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Comments
Well, Perón certainly qualifies. I was scared this govenrment would end up that way, but with Kirchner dead and his wife on the way out, it seems less likely. We do have a lot of experience with strictly despotic governments (no technicalities needed).
halfthepeopleinmyhighschool.txt
Is that from an actual argentinian, or just someone mocking the "accent".
It's from an actual argentinian, or at least by somebody who writes a lot about Argentina.
Yeah, I was worried about the Kirchner perpetuating their governments thing too when Cristina sought indefinite reelections (that was also the wake-up call for me that our government had to go before perpetuating themselves), although from what I understand they ran out of populist fuel before they got too entrenched.
You guys and your populist. I am glad that Martinelli didn't get his puppet elected. Now we have our own landed gentry deeply catholic booze emporium president on the reins. Hah.
y'all just lucky you aren't dutch diseased and your govt can't print money
I gotta confess, I was glad Martinelli was there to be one of our few sources of international pressure during the protests.
And:
On the topic of presidents' professions, for a while it seemed that we would make this happen:
(Unfortunately, those were the first election Chávez won.)
And on the topic of populists, apparently Spain is growing one in the form of Pablo Iglesias. He's been talked about here due to the fact that he sounds uncannily like Chávez, especially during his early years. Creepy. Next time nohay comes I'll ask him about that.
On actual news, the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Investigations has been shut down, a move interpreted by some as promoting emigration of smart people. Either way people aren't fond of seeing its 55 year old legacy gone.
Apparently like last year the National Electoral Council is neglecting registration, this time only allowing new registries for two week and not doing much of an ad campaign for them. We'll see if the trend continues next year. Since us younglings are by now a clear oppository demographic...
There was some controversy yesterday over an protest against The Man at Altamira, and it got a book festival being held there cancelled (by its authorities). Since apparently nobody bothered making videos of it it's hard to tell which side is justified in its actions. Either way it sparked yet another debate over protesting or not. Geeze...
Live edit: There seems to be a gunfight in the same jail Baduel Jr. and one of Popular Will's youth leader Alexander Tirado are being held.
Baduel jr. and Alexander Tirado are "safe", but starting a hunger strike...
That talk about (technically not) despotism is a good time to remember that Maburro doesn't mind being called a dictator, his words.
From watching photos apparently that protest at Altamira was very peaceful, with police presence even, and yet got the scorn from a chunk of the opposition. "Social domestication" is such a disturbing term...
Journalist Alek Boyd residing in London had his home broken in by three (stupid) thugs who only took his laptop, as if the info within was the only thing they went after, plus putting in photos of him and his family. Link. International spies?
Since I'm in a translating mood I translated that article above. Sorry about typos and errors, didn't have time to recheck. Read in your best Argentine accent:
Message to a young Argentine chavist.
Let's say, that you swallowed the stuff. You believed in that XXIst century socialism. Alright, that happens to anybody. You applauded Chávez when he smelled sulphur. You thought that was awesome. And of course, the guy had his charm. He was histrionic, charismatic, and you never liked the United States. Okay, it's alright.
You made an effort, not very large, in making disappear from your head everything you learned in school about division of powers, state of rights and republican principles. Silly nonsense, you thought, when we're talking about the bolivarian revolution that will take America [the continent] out of the yanquee yoke. Let's go!
Later, you saw that in the country of oil there was scarcity of food and even toilet paper, but you preferred to think that it was a collution of evil businessmen like Ebenezer Scrooge. And, why even say it, you never liked businessmen. You went on forward.
The stuff got tougher with the thing about aggression and persecution of journalists. It made a bit of noise to you. You suspected that freedom of press was something very good. But, what can we do, you convinced yourself that it was about destabilizing media that wanted to overthrow the government. Ah, something else. Your love for socialism was stronger and Chávez knew what he was doing and in any case nobody is perfect and the construction of the Great Nation [unified South America] needs some sacrifices. Let's keep on. You cried, bawled and posted a bunch of stuff when the Commander died and you swore to travel to put flowers in his grave, like you once swore to visit Cuba, though deep inside you suspect that when you have some extra pesos to travel, you'll choose more touristic destinations.
But these days, the matter got complicated. Because you see they beat up and shoot to civilians without second thoughts. Because you see they kill a youngling with impunity. It's hard to swallow. In Venezuella they gun down students, young like you. Like you, who yesterday dreamt of the French May and today you have your throat full of questions. You think: Can I really convince myself that these manifestating people are really agents of the yanquee empire? Will I put myself on the side of the police, on the side of bullets? Will I cross that new limit?
