A nation with every, and OS means every possible reason to succeed, is melting down on the far side of the Gulf of Mexico.
Venezuela has a great location in the world, great tropical coastlines and islands, incredibly rich natural resources, including oil reserves, universities, businesses, a large slice of the population that is educated and productive, etc. etc.
And, it has blown sky-high, as in 'Looosy--Wha' Happened' sky-high. A wealthy country suffering shortages of food and medicine. A government that thinks it will solve all problems by jailing the opposition and neutering the legislative branch.
A banana republic.
The wonderful blogger who (for obvious reasons) writes under a pseudonym at The Devil's Excrement has for years done a marvelous job recording this slow death spiral for the world to read and understand.
So, Loooosy. Wha' actually happened?
In brief, Hugo Chavez happened. He rode the spike in oil prices like a rented mule, spent the nation's wealth like a drunken sailor. Chaos ensued, and he loved it. Some leaders actually thrive on chaos.
Then he died, having believed he would live forever, which he didn't. Nor did he create anything resembling a plan for what should happen after he died, since of course he assumed he was immortal.
Then the price of oil died. And all the unspent money, grafted off, never spent on maintaining the oil fields, came back to haunt. Production dropped, so Venezuela was well and truly....screwed. No one will sell them anything except for hard currency, and no one will lend them money. And their government has managed to piss off the entire world. It's a recipe for failure, plain and simple.
The Biblical tale of Joseph comes to mind. The Pharaoh had disturbing dreams, and heard that one of the Deplorables in his dungeon had the gift of interpretation. Joseph was hauled up before him and stated the obvious: 'Timez is goood your Pharoahness. Let's store grain and wealth now while we can, because famines happen, and you want to keep your head unseparated from your royal shoulders. Hungry populations get pissed off and take to the streets, and not even you can survive that.' So the Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the project. Sure as shootin' seven years of plenty were followed by seven years of drought (must have been global warming, right?). Egypt was sitting pretty, with grain to sell to the world, and prospered through the hard times. Joseph ended up as Prime Minister, because he exercised simple common sense, and he was by all accounts basically self-effacing.
So what happened to Venezuela? It was the abandonment of common sense, and the embrace of a charismatic leader who told people what they wished to hear. Now they are headed over the cliff.
It's what is known as a Cautionary Tale.
The book of Genesis ends with the Joseph story. The next book, Exodus, opens with the words to this effect: 'There arose in Egypt a generation that knew not Joseph'. The tale that follows recounts the wheels coming off one of the ancient world's most powerful civilizations.
It, too, is a Cautionary Tale.
Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Hugo Chavez Becoming Accustomed To The Smell Of Sulfur: US Democrat Leaders Affectionately Eulogize Him
Historical moments are so revealing!
Hugo Chavez, by any reasonable measure a despot, died of cancer today.
The US Democrat leadership, who truly admire him, and hope to emulate his record, spent their day eulogizing him:
Jimmy Carter (always a favorite of OS) intoned:
“President Chávez will be remembered for his bold assertion of autonomy and independence for Latin American governments and for his formidable communication skills and personal connection with supporters in his country and abroad to whom he gave hope and empowerment,” Carter said. “We hope that as Venezuelans mourn the passing of President Chávez and recall his positive legacies — especially the gains made for the poor and vulnerable — the political leaders will move the country forward by building a new consensus that ensures equal opportunities for all Venezuelans to participate in every aspect of national life.”
Jose Serrano, 15th District of New York, recalls with pride how Chavez bought him off:
“I met President Chavez in 2005 when he came to my district at my invitation,” said Congressman Serrano. “His focus on the issues faced by the poor and disenfranchised in his country made him a truly revolutionary leader in the history of Latin America. He understood that after 400 years on the outside of the established power structure looking in, it was time that the poor had a chance at seeing their problems and issues addressed. His core belief was in the dignity and common humanity of all people in Venezuela and in the world.
“When he visited, President Chavez offered a new type of program to the people of the Bronx. He had harnessed the power of his nation’s oil resources and was using their profits—through Citgo—to enact social spending programs. Now he offered people in the Bronx that were struggling economically the same deal. He would provide home heating oil at a huge discount, provided the savings were reinvested in programs that benefited the underserved and underprivileged. I am proud to report that we have benefited from that program ever since, with millions invested in our community through this program and through a grant program he set up.
Why, isn't that sweet? Such compadres in the quest to advance the Welfare State...makes one wonder what percentage of those funds found their way into Rep. Serrano's campaigns and life? It is, after all, Latin American dictatorship politics, north-of-the-border.
For a close-up-and-personal look at life in Venezuela under Chavez, OS recommends you read through The Devil's Excrement, an English-language blog written by a Venezuelan engineer.
As for Chavez...he passed from this world to the next, shocked to discover there is a next world, and an Almighty, that Perdition is hot, and Eternity lasts forever. He'll have plenty of time to adjust to that odor of sulfur...
Monday, February 11, 2013
32% Devaluation In Venezuela Spurs Panic Buying
Remember, dear readers, one and all: Obama and Company really really really like Chavez and Chavismo.
OS shares this with you as a means of, well, mental preparation for what may yet transpire for us.
OS shares this with you as a means of, well, mental preparation for what may yet transpire for us.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Venezuela Heading Over The Cliff, And The Chavista Voters Cheering Him On
Remember, ya'll... The Obama-ites really really really adore Chavez. Wonder what they'll be doing us?
Second devaluation since 2010...
It was the first devaluation to be announced by Chavez's government since 2010, and it brought down the official value of the bolivar by 46.5pc against the dollar. By boosting the bolivar value of Venezuela's dollar-denominated oil sales, the change is expected to help alleviate a difficult budget outlook for the government, which has turned increasingly to borrowing to meet its spending obligations.
Does this sound familiar?
OS has seen this before, during his Mexican misadventure (don't ask...).
Since the government officials and their bankster and political cronies know what's going down, they make damn sure all their assets are in dollars, pound sterling, Swiss francs--lots of liquid cash in hard currencies, or even gold and silver.
Devaluations always are announced on Friday evenings. On Monday morning, thousands of businesses open their doors as bankrupt enterprises, since their debts are denominated in dollars, and their income in the local currency.
In swoop the gangstas with their liquid cash, and snarfle up the assets of the nation at about .20 on the dollar.
Isn't socialism wonderful?
Second devaluation since 2010...
