The Devil's Excrement

Recovering from Christmas, I look for newspapers to give me new information, but no such luck. Venezuelan newspapers at this time of the year get thinner and original content is minimal, they are basically all empty, except for sports. Most good opinion writers are away on vacation. All of the papers are full of stories about the best in 2004. News in 2004. Month by month in 2004. My Sunday ritual of reading the newspapers is reduced to a few minutes of learning about Chavez returning from his China trip early and some details about the impact of the Cojedes decrees in that state and nationwide.

Interesting that economic reporter Victor Salmeron is covering the issue of land intervention. He usually is involved with more technical economic issues and is by far the best economic reporter in Venezuela. His article paints a picture of lands invaded by people looking for homes, meat production down and myths dominating Venezuela’s rural areas. The British are painted as the bad guys, raising cattle to send abroad for the English to eat (even the queen is mentioned as eating their meat!); while the reality is the cows are sold young to other ranches due to the insecurity. Chavez is definitely the hero, with the Governor disliked thoroughly. Meanwhile, the guy who runs the cattle farm says most invaders are from other states and whenever they have meetings they arrive in the latest car models.

Meanwhile in China, Chavez reaffirms he is a Maoist, in a country that has moved so far from Mao that is almost unrecognizable. What an empty slogan by our President.  Chavez hails the decision to create a new state steel company to replace the now privatized Sidor, in another giant leap backwards that Venezuelans will end up financing. Another brainless project in the name of sovereignty.

On Cojedes and land intervention, Chavez says that if those whose land was intervened don’t want to negotiate, then they would receive the full weight of the law. Funny, I thought the process began with the law, not the other way around. But such is the fate of those that live in a country where Chavez is the law, or at least its interpretation.

But the truth about farmlands is slowly getting out. As I have said before in this blog, the Government is the biggest landowner, but it wants to start with giving away only private land. According to the latest Government report quoted in today’s El Universal, the National Institute of Land is the biggest landowner with 8.6 million hectares of arable land in 1,492 farms. Given that the same report says only 2.1 million hectares in all of Venezuela are under cultivation, this gives you enough of a perspective.

In fact, the Government’s own report shows how cynical the whole thing is. The land Bill makes large states the target for distribution to the peasants. A large state is defined, according to the law and tradition as one having more than 10,000 hectares. Well, 53 Government-owned states have a total of 5.9 million hectares, making the average Government farm at least ten times larger than what the law wants to redistribute in the private sector. So, why not start there? Stupid question, ownership is power and that seems to be the only thing the Chavistas want.

This is what is so incredibly cynical. If the Government began to aggressively give away one third of the land in its hands, it would be giving away over 100% of the area currently under cultivation in all of Venezuela. If they really believed in their project, that would be truly revolutionary. But the truth is that they do not believe in it and they know that the “conuco”, the basic farm unit of the Venezuelan peasant, is not sustainable, is not competitive and it does not provide enough crops to even support a family of four. That is why invaded lands are as empty of crops today, if not people, as they were five years ago when they were invaded. That is why agricultural production is down in the last five years. That is why meat production is also down in the last five years.

But the revolution continues with its empty promises. Despite the huge oil windfall, the economy has shrunk in the last five years. Despite the huge political capital, Chavez has been able to convert relative little into concrete results. In fact, the problems of Venezuela are in the cities where 89% of the population lives. In 1998 Chavez campaigned saying he would give title to the land of the “ranchos” where the poor live in barrios in most Venezuelan cities. To date, one opposition Mayor has given title to more people in his municipality than Chavez or any of his Mayors in all of Venezuela.

Up to now, the revolution has blamed the opposition for the lack of results and people have bought the story. Unfortunately, populism sells and I am not sure people will realize anytime soon how empty the promises are. Revolutions can run on empty for quite a long time…

It is Christmas. Venezuelan Christmas is different. Weeks before Christmas you may think you are in a war zone as fireworks go off at random in a crescendo that increases progressively until a huge explosion on New Year’s Eve. I have always wondered how people can afford the continuous explosion that one hears. I live next to a barrio that is a constant source of bangs since mid-November to the consternation of my dog. Fireworks are expensive and illegal, but that does not seem to limit explosive capacity of my neighbors.

