The Devil's Excrement

There is something quite perverse and obscene for President Hugo Chavez to hold the rally that closes his presidential campaign end at Puente El Llaguno. It not only shows the immoral character of Chavez and his cohorts, but it shows the lack of compassion of this Government and its leader for his own people. Nobody who has any respect for human rights and the right to life, would even dare come close to that infamous bridge, a symbol of death and murder, least of all to make it a symbol of this shameless revolution.

But that is exactly what is being done, tomorrow Chavez will close his rally there, making it very clear that he cares little for the people of either side. It was indeed one of the darkest moments of our history when TV cameras caught pro-Chavez supporters, some of whom were members of the city council of Distrito Libertador, open fire on the marchers who were coming towards the bridge unarmed. While the Government attempted to change history by saying nobody was under the bridge at the time (Why shoot then? Who were they shooting at?) in this link you can see both the picture of the shooters and the people below that fateful day.

To make matters even worse, the shooters were declared innocent in a speedy trial, as the Prosecutor General had the trial moved to Aragua state. Curiously, assassinated Prosecutor Danilo Anderson acted for the Government in that case and lost, but he vowed to appeal and jail the shooters again. He did not live to do it and the appeal never got off the ground after he was killed. Similarly, others that were present that day as part of the opposition march, but were not directly involved in the shootings, but were found responsible for the shootings are still in jail, and all deadlines for their trial are past, but there has been no quick trial and sentencing like there was for the Chavistas.

Maybe it is just symbolic of what Chavez stands for that his rally will end there. It represents the viciousness and perversity of this faux revolution and the low lives that run this Government. It shows their total disrespect for the people they claim to love, but they show daily they care so little for. It is another slap in the face to the people of Venezuela. Chavez had hundreds of innocent people killed in his coup attempts in 1992. He did it again in April 11th. 2002 and many other times. Celebrating Puerto El Llaguno tomorrow only shows the callousness of the autocrat’s mind and the possibility that he will kill innocent people again if and when needed.

Hopefully, Venezuelans tomorrow will realize what this cynical and perverse symbolism really means for them, their families and their future.

And thanks to Alek we can watch part of the video of the Mother of all Avalanchas, even if just a few seconds. Thanks mate!

Impressive rally today with thousands and thousands showing up to express their support for the unity candidate Manuel Rosales. Unbelievable crowd, some suggesting it was the biggest rally ever in the country’s history, Rosales gave a good speech, even if he is not the best speaker in the world and people were moved.

Thus, a very remarkable and important poll today, the once passive opposition has been revived by their maracucho candidate who has done an excellent job mobilizing the opposition. What is most interesting about this to me is that I contend that abstention will be the decisive factor on Dec. 3d. and the rally today shows the opposition is now truly enthusiastic, which was not the case months ago. I don’t believe you can say the same about the pro-Chavez voters, who are tired and are still waiting for the revolution to deliver, as the poor attendance at pro-Chavez’ rallies show. Will they come out on Sunday Dec. 3d. to vote? That is the question today, as it is very clear the opposition voters will certainly come out en force to back Rosales.

Tough act to follow by Chavez in his final campaign rally tomorrow, the highway in which Rosales held his today is much wider than where Chavez will hold his final rally tomorrow. But in the end it will be the vote Dec. 3d. that tells us the true story.

For pictures, go see the beautiful and very impressive one Alek placed in his post on the rally, video here, as well as the very complete set he has here. Daniel has promised some pictures sometime soon.

Today will be the the “mother of all avalanches” as Rosales closes the campaign. I will be unable to post pictures, so I recommend you visit vcrisis and Daniel’s blog for good pictures of the event. As I write this people are already gathering for the “avalancha tricolor” which is the formal name of the rally in reference to the three colors of the flag and to contrast it wit Chavez’ single “Rojo, rojito” color, which he means to represent only that part of society that backs him.