You know the answer. Of course you will. You will swallow that stuff again. You'll push your instincts, that tell you this is wrong, well inside the closet. Why? Because you can't make even one step backwards. Not now, not ever. Because doing so would be aknowledging that you were an idiot all this time. And the Nation may be Great, but your ego is much Greater. And the progressivists are the ones who gets more chicks at the faculty. And you have to consider how much trouble it was to learn paragraphs from 'The Open Veins of Latin America' [very lefty book]. And playing revolution from a smartphone is still super fun. And look that if you admit that you got something wrong, tomorrow -who knows- you'll have to aknowledge that you got something else wrong!
No, no. Anyways what does it matter if, in any case, Venezuela is very far away.
You can't stand your team losing. Create one, a hundred, a thousand Vietnams. Homeland, socialism or death. Keep on forward. Today you have to justify the police shooting at peaceful civilians. Have fun. Hope you like it.
I find that "Today you have to justify..." part particularly impactful, there's an implicit "tomorrow you have to justify internment camps, then a massacre, then...".
Add a few "boludo"s in there for maximum authenticity.
There was a mutiny at Uribana jail, causing the death of 41 prisoners. Officially a good chunk of them commited suicide (by drinking poison) in protest over abuses, extraofficially they were poisoned by the jail's authorities.
Juan Carlos Caldera resigned his post at the National Assembly due to the (most certainly true) accusations of receiving illicit sponsoring money.
Remember what I said a while ago about Rafael Ramírez no longer being Minister of Energy and Oil? That's only half true, he's been using his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs to have talks with other Ministers of Energy and Oil or equivalents, to no avail.
About the science institute shutdown above, Vicepresident Jorge Arreaza: "What we're going to eliminate is that elitistic science for capitalism that is not useful to the people."
As expected, the reds came up with an Oil War that the Galactic Empire is waging to make oil prices decrease and deliberately destabilize the country.
Also, the above article makes me wonder what Octo's views on national politics is, as of only a year ago he was still firmly pro-PSUV, so...
Aaaand, María Corina is being formally accused of that magnicide thing from months ago, her trial is today.
You almost made me go to Revleft and see what do they say about that. Might be a bit too hard for my nerves though.
María Corina is still free, and hopefully it'll stay that way forever.
I went there expecting to see an Aporrea equivalent, it is still stupid, because it's a socialist site and everything about socialism is stupid, but nothing tough to swallow. the Rationalwiki article on them is a treat, as usual.
Here are some quotes on Science (and technology):
Anybody can suggest me some reading materials on science as a imperialist tool? Or anything relating science and imperialism. Thanks.
Another way to put it is that the ruling ideas of any age [including sciences] are the ideas of the ruling class.
'Naomi Klein: How science is telling us all to revolt' (an article from elsewhere but whatevs.)
I'm not really sure how to word my fear, but I'll do the best I can. If we view capitalism as a system that is optimizing itself towards a certain state, then we could be in trouble. A perfect worker in a capitalist system would have no sense of empathy for workers in an opposing company. Hence, attributes we would associate with humans (and some other species) would be "optimized out" in a singularity occurring in a capitalistic system.
Commies and singularitarians. Ouch. Bad enough by themselves. And I thought those New Right folks of Insanity Addict's are the wrong side of nerd. Perhaps I'll read these once I get home... you know. Not sure if I can bear it.
If it makes you feel better (not that I expect it), biased intellectuallism has a very old tradition. Classical Greece and, I think, Zhou China. Heh heh.
OG sophistry is best sophistry.
^^ Oh, don't be such a baby, it's just a bunch of socialists being oblivious and encouraging political violence, nothing unpredictable or that you won't see in any socialist state TV channel.
I know about the bias thing, I wasn't sure whether to include that, but I did since whether there is bias or not, it's ultimately yet another instance of everything being the capitalists' tool for oppression.
The finer point might be eluding me here. But whatever.
There hasn't been anything interesting going on in like a week, I guess I'll just post.
There's now a "Comitee of Victims of Barricades and Continuous Coup", joining on the government blaming Leopoldo and other victims for the 43 deaths that occurred during the protests and request... I'm not quite sure, jail more oppositors? I guess the relatives of the three drivers who died to road blocks have a legitimate reason to demand justice, but soooomething tells me this has more to do with being a govt. propaganda platform.