Symbolism is all over the place. Even though we have no snow and pine trees like Christmas Trees they are all over the place, both natural and artificial. The natural ones are advertised as coming from Canada, but if you read the label they come form the US. As a little kid, it somewhat confusing to understand where Christmas presents come from. We have el Niño Jesus (Baby Jesus), Santa Claus and San Nicolas used roughly in that order interchangeably to make the mystery almost as confusing as the Holy Trinity.

Nativity scenes are everywhere and most homes have one, even if only small. Other deploy huge nativity scenes at home by covering boxes up with painted burlap and deploying even whole cities around the nativity scene.

The weeks prior to Christmas, kids go roller skating at night as part of the Christmas season. They also assemble either parranda groups, which sing traditional Venezuelan Christmas songs, or Gaita groups, which sing the traditional Christmas music from Maracaibo. Traditional Christmas songs are also a mixture of foreign songs, such as Holy Night, The little Drummer Boy or some locally made with parts as strange as:

I do not understand, I do not understand

How the parrot

Having a  hole under its beak

Can eat

Which is followed by a Christmassy chorus. Go Figure…

Gaitas are a whole different story and have overtaken the traditional songs. They are salsesque mixture of drums, guitars and horns, with words that may or not have anything to do with Christmas. The biggest expression of Gaitas in Venezuela is Guaco, with dozens of records and years under its belt.

There is of course food, led by the Hallaca a corn flour concoction that wraps in it’s inside a mixture of hen, meat, and various other ingredients with regional variations and looks something like this:

The left shows the inide of the hallaca as it is being eaten, the right how they are wrapped in plantain leaves, tied with string and cooked by boiling. Then you open it up and eat the tamale-looking inside on the left. It used to be that families got together a month before Christmas to make the family hallacas. As a kid I remember a sort of assembly line of Hallacas where the corn flour dough was laid on the plantain leaves and the hallaca moved done the assembly line and each person was in charge of adding one part. I loved to be in charge of placing the olives, so that I could eat dozens of them as the day progressed.  Hallacas are eaten almost every day, at all Christmas parties until the point you just don’t want to see another one. Pork, hen salad, black cake, Spanish nougat, turkey and pan de jamón complete de menu. Pan de jamón is bread made of special dough inside of which one finds ham, olives and at least two types of raisins.  

The best part is Christmas Eve, the most important celebration on the 24^th. Whole families get together to celebrate, eat, dance, sing and drink in a very festive atmosphere. The best part is how happy everyone is, whole families together, three and four generations at a time, music in the background, some fireworks and sharing presents.

The next day the party goes on, as kids receive their presents from El Niño Jesus. After going to bed late, kids wake you up too early for any of the adults in the anxiety to open their presents. You spend the rest of the day recovering from not sleeping well and picking up wrapping paper and gathering your gifts.

It is indeed a very delightful time where everyone forgets about personal problems and everyone from all social levels follows similar customs, eats the same food and shares presents. In my family, we have dinner and I stay with some of my siblings (I come from a large family)  at one home, where we sleep in beds, couches, even sleeping bags, so that we can all see the little kids open their presents in the morning. Afterwards, we have a huge breakfast together and everyone goes home to rest and sleep it off the rest of the day. It is indeed special. This year, it will all take place at my home, so it will be doubly special.

I hope all of you have as wonderful a time as I have every year in this very special holiday. Merry Christmas to all!

