News of the Restless

Q. When do dictators become demonstrators?

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Sabina Becker

A. When their gringo puppetmasters “ask” them to:

micheletti-demonstrating

Yup, that’s Roberto Micheletti, whom you may recall as the putschist who ousted Manuel Zelaya in a military coup. So how did he end up there? Contrainjerencia has the story:

Honduran ex-dictator Roberto Micheletti joined the Venezuelan opposition in the Honduran industrial city of San Pedro Sula last Saturday.

There were 26 demonstrators, between ten Venezuelan families and Honduran friends who wanted to make known their opposition to the government of Nicolás Maduro.

The visible face of the military coup of June 28, 2009 in Honduras has an old sympathy for the putschist Venezuelan opposition. The “White Shirts” organization, composed of the illustrious Honduran oligarchy, which set plans in motion for the coup d’état months before it was executed by [Venezuelan] General Romeo Vázquez Velázquez, has played host several times in the capital [Tegucigalpa], inviting various leaders of the Venezuelan putschist movement, most of them now established in Miami, to wage a campaign in that central American country against the Bolivarian republic.

Even the famously bad singer, Maria Conchita Alonso, has been in Honduras, trying to inject optimism in her Honduran allies. Conchita’s brother is Roberto Alonso, who, in May 2004, concealed more than 150 Colombian paramilitaries, totally camouflaged, in his mansion on the outskirts of Caracas, with the intent of committing sabotage and murder among Venezuelans. Today, the Cuban-Venezuelan is “exiled” in Miami.

From the mouth of the distinguished putschist, Micheletti himself, we have also heard that the Israeli colonel, Yaacov Levi, was participating in the anti-Venezuelan demonstrations in San Pedro Sula. Levi is one of the “capacitators” of the new Honduran military-police command which debuted a few months before the general elections of November 24, 2013. The Command is known and reputed for its raids on the homes of leaders of the resistance, the LIBRE party [of Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, wife of the deposed president], and the popular and unionist movements of Honduras.

On the other hand, in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, only seven (7) Venezuelans demonstrated against the Maduro government in an international action called “SOS Venezuela”.

With friends and allies like that…

Translation mine.

I was going to list this on the weekly wankapedia, but then I decided that this was such a colossal wank that it deserved an entry all to itself. So there you have it.

And gee, all of 26 demonstrators in San Pedro Sula…and 7 in Tegucigalpa? Ha, ha, ha ha ha! Where I come from, that kind of numbers would be appropriate to an embarrassingly small neighborhood barbecue party. Not an “international solidarity movement”, which is what all this claimed to be.

Gee, all you people who reposted, reblogged and retweeted the “SOS Venezuela” craptag…don’t you feel stupid now? Because you sure smell that way to me.

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Posted in Crapagandarati, Cuba, Libre (de los Yanquis), Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Good to Know, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't It Ironic?, Not Hiding in Honduras, Spooks, The United States of Amnesia | Comments Off

Why the Venezuelan protests are doomed to fail, AGAIN

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Sabina Becker

oppo-peaceful-work

“I’m so proud of your peaceful work!” Silly señora, wake up and smell the cafecito…

So, you think the opposition protests are popular? You think they’ll succeed, and that gringo intervention will be welcomed? Think again. Survey sez…EPIC FAIL!

A survey by International Consulting Services (ICS) found that 85.3% of Venezuelans disagree with the protests mounted by sectors of the Venezuelan far-right.

These violent actions, which involve roadblocks, have caused damage to state institutions, destruction, and closures of public roads and services, as part of a putschist plan against the government.

Simón Córdoba, representative of the consulting firm, told VTV that the survey, conducted between February 17 and 24, also showed that 81.6% of Venezuelans consider the opposition protests to have been violent.

91.3% of those surveyed said that preservation of peace and democracy are “very important”, while 54.8% stated that democracy is guaranteed.

52.3% of respondents affirmed that freedom of expression in Venezuela is very well guaranteed, while 54.2% said that human rights are supported.

65.2% say that the actions of the police have been in line with the law.

The ICS survey reached 1400 homes, has a margin of error of 2.7%, and a reliability rating of 95%.

Translation mine.

So, to recap…4 out of 5 Venezuelans don’t believe those “peaceful” protests are peaceful at all, and don’t agree with those mounting them. That means that not only Maduro supporters, but a fair chunk of the opposition and those of no particular political affiliation are against what’s happening in the streets right now. A clear majority also think the police have been acting for the most part appropriately, and democracy and freedom of expression prevail in Maduro’s supposedly “fascist” land.

You can argue against it all you like, but the people have spoken. Venezuela will not be falling into the hands of the gringos or their puppets anytime soon.

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Posted in Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Huguito Chavecito, If You REALLY Care, Isn't It Ironic?, Isn't That Illegal?, The United States of Amnesia | 1 Comment

Venezuela: National Assembly president reveals right-wing criminal connections galore

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Sabina Becker

Diosdado Cabello has been a busy boy lately. Not only is he the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, he’s also a broadcaster with a weekly show on the public channel, VTV. And it was there that he dropped a big bunch of bombshells this week:

On Monday, the president of the Venezuelan national assembly, Diosdado Cabello, revealed a series of e-mails sent by political advisor Juan José Rendón and right-wing deputy María Corina Machado, revealing details about foreign support for destabilization plans against the national government.