That reminds me, a friend hit barricade spikes while driving, blew three tyres and could've easily crashed, that was near a hospital even. He wasn't pleased.
It's been nearly a year, but those sanctions against the bolibourgeoisie are happening now, as the congresswoman who was blocking it was voted out. One of you yanks will have to explain to me how a single legislator can veto it like that.
I was planning to mention the Venezuelan oil price the next time they increase, but it's been long enough already; they're at $57.53 as of last friday. Also the Ministry of Energy and Mining neglected to publish the figure on time.
José "Pepe" Mujica (President of Uruguay and roblution friendly): "In generic terms, I've always asked [Nicolás Maduro] gentleness towards prisoners and very preferential treatment towards prisoners of political character, which is a disgrace that he has to have them." The rest of the interview is quite damning on the govt., which is weird coming from him.
And on the other side of the equation, Minister of Tourism Andréz Izarra, presumably on the US-Cuba thing: "Comrade Obama" (did he get his Twitter account hacked or something?)
Oh, also two things I forgot to mention from earlier:
Those enabling laws were passed the week his permit was about to expire.
Maduro didn't win legitimately not only because of fraud accusations, but also because he couldn't be a candidate in the first place (being interin president at the time).
Marcelo Crovato, a lawyer who was detained during a raid while assisting protesters , is still being held jailed without trial in terrible conditions, he's a number of physical illnesses and tried to commit suicide. The Penal Forum is doing a campaign for his liberation, and the government is not relenting.
One of the shooters who killed Bassil da Costa, who also happened to be one of Rodríguez Torres' bodyguards, has just been given a military condecoration.
The long overdue selection of Moral Power* was done. The PSUV proposed a bunch of obviously biased candidates (including the same attourney dirtbag Luisa Ortega Díaz), which the MUD refused to vote for (with the ugly exception of the treacherous Ricardo Sánchez). Lacking the two thirds majority they need to elect the candidates, they brought the matter to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which judged that a simple majority is enough, in very clear contravention of the constitution that states the matter should be brought to public consultation in the case of a standstill. And so three reds make up the positions. It seems they want to do the same with the electoral rectors.
Gee, it's like they're trying to make a point out of how low they can go. What a way to enjoy holidays, isn't it? I've noticed a lack of Christmas decorations this year, it seems as if pessimism is taking over.
* Besides the usual three state powers, there's the Electoral power formed by the National Electoral Council and its five rectors, and a Moral/Civical power formed by the General Republic's Attourney, the General Republic's Comptroller, and the Ombudsman (or "Defensor del Pueblo", literally "People's Defender", aka "Defensor del Puesto" or "Position Defender").
So, one of my buddies writes a backpacker blog. Currently in Venezuela. Everything's fine and dandy, everyone's happy, completely no austerity of any kind whatsoever, shops lack toilet paper 'cause everyone has lots at home anyway. Ebul capatilists whine. Countryside folks are panicky, scared of non-existent crime.
At least s/he didn't say there's lack of toilet paper because we shit a lot. Your friend doesn't seem to mind talking about things s/he has only a passing knowledge on. I suggest going through the daily routines of searching if your local stores have milk, sugar (sweets don't count) or other basic staples, or spending some hours at a line and listen to the complaints there. Also if your friend bought Bs.F. from abroad s/he might thing stuff is ridiculously cheap, rather than him/her being on the benigh side of economic distortions. Your friend might also want to spend some time outside a hotel and test out public services and count the blackouts and days water shortages (although that one depends more on regional governments), and s/he seems to have borrowed the obvious government line that criminality is "just a perception". And as usual, everything is going to get worse and worse as time goes on, and that's before getting into political abuses.
While we're at it, for the interest of fairness it turned out the low power I talked about couple months ago was due to a transformer failure that they got fixed quickly once reported. On the other hand the blackouts were very real, and we're having severe water shortages now, consistently going away every other day.
If it isn't clear by now, I've grown a severe dislike of foreigners commenting on our current situation in favour of the PSUV, always lacking a firm grasp of it. Then again, if your friend posted that today, I can take it as the equivalent of April Fools that is today.
As for actual news... ummm, I thought I had a draft already written, oh well, I hope I'm not forgetting anything important.