It is Christmas. Venezuelan Christmas is different. Weeks before Christmas you may think you are in a war zone as fireworks go off at random in a crescendo that increases progressively until a huge explosion on New Year’s Eve. I have always wondered how people can afford the continuous explosion that one hears. I live next to a barrio that is a constant source of bangs since mid-November to the consternation of my dog. Fireworks are expensive and illegal, but that does not seem to limit explosive capacity of my neighbors.

Symbolism is all over the place. Even though we have no snow and pine trees like Christmas Trees they are all over the place, both natural and artificial. The natural ones are advertised as coming from Canada, but if you read the label they come form the US. As a little kid, it somewhat confusing to understand where Christmas presents come from. We have el Niño Jesus (Baby Jesus), Santa Claus and San Nicolas used roughly in that order interchangeably to make the mystery almost as confusing as the Holy Trinity.

Nativity scenes are everywhere and most homes have one, even if only small. Other deploy huge nativity scenes at home by covering boxes up with painted burlap and deploying even whole cities around the nativity scene.

The weeks prior to Christmas, kids go roller skating at night as part of the Christmas season. They also assemble either parranda groups, which sing traditional Venezuelan Christmas songs, or Gaita groups, which sing the traditional Christmas music from Maracaibo. Traditional Christmas songs are also a mixture of foreign songs, such as Holy Night, The little Drummer Boy or some locally made with parts as strange as:

I do not understand, I do not understand

How the parrot

Having a  hole under its beak

Can eat

Which is followed by a Christmassy chorus. Go Figure…

Gaitas are a whole different story and have overtaken the traditional songs. They are salsesque mixture of drums, guitars and horns, with words that may or not have anything to do with Christmas. The biggest expression of Gaitas in Venezuela is Guaco, with dozens of records and years under its belt.

There is of course food, led by the Hallaca a corn flour concoction that wraps in it’s inside a mixture of hen, meat, and various other ingredients with regional variations and looks something like this:

The left shows the inide of the hallaca as it is being eaten, the right how they are wrapped in plantain leaves, tied with string and cooked by boiling. Then you open it up and eat the tamale-looking inside on the left. It used to be that families got together a month before Christmas to make the family hallacas. As a kid I remember a sort of assembly line of Hallacas where the corn flour dough was laid on the plantain leaves and the hallaca moved done the assembly line and each person was in charge of adding one part. I loved to be in charge of placing the olives, so that I could eat dozens of them as the day progressed.  Hallacas are eaten almost every day, at all Christmas parties until the point you just don’t want to see another one. Pork, hen salad, black cake, Spanish nougat, turkey and pan de jamón complete de menu. Pan de jamón is bread made of special dough inside of which one finds ham, olives and at least two types of raisins.  

The best part is Christmas Eve, the most important celebration on the 24^th. Whole families get together to celebrate, eat, dance, sing and drink in a very festive atmosphere. The best part is how happy everyone is, whole families together, three and four generations at a time, music in the background, some fireworks and sharing presents.

The next day the party goes on, as kids receive their presents from El Niño Jesus. After going to bed late, kids wake you up too early for any of the adults in the anxiety to open their presents. You spend the rest of the day recovering from not sleeping well and picking up wrapping paper and gathering your gifts.

It is indeed a very delightful time where everyone forgets about personal problems and everyone from all social levels follows similar customs, eats the same food and shares presents. In my family, we have dinner and I stay with some of my siblings (I come from a large family)  at one home, where we sleep in beds, couches, even sleeping bags, so that we can all see the little kids open their presents in the morning. Afterwards, we have a huge breakfast together and everyone goes home to rest and sleep it off the rest of the day. It is indeed special. This year, it will all take place at my home, so it will be doubly special.

I hope all of you have as wonderful a time as I have every year in this very special holiday. Merry Christmas to all!

It is Christmas. Venezuelan Christmas is different. Weeks before Christmas you may think you are in a war zone as fireworks go off at random in a crescendo that increases progressively until a huge explosion on New Year’s Eve. I have always wondered how people can afford the continuous explosion that one hears. I live next to a barrio that is a constant source of bangs since mid-November to the consternation of my dog. Fireworks are expensive and illegal, but that does not seem to limit explosive capacity of my neighbors.

