The Devil's Excrement

This is not about politics. This is a story about a judicial system and a society so rotten and so putrid that something like the Linda Loaiza case can occur. It is impunity within impunity. A decision so absurd and corrupt that even those that preside over a system that promotes impunity are flabbergasted by it. It is victory of money over fairness, money over human decency, money over a monstrosity, in short, money over the most basic moral and ethical principles of a human being.

The story is simple and complicated. Three years ago, Linda Loaiza was found in Luis Carrera’s apartment. They fond her chained to a chair. She had been there for many months. She was found mutilated. She had been abused and raped. She had been hit so often that her ears were deformed, her eyesight ruined. Since she was liberated, she has undergone many medical treatments, both internal and external.

Her captor Luis Carrera was immediately jailed, but the case dragged on and on for the last three years. Fifty nine judges inhibited themselves from the case; thirty times her audience was suspended. Mr. Carrera’s father was implicated in the case, but never charged. It got to be so ridiculous and contrived that Ms. Loaiza started a hunger strike in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court asking for justice. She finally thought she was going to get it when the head of the Supreme Court promise the case would finally be decided upon.

And it was. Like most recent mysterious judicial decisions in Venezuela it was announced by the judge past midnight. But the decision was a true shocker. The judge said there was no “proof” as if Ms. Loaiza’s battered body was not sufficient evidence that a crime had been committed. It also made everyone wonder if there was no evidence, how come 59 judges had avoided the case like the plague if it was so simple? 

What makes it even worse was that the judge (a woman!), accepted Mr. Carrera’s words as more important than all of the other evidence in the case. Mr. Carrera argued that the injuries were caused by someone else, but this phantom criminal has yet to be identified and no suspect exists or has been mentioned by anyone.

There are other edges to the case. The defense argued for a lower sentence on Carrera using a shameful portion of the penal code that reduces sentences in cases involving prostitution, an inheritance from those eras of full machismo and discrimination against women, some of which unfortunately linger on in Venezuelan society. 

While all sectors of society are scandalized at the grotesque sentence, from the opposition, to the Prosecutors, even the People’s Ombudsman has been heard from, the wiser question is why? Why did this judge let Mr. Carrera go? Why did she use such simplistic arguments in her sentence? Why did she place so much weight on Carrera’s statements and so little on the evidence? Did Carrera’s father get to her with money? Wasn’t she worried about the impact of her decision?

The truth is that judge Cadiz’s decision smells so dirty that it makes you wonder how much she had to be paid, for her to dare go through with it anyway. She knew she would and will get the full weight of the revolution on her case. She will be fired and lose her jib, so she must have received sufficiently to obviate the punishments ahead in such a public and widely known case.

And that is the wide implication for Venezuelan society of the Linda Loaiza case. A judicial system so corrupt and promiscuous that there is not even fear of the authorities that have used it to their advantage day after day. Impunity at such high levels that no amount of political pressure or the simple fairness of the case can push the judge into doing what is right. It is evidence of the ethical and moral decay of a corrupted judicial system where decisions are beyond the moral or political, in the end it is money that rules. There is a price for every decision, as long as it is commensurate with the danger the judge may be in.

For the revolution it creates a big problem. It has manipulated and controlled decisions in such a rampant way that the whole system is out of control. Money flows around decisions if politics is absent. Politics rules decisions and allows impunity. In fact, political decisions give judges protection from the revolution. But the whole thing has gotten carried away that it is running under control and telling us something very ugly about the system that is supposed to protect the citizens and guarantee their rights. In the case of Linda Loaiza, she has been abused twice, once by her captor and tormentor and now by this parody of justice, called the Venezuelan judicial system.

It also has much wider impications to society as a whole. The lack of morals and ethics extends to much more than the judicial system by a society used to impunity to such an extent that there is little fear of getting caught and even less of being punished.

This is not about politics. This is a story about a judicial system and a society so rotten and so putrid that something like the Linda Loaiza case can occur. It is impunity within impunity. A decision so absurd and corrupt that even those that preside over a system that promotes impunity are flabbergasted by it. It is victory of money over fairness, money over human decency, money over a monstrosity, in short, money over the most basic moral and ethical principles of a human being.

The story is simple and complicated. Three years ago, Linda Loaiza was found in Luis Carrera’s apartment. They fond her chained to a chair. She had been there for many months. She was found mutilated. She had been abused and raped. She had been hit so often that her ears were deformed, her eyesight ruined. Since she was liberated, she has undergone many medical treatments, both internal and external.

Her captor Luis Carrera was immediately jailed, but the case dragged on and on for the last three years. Fifty nine judges inhibited themselves from the case; thirty times her audience was suspended. Mr. Carrera’s father was implicated in the case, but never charged. It got to be so ridiculous and contrived that Ms. Loaiza started a hunger strike in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court asking for justice. She finally thought she was going to get it when the head of the Supreme Court promise the case would finally be decided upon.