It was the first devaluation to be announced by Chavez's government since 2010, and it brought down the official value of the bolivar by 46.5pc against the dollar. By boosting the bolivar value of Venezuela's dollar-denominated oil sales, the change is expected to help alleviate a difficult budget outlook for the government, which has turned increasingly to borrowing to meet its spending obligations.
Does this sound familiar?
OS has seen this before, during his Mexican misadventure (don't ask...).
Since the government officials and their bankster and political cronies know what's going down, they make damn sure all their assets are in dollars, pound sterling, Swiss francs--lots of liquid cash in hard currencies, or even gold and silver.
Devaluations always are announced on Friday evenings. On Monday morning, thousands of businesses open their doors as bankrupt enterprises, since their debts are denominated in dollars, and their income in the local currency.
In swoop the gangstas with their liquid cash, and snarfle up the assets of the nation at about .20 on the dollar.
Isn't socialism wonderful?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The Crackdown On Dissent In Venezuela Ramps Up Again: Alejandro Peña Esclusa Arrested Again
Things are not going well in Chavez's workers' paradise. The economy, frankly, sucks. Chavez is back in Cuba for more cancer surgery--that can't be good. There's a presidential election scheduled for October, and it appears folks can't wait to vote for someone else besides Chavez.
So, what's a harried dictator to do, poor chap? He can't escape to Libya, since his homeboy Mohamar came to such an unhappy end. Even worse, the pictures of how it all ended circulated widely--the folks at home could get uppity ideas about following suit, don't-cha-know. That hiding-out-in-a-drainage-culvert incident, just before the summary execution (with a bit of pre-execution torture thrown in for good measure) just doesn't sound like a good option.
Hmmm....what to do...what to do?
Of course! Ramp up a publicity campaign against 'enemies of the Revolution'! Damn, it's worked before, it's bound to work this time. After all, Fidel and his homeboys are eager to help, and we can round up people all over Latin America who think that life under Communism sucks, and are impertinent enough to talk about it in public!
Stage an 'extradition' to Cuba, with a 'stopover' in Venezuela, long enough to compose a 'confession' about local villains, and away we go!!!!
So, a North American reader asks, 'Why should we care? It's Latin America just being Latin America!'
Good question! The answers lie in the proximity and pattern of behavior.
Notice the silence in the media about this mess, taking place on the northern side of South America, where all sorts of bad actors like the Iranians and Hezboallah types are turning up? Notice the silence from the White House and the Secretary of State? A hostile state within reach of the eastern side of the Panama Canal could really create chaos.
Remember how The Left screamed non-stop about the ouster of Allende and the rule of Pinochet in Chile? For all its faults, Chile's stable and not broke. Why the lack of outrage from The Left, with Obama at the helm over Venezuela? Perhaps because they sympathize with him?
What might happen here, if things begin to go sour this late summer and fall, as they did in 2008?
What if we're next?
And, just for reference, you can read Peña's words from his previous imprisonment here.
Judge for yourself.
So, what's a harried dictator to do, poor chap? He can't escape to Libya, since his homeboy Mohamar came to such an unhappy end. Even worse, the pictures of how it all ended circulated widely--the folks at home could get uppity ideas about following suit, don't-cha-know. That hiding-out-in-a-drainage-culvert incident, just before the summary execution (with a bit of pre-execution torture thrown in for good measure) just doesn't sound like a good option.
Hmmm....what to do...what to do?
Of course! Ramp up a publicity campaign against 'enemies of the Revolution'! Damn, it's worked before, it's bound to work this time. After all, Fidel and his homeboys are eager to help, and we can round up people all over Latin America who think that life under Communism sucks, and are impertinent enough to talk about it in public!
Stage an 'extradition' to Cuba, with a 'stopover' in Venezuela, long enough to compose a 'confession' about local villains, and away we go!!!!
So, a North American reader asks, 'Why should we care? It's Latin America just being Latin America!'
Good question! The answers lie in the proximity and pattern of behavior.
Notice the silence in the media about this mess, taking place on the northern side of South America, where all sorts of bad actors like the Iranians and Hezboallah types are turning up? Notice the silence from the White House and the Secretary of State? A hostile state within reach of the eastern side of the Panama Canal could really create chaos.
Remember how The Left screamed non-stop about the ouster of Allende and the rule of Pinochet in Chile? For all its faults, Chile's stable and not broke. Why the lack of outrage from The Left, with Obama at the helm over Venezuela? Perhaps because they sympathize with him?
What might happen here, if things begin to go sour this late summer and fall, as they did in 2008?
What if we're next?
And, just for reference, you can read Peña's words from his previous imprisonment here.
Judge for yourself.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Venezuelan Oil Pipeline Rupture: Plenty Of Tar, Now All They Need Are The Feathers And A Rail To Ride Chavez Out On
From The Economist, which tells the tale.
ON FEBRUARY 4th Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, held festivities to celebrate the anniversary of a failed coup attempt he led in 1992. He had busloads of public workers brought into Caracas for the occasion. Among them were high-ranking employees of PDVSA, the state oil company.
That same day, a pipeline carrying pressurised oil fractured in the state of Monagas. The crude soared 25 metres (82 feet) into the air and flowed for a full day. Anywhere from 40,000-120,000 barrels poured into a river that supplies drinking and irrigation water. Some 550,000 people now lack water at home. Although city-dwellers can fetch it from drums that PDVSA is leaving in streets, people in remote areas are going without. It may take months to clean the supply.
Venezuela has a presidential election scheduled for October...
ON FEBRUARY 4th Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, held festivities to celebrate the anniversary of a failed coup attempt he led in 1992. He had busloads of public workers brought into Caracas for the occasion. Among them were high-ranking employees of PDVSA, the state oil company.
That same day, a pipeline carrying pressurised oil fractured in the state of Monagas. The crude soared 25 metres (82 feet) into the air and flowed for a full day. Anywhere from 40,000-120,000 barrels poured into a river that supplies drinking and irrigation water. Some 550,000 people now lack water at home. Although city-dwellers can fetch it from drums that PDVSA is leaving in streets, people in remote areas are going without. It may take months to clean the supply.
Venezuela has a presidential election scheduled for October...
Friday, July 1, 2011
Hugo Chavez Admits He Has Cancer, And Life Is About To Get Interesting In Venezuela
The Devil's Excrement carries the story in English.
Here's the video of Chavez's announcement. He seems, well, rather less ebullient than in times past.
Of course, the obvious problem with someone who sets himself up as 'President for Life' is the inevitability of death, often with a decline preceding the departure.
