We are not lackeys of the gringo empire, but we are also not lackeys of the Chinese empire. But you just gave away the Las Cristinas gold mine to the Chinese empire while on your knees. Shame on you!
-You also gave Guyana (the country) the disputed territory.
-You dont say anything or discuss anything about the Sidor strike, the Ferrominera strike or the miners that are in jail.
-Because of you electricity consumption is back to the 80’s in Guayana because you ruined the electric infrastructure. And you don’t talk about it.
-How many of you know that in Guayana there is not asingle hospital that can provide chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients. single hospital that provides chemotherapy or radiotherapy to cancer patients, but then you want to discuss this “pendejada”.
-He then says ironically that he just told his daughter not to go to the market, because thanks to kicking out the americans, there will be no shortages, there will be toilet paper and the dollar will go down in price.
-He then calls them stupid and imbeciles.
-He then calls for a democratic solution to Venezuela’s political problem.
-He then mentions all the positions, CNE, Comptroller that need to be elected and says they are illegitimate.
A Chavista Deputy then answers him with ideological BS.
Hat Tip: Damian Pratt who made the effort to place the video in youtube
The Devil's Excrement 
October 4, 2013 at 10:50 pm
Goodnight!
October 4, 2013 at 10:44 pm
It helps to understand why the United States spies on Brasil and not on Venezuela:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/25/v-print/3650784/why-we-spy-on-brazil.html
The US has significant more Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) / Communications Intelligence (COMINT) capabilities in Brasil than Venezuela. HCh and the Cubans did a good job of shutting the gringos out. It is what it is, the Americans don’t need to try harder when they have bigger fish to fry.
October 4, 2013 at 9:16 pm
A quick comment on Nelson’s latest: http://runrun.es/runrunes/85034/traera-diosdado-los-secretos-de-snowden-sobre-venezuela.html
It ain’t gonna happen meaning Pretty Eyes will come back Empty Handed.
October 5, 2013 at 8:50 am
Oh, my God!
Who wrote that article?
Apart from the content, it seems to have been written by a 7-year old child.
The person who wrote it doesn’t have the slightest idea of Spanish syntax or punctuation. I mean: one thing is a comment of any of us in a foreign language in a blog, but that is supposed to be an article written by someone in his mother tongue!
Anyway: it’s just rubbish. Diosdado went there to look for investment, to ask for an extension on the loan for Russian weapons, to ask for more Russian weapons, to deal with some personal money issues and last but not least to ask for support on surveillance.
Snowden is out of the picture.
October 5, 2013 at 11:00 am
Maybe the original article was “google translated” into spanish.
October 5, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Nope.
That is not the typical kind of structures generated by machine translation of any kind.
I would say less than a quarter of Venezuelan graduates from journalism, political science, humanities in general know the basic rules for spelling or punctuation.
October 4, 2013 at 9:04 pm
nice to see the also dysfunctional Empire come together to show the dysfunctional Banana Republic what it’s all about.
October 4, 2013 at 9:02 pm
this is the modified bill that went to the floor
Click to access BILLS-113sres213rs.pdf
October 4, 2013 at 8:53 pm
COSPONSORS(8), ALPHABETICAL
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] – 9/27/2013
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 9/9/2013
Sen Kaine, Tim [VA] – 8/1/2013
Sen Kirk, Mark Steven [IL] – 8/1/2013
Sen McCain, John [AZ] – 8/1/2013
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] – 8/1/2013
Sen Rubio, Marco [FL] – 8/1/2013
Sen Udall, Tom [NM] – 8/1/2013
October 4, 2013 at 8:52 pm
SUMMARY AS OF:
8/1/2013–Introduced.
Supports the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of the free exercise of representative democracy in Venezuela.
Calls for greater dialogue between all political actors in Venezuela and deplores the undemocratic denial of parliamentary rights to members of opposition parties in the National Assembly and the violence perpetrated against opposition legislators.
Commends legislators from other nations in the Americas who have declared their opposition to political irregularities and the use of violence against opposition parliamentarians in Venezuela.
Urges: (1) the Organization of American States (OAS) to issue a report on irregularities resulting from the April 14, 2013, presidential election in Venezuela; and (2) the U.S. Ambassador to the OAS to work with other member states to strengthen the ability of the OAS to protect democratic institutions.
October 4, 2013 at 8:52 pm
Senate Resolution 213: A resolution expressing support for the free and peaceful exercise of representative democracy in Venezuela and condemning violence and intimidation against the country’s political opposition.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d113:3:./temp/~bdj0PL::|/home/LegislativeData.php?n=BSS;c=113|
October 4, 2013 at 8:50 pm
US Senate Resolution 213 passed!!!
October 4, 2013 at 8:39 pm
OT:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=161163
this bird (registration #2803) was delivered late last year. Did not make it one full year.
Damage worse than reported by media.
they hard landed brand new chinese Y-8C (Y-8F-200W). They blew out all eight tires resulting in landing gear, propellor blade and fuselage damage. They landed with full load. The fuselage cannot be pressurized. Prop blades have to be replaced. No word on the extent of the landing gear damage but it may be worse than changing the tires. This bird will remain in Bolivia for some time.
October 4, 2013 at 11:29 am
No idea, but yes, there were 26 comments and now there are only 14
October 4, 2013 at 11:27 am
No idea
October 4, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Has The Syrian Electronic Army hit the Devil? 🙂
October 4, 2013 at 11:16 am
Miguel, what happened that several comments from several people vanished?