The Supreme Tribunal of Justice decided they'd choose the electoral rectors themselves, ratifying the posts of the despicable Tibisay Lucena and Sandra Oblitas. Next the PSUV will select a bunch of magistrates again going through a simple majority rather than the absolute majority the constitution requires.
Edit: Oh yeah, Rafael Ramírez is now ambassador to the UN, his post as Minister of Foreign Affaires is now taken by Delcy Rodríguez, former Minister of Propaganda.
When talking with my friends I was wondering what would Chavez apologists outside Venezuela would do to save face in the face of recent events. My preffered answer was to take the easy way out and just pass the blame onto Maduro, I'm glad to see them be a bit more creative. Though I'm surprised they're not using the oil angle a bit more.
Yeh, blaming Maduro seems to be the #1 way for ex-chavists to convince themselves they weren't scammed, but Maduro being there or that he can get away with bullshit is because of Chávez, and most of current policies came from Chávez anyways, though at some point you have to wonder when it stops being Chávez' fault for breaking things and it starts being Maduro's fault for not fixing them.
It's also good to remember that current oil prices aren't low, they just aren't ridiculously high, they're still way over what all but one previous government had to work with (Carlos Andréz Pérez' first government back in the 70s oil boom).
As for foreign apologists the most common excuse to save face is also the most mundane; buy the government lines: there's no scarcity or lack of public services, what little there is is because of an economic/electrical war, criminality is "just a sensation" and it happens because the opposition hires hitmen to raise the statistics, and we have the best democracy ever because there's elections all the time, and those "protesters" are CIA-sponsored terrorists trying to overthrow the legitimate government. It's weird, I assumed having the benefit of distance would make them have less extreme, cartoony opinions, but turns out those who like the government because of cheap electoral shit have a better political sense than them.
The reddy-red outgoing ombudswoman Gabriela Ramírez was physically and verbally abused by a woman at a restaurant. She eventually got arrested.
Diosdado already decided the new magistrates will be elected by a simple majority at the National Assembly, again against the constitution (am I sounding redundant?).
GDP growth figures are finally out. First quarter: -4.8%. Second quarter: -4.9%. Third quarter: -2.3%. "Could have been worse" says Maduro. Also, November's anualized inflation: 63.6%, oil prices: 46.97$.
Minister of Home affairs, Justice and Pigs Carmen Meléndez is now also "Vicepresident of Sovereignty, Peace and Security".
Maduro announced that in January he would announce a currency exchange announcement, about reestructurating it, plus other economic adjustments.
And that's how the year ends. Yeah, 2014 was long and tense, but really, the most important things revolved around the metaphorical 18 months that lasted from february to june. Sorry if I seem stuck in the past, but what happened during the protests was unprecedented in many important ways. It's also made me learn a bunch of important lessons, here it goes:
Today I woke up in an idealist mood. Alas, it'll take much more than what's happened to start improving things.
Two-part post because it's long.
As for 2015, I can't really say much, we're right where we were a year ago except worse and with the same worse forecasts for the new year. There's this atmosphere of pessimism and uncertainty about everything, so...
The following two articles are the briefest, comprehensive articles about the next year I've read:
The crystal ball of 2015
By Alberto Quirós Corradi
For a long time I published my predictions for the next year where I analyzed what would happen in many sectors of the country. The crisis Venezuela is going through is forcing me to retake the topic to anticipate what'll happen in 2015.
Economy. Everybody agrees that it'll be a year of high inflation, shortages, currency scarcity, low oil prices, corruption, deficient public management, increasing unemployment, increase of the informal sector, more poverty, punished middle class, etc. This is something over which serious economists agree, point more, point less. Very few believe the regime will take the necessary measures to confront the economic disaster and even if it did and proceeded intelligently to dismount price and currency controls, unify the dollar exchange rate, reduce public spending, stop printing inorganic money, end corruption and smuggling, 2015 will be a very difficult to administrate. Whatever is done the inflation will be high and there'll be shortages for the simple reason that the country won't be able to, in a single year, increase adecuately the generation of consumption goods or productivity, since there'll be no currency to import enough to flood the market and make supply greater than demand. Plus, there's going to be a need to devaluate under any scenario. The dollar at 6.30 Bs.F. is now a bad joke. The tragedy of 2015 is that no matter what the regime does, it's going to negatively affect all citizens; the poor, the middle class, businessmen, formal and informal workers, the unemployed, those under pensions or retired, children and teenagers. The consequences of measures the government takes will be seen in 2016 when the economic recovery of the country might be seen, if the correct measures are taken in 2015 and resist their negative effects.