People possessed of the kind of arrogance that creates a Chavez tend to never think of this detail, or other details, like just what the hell happens to TheGloriousRevolution the day after TheGloriousLeader's funeral.
In the meantime, Hugo's gots-lots-of-'splainin'-to-do-Lucy. And a lot of power-hungry people circling his rowboat.
Wanna bet he ends up in Miami, getting the latest-and-greatest cancer treatments the evil capitalist system of the United States can provide? What if he dies on our soil?
Do we get to toss him back like the opposing team's home-run ball at Wrigley Field?
Here's the video of Chavez's announcement. He seems, well, rather less ebullient than in times past.
Of course, the obvious problem with someone who sets himself up as 'President for Life' is the inevitability of death, often with a decline preceding the departure.
People possessed of the kind of arrogance that creates a Chavez tend to never think of this detail, or other details, like just what the hell happens to TheGloriousRevolution the day after TheGloriousLeader's funeral.
In the meantime, Hugo's gots-lots-of-'splainin'-to-do-Lucy. And a lot of power-hungry people circling his rowboat.
Wanna bet he ends up in Miami, getting the latest-and-greatest cancer treatments the evil capitalist system of the United States can provide? What if he dies on our soil?
Do we get to toss him back like the opposing team's home-run ball at Wrigley Field?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Meanwhile, In Venezuela, Vanguard Of The Western Hemisphere
They're suffering shortages of electricity....
But seem to have a surplus of Iranians looking to build missile launch platforms...
Gee, one could, say, control the sea lanes to the Panama Canal with that capability.
Nahhh, never mind. Back to the ball game and new episodes of 'Celebrity Apprentice'...
But seem to have a surplus of Iranians looking to build missile launch platforms...
Gee, one could, say, control the sea lanes to the Panama Canal with that capability.
Nahhh, never mind. Back to the ball game and new episodes of 'Celebrity Apprentice'...
Friday, February 25, 2011
Venezuela Tidings: Blogger 'Diablo' (The Devil's Excrement) Relocates
It is a bittersweet essay, the lament of the exile.
Thirty three years ago I came back to Venezuela fresh from a Ph.D. in Physics from well-known US University. It was an exciting time, Venezuela was moving forward, we all felt we were ready to take the country to the next stage of development, you could get research funding and lots of people were either leaving to study abroad or coming back with degrees in many fields. The first few years were exciting, things went well, I came back to Venezuela to work in a lab which already had good equipment and I was able to get more, got grants in Venezuela and abroad, my career took off. I also helped start an engineering research institute.
Then came “El Viernes Negro” (Black Friday), when the country’s economy had its first large devaluation in decades. This was February 18th. 1983. Within months the Venezuelan currency had lost almost 60% of its value, things got more difficult. It was a sign of things to come.
Things began to oscillate a lot. There were good years and bad years. Not much new funding. I was working in a field that required ever more sophisticated equipment, lots of running expenses. It was hard to stay at the edge, but I gave it my best try for quite a while.
and later...
There were two main reasons for this tough decision, one that came from the mind, not the heart: Crime and the absence of the rule of law. I stared at both of these in the face and it is something I don’t wish on anyone. You feel like you are not playing on a level field. If the crooks don’t get you, the other “crooks” will and you have no way to defend yourself. There are no instances, no appeals, you have no rights. Time to leave.
OS's heart goes out to this gent. What would it feel like to have to leave a lifetime behind, in order to secure the future of your family and children?
The United States has always been one of the few safe places for people like Dr. Diablo. OS keeps typing away, pleading with one and all that we remain that place: A place with a rule of law, opportunity to prosper, freedom to associate, speak, work, vote, and worship.
OS hopes his readers read Dr. Diablo's essay, and take his words to heart.
Blessings on him.
Thirty three years ago I came back to Venezuela fresh from a Ph.D. in Physics from well-known US University. It was an exciting time, Venezuela was moving forward, we all felt we were ready to take the country to the next stage of development, you could get research funding and lots of people were either leaving to study abroad or coming back with degrees in many fields. The first few years were exciting, things went well, I came back to Venezuela to work in a lab which already had good equipment and I was able to get more, got grants in Venezuela and abroad, my career took off. I also helped start an engineering research institute.
Then came “El Viernes Negro” (Black Friday), when the country’s economy had its first large devaluation in decades. This was February 18th. 1983. Within months the Venezuelan currency had lost almost 60% of its value, things got more difficult. It was a sign of things to come.
Things began to oscillate a lot. There were good years and bad years. Not much new funding. I was working in a field that required ever more sophisticated equipment, lots of running expenses. It was hard to stay at the edge, but I gave it my best try for quite a while.
and later...
There were two main reasons for this tough decision, one that came from the mind, not the heart: Crime and the absence of the rule of law. I stared at both of these in the face and it is something I don’t wish on anyone. You feel like you are not playing on a level field. If the crooks don’t get you, the other “crooks” will and you have no way to defend yourself. There are no instances, no appeals, you have no rights. Time to leave.
OS's heart goes out to this gent. What would it feel like to have to leave a lifetime behind, in order to secure the future of your family and children?
The United States has always been one of the few safe places for people like Dr. Diablo. OS keeps typing away, pleading with one and all that we remain that place: A place with a rule of law, opportunity to prosper, freedom to associate, speak, work, vote, and worship.
OS hopes his readers read Dr. Diablo's essay, and take his words to heart.
Blessings on him.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Gadafi's Gulfstream Moment Approaches: Phone Up Hugo Chavez!
Having fled Tripoli for parts unknown, that golden moment now arrives for Colonel Gadafi: Where does one fly the Gulfstream, or in his case, the fleet of Gulfstreams.
There's the harem, and the gold reserves, and the family to load up.
And it's not just any harem, ya'll...
Charismatic and wildly unpredictable – almost to the point of madness – this is a man who clearly loves the company of beautiful young women (as illustrated by the 40 beauties of the notorious Amazonian Guard who act as his personal bodyguards) and yet leads one of the most conservative Islamic states in the Arab world.
That contradiction could prove to be a leading cause of his downfall.
The members of the Amazonian Guard have to be virgins. These brutal beauties are reportedly trained in martial arts and the use of firearms at a special academy, where they are turned into lethal and blindly loyal killers.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358972/Libya-protests-Gaddafi-flees-Tripoli-parliament-building-set-alight.html#ixzz1EcHjbGax
It's not like he can book it to London--Gordon Brown's not there to welcome him anymore, and the families of all those people his agents murdered over Lockerbie are still, well, really unhappy about that day in 1988, and the subsequent release of his agent by the Scots. So, Edinburgh's out, too. Hmm....