And it was. Like most recent mysterious judicial decisions in Venezuela it was announced by the judge past midnight. But the decision was a true shocker. The judge said there was no “proof” as if Ms. Loaiza’s battered body was not sufficient evidence that a crime had been committed. It also made everyone wonder if there was no evidence, how come 59 judges had avoided the case like the plague if it was so simple? 

What makes it even worse was that the judge (a woman!), accepted Mr. Carrera’s words as more important than all of the other evidence in the case. Mr. Carrera argued that the injuries were caused by someone else, but this phantom criminal has yet to be identified and no suspect exists or has been mentioned by anyone.

There are other edges to the case. The defense argued for a lower sentence on Carrera using a shameful portion of the penal code that reduces sentences in cases involving prostitution, an inheritance from those eras of full machismo and discrimination against women, some of which unfortunately linger on in Venezuelan society. 

While all sectors of society are scandalized at the grotesque sentence, from the opposition, to the Prosecutors, even the People’s Ombudsman has been heard from, the wiser question is why? Why did this judge let Mr. Carrera go? Why did she use such simplistic arguments in her sentence? Why did she place so much weight on Carrera’s statements and so little on the evidence? Did Carrera’s father get to her with money? Wasn’t she worried about the impact of her decision?

The truth is that judge Cadiz’s decision smells so dirty that it makes you wonder how much she had to be paid, for her to dare go through with it anyway. She knew she would and will get the full weight of the revolution on her case. She will be fired and lose her jib, so she must have received sufficiently to obviate the punishments ahead in such a public and widely known case.

And that is the wide implication for Venezuelan society of the Linda Loaiza case. A judicial system so corrupt and promiscuous that there is not even fear of the authorities that have used it to their advantage day after day. Impunity at such high levels that no amount of political pressure or the simple fairness of the case can push the judge into doing what is right. It is evidence of the ethical and moral decay of a corrupted judicial system where decisions are beyond the moral or political, in the end it is money that rules. There is a price for every decision, as long as it is commensurate with the danger the judge may be in.

For the revolution it creates a big problem. It has manipulated and controlled decisions in such a rampant way that the whole system is out of control. Money flows around decisions if politics is absent. Politics rules decisions and allows impunity. In fact, political decisions give judges protection from the revolution. But the whole thing has gotten carried away that it is running under control and telling us something very ugly about the system that is supposed to protect the citizens and guarantee their rights. In the case of Linda Loaiza, she has been abused twice, once by her captor and tormentor and now by this parody of justice, called the Venezuelan judicial system.

It also has much wider impications to society as a whole. The lack of morals and ethics extends to much more than the judicial system by a society used to impunity to such an extent that there is little fear of getting caught and even less of being punished.

“Icons of the Revolution” as the Chavista blames the IVth. Republic for the recent destruction.  The next day, Rayma expressed a very similar idea with her “Postcards from Caracas”

When CNE President Carrasquero spoke yesterday on TV, I could only wonder how mediocre people like him get to such positions and whether they truly believe they are fooling anyone. For Carrasquero to accuse CNE Director Mejias of being “partial” has to be one of the most laughable and ridiculous accusations you could ever hear. Yes, Mejias has never hidden her sympathies for the opposition, but you could never accuse her of voting with a bias position in favor of the opposition. But you can accuse Carrasquero of doing it.

In fact Carrasquero, who was supposed to be the impartial vote in the CNE, always voted with a 3-2 majority in split decision and not once, did he vote with the two pro-opposition Directors in any decision. Moreover, Carrasquero not only voted in every single instance to create huge obstacles for the petition to have a recall against Hugo Chavez’ mandate, but as President of the CNE barred the two opposition Directors from going into the totalization room the fateful night of the recall vote.

In fact, Carrasquero has been part of some of the sorriest moments I have ever seen, such as arguing that resigning CNE Director was doing it for reasons “different” than the ones he argued publicly, while calling himself his friend, which Zamora immediately denied, reiterating his original reasons. The same happened yesterday when asked the Venezuelan Supreme Court to investigate Director Mejias. But all Mejias did was to point out in detail all of the violations of the law by the other pro-Chávez Jorge Rodríguez, regulations in law in hand to prove her point.

The amazing thing is that it is Carrasquero who is the lawyer, the former law Professor, Dean of the Law school who used to preach about upholding the law, but who now finds his former students burning his law books in protest over his behavior.