Symbolism is all over the place. Even though we have no snow and pine trees like Christmas Trees they are all over the place, both natural and artificial. The natural ones are advertised as coming from Canada, but if you read the label they come form the US. As a little kid, it somewhat confusing to understand where Christmas presents come from. We have el Niño Jesus (Baby Jesus), Santa Claus and San Nicolas used roughly in that order interchangeably to make the mystery almost as confusing as the Holy Trinity.

Nativity scenes are everywhere and most homes have one, even if only small. Other deploy huge nativity scenes at home by covering boxes up with painted burlap and deploying even whole cities around the nativity scene.

The weeks prior to Christmas, kids go roller skating at night as part of the Christmas season. They also assemble either parranda groups, which sing traditional Venezuelan Christmas songs, or Gaita groups, which sing the traditional Christmas music from Maracaibo. Traditional Christmas songs are also a mixture of foreign songs, such as Holy Night, The little Drummer Boy or some locally made with parts as strange as:

I do not understand, I do not understand

How the parrot

Having a  hole under its beak

Can eat

Which is followed by a Christmassy chorus. Go Figure…

Gaitas are a whole different story and have overtaken the traditional songs. They are salsesque mixture of drums, guitars and horns, with words that may or not have anything to do with Christmas. The biggest expression of Gaitas in Venezuela is Guaco, with dozens of records and years under its belt.

There is of course food, led by the Hallaca a corn flour concoction that wraps in it’s inside a mixture of hen, meat, and various other ingredients with regional variations and looks something like this:

The left shows the inide of the hallaca as it is being eaten, the right how they are wrapped in plantain leaves, tied with string and cooked by boiling. Then you open it up and eat the tamale-looking inside on the left. It used to be that families got together a month before Christmas to make the family hallacas. As a kid I remember a sort of assembly line of Hallacas where the corn flour dough was laid on the plantain leaves and the hallaca moved done the assembly line and each person was in charge of adding one part. I loved to be in charge of placing the olives, so that I could eat dozens of them as the day progressed.  Hallacas are eaten almost every day, at all Christmas parties until the point you just don’t want to see another one. Pork, hen salad, black cake, Spanish nougat, turkey and pan de jamón complete de menu. Pan de jamón is bread made of special dough inside of which one finds ham, olives and at least two types of raisins.  

The best part is Christmas Eve, the most important celebration on the 24^th. Whole families get together to celebrate, eat, dance, sing and drink in a very festive atmosphere. The best part is how happy everyone is, whole families together, three and four generations at a time, music in the background, some fireworks and sharing presents.

The next day the party goes on, as kids receive their presents from El Niño Jesus. After going to bed late, kids wake you up too early for any of the adults in the anxiety to open their presents. You spend the rest of the day recovering from not sleeping well and picking up wrapping paper and gathering your gifts.

It is indeed a very delightful time where everyone forgets about personal problems and everyone from all social levels follows similar customs, eats the same food and shares presents. In my family, we have dinner and I stay with some of my siblings (I come from a large family)  at one home, where we sleep in beds, couches, even sleeping bags, so that we can all see the little kids open their presents in the morning. Afterwards, we have a huge breakfast together and everyone goes home to rest and sleep it off the rest of the day. It is indeed special. This year, it will all take place at my home, so it will be doubly special.

I hope all of you have as wonderful a time as I have every year in this very special holiday. Merry Christmas to all!

I guess Teodoro Petkoff agrees with my feelings about Chavez’ calls for the resignation of the President of the Venezuelan Central Bank in today’s Editorial in Tal Cual: 

Banco Chavista de Venezuela by Teodoro Petkoff

The way in which Chavez addressed the Board of the Central Bank and in particular his President Diego Luis Castellanos, telling them to resign and making clumsy personal allusions to the last one, define with clarity not only the autocratic nature of his personality, his absolute scorn for democratic values, but also his total lack of consideration, in the pure human plane, with his collaborators. Power has gone to his head.

