The Devil's Excrement

Essentially, of the four polls I have had access to, all
of them give the opposition three states, Sucre, Nueva Esparta and Tachira,
with two states going to Chavez dissidents in Guarico and Portuguesa.

Had I not seen the fourth poll, I would also be telling
you that the opposition would win Zulia, Carabobo and Miranda, which in itself
will be a large victory, given that the opposition currently has only two
states. This last poll however suggests the opposition may lose all three.

At the same time, the other three pollsters give Zulia and
Carabobo outright to the opposition and suggest a victory in Miranda State. In
fact, in a public poll Consultores 21 says that Henrique  Capriles is leading Diosdado Cabello by
three percentage points. However, the argument by Consultores 21 is that
Cabellos rejection in Miranda by the voters is so high (above 45%) that it
seems impossible for him to pull a victory off.

In Barinas State, Chavez home state two of the pollster
suggest a possible victory by the dissident Chavista, giving at least a defeat
for the Government that will garb huge headlines.

Three of the four polls, with the same one being the
dissident one, suggest that in the Caracas Metropolitan Area, the opposition
will win the Alcaldia Mayor and three of the municipalities, losing only in the
Libertador District, where former VP and Head of the CNE Jorge Rodriguez is
leading the race.

Curiously, all four pollsters suggest the opposition may
win more than 40% of all Mayor races, which will certainly change the political
map of Venezuela on its own.

In the end, if the opposition were to win in six to eight
States and 40% of the municipalities, it would be a tremendous gain compared to
the current state of affairs. Chavez knows he needs to win big if he is going
to push for his indefinite reelection and three of the four polls suggest he
will lose in the effort.

In the end, the monkey wrench in the whole thing will be
abstention. Large abstention appears to favor the Government and Chavez
attempt at radicalizing the process seems to be aimed at that. Most polls
indicate that abstention will be low, which is hard to believe in a country
where only Presidential races attract votes.

Hopefully, the three pollsters that coincide will be the
correct ones so that the opposition may create a more balanced picture in
Venezuelan local politics. If we lose, Chavez is likely to push for “his”
referendum next year and the possibility of his perpetuation in power is simply
too scary and depressing to even try to think about it.

Yesterday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued
a strongly worded press release, rejecting the news and saying:

“The difficulties, which were strictly administrative have
been overcome using diplomatic means in conversations between the two
Governments’ no Venezuelan official accredited in front of the US Government has
been the subject of expulsion. The Venezuelan Government calls for prudence in
the handling and circulation of information of this nature”

And today we hear that the US
State Department ask officials at the Houston Consulate to leave the country
for violating administrative procedures for obtaining new offices. Reportedly,
Venezuela requested approval in August, but it was never received. Despite
this, the Consulate was moved and on October 2^nd. The US Government requested
that the new Consulate cease operations until it received approval. Despite
this, the Consulate continued operating and on October 31^st. the US
Government informed the Venezuelan Embassy in the US that it was planning to
remove privileges and immunities of the team and cancel their diplomatic visas.

By now, press reports differ as to whether the diplomats
were necessarily asked or not to leave the US, but their visas have definitely
been revoked.

And if you are not confused by now, today none other than
the wise one himself, the autocrat Hugo Chavez comes on and says that
it is all the Venezuela’s Consul fault who changed the location of the
Consulate without authorization from US authorities or the Venezuelan Embassy
in the US and that the Consul has been removed from the post. He then blames
the whole affair on someone looking to generate confusion, noise, or conflicts
during the transition in the US. Then, the same Secretary of State that issued
the press release on Sunday says that he will evaluate what the State
Department said today and will talk to them tomorrow.

In closing, he says tomorrow he will have a clearer picture
of the situation.

Is it clear now?

They don’t know what is going on, but we say things and it
is all just hearsay and a plot to boycott the great relations between Hugo Chavez
and Barack Obama or something like that.

In the words of the great Abbott and Costello (Will I ever get this one right?): Who is on first? In
this case, you could say: Who is on second or third?

But we know, iot is the same people who have ben running this Government for ten years. They are clueless.

Way to go Hugo! We want the tanks out just to prove what a
sore loser and dictator you are!

—Chavez
in Sucre State: I have ordered Admiral Victor Ballera to take over the
airport. “Have you realized what a traitor this character is? (Referring to the
Governor of that State and former Chavez supporter for a decade Ramon Martinez)
Chavez also threatened Martinez with jail”

Just imagine, Ramon Martinez, a socialist to the bone, Chavez
supporter for a decade, but he is in the doghouse now, he better watch his  back…

—Chavez
in Zulia State: Manuel Rosales is like tumor in the body of Zulia State. “There
is a plan not recognize the PSUV’s victory.”

Jeez, it seems as his campaign reflects his thoughts. Who
is really thinking of not recognizing the loss?

—And in this oasis of freedom of speech and expression,
the El Nacional Editorial Company was not allowed to participate in the
international book fair for “lack of space”

Of course, being an opposition newspaper had very little
to do with it.

—And
in his campaigning Chavez orders Rosales to be jailed if he does not
recognize Di Martinos victory in Maracaibo. What will happen if Chavez does not
recognize Rosales’ inevitable victory? Can we jail him?