As I write this, there are reports that some of Rosales’ supporters have troubles getting to Caracas as buses of supporters (Yes, the oppo also brings people in, but not in the magnitude that Chavez does) are being detained and stopped by the authorities along the Caracas-Valencia and Caracas-Guarenas highways. You have to wonder why a Government that claims to be democratic and way ahead in the polls does this. It is simply stupid as stories like this will help make sure that all of the relatives of those in the buses tell their story and end up voting for Rosales if they are undecided. But autocrats and people who have gotten used to abuse of power and fascist tendencies, don’t think about that, they really believe that they can scare people away. One day people will have their day in Court and it will not be pretty. These are the same people that did not allow the rally to take place in a location that will show better the size of the rally and would have closed Rosales’ campaign in Caracas near the poorer neighborhoods.

Today should be a calm day, nobody can expect any form of violence in the face of the huge crowd that will show up in Caracas. Hopefully, the rally will tip a few more votes Rosales’ way and will encourage some to go and vote. As I write this, I receive a report from a good pollster that Rosales improved his standing from Nov. 3d. to Nov. 17th. Add a bit of Chavista abstention, two more weeks of campaigning and maybe that seemed impossible a month ago will indeed happen on Dec. 3d. and the rule of law and respect for all in Venezuela will become a reality on Dec. 4th.

Megaresistencia has the video of the aggression by the Casa Militar soldiers to the Globovision reporter and cameraman yesterday. The amazing part to me was how the soldiers did not even say a word and started punching and hitting them. Imagine what they do when nobody is watching! Where is the People’s Ombudsman when he is needed?

—For weeks the family of former Yaracuy Governor Eduardo Lapi has been requesting that he be allowed to be treated at a hospital for a bleeding ulcer he has. Lapi, who has been accused of corruption and jailed in his home state, should be allowed to be tried in freedom according to Venezuelan law. But in this very liberal interpretation of Venezuelan law by Chavista judges, you don’t apply justice to your political enemies, yo simply screw them. Thus, the former Governor is in jail while being tried and now, thanks to an order today by the Venezuelan Supreme Court, he will be moved to a hospital to be evaluated and examined by doctors.

—Reporters from the Globovision TV station were violently removed by the “Casa Militar”, which protects the President, as they were covering a protest by people asking for homes. Without crossing words with the reporter, she and her camera man were physically removed by three soldiers. This incident took place in front of the La Casona presidential residence where Chavez does not live.

—In a somewhat puzzling decision for what is considered to be a democracy, the Minister of Interior and Justice issued a resolution prohibiting “meetings, public demonstrations, concentrations of people and any “similar” act that may affect the normal development of the vote”. This means that if, for example, the audits were not conducted as established by the CNE, anyone trying to protest it, could be jailed. Similarly, since the resolution expires at midnight on Dec. 3d., if a winner were announced, his supporters would not be able to celebrate. One has to wonder what is the purpose of this resolution which is in clear violation of the Venezuela Constitution. Primero Justicia has already protested the decision and said it would not be obeyed. A Caracas newspaper also reported that the CNE would ban exit polls.

Today former Chavez Minister of Finance Tobias Nobrega was trying to justify that monetary liquidity is not too high, by saying that it was only 25% of GDP. Well, that may be true in a country with positive returns on savings, but when banks pay 6% and inflation is running at 15%, money is looking to get out, which is why the current large liquidity is pushing the swap or parallel market up. The size of GDP is irrelevant, in fact, the devaluation will simply shrink GDP and bring it down to the right size.

Below, I have a different version of the chart I showed earlier, that tells the same story: Just because Milton Friedman died, it does not mean that you can print money and nothing will happen.

The chart shows the “implicit” exchange rate, what you get if you divide all of the liquidity by international reserves (blue line) and compares it to the red triangles which is the parallel swap rate given by that market. As you can see, after the implicit rate being below the parallel rate all of 2006, in June they began crossing and the swap rate jumped sharply up and right now they are still very close to each other. Exchange rates are also a function of confidence and lower oil prices and excessive spending do not help confidence either.Given all the money spent in November (not all of it included in the chart), then by now the implicit exchange rate is even higher, which simply means the parallel “swap rate” should also move in that direction: UP!