It was law Professor Carrasquero who allowed party-hack Jorge Rodriguez to become the true and visible head of the CNE. Who allowed Rodriguez to sign voting machines and fingerprint contracts violating Venezuelan laws. Who as President of the CNE never replied to the CD’s request to hold an audit on August 18^th. in which 50 boxes would be chosen by the CD, despite a law in Venezuelan known as “La LOPA” who punishes the lack pf response for such requests and imposes very precise limits on how long a Government official has to respond. It was Carrasquero who allowed the Electoral registry to be open days before the recall vote, violating Venezuela’s law that says no election can be held until 90 days after the Registry has been closed. And he is doing it again. The man who swore to uphold the law is now attempting to hold an election only six weeks after the registry was still open.

Never has Carrasquero looked worse than yesterday trying to minimize an accusation by the opposition that he clearly never even understood. When Chacao Mayor explained today that the work the opposition had done involved going to check where these 1.8 million new voters were and finding I his own municipality over 22 thousand people who nobody knows where they live, even if they have an address, or the 145 people in a Falcon municipality who all live in the same address where nobody knows them. In closing, Lopez asked Carrasquero where was the reasonable doubt used in the petition drive and note that they had made their presentation of how thousands of Colombians had been nationalized without proof that they even have ever lived in Venezuela. Lopez reminded Carrasquero: “ it is not only us that make this accusation, but we ratify the one made by Colombian Foreign Minister Barco”. So much for the sovereignty and nationalist pride of the revolution!

It makes you wonder how men like Carrasquero can live with themselves. The same man who Chavez removed as Head of Rafael Urdaneta University in his Sunday radio program as Carrasquero listened and found out about it. How do such mediocre men, leave their dignity aside to serve someone else who may tomorrow laugh at them, dispense with them and remove them without a word.

These are the small-brained, mediocre men who think that holding a politically appointed position is a goal in itself. The ones that think that the regime will live forever. That they will be remembered, except if they ever are, it will be for their weaknesses and vindictive behavior. A clone for the Peoples’ Ombudsman. A twin for the Attorney General. Another dispensable soldier of the revolution, useful as long as he is willing to leave his dignity aside to lie and violate the rights of others, in the name of the revolution.

My brain has recovered from the translation of the fraud report and I have to do justice to these stories some of which are at the borderline between being news and being stale news.

–So, at last Baruta Mayor Henrique Capriles Radonsky gets full freedom after his case was manipulated right and left by the Prosecutor’s hatchet man Danilo Anderson. Despite the  existence of videos showing that Capriles was actually trying to appease the crowd and was there in response to the Cuban’s Ambassador call, Anderson managed to find sufficient judges chosen with the randomness that characterizes this administration, to actually keep Capriles in jail fro months. The decisions against him were so outrageous that the Appeals Court sentenced that even the crime he was charged with were not of a penal nature. But nevertheless Capriles spent his time in jail to please the Cuban Ambassador and the testimony of the Norwegian Ambassador was not even admitted in Court.

–Meanwhile, the President of the CNE, who has never hidden his partiality to the Government comes out and says that the Supreme Court should investigate the statements by CNE Director Sobella Mejias because: “she strayed from her mission based on impartiality”. Interesting given that her accusation two days ago was basically a list of laws that have been violated by CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez. Mejias snapped back today saying she will not be intimidated and pointing out that the CNE Directors have violated all of the timetables established by the law. She noted that in contrast to the other CNE Directors, her acts as a CNE Directors have been directed at protecting the rights of all voters. She actually read the laws as she spoke to demonstrate what specific articles had been violated.

–Somewhere else, hatchetman/Prosecutor Anderson began charging people with rebellion fro going to the Presidential Palace on April 12^th. 2002 and signing the Carmona decree, but has not even called to testify the General who appeared on TV that night saying that Chavez had resigned. This General could add some light on the issue of rebellion, after all, if he had not said Chavez had resigned nothing would have happened. In fact, after he said that, Chávez left the Presidential Palace. So, why hasn’t General Lucas Rincon been charged with rebellion also? Why was he rewarded with the Ministry of Interior and Justice after Chavez came back? Easy, this is another example of political persecution of the regime’s enemies.

–In the US, the President of the National Endowment for Democracy Carl Gersham defends the NED’s grant to Sumate saying (WSJ, by subscription): “We consider the idea that the NED is an instrument to achieve regime change against governments that the U.S. doesn’t like to be a scurrilous charge. For 20 years we have been making some 700 grants annually and we make small grants to groups like Súmate in some 80 countries.”

–On other news, President Hugo Chavez denounced for 57^th. time  (or is it the 157^th. time?) on Sunday that unknown, unidentified and phantom groups are ready to try to kill him. This has become a recurrent theme with Chavez and these incompetent groups have yet to even try anything. Today we are enlightened by Minister of the Interior Chacon who charges:”A group of Chavez’ opposers who are looking to kill him have sought refuge in Colombia” “There are some elements that we presume are here, others have left and are in Colombia”. The Minister has failed to indicate who these “gentlemen” as he calls them are, why they are going in the opposite direction or why if they know so much, they have not arrested them.