Politics. The big question is if the regime will withstand the year 2015, that independently of what it does it will be, in social terms, unmanageable. And nobody get in joy for the problems the government will have to confront. They're the same problems that will make it difficult to govern for anybody seating at Miraflores. The corrupt and inepts of today have brought us to a situation under which there's no possible recuperation without first going through worse moments where the public spending adjustments that have to be done, regardless of how much dedication you put in, will affect everybody, especially those who have less and the low-middle class. All the above points that 2015 there'll be a political change in Venezuela that, probably, will be provoked by some sector within the regime itself. Maduro, as we've observed already, has no possibility for a successful 2015. Will the political sector, the citizenry and the Armed Forces concede him another year of apparent failure? However you look at it, unconstitutional thunders roar.
Insecurity. The greatest crime of this regime has been to corrupt society, not only in larceny, but worse, in the destruction of values. Life is worth nothing, there's killing for a pair of shoes and sometimes for the apparent joy in ending a life. Talent and knowledge are disrespected. There's accusing and discreditting citizens without proof and are then jailed. Since officialist leaders are visibly corrupt, the bad example has converted them into a society of ruffians. This moral and ethical unbalance will be the hardest to solve. The money, due to oil prices and new inversions, will rebuild the physical structure of the country, but how to make it so that citizens prefer working rather than receiving gifts, honest income rather than corruption, and respect to the idea of others? To understand that the public functionary is a servant to citizens, in other words, the mandatary is not a mandator and life and liberty are stronger than any power.
Economists believe that 2015 might only last until May.
By El Chigüire Bipolar
Today a group of economy analists from Pennsbury & Associates published a report where they offer a panorama about the Venezuelan economy for 2015. The most probable scenario the report shows is that the next year will only last until May.
"After an exhaustive analisis of what's going on in Venezuela we can say that for that country 2015 will only last until around mid of the second quarter. And those are the most optimistic projections" claims the experts from the Brittish firm. "2014 meant the start of recession for the country, downfall of oil prices, they'll have to pay debts for 2015, and public spending keeps going up" assured the economist Richard Pearson.
Said report also states the following: "Most likely is that in May everything will end. Everything, literally everything. So the scenario A is that in February 2015 the government will enter default when financers don't accept Kraft candies as payment for their debt obligations and, maybe around March of April at the latest, the government will decree Christmas for May as a last gasp. From there on, nothingness" claims the report from Pennsbury & Associates.
Last minute translation:
With hope in 2015
By Leopoldo López
From my cell in the military jail of Ramo Verde I send to my dear people of Venezuela a hug of fraternity and the most sincere wish that 2015 will be a year of hope for everybody.
The forecasts I've been able to read about the next year coincide that it'll be harsh since the economic crisis, repression and the dictatorship's arbitrariety will worsen.
Despite these forecasts, I want to propose you an optimistic and hopeful vision for the next year.
We are the majority us Venezuelans of good will that aspire for our country to retake the way of democracy and well-being, therefore the change is in our hands. It'll all depend on our capacity to organize ourselves, unite and movilize politically. Let's make adversity into a fertile ground for change.
In a few weeks I'll reach a year of jail. My experience in jail has been marked by injustice, isolation and solitude. From 10 months in prison, 5 have been in isolation and I am still without receiving visits beyond those of my parents, wife and lawyers. They've even thrown excrement to our cells to try and silence our voice of protest and spiritually break us.
It hasn't been a pleasant experience, but despite adversity jail has also been a space to ponder and turn it into an opportunity to grow morally, spiritually and physically.
It's filled me with much enthusiasm to know that this process of growth has been common to all of us who are in jail for political reasons. I know that those of us who are locked due to Maduro's repression and intolerance share a profound optimism and hope that our jailing will be temporary and that we'll see the rebirth of Venezuela.
Every isolation, every beat up, every abuse, every manipulation of judicial process far from demoralizing us, has strengthened us.
Just like those of us who are in jail, so is Venezuela and our jailers are a corrupt and repressive elite that has brought the country to collapse. But despite this situation, I invite you to see in adversity a great opportunity. An opportunity for change, and to achieve it, the first step is to find a common cause, a purpose shared by all, or at least an inmense majority of Venezuelans.