Elides Rojas looks at the future consequences on the justice system of the proposed new barter economy with his customary ironic humor

The pig as a form of payment by
Elides Rojas en El Universal

Barter, the last bright idea of the revolutionary process, introduces
some serious changes to legal jurisprudence.

The Courts of the Bolivarian and Socialist Republic of Venezuela simply can’t
cope. The defeat of savage capitalism and the implementation of barter as the main
system for commerce have erased the thousand-year wisdom of the regulations of
Mercantile Law, to give way to a new legal discipline: the give and take.

Resolving a conflict in front of the correct judicial instances under
ironclad principles of equity and justice, but using terms which are not
contaminated by anything that would imply income, earnings or profit, old bourgeois
concepts that have been dismissed, is not as easy as the theorist of the
castrovenezuelan revolution believed.

A number of cases have already reached the Supreme Court and, given the depth
of the controversy and the complexity of the material extremes that need to be elucidated, the sentencing has generated novel jurisprudence and new general
principles of law.

As an example, there is the case of Turumo Martinez, who lives in
Bobare, and who pretended to recuperate a pig he had given in payment to
Ezequiel Conuco for 60 green plantains, the case is identified under file
V-3342, and has turned itself as emblematic for study in the most qualified
academic symposia.

The Court, in order to decide had to take into consideration some
aspects that constitute the essence itself of the agreement reached. First,
according to the judge in the case, the operation perfected itself with the exchange
of the piglet for the plantains. The fact that the plantains did not fulfill
the requirements of color, shape and stains, is not a sufficient reason to
pretend voiding the operation, as long as, the original inspection was approved
by the interested party.

On the other hand, and with the goal of establishing a supposed return
of the goods subject to barter, the pig, by now, has now been converted to pork
grind and distributed in parts in the highway to Higuerote. This situation,
according to the strictest doctrine, implies the total denaturalization of one
of the elements of the deal.

That is, the pig is no longer a pig. The Full Hall has resolved that in
order to void a barter operation, without agreeing on monetary indemnifications
that would remind anyone of capitalism, it is necessary that the goods, be it
piglets, or bananas, armadillo or pouches, must be kept in their original state
and not be subject to transformations, whether industrial or by craftsmen, that
may destroy their essence. Only in such manner could the pig identified in the
file be then returned to its original owner.

A similar situation, although solved in a different manner, occurred in Yumare,
where a citizen pretended to recover a bull that he had exchanged for 2,000
pewter cups that ended up being made of cardboard. He received, after
subscribing a compensatory agreement, sixty shredded meat arepas and a Mision
Negra Hipolita scholarship. This option is only valid when the parts reach an
agreement.

“Some people say that I hate the middle class and the high classes, that is a lie, I have no hate for anyone, I love all of Venezuela and its inhabitants and all of its territory with its history and its traditions”

Hugo Chavez, November 21st. 2006

(Does this include the squalids, the oiligarchs, those that he will meet with his weapons, those that should leave the country, those that he plans to jail or has jailed, those he has ordered shot, stopped with force, those he regularly calls traitors, those he accuses of only following orders from the empire, those, like former Cardinal Velazco, who he said was going to hell, the media, reporters, the 20,000 people that were illegally fired from PDVSA and their pensions confiscated, the kids at the Jewish school which was raided by the intelligence police, the more than 40 Venezuela everyday because by his complacency about crime, those shot without any reason searching for the killers of Danilo Anderson, the people whose lives were destroyed in the floods in Vargas state, the kids in the streets, those that are afraid of the fingerprint machines, those that have had to ask for political asylum, those that die because hospitals have no supplies, Jose Vilas, those killed in La Paragua, Fuerte Mara; the four dozen PDVSA workers who have committed suicide, his former friends in the military and Government, is if for love of your people you allow, promote and participate in that TV program full of hate called “La Hojilla”?….you get the picture of how he spreads this fake love around. Please complete with your list in the comments section)