Bahrain! Let's head to Bahrain! Well, no...looks like they're loading the Gulfstreams there themselves, and Riyadh ain't looking too friendly either.
There's always Indonesia--buy a small island and hole up with the harem/bodyguard corps. And it's a Muslim country. They can be bought off. But it's so...Indonesia.
Singapore? Just show 'em the money, honey! But, they do have that thing about being respectable...extradition laws, courts, British-style justice system....hmmm....
Malaysia? Any friends in Malaysia? But, you can't drink...
Burma? They understand what it means to be a murderous pariah dictatorship--it can be lonely, you know. Unlimited cash and a harem do help though. But, they could take all the money and the girls, and what's a poor despot to do then?
What to do? What to do? Gotta call on an old friend when the rain begins to fall...
Chavez!!! Hugo-baby!!! Que pasa?
After all, the Colonel awarded Hugo the Gadafi Prize for Human Rights in 2004.
Really...can't make it up. The Gadafi Prize for Human Rights, awarded to Hugo Chavez...
So, looks like he'll have to ditch the Gulfstreams, grab the private 747, load the bullion and the harem, and arrange for a refuel in the Canaries. Betcha Hugo has a nice private island off the coast for his homeboy.
Of course, the question arises: When the Gulfstream moment arrives for Hugo, where does he go? Can he take Mohamar with him?
Now, OS has one thing to say in the wake of all these surreal events.
For a long long long time, a lot of sober people have been saying, repeatedly:
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
That day may be upon us. We have allowed people, in both parties, but especially amongst the Dems, who are willfully blind and negligent, to set policy, and to endanger our lives by refusing to make obvious choices.
Chin-straps on, ya'll...we may be approaching a moment when a bunch of Gulfstreams will be aloft, looking for places to land.
There's the harem, and the gold reserves, and the family to load up.
And it's not just any harem, ya'll...
Charismatic and wildly unpredictable – almost to the point of madness – this is a man who clearly loves the company of beautiful young women (as illustrated by the 40 beauties of the notorious Amazonian Guard who act as his personal bodyguards) and yet leads one of the most conservative Islamic states in the Arab world.
That contradiction could prove to be a leading cause of his downfall.
The members of the Amazonian Guard have to be virgins. These brutal beauties are reportedly trained in martial arts and the use of firearms at a special academy, where they are turned into lethal and blindly loyal killers.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358972/Libya-protests-Gaddafi-flees-Tripoli-parliament-building-set-alight.html#ixzz1EcHjbGax
It's not like he can book it to London--Gordon Brown's not there to welcome him anymore, and the families of all those people his agents murdered over Lockerbie are still, well, really unhappy about that day in 1988, and the subsequent release of his agent by the Scots. So, Edinburgh's out, too. Hmm....
Bahrain! Let's head to Bahrain! Well, no...looks like they're loading the Gulfstreams there themselves, and Riyadh ain't looking too friendly either.
There's always Indonesia--buy a small island and hole up with the harem/bodyguard corps. And it's a Muslim country. They can be bought off. But it's so...Indonesia.
Singapore? Just show 'em the money, honey! But, they do have that thing about being respectable...extradition laws, courts, British-style justice system....hmmm....
Malaysia? Any friends in Malaysia? But, you can't drink...
Burma? They understand what it means to be a murderous pariah dictatorship--it can be lonely, you know. Unlimited cash and a harem do help though. But, they could take all the money and the girls, and what's a poor despot to do then?
What to do? What to do? Gotta call on an old friend when the rain begins to fall...
Chavez!!! Hugo-baby!!! Que pasa?
After all, the Colonel awarded Hugo the Gadafi Prize for Human Rights in 2004.
Really...can't make it up. The Gadafi Prize for Human Rights, awarded to Hugo Chavez...
So, looks like he'll have to ditch the Gulfstreams, grab the private 747, load the bullion and the harem, and arrange for a refuel in the Canaries. Betcha Hugo has a nice private island off the coast for his homeboy.
Of course, the question arises: When the Gulfstream moment arrives for Hugo, where does he go? Can he take Mohamar with him?
Now, OS has one thing to say in the wake of all these surreal events.
For a long long long time, a lot of sober people have been saying, repeatedly:
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
We need to supply our own needs for oil, coal, gas and electricity domestically, here in the US. If we are dependent upon places like Venezuela, Libya, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Angola--need we go on?--we are going to be in a world of hurt one day.
That day may be upon us. We have allowed people, in both parties, but especially amongst the Dems, who are willfully blind and negligent, to set policy, and to endanger our lives by refusing to make obvious choices.
Chin-straps on, ya'll...we may be approaching a moment when a bunch of Gulfstreams will be aloft, looking for places to land.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Venezuela Report From Devil's Excrement: Routine Anarchy
English-language blogger Devil's Excrement reports again from Caracas:
Yesterday, there was an eight hour protest near Los Teques, right outside Caracas. Neighbors of the Brisas de Oriente barrio, a barrio that sits on the ridge of a hill, right next to the Panamerican Highway near Km. 21, right before Los Teques blocked the Panamerican Highway for eight hours. This wasn’ t even huge news, they are part of the routine anarchic and chaotic life these days in Venezuela, while an indifferent and indolent Government claims everything is fine. These people were mad, so mad that the police and the National Guard did not even dare to stop them from blocking the traffic for such a long time. I estimate this affected some 100,000 people, who simply could not move on the highway during that time or chose to stay home, rather than try to find a way to get down to Caracas to work or go to school.
OS suggest the entire post be read.
The final paragraph is poignant:
You may wonder how I know about Brisas de Oriente. For almost 20 years I lived not two kilometers away from it, had breakfast at Los Golfeados daily and got to know and even work with a number of its residents. The barrio was heavily pro-Chavez until 2006 and by now, according to my friends, it has become mostly opposition, except they could care little about politics now. They only worry about survival.
If you pray, keep these folks in your prayers. From such a distance, not much else we can do at this point.