Chavez can not conceive any relationship with him other than subordination. He does not want collaborators, he wants servants. The slightest whisp of autonomy in his surroundings drives him crazy and he rapidly draws the pistol of his insults. Castellanos as well as the rest of the members of the Board of the Central bank were appointed by Chavez. But it was enough for them to contradict him, for them to fall in disgrace.

Chavez says that the Central Bank is not Castellanos. Of course not. Neither is Chavez.

These gentlemen have a criterion, different from that of the President on the topic of the foreign exchange earnings. Whether they are right or not is not the problem, because that is not the essence of the problem. The essence is that Chavez does not tolerate that anybody differ with him, nor is he capable of debating calmly and persuasively with those that differ with him. He loses his cool and releases things as coarse as the allusion to Castellanos’ age which, according to him, is already a “little old man” who should go home and wear slippers, instead of resisting his requests. Indelicately and threatenly he pointed out that if he had to be jailed, he would have his home as prison, given his age. (By the way, with that type of disqualification, old man Jose Vicente Rangel with his 75 years and the elderly Governor of Barinas (Chavez’ father), to name only two cases, should also be asked to retire). Chavez does not assume himself as a democratic governor-who is always the first among equals-, obligated to respect opinions different than his and, in the case of officials designated for fixed term periods, organizations which are autonomous, with more of a reason, even if they were wrong about their positions. But that intolerance, as an example, is what is behind the brutal grab of the Supreme Court. Chavez does not make the laws, he is the law.

Moreover, much as Bush, he has elevated to the level of policy the fundamentalist slogan that those who are not with him are against him. Moreover, without any scruples, he asks fidelity to his persona, not to a project or some ideas. He is the project and towards him he asks submission.

In all personalistic regimes the collaborators of the caudillos become more and more mediocre and more willing to adulate. And also more fearful. Nobody with a minimum of his own personality resists for very long next to a caudillo that ratifies his power crushing the dignity of those that surround him. For those types of governors the loneliness of power is more accentuated, but the obsequiousness and the servility do not allow them to perceive it.

The foundation of the relationship with them is hypocrisy. When they lose their power they discover how vast and deep the pharisaic ocean that surrounded them was and how lonely they always were.

I guess Teodoro Petkoff agrees with my feelings about Chavez’ calls for the resignation of the President of the Venezuelan Central Bank in today’s Editorial in Tal Cual: 

Banco Chavista de Venezuela by Teodoro Petkoff

The way in which Chavez addressed the Board of the Central Bank and in particular his President Diego Luis Castellanos, telling them to resign and making clumsy personal allusions to the last one, define with clarity not only the autocratic nature of his personality, his absolute scorn for democratic values, but also his total lack of consideration, in the pure human plane, with his collaborators. Power has gone to his head.

Chavez can not conceive any relationship with him other than subordination. He does not want collaborators, he wants servants. The slightest whisp of autonomy in his surroundings drives him crazy and he rapidly draws the pistol of his insults. Castellanos as well as the rest of the members of the Board of the Central bank were appointed by Chavez. But it was enough for them to contradict him, for them to fall in disgrace.

Chavez says that the Central Bank is not Castellanos. Of course not. Neither is Chavez.

These gentlemen have a criterion, different from that of the President on the topic of the foreign exchange earnings. Whether they are right or not is not the problem, because that is not the essence of the problem. The essence is that Chavez does not tolerate that anybody differ with him, nor is he capable of debating calmly and persuasively with those that differ with him. He loses his cool and releases things as coarse as the allusion to Castellanos’ age which, according to him, is already a “little old man” who should go home and wear slippers, instead of resisting his requests. Indelicately and threatenly he pointed out that if he had to be jailed, he would have his home as prison, given his age. (By the way, with that type of disqualification, old man Jose Vicente Rangel with his 75 years and the elderly Governor of Barinas (Chavez’ father), to name only two cases, should also be asked to retire). Chavez does not assume himself as a democratic governor-who is always the first among equals-, obligated to respect opinions different than his and, in the case of officials designated for fixed term periods, organizations which are autonomous, with more of a reason, even if they were wrong about their positions. But that intolerance, as an example, is what is behind the brutal grab of the Supreme Court. Chavez does not make the laws, he is the law.