I am convinced that this common cause that must unite all Venezuelans is the plain and effective exercising of all rights that correspond to us. If rights and their guaranteeing were a priority of the State and the nation today we'd live in a democratic, prosperous and just country full of opportunities.
Between today's Venezuela and that which we desire, there's an obstacle we must remove: a corrupt and repressive elite of no more than 100 people that has taken by assault the institutions, finished with the State of Rights and substituted it with a criminal State. If anybody still had doubts about it, the last unconstitutional and inmoral designations of public powers made it clear to which extent that clique is willing to reach to maintain power and keep stealing the money of all Venezuelans.
Being this elite the obstacle between the Venezuela we have and the one we wish, there must be no doubt that the unity of all Venezuelans must be around removing it and pave the way for the Venezuela we deserve. This unity must go well beyond the MUD, that while being a party alliance is necessary, it is not enough and is not representative of that inmense country that wants change. It's for this reason that we propose an alliance for change that includes the youth, students, teachers, syndicalists, workers, businessmen, the unemployed, intellectuals, militarymen, everybody, all united around a shared purpose, the promotion and respect of all rights for all Venezuelans*.
Having clear and being united in the aspiration of the Venezuela we want and conscious that the obstacle is represented by the governing elite, it's necessary to mark the route, the way to substitute the corrupt and open the doors to that new Venezuela, the best Venezuela*.
On the table there are three concrete proposals, to force the resignation of Maduro and convoke elections, convoke a constituent assembly by popular initiative with the purpose of dismounting the institutional seizing and unconstitutional laws, and the election of a wide majority at the National Assembly.
We believe and are promoting through signature collection for a call to a constituent assembly, because we believe it is the most unobstructed and inclusive way. But all three options are valid and each could have validity depending on circumstances. What's indispensable is that under any scenario the priority, the objective, is to get rid of the corrupt elite that keeps the state seized and the nation collapsed.
To achieve this it's not an option to fall into the trap of fear that has been sowed by policial and judicial repression and arbitrary jailings.
Democratic movements, not only in Venezuela but in all the world have understood that they must make use of all peaceful and non-violent means of struggle and participation. Elections are one of them. The electoral terrain. But so is the terrain of streets with the peaceful and non-violent protest. The protest must accompany and promote any of the options that will allow the substitution of those who today govern.
Venezuelans, it's my invitation that we don't lose faith, not to fall into hopelessness. That's the greatest ally of dictatorships. Those who are pessimistic and don't see a successful end to this situation, those who have lost hope I'll only tell you to look around you. To observe how many thousands and thousands of Venezuelans, young, worthy, confront with courage and determination the regime of Nicolás Maduro and its perversities. To find in their resolve the necessary inspiration to form part of the unstoppable force of historical changes that are in front of us. Venezuela cannot resign itself with survival as a goal, we aren't a country of queues or rationing, we are a nation marked by history to be great and joyful. When the new year starts don't only ask for yourselves and your families, ask for our Venezuela and the most important thing, ask yourselves to which extent you're willing to struggle for it. Happy new year for everybody. May 2015 be a year of hope.
Strength and faith*.
Military Jail of Ramo Verde.
*: One of his and/or Popular Will's motto.
He also wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal.
After having his trials delayed forever while he was free, the guardsman who killed Geraldine Moreno is actually getting arrested and sent to Ramo Verde.
In response to US vicepresident Joe Biden asking for the release of political prisoners, Maduro stated that the only way he'd do so is by sending him to the US and the US bringing Oscar López Rivero (from Wikipedia, some jailed Costa Rican independentist combatant who has absolutely nothing to do with Venezuela). I thought it was a rethorical request at first, but it was taken seriously by everybody, including at least one high-ranking member (Ernesto Villegas). The fact that they're into negotiating a hostage like terrorist groups do can't be good for their image, or openly suggesting exile for that matter. Even in jail Leopoldo sure is a hindrance to them, isn't he?
The new ombudsman has come out and said that the equal marriage law proposed ages ago should be debated at the National Assembly. At least he had a good start. (Despite the PSUV claiming to be pro sexual diversity, their deputees have had the law shelved since forever (and their big guys have made quite a few homophobic remarks), all while being pushed by opposition politicians (especially from Popular Will) and activists from the opposition, neutral and even the PSUV itself (common, good willing folk), so someone in a position of power voicing the need of such law is a good advance.)