—Funny, the Venezuelan Government announces that it
will take over the Las Cristinas Mine from Crystallex in order to manage
the project. But the next day, the Minister of Basic Industries and Mining says
it will be given to Russia’s Rusoro to exploit.

Well, if Obama was asking for the rule of law to be respected,
this case has violated the rule of law 
twice: The Las Cristinas mine was a concession in the hand of Vanessa
Ventures, which was taken away in 2002, by the Chavez Government, and given to
Crystallex. Vanessa ahs gone to international arbitration, as it is likely
Crystallex will, because the
company says it has received no notice from the Government.

Hey, I think we should build a nuclear satellite with
peaceful purposes in mind just so that people know where Chavez stands!

According to this guy, Venezuela is now at the top of
labor judicial processes in the world and this has represented a successful
judicial experience in Venezuela.

Wow, how can so much crap come out of the mouth and brain
of this leader of the Chavista judicial revolution?

Can’t he remember the more than 20,000 cases of the fired
PDVSA workers, few of which the same Courts have processed and processes he
praises with such robolutionary abandon? Does he forget that these people had their
severance, savings plans, voluntary and regular pension plans confiscated?

And you may think that this fanatical judge simply does
not care about these “enemies” of the robolution and believes in labor Justice
only for the friends of the robolution. But maybe he missed this letter from
the association of retired people of PDVSA, published last Thursday in El
Nacional, page C-4 (by subscription), where PDVSA retirees complain that not
only they have not been paid for the interest from their pension fund for 2007,
but they have not been shown the financials since 2002, when the robolution
completely took over the company.

This is what supposedly places Venezuela at the top of
Labor Justice according to Magistrate Valbuena. Every single retired PDVSA employee,
whether pro-Chavez or not, has yet to receive the interest payment from their
pension fund, managed by the new PDVSA, while the company has given no
accountability of the payments made from 2003 to 2006. 

So, these Venezuelans who worked for a minimum of 25 years
for PDVSA and many as many as 35 years, are still waiting for what is theirs,
while Justice Valbuena wastes his time giving speeches about the virtual
reality of the mindless and empty revolution he lives in.

To say nothing of the hundreds of collective bargaining
agreement shelved by Chavez just because he does not feel like signing any new
ones, putting Venezuela, despite Valbuena’s words, at the bottom of judicial
labor processes in the world.

But the country is being run fanatics or by mediocre
professionals who give speeches like that to justify their status and existence
within the revolution.

But justice will come to them one day.  People like Hugo Chavez, Rafael
Ramirez, Justice Valbuena and others will have to some day respond for their
negligence and the violation of peoples rights in the name of their
revolution.

And they will call it revenge and I will call it divine justice. 

Obama
campaign spokesman Alejandro Miyar responded that Washington’s relationship
with Venezuela will not improve unless Chavez “respects democracy and the rule
of law.”

The statement contains two of the three basic elements
missing from Chavez’ autocracy, I just wish Mr. Miyar had explicitly added
human rights to the request, but two out of three ain’t bad. Democracy includes respect for human rights, but it would have been a nice and very complete message anyway.

“For the first time in the political history and in the administrative
life of our country, the high level leadership of our country, represented in
the President of the Republic, the Heads of Public Powers, their closest collaborators,
a wide range of public managers and the large majority of public servants,
maintain a marked ethical profile in the execution of their delicate functions.
It would an unforgivable error of history to obviate this truth. This is a judgment
not only on the sidelines of political diatribe, but also diffused through the
personal conviction that the authentic revolutionary conduct is against being cunning,
having willful bad faith and thievery.”

Wow! Where should I start?

How about CAEEZ, Bolivar2000, Duran Kauffman, Rafael Ramirez,
Nobrega, Merentes, Jorge Rodriguez, Maionica, Jhony Yanez Rangel, VTV, PSUV,
CNE, Cruz Weffer, Juan Barreto, Aristobulo Isturiz, El Gordo Bermudez, Chavez’
brothers, Rafael Isea, Cedel bonds, Structured Notes, CADIVI, Maletagate,
Antonini, PDVSA bond repurchase, FOGADE, commissions on official bank deposits,
Banco del Pueblo, Banco de La Mujer, Banco Industrial, Arnie Chacon, Danilo
Anderson, Rodriguez Chacin, Mercal, EDC bonds, Bandagro bonds, Citibank building,
Otaiza’s gyms (remember he was appointed anti-corruption
czar), 95% of Government contracts assigned directly, only six of 337
municipalities provided financial information as established by law, PDVSA
bonds, Bs./US$ bonds, convicted murdered named judge, Montesinos protected by
Venezuela after denials, Chinese oil drills, Fondafa, Carlos Gimenez, Supreme
Court building, Miquelena, Tobias Carrero, BBV campaign contributions, use of
state funds for campaigns…

Need I say more? I wrote that list from memory!!!

But our own ruffian simply comes up with EIGHT cases where
the violations led to the Comptroller sending the file to the General
Prosecutor, out of 958 investigations.

Amazing, no?

This is sort of like don’t seek and you will not find, everything is cool!!!

And then they pat themselves on the back and proclaim the
revolution to have a marked ethical profile, whatever that may mean in the
perverted and distorted mind of the Comptroller, who by the way does not
consider he is in violation of the law because he collects a pension and receives
a salary from the Venezuelan State simultaneously.

Yeap, a marked ethical profile indeed!!!