Moreover, much as Bush, he has elevated to the level of policy the fundamentalist slogan that those who are not with him are against him. Moreover, without any scruples, he asks fidelity to his persona, not to a project or some ideas. He is the project and towards him he asks submission.

In all personalistic regimes the collaborators of the caudillos become more and more mediocre and more willing to adulate. And also more fearful. Nobody with a minimum of his own personality resists for very long next to a caudillo that ratifies his power crushing the dignity of those that surround him. For those types of governors the loneliness of power is more accentuated, but the obsequiousness and the servility do not allow them to perceive it.

The foundation of the relationship with them is hypocrisy. When they lose their power they discover how vast and deep the pharisaic ocean that surrounded them was and how lonely they always were.

I guess Teodoro Petkoff agrees with my feelings about Chavez’ calls for the resignation of the President of the Venezuelan Central Bank in today’s Editorial in Tal Cual: 

Banco Chavista de Venezuela by Teodoro Petkoff

The way in which Chavez addressed the Board of the Central Bank and in particular his President Diego Luis Castellanos, telling them to resign and making clumsy personal allusions to the last one, define with clarity not only the autocratic nature of his personality, his absolute scorn for democratic values, but also his total lack of consideration, in the pure human plane, with his collaborators. Power has gone to his head.

Chavez can not conceive any relationship with him other than subordination. He does not want collaborators, he wants servants. The slightest whisp of autonomy in his surroundings drives him crazy and he rapidly draws the pistol of his insults. Castellanos as well as the rest of the members of the Board of the Central bank were appointed by Chavez. But it was enough for them to contradict him, for them to fall in disgrace.

Chavez says that the Central Bank is not Castellanos. Of course not. Neither is Chavez.

These gentlemen have a criterion, different from that of the President on the topic of the foreign exchange earnings. Whether they are right or not is not the problem, because that is not the essence of the problem. The essence is that Chavez does not tolerate that anybody differ with him, nor is he capable of debating calmly and persuasively with those that differ with him. He loses his cool and releases things as coarse as the allusion to Castellanos’ age which, according to him, is already a “little old man” who should go home and wear slippers, instead of resisting his requests. Indelicately and threatenly he pointed out that if he had to be jailed, he would have his home as prison, given his age. (By the way, with that type of disqualification, old man Jose Vicente Rangel with his 75 years and the elderly Governor of Barinas (Chavez’ father), to name only two cases, should also be asked to retire). Chavez does not assume himself as a democratic governor-who is always the first among equals-, obligated to respect opinions different than his and, in the case of officials designated for fixed term periods, organizations which are autonomous, with more of a reason, even if they were wrong about their positions. But that intolerance, as an example, is what is behind the brutal grab of the Supreme Court. Chavez does not make the laws, he is the law.

Moreover, much as Bush, he has elevated to the level of policy the fundamentalist slogan that those who are not with him are against him. Moreover, without any scruples, he asks fidelity to his persona, not to a project or some ideas. He is the project and towards him he asks submission.

In all personalistic regimes the collaborators of the caudillos become more and more mediocre and more willing to adulate. And also more fearful. Nobody with a minimum of his own personality resists for very long next to a caudillo that ratifies his power crushing the dignity of those that surround him. For those types of governors the loneliness of power is more accentuated, but the obsequiousness and the servility do not allow them to perceive it.