October 4, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Kepler, that means the servers where the website resides. They restored or are out of sync or other. Someone could have also hacked into the account but doesn’t seem to be this case
October 2, 2013 at 3:01 pm
OT
I have been a loyal reader of this blog for the past ten years, I have not been to Venezuela since 2006. As I watched your nation spiral out of control since last December, it reminds me of seeing a young relative for the first time in five years. I was amazed and commented at the change, the parents just stood there and looked at me in amazement. You see, they have been with that child every day and never noticed how the child has grown and changed.
As I read the different blogs in your country, I see the wheels on the bus falling off, the brakes don’t work and there is no driver, but yet, everybody is sitting in there seats just looking out the windows, not knowing or caring about what is going to happen in the very near future.
Is my observation wrong? I read everyday about $100 million, $300 million, $800 million missing and nobody gives a shit. No investigations – nothing. PDVSA’s non-operational ships, the pension scam, the guy caught over in Europe with $800,000 Euros, the Air France drug bust, got to use your buddies airplane cause yours is broke down, grounded in Canada, and on and on and on. What a circus. This in just the last 30 days.
I have to comment on your politicians. The are men and women that hold high and powerful positions in your government should be dressed appropriately, not with baseball caps, tee-shirts, casual dress, tennis shoes, etc. I have seen pictures of politicians and even the president in the streets with a crowd, it is hard to distinguish them from the crowd thugs.
I have been watching things unravel, especially in the last 30 days, and it really upsets me that the citizens of this nation hasn’t stood up and said “ENOUGH”
Sorry about this rant but I to get it off my chest.
October 2, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Gusts of fresh air are to be welcomed. Cheers
October 2, 2013 at 3:32 pm
You can not distinguish them fromthe thugs because that is exactly how they want to appear..They wants the thugs to see themselves in you in turn voting for you…..It is the strategy…Political strategy looks to a emulate the person voting in the person running…Sad but true…
October 2, 2013 at 2:52 pm
It was refreshing to see and hear Da Grazia: yes he sounds like a typical tribune of the plebs in the Danton and Gracchus mold, with a lot of passion, good sense and even more courage. But when he concludes saying “we are not afraid of you”, how many others of his group is he referring to?
One gets the sense of isolated acts of courage that don’t translate into political forces, either because of internal dissension, intimidation or lack of organization. Hats off to those who persevere in such adversity.
October 2, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Reminds me of Rafael Caldera
back to the future address …
[during his speech in the National Congress,
after the 4 February 1992 coup attempt].
October 2, 2013 at 1:53 pm
I listened to the clown that came afterwards (Jose Avila). Like a a number of chavistas, they seem pathetically out of touch. He keeps going on about “el pueblo” (the people) and how they support the “revolution”. Do they really think the “people” support them? Look at the prior elections! At least 50% of voters are fed-up enough with the Chavez legacy to deliberately and against all odds to vote for an alternative. And I am not even arguing Capriles won the elections! (For the record, I believe he did.).
Maduro’s shelf-life is limited. This farce of a government cannot go on for longer. I am now totally convinced. The stresses they themselves have introduced into the system will lead to it being torn apart.
What I fear most is what comes after the nut-jobs of today are gone.
October 2, 2013 at 1:23 pm
I see no reasons at all to kick the US diplomats ,,, no one… it is a ridiculous show..
But I am so happy to see Calixto back to Caracas… this guy really loves the states, He feels so good in the US.
I remember a picture of him him shopping through a Las Vegas boutique years ago in December, also some weeks ago a video filling a cool wagon with groceries at a Walmart or Walgreen in Florida…
Hope to see some pics of him shopping for the latest Ipad at Sambil or looking for imported Motts apple juice at abasto Bicentenario.
October 2, 2013 at 12:06 pm
All I needed to see was that Maduro couldn’t take a Venezuelan plane to China, but had to beg a ride from his Cuban owners. I’m sure the groveling and giveaways in China were on Cuban orders as well. Does anyone recall the reason behind the US invasion of Grenada in 1983?
October 2, 2013 at 12:26 pm
I was in Grenada in April 1983.
People continually came up to me thinking I was American & begged me to help by getting the USA to help them.
After explaining I was Canadian they asked if I knew anyone in the USA who could help.
People were locked up in the hilltop prison for talking against the Cubans.
The owner or manager of the Spice Island Inn who, when the Cubans came & told him they were taking over the hotel, resisted & was shot in the head.
There was also a lot of bad news reporting especially by News Week who supposedly had a reporter there at he same time I was there.
In the next week’s issue they reported that the military was digging trenches on Grand Anse beach to repel the coming American invasion (sounds like here, no?)
That report was pure bull shit as there was a cruise ship in port that Sunday & thousands of tourists on the beach. No digging going on.
For those of you who don’t remember the crunch came when a peaceful march was met with rifles & people died.
A lesson for Venezuela. The signs & posters everywhere are the same we now have in Venezuela. Talk of the great revolution & helping the fatherland. Same MO.
The Cubans have to go along with their puppets!
October 2, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Island, gonna share unknown tidbit about Grenada and Operation Urgent Fury. A good friend was part of the invasion force serving as point man for the State Dept. He found a **Grenadian passport** in the name of CIA turncoat turned Cuban (travel) agent Phillip Agee. Agee went on to mentor Eva Golinger before he died. My friend was a bit surprised when I asked him about Agee. He paused for a moment and then remembered the Grenada story. Agee era un pendejo que no sabia nada de la era moderna pero como buen perro, fue fiel a Fidel.
October 2, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Thanks for taking the time to offer a translation. it is really uplifting to know that there are oppos with balls out there.
October 2, 2013 at 11:49 am
Je, je corrected, thanks!
October 2, 2013 at 11:43 am
Don’t speak spanish, most like 🙂 2nd paragraph, minor typo 🙂
Great article, thanks.