The Devil's Excrement

The Economist just came out with its usual Bic Mac index for currencies (via PostPolitics). The Venezuelan currency the Bolivar is reported to be 15% undervalued, except that they are using the official rate, which essentially does not exist. After 100 days of currency controls not a single importer has been given foreign currency at the official rate. Thus, using the parallel rate of Bs. 2300 per US dollar the currency is 40% undervalued. Way to go Hugo!

Minister of Interior and Justice Lucas Rincon, infamous for his statement April 11th, 2002 “The President has resigned” , when he was the highest ranking member of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, showed his intolerance today when he called the opposition Mayors of Chacao and Baruta “vagabonds” adding “if it were for me, I would jail them”. The Minister was upset because the two Majors said that the level of insecurity was the fault of the Ministry, as well as saying that the Ministry does not even talk to the Mayors to attempt to solve problems such as the closing of a Caracas highway after the march on Thursday. Such tolerance!

The Chavez Government continues to attempt to downplay the death of an opposition marcher during Thursday’s demonstration. Minister of the Interior and Justice Lucas Rincon of “The President has resigned fame” said that the death was fortuitous and not political. However, there have been contradictions in the Government’s statements. From trying to say it was a personal dispute to the Head of the Intelligence police saying the killer had been drinking which lead to a discussion. However, the main prosecutor in the case said this was a personal problem between the suspect and the union worker that died. The same prosecutor suggested the person murdered was a shark loan, which his family denies. He also has said this was a problem over control of the union, later saying it was a discussion over some losses at the credit union of construction workers’ union.

The Government has failed to explain how this was not political if the suspect is Head of one of Chavez’s Bolivarian circles, is a well-known Chavez supporter according to neighbors and was taped in a video presented by opposition Deputy Gerardo Blyde hanging around the end-point of the march, a scene of which is shown here:

The man on the far right is Manuel Arias “el Pollo”, the suspect who is seen awaiting the arrival of the march with other reportedly Chavez supporters. Given that there was a pro-Chavez march at the same time; one has to wonder what these characters were doing there and if this was not premeditated. Despite this, Vice President Rangel said that the opposition was “necrophilic”, using these deaths to create scandals against the Government.

Lost in the shuffle was the fact that the prosecutor assigned to the case is Danilo Anderson, the environmental prosecutor chosen by the Attorney General to investigate the deaths of April 11th. 2002 of which all pro-Chavez supporters have been exonerated and freed. The Democratic Coordinator has asked the Attorney General “if he has any shame left” to remove Mr. Anderson from the case. The construction union had a similar request.

The Head of the intelligence police just came on TV and said that the death was nothing more than a discussion between two people and one ended up shooting at the other one, contradicting what various witnesses have said about a motorcycle showing up and one person shooting. The Head of the intelligence police , called DISIP, then said that this was just the opposition trying to increase hate within the population much like the case of the explosions at embassies. Asked by the reporter then what he could say about those explsions which took place two months ago he said something like ” I can’t say much because this is in legal proceeding and part of the summary, however, when we reveal what we know the world will know what type of opposition Hugo Chavez is facing”. How ethical, no?

It looks like history will be changed, once again, as we watch……It would be interesting for him to explain to us then if the opposition is to blame for everything, how come the whole downtown area has now been taken over by Chavez’ supporters who are now rioting with covered faces, armed and blocking traffic, very close to where the murders took place. These people are better than Goebbles!:

Note added: Union Radio is now reporting that the intelligence police car that took the assasin away had plate numbers 21534. Of Course, the Director of the Intelligence Police Miguel Rodriguez, alias “Goebbels” has already denied that this ever happened and the police car does not exist.

Opposition groups are now also blocking a local highway in protest. They are not armed.

During the opposition march celebrating MayDay a person in a motorcycle showed up and killed someone and apparently injured another one at the square that was the ending point of the march. The murdered person was a union worker that was in the march. Very confusing right now.

The march had not ended and most of the people had not reached the square, people are furious on TV, singing the national anthem as the police stops them from moving on.

Uinion Radio says that the shooting was part of a trap by Chavez’ supporters while TV station Globovision (live) is saying that curiously right before the shooting the municipal police disapeared. The intelligence police went into the building where supposedly the assasin was hiding and as they came out the outraged crowd started throwing stones at them. The police then started using tear gas on the demonstrators.

Now a group of Chavez’ supporters has shown up taunting the opposition people and a fight has started, people are throwing bottles and stones and the cops tear gas.

While witnesses are saying that it was indeed a trap in which a group of people showed up shooting, the Government is saying that it was a discussion between two people that ended up in a shooting. Another witness is saying that the shooter climbed in a police car after shooting. A Deputy is saying that the man was trapped and handed over to the cops and then the cops started shooting at the marchers too.

The dead worker was a construction worker from the West of Caracas. He was 46 years old. Two hours after his shooting, not a single Government authority has said anything or appeared on TV, including the Minister of the Interior and Justice who is in charge of security.