Yesterday, there was an eight hour protest near Los Teques, right outside Caracas. Neighbors of the Brisas de Oriente barrio, a barrio that sits on the ridge of a hill, right next to the Panamerican Highway near Km. 21, right before Los Teques blocked the Panamerican Highway for eight hours. This wasn’ t even huge news, they are part of the routine anarchic and chaotic life these days in Venezuela, while an indifferent and indolent Government claims everything is fine. These people were mad, so mad that the police and the National Guard did not even dare to stop them from blocking the traffic for such a long time. I estimate this affected some 100,000 people, who simply could not move on the highway during that time or chose to stay home, rather than try to find a way to get down to Caracas to work or go to school.
OS suggest the entire post be read.
The final paragraph is poignant:
You may wonder how I know about Brisas de Oriente. For almost 20 years I lived not two kilometers away from it, had breakfast at Los Golfeados daily and got to know and even work with a number of its residents. The barrio was heavily pro-Chavez until 2006 and by now, according to my friends, it has become mostly opposition, except they could care little about politics now. They only worry about survival.
If you pray, keep these folks in your prayers. From such a distance, not much else we can do at this point.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Venezuela Posts Always Strike A Nerve
Every time OS posts anything about Venezuela, the page views jump dramatically. He doesn't understand exactly why, except that it's like watching, from a long distance, two freight trains approaching each other on the same track. Nothing to be done except watch in morbid fascination.
What does one say about a country with the world's largest oil reserves...
...that has to ration gasoline for its own use?
Perhaps, there is a useful object lesson here: Socialism kills liberty, and leads to poverty. Everywhere and each occasion it's attempted.
And, let's remember, the Hopey-Changeys love Chavez and Castro.
Maybe, that explains it.
What does one say about a country with the world's largest oil reserves...
...that has to ration gasoline for its own use?
Perhaps, there is a useful object lesson here: Socialism kills liberty, and leads to poverty. Everywhere and each occasion it's attempted.
And, let's remember, the Hopey-Changeys love Chavez and Castro.
Maybe, that explains it.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Venezuela: The Cracks In The Economy Are Beginning To Show
We must remember that the HopeyChangey folks love Chavez, and Castro, just as the New York Times loved Stalin in the 1930's. (That worked out well, did it not?)
The two most recent posts from The Devil's Excrement are illustrative.
First, the food shortages are showing up on grocery store shelves, as are shortages of other basic necessities of life. Like diapers and cleaning products.
The author reports:
I don’t know if I have been distracted lately or if I was just not paying attention. I have been hearing for weeks about the problems with shortages of diapers and sanitary napkins (an almost daily topic of discussion by the women in my office), but to tell you the truth, I was stunned when I went to the supermarket on Tuesday and saw all the empty or semi-empty shelves. Thinking that it was just coincidental, maybe the shelves had not been replenished from the weekend, I thought by today things would go back to normal.
No such luck, the shelves looked even worse. On the left you can see the paper products shelf, looking truly empty, only one brand of diapers available.
OS looked through the comments section on this post, and saw a most poignant comment left by one CarlosElio. Well worth the time invested to read.
The second post is an eye-wateringly detailed account of the Venezuelan bond market, and how it is now used by businesses as an end-run around currency controls imposed by Chavez.
Remember, ya'll. The Left loves Chavez and Castro. This is what they have in mind for us here, if we allow it. A friend just returned from a visit to Cuba. He loves the friends he has made there, but the poverty and lack of freedom are just stunning.
OS hopes one and all take time to read these posts, and pass them along.
The two most recent posts from The Devil's Excrement are illustrative.
First, the food shortages are showing up on grocery store shelves, as are shortages of other basic necessities of life. Like diapers and cleaning products.
The author reports:
I don’t know if I have been distracted lately or if I was just not paying attention. I have been hearing for weeks about the problems with shortages of diapers and sanitary napkins (an almost daily topic of discussion by the women in my office), but to tell you the truth, I was stunned when I went to the supermarket on Tuesday and saw all the empty or semi-empty shelves. Thinking that it was just coincidental, maybe the shelves had not been replenished from the weekend, I thought by today things would go back to normal.
No such luck, the shelves looked even worse. On the left you can see the paper products shelf, looking truly empty, only one brand of diapers available.
OS looked through the comments section on this post, and saw a most poignant comment left by one CarlosElio. Well worth the time invested to read.
The second post is an eye-wateringly detailed account of the Venezuelan bond market, and how it is now used by businesses as an end-run around currency controls imposed by Chavez.
Remember, ya'll. The Left loves Chavez and Castro. This is what they have in mind for us here, if we allow it. A friend just returned from a visit to Cuba. He loves the friends he has made there, but the poverty and lack of freedom are just stunning.
OS hopes one and all take time to read these posts, and pass them along.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Let's Remember, Ya'll: Himself Really ADMIRES Chavez
This from a English-language Venezuelan blog OS has been following of late, The Devil's Excrement.
Last May, Hugo Chavez ordered the expropriation of a dairy farm, Hacienda las Carolinas, stating that the 'land was unproductive, and its owner, Diego Arria, used it solely to invite his friends over to drink whiskey'.
(OS reads a bit of Spanish, and was stunned to read that line in the announcement, so he's including the quote below, just to be certain his old eyes weren't deceiving him.
El primer mandatario aseguró que las tierras estaban improductivas y que su dueño, Diego Arria, las utilizaba “sólo para invitar a sus amigos a tomar whisky.)
The first link is one to click, fer sure, fer sure. It's the 'before and after' pictures of the hacienda: before, when Mr. Arrias was inviting his mates over for whiskey, and after, six months after the great socialist hero Chavez heroically confiscated it on behalf of the proletariat.
Hmmmm.....
A couple of points immediately come to mind.
(1) If, indeed, Mr. Arias were using the farm as a gentleman farmer operation where he could invite his mates to visit, drink, hunt, play cards, etc.--all of them legal activies--then that's his own business, and not the business of any arm of the government, anywhere, anytime. If Mr. Arrias wished to abandon it and let it go fallow, well, that's his business as well. That's how a culture operates under a sane rule of law that deliberately limits the power of the state.
(2) Obama, and a lot of the folk around him, really admire Chavez, and Castro, and Mao, and Stalin--all of whom engage(d) in wholesale expropriation of property from private hands in order to 'redistribute' it to their own favored constituencies. In every case, poverty resulted. Along with a lot of starvation, prison camps, etc. Remember Stalin and the kulaks? Millions died, and a great nation that once exported grain to the world became a massive importer, just to keep the population fed.
