The Devil's Excrement

Here I was getting ready to praise Ali Rodriguez for reaching the conclusion that gasoline prices have to be increased, and newly minted Minister of Information Andres Izarra comes on TV to say that the Government is not considering it and they want to ”emphatically reject it”.  According to Izarra, Rodriguez’ statements were “taken out of context”. Well, Rodriguez’s statements were quite clear he said that “gasoline in Venezuela is being given away essentially for free” and that the Government was studying ways to increase it without affecting the poor, which is eminently sensible.

What is happening is clear; Rodriguez has internally discussed within PDVSA and probably with the Ministry of Energy and Mines the huge gasoline subsidy to Venezuelans by PDVSA, as discussed in this blog a few days ago.  They have probably come to the conclusion that this does not make sense long term, but did not know how to approach the issue with Chavez, so they floated this balloon that was so quickly punctured. Good for them anyway!

Rodriguez appears to be in the doghouse with Chavez in any case. A week ago Chavez had an event in a local theater to celebrate or praise one of is missions when he noticed that Rodriguez was not there. He publicly complained about it to Minister of Energy Ramirez and said Rodriguez should come to these events in one of the boggest scoldings any Government official has received in the last five years. (This was the same event in which someone in the balcony said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez snapped back “Does someone have a complaint?” and the same voice said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez said “Then you will have to leave the premises”).

Rumor has it that Rodriguez will be fired soon and replaced by former Minister of Defense Prieto, who is on the Board of PDVSA and happens to be the father of Chavez’ son in law. Prieto has become quite powerful and vocal within PDVSA, where his relationship with Chavez puts fear in people. Reportedly, there are many divisions and power groups within PDVSA, bickering and arguing about every detail. Unfortunately, most decisions, like the gasoline price increase, are being put off for fear of upsetting the maximum leader, while the real business of PDVSA (and Venezuela!) goes unattended.

Here I was getting ready to praise Ali Rodriguez for reaching the conclusion that gasoline prices have to be increased, and newly minted Minister of Information Andres Izarra comes on TV to say that the Government is not considering it and they want to ”emphatically reject it”.  According to Izarra, Rodriguez’ statements were “taken out of context”. Well, Rodriguez’s statements were quite clear he said that “gasoline in Venezuela is being given away essentially for free” and that the Government was studying ways to increase it without affecting the poor, which is eminently sensible.

What is happening is clear; Rodriguez has internally discussed within PDVSA and probably with the Ministry of Energy and Mines the huge gasoline subsidy to Venezuelans by PDVSA, as discussed in this blog a few days ago.  They have probably come to the conclusion that this does not make sense long term, but did not know how to approach the issue with Chavez, so they floated this balloon that was so quickly punctured. Good for them anyway!

Rodriguez appears to be in the doghouse with Chavez in any case. A week ago Chavez had an event in a local theater to celebrate or praise one of is missions when he noticed that Rodriguez was not there. He publicly complained about it to Minister of Energy Ramirez and said Rodriguez should come to these events in one of the boggest scoldings any Government official has received in the last five years. (This was the same event in which someone in the balcony said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez snapped back “Does someone have a complaint?” and the same voice said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez said “Then you will have to leave the premises”).

Rumor has it that Rodriguez will be fired soon and replaced by former Minister of Defense Prieto, who is on the Board of PDVSA and happens to be the father of Chavez’ son in law. Prieto has become quite powerful and vocal within PDVSA, where his relationship with Chavez puts fear in people. Reportedly, there are many divisions and power groups within PDVSA, bickering and arguing about every detail. Unfortunately, most decisions, like the gasoline price increase, are being put off for fear of upsetting the maximum leader, while the real business of PDVSA (and Venezuela!) goes unattended.

Here I was getting ready to praise Ali Rodriguez for reaching the conclusion that gasoline prices have to be increased, and newly minted Minister of Information Andres Izarra comes on TV to say that the Government is not considering it and they want to ”emphatically reject it”.  According to Izarra, Rodriguez’ statements were “taken out of context”. Well, Rodriguez’s statements were quite clear he said that “gasoline in Venezuela is being given away essentially for free” and that the Government was studying ways to increase it without affecting the poor, which is eminently sensible.

What is happening is clear; Rodriguez has internally discussed within PDVSA and probably with the Ministry of Energy and Mines the huge gasoline subsidy to Venezuelans by PDVSA, as discussed in this blog a few days ago.  They have probably come to the conclusion that this does not make sense long term, but did not know how to approach the issue with Chavez, so they floated this balloon that was so quickly punctured. Good for them anyway!