The foundation of the relationship with them is hypocrisy. When they lose their power they discover how vast and deep the pharisaic ocean that surrounded them was and how lonely they always were.

City councilman Carlos Herrera in today’s El Nacional accuses lawyer Socrates Tinaco of stealing a billion bolivars from Danilo Anderson’ apartment. Herrera says Socrates distributed this cash among some workers of the Attorney General’s office. He also says they took other property from Anderson’s home.

Now, what I would like to understand is how Herrera finds it perfectly natural that Prosecutor Anderson had some US$ 520,000 at home. How can he even say that those that took the money should be charged for theft? How can he even suggest that Anderson’s house was “dry” of money after four days? Can he explain why there was so much cash at Anderson’s home? Can he explain where he got it from? Are these numbers just the usual in the “robolucion”? Were Bermudez’ $37,000 just small change?

Herrera once again blames bankers for Anderson’s death, makes the Vice-President responsible for his safety and says that on Monday he was going to be taken away by the investigative police and a grenade was going to be planted on him, but his call to Globovision stopped the plan.

Understand, this guy is pro-Government, not opposition. Try figuring that one out!

City councilman Carlos Herrera in today’s El Nacional accuses lawyer Socrates Tinaco of stealing a billion bolivars from Danilo Anderson’ apartment. Herrera says Socrates distributed this cash among some workers of the Attorney General’s office. He also says they took other property from Anderson’s home.

Now, what I would like to understand is how Herrera finds it perfectly natural that Prosecutor Anderson had some US$ 520,000 at home. How can he even say that those that took the money should be charged for theft? How can he even suggest that Anderson’s house was “dry” of money after four days? Can he explain why there was so much cash at Anderson’s home? Can he explain where he got it from? Are these numbers just the usual in the “robolucion”? Were Bermudez’ $37,000 just small change?

Herrera once again blames bankers for Anderson’s death, makes the Vice-President responsible for his safety and says that on Monday he was going to be taken away by the investigative police and a grenade was going to be planted on him, but his call to Globovision stopped the plan.

Understand, this guy is pro-Government, not opposition. Try figuring that one out!

The Venezuelan National Institute for Statistics INE, said today that poverty had in decreased Venezuela during the month of November. According to the Head of the Institute, poverty stands now at 53% of all Venezuelans being below the poverty level. This is obviously very good news and I welcome it. In fact, this is the least I would have expected from the fact that oil prices are so high, it should have some trickle down effect.

Mr. Eljuri also said that 25% of Venezuelans live in critical poverty with the rest having income which is at least twice the “basic basket of foodstuffs”.

Now, where things get truly Goebbelian or Orwellian is when Mr. Eljuri proceeds to criticize the opposition for saying that poverty is at 70%. According to Mr. Eljuri: “the opposition commits a premeditated error by adding the number of critical poverty to the percentage of poverty in the country”

This is really funny. First of all, Mr. Eljuri succeeded Mr. Molina at the National Institute for Statistics when Chavez fired him for reporting that poverty has only increased during Chavez’ term as reported then in this blog. What is so incredible Goebbelian about this, is that it was Hough Chavez himself who propagated the false number of 80% poverty during his Presidential campaign in 1998. I wrote once a letter to a reader where I took exception to him using Chavez’ number. In fact, as far back as March 2003 in this blog, I was taking the Government to task for their poverty number which always seems to be below that of the Center at the Catholic University that has been studying poverty for the last thirty years. (It is so cool to have a blog for so long that everything is there on the record!)

In fact, you can check yourself for Chavez propagation of the 80% number, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here or right here in another Devilish source.

But now that the revolution has control of everything, they want to say it was the opposition that spread the 80% number, or simply, they want to say Chavez reduced it from 80% to the current 53%. Whatever the reason may be in the twisted and perverse minds of this fake revolution, it is another bizarre attempt at changing history. As my own charting programs for Mac’s used to say: Do you want to change history? It would ask in Russian: Da! or No! You figure it out.