The pictures of this farm are illustrative, and powerful, because they can easily be understood. ThePeopleInCharge, having already expropriated some big chunks of the economy, will be very tempted by our houses and lands, our savings accounts, our pension savings, our small businesses, if the crunch really comes. And OS, hoping he is wrong, suspects we are in for one.
OS hopes ever'body keeps them in mind as November approaches, 'cuz that's future we face unless we all stand up and say Hell, No!. We need to do this now, while we still have a ballot box, and the ability to make use of it.
Last May, Hugo Chavez ordered the expropriation of a dairy farm, Hacienda las Carolinas, stating that the 'land was unproductive, and its owner, Diego Arria, used it solely to invite his friends over to drink whiskey'.
(OS reads a bit of Spanish, and was stunned to read that line in the announcement, so he's including the quote below, just to be certain his old eyes weren't deceiving him.
El primer mandatario aseguró que las tierras estaban improductivas y que su dueño, Diego Arria, las utilizaba “sólo para invitar a sus amigos a tomar whisky.)
The first link is one to click, fer sure, fer sure. It's the 'before and after' pictures of the hacienda: before, when Mr. Arrias was inviting his mates over for whiskey, and after, six months after the great socialist hero Chavez heroically confiscated it on behalf of the proletariat.
Hmmmm.....
A couple of points immediately come to mind.
(1) If, indeed, Mr. Arias were using the farm as a gentleman farmer operation where he could invite his mates to visit, drink, hunt, play cards, etc.--all of them legal activies--then that's his own business, and not the business of any arm of the government, anywhere, anytime. If Mr. Arrias wished to abandon it and let it go fallow, well, that's his business as well. That's how a culture operates under a sane rule of law that deliberately limits the power of the state.
(2) Obama, and a lot of the folk around him, really admire Chavez, and Castro, and Mao, and Stalin--all of whom engage(d) in wholesale expropriation of property from private hands in order to 'redistribute' it to their own favored constituencies. In every case, poverty resulted. Along with a lot of starvation, prison camps, etc. Remember Stalin and the kulaks? Millions died, and a great nation that once exported grain to the world became a massive importer, just to keep the population fed.
The pictures of this farm are illustrative, and powerful, because they can easily be understood. ThePeopleInCharge, having already expropriated some big chunks of the economy, will be very tempted by our houses and lands, our savings accounts, our pension savings, our small businesses, if the crunch really comes. And OS, hoping he is wrong, suspects we are in for one.
OS hopes ever'body keeps them in mind as November approaches, 'cuz that's future we face unless we all stand up and say Hell, No!. We need to do this now, while we still have a ballot box, and the ability to make use of it.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Another FARC Narco-Gangster Bites The Dust: Jorge Biceño, Alias 'Mono Jojoy'
Announcement made this morning.
Colombian security forces killed Jorge Briceno, alias Mono Jojoy, one of the top commanders in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, striking a major blow to the leftist guerrilla group, Caracol Radio reported Thursday.
Briceno was killed in combat in Meta, in the south of the country, the radio station reported on its website.
Briceno's death marks one of the strongest military successes against the FARC, which has seen its leadership decimated in recent years as a result of a security crackdown by the government.
This is a setback for Chavez of Venezuela as well, one of FARC's active backers. OS now awaits the propaganda machine of the left to begin depicting the drug-trafficking FARC as the victim and the elected government of Colombia as the villain. Just give it a few days, the drumbeat will begin to sound.
Colombian security forces killed Jorge Briceno, alias Mono Jojoy, one of the top commanders in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, striking a major blow to the leftist guerrilla group, Caracol Radio reported Thursday.
Briceno was killed in combat in Meta, in the south of the country, the radio station reported on its website.
Briceno's death marks one of the strongest military successes against the FARC, which has seen its leadership decimated in recent years as a result of a security crackdown by the government.
This is a setback for Chavez of Venezuela as well, one of FARC's active backers. OS now awaits the propaganda machine of the left to begin depicting the drug-trafficking FARC as the victim and the elected government of Colombia as the villain. Just give it a few days, the drumbeat will begin to sound.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
"Domingo Biojó", FARC Leader, Killed By Colombian Government Forces
Wanted in the US on several warrants, subject of an Interpol circular, and apparently informed on by people who decided they would rather have USD 555,000 in pocket, and a narco-terrorist sent to his reward.
Colombia, somewhere along the way, decided it was tired of the non-stop violence and disruption caused by the FARC, which is funded by drug money.
They're making progress. Compare and contrast to its neighbor Venezuela.
Which approach is working, and which one breeds poverty and chaos?
Colombia, somewhere along the way, decided it was tired of the non-stop violence and disruption caused by the FARC, which is funded by drug money.
They're making progress. Compare and contrast to its neighbor Venezuela.
Which approach is working, and which one breeds poverty and chaos?
Saturday, September 4, 2010
On The Death Of Franklin Brito, A Voice From Venezuela
OS ran across an English-language blog from Venezuela: The Devil's Excrement.
It is a chilling journal of life in Venezuela under Comrade Chavez. Considering how the Obama Administration fawns over Chavez, it should serve as a warning to us. If we don't stand tall now, this could be our future.
Better words than OS could ever conjure to memorialize Franklin Brito's death:
Franklin Brito’s death is a failure not only of Venezuela’s Government, but also of the multilateral organizations which are funded and financed to protect human rights across the region, but are incredibly incompetent and inefficient in achieving these goals. From Orlando Contreras Zapata to Franklin Brito, they are just a simple failure. Money ill spent on paying the salaries of ambitious politicians or beaurocratic bon vivants in the name of the people of the Americas.
There is little to be said that has not been said beyond the internal outrage we all feel inside. But throughout the day, I have been utterly amazed at a single fact: How a revolution that claims to want to create a better, more humane society, has shown no compassion for Mr. Brito.
There is no humanity in the Government or a political system that has spent the day blaming Mr. Brito for his own death. There is no compassion in saying Mr. Brito was not in his right mind and this led to his death, without looking at how he got to the point that he got. There is no compassion in trying to use legalese to say why Mr. Brito was right or wrong in his claims against the Venezuelan State.
And it is totally despicable to suggest that Mr. Brito’s death was planned to occur before the election, some writers in Aporrea even giving it the name the “Britazo” or Government officials suggesting that Mr. Brito was used by the opposition.
Because in the end it was the Government that kidnapped Mr. Brito against his own will and that of his family and held him in a military hospital until he passed away. Supposedly this kidnapping was done to protect his life, a claim that now sounds absolutely empty given his tragic death under the watch and supervision of this heartless Government. It would have been more dignified for him to die when and where he wanted.