Rodriguez appears to be in the doghouse with Chavez in any case. A week ago Chavez had an event in a local theater to celebrate or praise one of is missions when he noticed that Rodriguez was not there. He publicly complained about it to Minister of Energy Ramirez and said Rodriguez should come to these events in one of the boggest scoldings any Government official has received in the last five years. (This was the same event in which someone in the balcony said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez snapped back “Does someone have a complaint?” and the same voice said “We are hungry”, to which Chavez said “Then you will have to leave the premises”).

Rumor has it that Rodriguez will be fired soon and replaced by former Minister of Defense Prieto, who is on the Board of PDVSA and happens to be the father of Chavez’ son in law. Prieto has become quite powerful and vocal within PDVSA, where his relationship with Chavez puts fear in people. Reportedly, there are many divisions and power groups within PDVSA, bickering and arguing about every detail. Unfortunately, most decisions, like the gasoline price increase, are being put off for fear of upsetting the maximum leader, while the real business of PDVSA (and Venezuela!) goes unattended.

Today, the National Assembly began approving the new “Bill for social responsibility of the media” also called the “muzzle law” by the opposition. They only approved the title and the first article of the Bill, but managed to modify what had been discussed. The innovation this time is that they included subscription TV as being a subject of the law, which implies the Government could block Direct TV subversive programs, such as CNN or Seinfeld if it felt like it.

Separately the Head of Human Rights organization COFAVIC warned two days ago that the new changes in the penal code include a penalty of thirty years in jail for any organization that receives international funding. She warned that besides the threat to ONG’s like Sumate, this threatens all human rights organizations who only receive funding from international sources and are the only ones denouncing the daily human rights violations of the Government.

As they say: “Looks like fascism, quacks like fascism, walks like fascism …do you really wonder what it is?”

Today, the National Assembly began approving the new “Bill for social responsibility of the media” also called the “muzzle law” by the opposition. They only approved the title and the first article of the Bill, but managed to modify what had been discussed. The innovation this time is that they included subscription TV as being a subject of the law, which implies the Government could block Direct TV subversive programs, such as CNN or Seinfeld if it felt like it.

Separately the Head of Human Rights organization COFAVIC warned two days ago that the new changes in the penal code include a penalty of thirty years in jail for any organization that receives international funding. She warned that besides the threat to ONG’s like Sumate, this threatens all human rights organizations who only receive funding from international sources and are the only ones denouncing the daily human rights violations of the Government.

As they say: “Looks like fascism, quacks like fascism, walks like fascism …do you really wonder what it is?”

Minister of Information Andres Izarra may be doing too many things now that he is in Caracas, compared to his quiet and efficient days in Washington DC where he had all day to think of new ways to make the opposition look bad. Well, today he said that Eva Golinger had shown that Sumate had received US$ 23 million from the US Government. But Alek Boyd was on top of the story and none other than Eva Golinger herself strongly denies the accusation directly:

“Boyd: I never said that no have I presented information a such. USAID has given approximately $25 million to political activities, but up until now, the only information pertaining to Súmate is the NED $53,400 grant and the USAID $84,480 grant. I have never stated otherwise nor am I responsible for other’s misstatements.”

Well Eva, in the revolution two or three extra zeroes are simply a roundoff error.

Curiously, in today’s Sumate ad in the local papers, Sumate says it has only received US$ 31.120 from the National Endowment for Democracy.

Minister of Information Andres Izarra may be doing too many things now that he is in Caracas, compared to his quiet and efficient days in Washington DC where he had all day to think of new ways to make the opposition look bad. Well, today he said that Eva Golinger had shown that Sumate had received US$ 23 million from the US Government. But Alek Boyd was on top of the story and none other than Eva Golinger herself strongly denies the accusation directly:

“Boyd: I never said that no have I presented information a such. USAID has given approximately $25 million to political activities, but up until now, the only information pertaining to Súmate is the NED $53,400 grant and the USAID $84,480 grant. I have never stated otherwise nor am I responsible for other’s misstatements.”

Well Eva, in the revolution two or three extra zeroes are simply a roundoff error.

Curiously, in today’s Sumate ad in the local papers, Sumate says it has only received US$ 31.120 from the National Endowment for Democracy.