Chipilin sends in this picture wondering if anyone can explain how a window six floors below the fire pops and smoke comes out of it

We have placed my translation of the fraud report to English right here for those that may not read Spanish. Thanks Ed and MB for their help.  Still has typos but my days still only have 24 hours.

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal president?

We have placed my translation of the fraud report to English right here for those that may not read Spanish. Thanks Ed and MB for their help.  Still has typos but my days still only have 24 hours.

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal President?

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal president?

We have placed my translation of the fraud report to English right here for those that may not read Spanish. Thanks Ed and MB for their help.  Still has typos but my days still only have 24 hours.

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal President?

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal president?

We have placed my translation of the fraud report to English right here for those that may not read Spanish. Thanks Ed and MB for their help.  Still has typos but my days still only have 24 hours.

Alexander Luzardo is an Unviersity Professor and environmentalist that supported Chavez’ election in 1998 wholeheratedly and was even elected as a Senator for Chavez MVR in 1998. He later wrote the sections of the new Bolivarian Constitution relating to the environment. I had heard little from and about him recently and was truly shocked by his attack n Chávez’ environmental policy in this article published in yesterday’s el Universal.

An environmental balance of the last five years of the Government of President Chavez begins by recognizing the approval of the Chapter about Environmental Rights and other mandates established in the 1999 Constitution, characterized by Hermán Escarrá in his speech presenting the Constitutional project as the most beautiful and advanced with respect to human Rights and Guarantees. To that effect he says: “It is a right and a duty for each generation to protect and maintain the environment for its own benefit and that of the future world”. This phrase in itself, it’s a constitution.

Environmental management has been characterized by clear inefficiency and lack of leadership by the supervising organization: The minister of the Environment and of Natural Resources (MARN). Its operating units such as the national institute for Parks which administers approximately 15% of the national territory, composed of 43 national parks, does not have an adequate budget and has been spiraling down for the last ten years, the same as the MARN and its regional and state directorships.

The National parks are affected by invasion, an example of these are the mining invasion of the Yapacana National Park, in Amazonas; Henry Pittier, Aragua; Yacambu, Lara; El Avila, Caracas and Vargas, as well as the protective zones of Caracas and Miranda and the Cortada del Guayabo in the Pan-American Highway, in front of the insensible eyes of the authorities and the Environmental Guardship pf the National Guard, even in the noses of Fort Tiuna (Caracas’ military Fort) Damaging activities are registered in the fishing and animal refuge “Los Olivitos” near the Gulf of Venezuela in Zulia State and in the Paria peninsula, by the exploration and exploitation of gas and oil.

The preaching for the occupation of land does not take into account the indispensable protection of the soil and the areas Under Special regimen (ABRAE), which could translate into the loss of capacity of these soils, exhausting of the sources of water and liquidation of forests.

The electrical transmission lines over Canaima National park and the Gran Sabana generated a negative visual and scenic impact over the chain of Tepuys (unique in the world) and affected the Sierra de Lema.

The policy of cleaning oil and petrochemical moats in Zulia and the East and other areas has been halted.

The announced carbon mining opening by Corpozulia threatens to destroy the sierra de Perija, a biodiversity reserve, including the water that feeds the lake through rivers, which is the habitat of the Yucpa and Bari people.

Lake Maracaibo has a grave problem with eutrification, the causes of which are many, which has not been controlled by the organizations of environmental policy, national, regional or local.

The Orinoco Delta continues to be affected by environmental and sociocultural impacts of oil related origins.

The deterioration of the urban air is notable in violation of the right to enjoy the cities in parks, boulevards, public squares and avenues

A large part of the beaches of the central coast and other states are polluted. The hydro climatic network of information has not been installed since the Vargas state tragedy.

The tepuys, natural monuments protected by executive decree and expressly by the constitution (Article 127) are damaged by private tourism activities that penetrate the summits, which is prohibited given their extreme ecological fragility.

This space is not sufficient to continue enumerating this balance, but we can not forget to point out the environmental impact of the so called Socio economic development plan of the nation, which, if finalized in those terms, would be an ecological disaster, the same as with the integration with Brazil without any environmental precautions.

Hugo Chavez’ Government has not ratified the Kyoto protocol for the reduction of fossil fuel combustion, coinciding in this policy with the US President George w. Bush.

Meanwhile, the new decree 3110 of the Pan to regulate and organize the use of the forest reserve of Imataca, proposes to open tropical forests for miners. Worse than decree 1850.

A gigantic ecocide can be envisioned. Will Chavez go down in history as an ecocidal President?