It is a chilling journal of life in Venezuela under Comrade Chavez. Considering how the Obama Administration fawns over Chavez, it should serve as a warning to us. If we don't stand tall now, this could be our future.
Better words than OS could ever conjure to memorialize Franklin Brito's death:
Franklin Brito’s death is a failure not only of Venezuela’s Government, but also of the multilateral organizations which are funded and financed to protect human rights across the region, but are incredibly incompetent and inefficient in achieving these goals. From Orlando Contreras Zapata to Franklin Brito, they are just a simple failure. Money ill spent on paying the salaries of ambitious politicians or beaurocratic bon vivants in the name of the people of the Americas.
There is little to be said that has not been said beyond the internal outrage we all feel inside. But throughout the day, I have been utterly amazed at a single fact: How a revolution that claims to want to create a better, more humane society, has shown no compassion for Mr. Brito.
There is no humanity in the Government or a political system that has spent the day blaming Mr. Brito for his own death. There is no compassion in saying Mr. Brito was not in his right mind and this led to his death, without looking at how he got to the point that he got. There is no compassion in trying to use legalese to say why Mr. Brito was right or wrong in his claims against the Venezuelan State.
And it is totally despicable to suggest that Mr. Brito’s death was planned to occur before the election, some writers in Aporrea even giving it the name the “Britazo” or Government officials suggesting that Mr. Brito was used by the opposition.
Because in the end it was the Government that kidnapped Mr. Brito against his own will and that of his family and held him in a military hospital until he passed away. Supposedly this kidnapping was done to protect his life, a claim that now sounds absolutely empty given his tragic death under the watch and supervision of this heartless Government. It would have been more dignified for him to die when and where he wanted.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
More News On Franklin Brito
It is a hopeful sign that this tragedy is not going unnoticed.
The Venezuelan Government came out swinging, blaming Mr. Brito for having the temerity to insist that he be restored clear title to the land his family owns.
CARACAS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Venezuela's government accused opposition parties on Wednesday of desiring the death of hunger-striker Franklin Brito to maximize political damage to President Hugo Chavez ahead of a parliamentary election.
"Like vultures, they desired and hoped for his death," a government statement said of the Brito case, which has stirred up Venezuelan politics before the Sept. 26 vote.
Critics have seized on the emaciated farmer's death, in a protest over land he says was seized illegally in south Venezuela, as evidence of Chavez's abuse of property rights and cold indifference to opposition.
But the government says Brito's complaint had no basis in law and that his ownership of 717 acres (290 hectares) in Bolivar state had been repeatedly ratified by land authorities.
"We are obliged to reject the Phariseeism of the rotten media, the electoral opposition and the Catholic Church who encouraged Mr. Brito's extremism with the sole aim of having a death for their dirty banners," the statement added.
Then, of course, we are treated to this classic piece of moral courage from the Obama State Department:
Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State, said on Tuesday that the United States is saddened by the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito, who had been on a hunger strike in protest for the expropriation of his lands by the government of President Hugo Chávez.
"We are saddened to hear of Mr. Brito's passing and we extend our condolences to his family," said Crowley, as reported by AFP. He stressed that Washington "did follow his case closely." But he simply added that the United States would "leave it to the Government of Venezuela to explain."
Given the other news that preoccupies us in the US, this may not rise far above the radar. But it is significant, as a regime fawned over by the Obama White House engages in blatant brutality with nary a murmur of protest.
The State of Arizona, on the other hand, is being hit with both barrels by the US Justice Department.
There is a terrible dissonance in all this. A terrible, tragic, disturbing dissonance.
Now, while we're on the subject of dissidents who have disappeared into the bowels of the Chavez regime, OS would be interested to hear news of the fate of Alejandro Pena Esclusa.
A recent statement was released by him from his jail cell.
Of course, our State Department stands by in silence.
And, in honor of President Chavez, a most appropriate portrait. Please feel free to distribute.
The Venezuelan Government came out swinging, blaming Mr. Brito for having the temerity to insist that he be restored clear title to the land his family owns.
CARACAS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Venezuela's government accused opposition parties on Wednesday of desiring the death of hunger-striker Franklin Brito to maximize political damage to President Hugo Chavez ahead of a parliamentary election.
"Like vultures, they desired and hoped for his death," a government statement said of the Brito case, which has stirred up Venezuelan politics before the Sept. 26 vote.
Critics have seized on the emaciated farmer's death, in a protest over land he says was seized illegally in south Venezuela, as evidence of Chavez's abuse of property rights and cold indifference to opposition.
But the government says Brito's complaint had no basis in law and that his ownership of 717 acres (290 hectares) in Bolivar state had been repeatedly ratified by land authorities.
"We are obliged to reject the Phariseeism of the rotten media, the electoral opposition and the Catholic Church who encouraged Mr. Brito's extremism with the sole aim of having a death for their dirty banners," the statement added.
Then, of course, we are treated to this classic piece of moral courage from the Obama State Department:
Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State, said on Tuesday that the United States is saddened by the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito, who had been on a hunger strike in protest for the expropriation of his lands by the government of President Hugo Chávez.
"We are saddened to hear of Mr. Brito's passing and we extend our condolences to his family," said Crowley, as reported by AFP. He stressed that Washington "did follow his case closely." But he simply added that the United States would "leave it to the Government of Venezuela to explain."
Given the other news that preoccupies us in the US, this may not rise far above the radar. But it is significant, as a regime fawned over by the Obama White House engages in blatant brutality with nary a murmur of protest.
The State of Arizona, on the other hand, is being hit with both barrels by the US Justice Department.
There is a terrible dissonance in all this. A terrible, tragic, disturbing dissonance.
Now, while we're on the subject of dissidents who have disappeared into the bowels of the Chavez regime, OS would be interested to hear news of the fate of Alejandro Pena Esclusa.
A recent statement was released by him from his jail cell.
Of course, our State Department stands by in silence.
And, in honor of President Chavez, a most appropriate portrait. Please feel free to distribute.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
In Memoriam: Franklin Brito, A Farmer From Venezuela
As the press continues to lionize and never dare criticize Comrade Chavez of Venezuela, let us remember the latest of his victims, Franklin Brito.