The MUD has announced that they'll actually be doing primaries for parliamentary elections.
The shortages have gotten noticeably worse, the queues seem larger and there's been a couple lootings recently, including one that happened right while the Minister of Food was doing a video for an ad campaign. Tense calm.
Much to do with the above, General Antonio Rivero (the Popular Will leader who went into clandestinity after getting an arrest warrant along with Ceballos and Vecchio) has denounced a 'self-coup', specifically a coup within chavism against Maduro to "restore Chávez legacy" .
Look what I found.
It's January 23th again, we had a march today that went awry for me for reasons I'd rather not mention.
Capriles said that now is the time for the movilization of the opposition, and last year it wasn't because of arbitrary reasons. Somehow I'm not feeling he's earnest, but whatever, at least it's something. Oh, the above march? one of the pro-MUD student authorities (not from the Students' Movement) announced a de-convocation, causing lots of confusion among would-be marchers and damaging its participation. So much for unity.
Movement Towards Socialism has left the MUD, because the MUD is "confrontational" and polarizing, they also expelled some of their pro-MUD members. For those curious about history, they were the biggest socialist party (thus small) since the 70s after socialists where forced to stop being terrorists, were one of the main forces that led Chávez to power, which they came to regret shortly after, switching sides and becoming an important opposition party during his early years (thus small), becoming less important with time until becoming more or less irrelevant. That was the party my mother was a member of.
Minister of Education Hector Rodríguez (the same one that said potential oppositors shouldn't receive education) now has said that the Catholic Church "can't emit political opinions", after they published a statement against government abuses.
A bunch of people have been arrested for protesting around lines, others for taking photos of them. in two cases there's reportedly use of electricity against the arrested. Oh, and PSUV deputee Tania Díaz says that the opposition pays foreigners to do lines to create anxiety and provoke lootings. Oh, and about it, Diosdado commented: "This is not about saving yourself, about saving somebody else. No, brother. It's the revolution."
And this happened at a pharmacy a couple blocks away from home.
Also, this.
Edit: D'oh, how could I forget this. Maduro announced a bunch of economic measurements. The important ones would be another minimum wage raise of 15% to be paid with money printing, and the elimination of the third exchange rate (Sicad II, the 1$=50Bs. one) for another one involving bonds and stuff, slightly liberalizing the exchange system if I understand correctly. Anyhow, he also said that it's going to be tough but "God will provide."
Might as well post now and not let my draft grow even larger so quickly.
Expresidents Andrés Pastrana (Colombia) and Sebastian Piñera (Chile) visited to check on our situation, including a visit to Leopoldo (on his would-be normal visiting day). The reds didn't want this, mounted a Nazional Guard picket and denied the visit, and on the way their bus was attacked by an officialist group. You'd think just allowing the visit would've been less scandalous.
About that, Jorge Arreaza: "Without previous solicitude of any kind, without following any proceedure, they built a mediatic spectacle trying to visit political prisoners."
Ombdusman Tareck William Saab might've had a good start with the equal marriage thing, but he's had an awful performance since with lots of specifically defending the government against whatever, as if equating govt. with "people" in "people's defender". At least Gabriela Ramírez kept shut about government abuses without defending it.
The reds arbitrarily decided to arrest Farmatodo's owners (a pharmaceutics chain, coincidentially the same one looted above), over stimulating the economic war through long lines by not having every cash under operation (short reason: labour laws make it so that at least once per week businesses will lack some employees). Anyhow, the most noteworthy thing is that Maduro is bragging about it, that his government was the one that decided to put those people in jail, not the judiciary or because they broke a specific law, as if he were trying to put an image of (authoritarian) authority. Also, it's state businesses the ones that have the largest lines.
General Antonio Rivero is now safe and sound in the US. It looks like escaping from the regime's pursuit isn't all that hard.
One of Diosdado's bodyguards who moves along well within chavism's inner circle is now at the DEA and apparently has lots of juicy information to share about Diosdy's drug dealing shenanigans.
Aaaand, the Ministry of Gorillas issued a decree allowing for the use of firearms during manifestations, in contravention to the constitution, international standards and the right to life.
Edit: Oh yeah, the govt has been releasing ads in favour of raising gasoline prices, it seems like it's gonna happen for real now and are preparing for it. I wonder if Pérez and Caldera had the media help them out at the time they had to take such measures, likely not.