I don’t get discouraged easily, but I will not post much today because I am extremely discouraged. I have felt all along that the opposition had to go to the regional elections no matter what, but today I feel that we are simply like cattle going to the slaughterhouse:

It turns out that 1.8 million people don’t have an address or a correct address in the national electoral registry as required by law. The CNE’s response? We have no formal complaint about this. But the new command of opposition Governors and Mayors says that they have made the accusation before and were promised that the full registry with addresses would be handed over to them…yesterday.

Meanwhile, the “new” CNE is functioning with three pro-Chavez members and one opposition member as authorities have refused to allow Ezequiel Zamora alternate to occupy her position because…they don’t like her.

Meanwhile, Tulio Alvarez says it’s illegal to hold elections on October 31^st. according to the electoral law. But …who can enforce the law in an autocracy?

And the Supreme Court admits an injunction against the results of the August 15^th. recall vote, which I am sure was made …to distract us.

I can feel Forero’s headline on Nov. 1^st: Venezuela backs Chavez, 90% of all Governors and Mayors elected yesterday support him. Of course, I am being an optimist, it will likely be 100% of Governors and 95% of Mayors, why bother with less if the fix is in?

Go Red Sox! They have a better chance than we do and they have Bambino’s curse and have not won since 1918.

Prosecutor Luisa Ortega granted an interview to Tal Cual to explain the logic behind the charges against Sumate. It goes something like this:

“The charges that the Public Ministry assigned to them are conspiracy against the republican political form given to the Nation, which is consecrated in Art. 132 of the penal Code.”

“Sumate conspired using resources from a foreign power”

“The Constitution in articles 130 and 131 establishes the civil duty to fidelity of the citizens towards their nation. We can do politics, ask for a recall vote or elections, what we can not do is to do politics asking for the participation of a foreign organization, because the legislator says that is a crime”

Well, the foreign organization “did not participate”, it gave funds to help organize a petition drive. This was not a conspiracy, this was a legal political activity and the funds were used for printing educational leaflets. Using this same logic, then all human rights organizations such as COFAVIC or Amnesty International, will have to cease receiving foreign funding, the same for environmental organizations such as Greenpeace. In fact the exchange at the end proves it:

At the end the reporter asked: so, as an example, the human rights organizations that receive funds from abroad can also be the subject of an investigation?

It depends what the funds are used for. If the funds were used for a sewing course there can be no crime, because that is not a political activity.

This is simply being used as a political weapon, while Government funds are used to finance the campaign of Chavez and all of his supporters. This my friends is another form of persecution and intimidation and has absolutely no justification in a democracy. It is more akin to what is done in totalitarian and fascist regimes.

Daniel discusses the other case of intimidation against once Chavez’ Minsiter of Finance General Uson. His crime? Telling the obvious truth. The charge? Tarnishing the image of the Venezuelan army, as if we have not seen our highest ranking Generals inability to complete full sentences, or carrying bags of food around instead of doing their job. By the way I ask: How many people have been jailed for burning those soldiers to death? Such is justice or in-justice in this silly revolution.

As usual Teodoro Petkoff uses common sense to compare ridiculous situations in today‘s Tal Cual Editorial.

On the sauces for the male and the female turkey by Teodoro Petkoff

(In Spanish, there is a saying: “Lo que es bueno para el pavo es bueno para la pava”, what is good for the male turkey is good for the female one, meaning that they are so similar that you have to treat them the same)

They pretend to bring the Sumate people to trial under the accusation that they received funds from a US foundation. However, Chavez who received a juicy contribution from a powerful Spanish bank (BBVA)-which was more than proven in Spanish courts-was never asked to account for that crime, which is a true crime, according to our legislation. Two weights, two measures? On the other hand, while against Sumate the worst epithets are used, the President transforms himself into a Versailles gentleman when he addresses his “fellow countrymen” from the Fuerzas Bolivarianas de Liberacion (FBL, a guerrilla group that Chavez last Sunday acknowledged for the first time it existed). Towards a bunch of guys that are frankly outlaws (Chavez himself recriminates that they use weapons of war and reminds them that this is the exclusive right of the Armed Forces) he cordially and with endearment asks that they quit what they are doing, that they give up their weapons and come and plant coffee-which implies, obviously, that those crimes will have imp unity. Here we have a bunch of military in jail, accused of rebellion, there we have a bunch of supposed guerillas, in concrete rebellion but for them the language is one of buddies. I will bet the Prosecutors office will never even find out about it.