This from today's Economist:
FRANKLIN BRITO is not well-known outside Venezuela, and the country’s government would like it to stay that way. Late on Monday night, the 50-year-old farmer and biologist died from a hunger strike in the military hospital in Caracas, the capital, where he had been held against his will, virtually incommunicado, since December.
Mr Brito’s sad saga started seven years ago, when his 250-acre fruit and vegetable farm in the south-eastern state of Bolívar was taken over by neighbours. He later discovered that INTI, the government’s land-reform agency, had granted them rights to occupy his land, in what he saw as an act of revenge by a corrupt local mayor.
He then began an extraordinary, and often lonely, fight to regain sole title to his farm. To raise awareness of his case, he staged six separate hunger strikes, amputated his little finger and had his lips sewn together. The government sometimes said it would meet his demands if he ended the hunger strikes, but inevitably reneged once he did. It also offered him $230,000 in compensation. But he turned down almost all of it, saying the payment was illegal and that he could be accused of corruption if he accepted it. Although the people occupying his farm left last year, their legal right to return at any time was never revoked.
In 2009 Mr Brito transferred his hunger strike to the pavement outside the offices of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Caracas. This step, which led an OAS delegation to attempt to mediate, drew too much attention to the case for the government’s taste. In December it sent police to transfer him to the military hospital by force.
Despite pressure from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the courts, which mainly do Mr Chávez’s bidding, refused to order his release. Government spokesmen said Mr Brito was mentally ill and needed to be detained for his own protection. But they never provided any evidence to support this claim. The authorities themselves undermined it when they filmed him without his permission, and then presented a crudely edited video that suggested he was trying to blackmail the government for money.
Mr Brito sealed his fate when he began refusing even liquids. In a statement issued shortly after his death, his family insisted that he would “live on in the struggle of the Venezuelan people for property rights, justice, freedom and human rights.” His widow, Elena, has vowed to continue the fight. “This is our only project in life,” she said last year, “and my four children depend on it.”
The government clearly could have stopped Mr Brito from taking his life by restoring his exclusive title to his land. But Hugo Chávez, the leftist president, seems to have calculated that standing firm against his demands would be more politically advantageous. Human-rights organisations in Venezuela say that around 2,500 people are currently subject to criminal proceedings for engaging in peaceful dissent. The space to do so is shrinking every day.
The right to private property is essential to a free society. This is my land, and you can't have it unless I freely transfer it to you on terms agreeable to me. This is my house, my business, my copyright, my money, my body. It belongs to me, not to the state or the state's designated favorites.
OS is seeing this right beginning to erode here in the US. A friend and her husband resisted a state 'economic development commission' attempt to seize their farm for an industrial plant a few years ago, standing against massive arm-twisting by government at all levels. They just found out that it has all started again, via a zoning proposal that will effectively lower the value of their land to near zero, unless they buckle under at the next 'offer' to purchase. OS finds it hard to believe that this is an isolated occurrence.
Mr. Brito's refusal to buckle was extraordinary, some would say excessive. OS is not certain at all that he would show the same courage. He also hopes he is never put in position to have to make those kinds of choice.
This from today's Economist:
FRANKLIN BRITO is not well-known outside Venezuela, and the country’s government would like it to stay that way. Late on Monday night, the 50-year-old farmer and biologist died from a hunger strike in the military hospital in Caracas, the capital, where he had been held against his will, virtually incommunicado, since December.
Mr Brito’s sad saga started seven years ago, when his 250-acre fruit and vegetable farm in the south-eastern state of Bolívar was taken over by neighbours. He later discovered that INTI, the government’s land-reform agency, had granted them rights to occupy his land, in what he saw as an act of revenge by a corrupt local mayor.
He then began an extraordinary, and often lonely, fight to regain sole title to his farm. To raise awareness of his case, he staged six separate hunger strikes, amputated his little finger and had his lips sewn together. The government sometimes said it would meet his demands if he ended the hunger strikes, but inevitably reneged once he did. It also offered him $230,000 in compensation. But he turned down almost all of it, saying the payment was illegal and that he could be accused of corruption if he accepted it. Although the people occupying his farm left last year, their legal right to return at any time was never revoked.
In 2009 Mr Brito transferred his hunger strike to the pavement outside the offices of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Caracas. This step, which led an OAS delegation to attempt to mediate, drew too much attention to the case for the government’s taste. In December it sent police to transfer him to the military hospital by force.
Despite pressure from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the courts, which mainly do Mr Chávez’s bidding, refused to order his release. Government spokesmen said Mr Brito was mentally ill and needed to be detained for his own protection. But they never provided any evidence to support this claim. The authorities themselves undermined it when they filmed him without his permission, and then presented a crudely edited video that suggested he was trying to blackmail the government for money.
Mr Brito sealed his fate when he began refusing even liquids. In a statement issued shortly after his death, his family insisted that he would “live on in the struggle of the Venezuelan people for property rights, justice, freedom and human rights.” His widow, Elena, has vowed to continue the fight. “This is our only project in life,” she said last year, “and my four children depend on it.”
The government clearly could have stopped Mr Brito from taking his life by restoring his exclusive title to his land. But Hugo Chávez, the leftist president, seems to have calculated that standing firm against his demands would be more politically advantageous. Human-rights organisations in Venezuela say that around 2,500 people are currently subject to criminal proceedings for engaging in peaceful dissent. The space to do so is shrinking every day.
The right to private property is essential to a free society. This is my land, and you can't have it unless I freely transfer it to you on terms agreeable to me. This is my house, my business, my copyright, my money, my body. It belongs to me, not to the state or the state's designated favorites.
OS is seeing this right beginning to erode here in the US. A friend and her husband resisted a state 'economic development commission' attempt to seize their farm for an industrial plant a few years ago, standing against massive arm-twisting by government at all levels. They just found out that it has all started again, via a zoning proposal that will effectively lower the value of their land to near zero, unless they buckle under at the next 'offer' to purchase. OS finds it hard to believe that this is an isolated occurrence.
Mr. Brito's refusal to buckle was extraordinary, some would say excessive. OS is not certain at all that he would show the same courage. He also hopes he is never put in position to have to make those kinds of choice.
Monday, July 19, 2010
More On Pena Esclusa: Video Posted Shortly Before His Arrest
Evidently, he saw events coming.
OS doesn't pretend to be an expert in the politics of South America, but this incident is troubling.
Comments and insights welcomed, in both English and Spanish.
OS doesn't pretend to be an expert in the politics of South America, but this incident is troubling.
Comments and insights welcomed, in both English and Spanish.
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