On his weekly program Con el Mazo Dando, on VTV, Cabello showed a series of e-mails between Rendón and Ricardo Koesling, an anti-Castro Cuban, referring to connections between Colombian ex-president Álvaro Uribe Vélez and the violent actions of fascist groups in Venezuela during the last several days.

Rendón said to Koesling: “Remember that AUV (Uribe) supplies resources and subcontracts with the State [Department]. You do as he says, or we’ll be left holding the bag. For him, the ‘Half Moon’ (Venezuela’s Andean states, plus Zulia) and the rest of the country for Venezuela. It’s better than nothing. Anyhow, those states are practically Colombian. He’ll be president of Colombia and his mission, I presume, is to do away with this cancer of a regime (in Venezuela), starting with the illegitimate [Maduro]. This objective will be obtained with regime change by whatever means, but for now, the idea is to strengthen one of the two, Leopoldo [López] or Henrique [Capriles].”

He adds that “whatever the scenario, there is no way that one of the two won’t come out on top, preferably Henrique [Capriles], since L.L. (Leopoldo López) has shown himself to be very competent, but with a high chance that he will slip out of control.”

Cabello said that this was the confession to “a coup d’état against the country, under the thumb of the ‘paraco’ Uribe. Our country is at stake, this is no small thing.”

Then, the National Assembly president read out a message from right-wing parliamentarian María Corina Machado to lawyer Gustavo Tarre Briceño, which points to US intervention in the violence generated by fascist groups in Venezuela.

In the message, dated February 20, Machado says: “On the 22nd (of February), decent Venezuela will give a demonstration in the great march we have called. This government has got to go, any which way. Its own censure will cause it to fall […] We will follow the example Táchira gave, but we won’t abandon for one minute the call to the streets and for peace, that’s the advice and recommendation from our friends in the Department [of State, in the US]…”

[…]

Cabello also showed photos of a cache of weapons presumably belonging to retired general Ángel Vivas Perdomo, accused of instigating violence and guarimba tactics via social networks.

“He’s going to prison, but we won’t put the lives of his children at risk, as he has done,” said Cabello, recalling that Vivas was director of finance for ex-general Raúl Isaías Baduel, in prison for administrative corruption.

Cabello also denounced that Alejandro Márquez, who died on Sunday, was murdered by right-wingers.

“They themselves [meaning right-wing shock troops] killed him because he wouldn’t do the job they demanded,” said Cabello, going on to say that Márquez had received paramilitary training and later “was contracted as an assassin and part of his job was to kill the president, Nicolás Maduro.”

Cabello showed various photos of Márquez dressed in a paramilitary uniform and holding up “rifles with telescopic sights” while he was training in the United States.

Cabello named the suspects in the case: Osman Moya, Reinaldo Daza, Manuel Medina, Gabriel Villegas and Luis Fabián Medina Rodríguez.

“I have no doubt that among this group is the killer of Alejandro Márquez. We are looking for these men because we are under threat from mercenaries, assassins, contract killers. It’s sad that the Venezuelan opposition has come to this. This is not a free agent, he was contracted for a specific job. Nobody’s life matters to them,” Cabello said.

Cabello denounced that the right is contracting Álvaro Uribe Vélez, “enemy of peace in our country and the continent, to bring in assassins to kill people during guarimbas and [opposition] demonstrations, and later claim it was the government.”

Cabello informed that the Executive has started an investigation into the case of Jayssam Mokded, a mercenary arrested yesterday in Maracay, Aragua, to uncover the connections behind the terrorist actions he was planning to perpetrate in Venezuela. “We will get behind all of it, have no doubt,” Cabello said.

Translation mine.

So we can see that all the usual suspects are at play i this latest wave of “spontaneous” demonstrations which have turned violent, quite by intention on the part of the planners, with a little — okay, a LOT — of help from their “friends” in the US State Dept. We have MariCori, Prettyboy Leo, Majunche Capriles, Jota-Jota the Crapaganda Samurai, plus a crooked ex-general (Vivas) with connections to another (Raúl Baduel, who decided that money and property mattered more to him than the common good of the land, and who is now in prison for embezzlement.) One would think that they could at least dig up some fresh meat, but this is the best they can do.

And we can also see that the oppos are true to an old, old script, following the same strategy that worked so well for them in 2002: set up a media campaign to “prove” that the president is an unhinged tyrant*, stage “peaceful” demonstrations with the collaboration of corporate media, plant hired assassins in covert locations to pick off random people of all political affiliations, let it turn into a riot, blame the president, stage a coup, install a puppet “leader”, and call in the US Marines for backup.

They have no qualms about killing anyone, not even their own. After all, they want to divide up the land as spoils amongst themselves, and hand a big chunk of western Venezuela (rich in oilfields, among other things) to their and the State Dept.’s best buddy in the region — El Narco Uribe. By way of thanks for all his paramilitary help, no doubt…

What a pity for them that the average Venezuelan hasn’t forgotten the events of 2002, and isn’t fooled in the least by this latest variation on the old theme.

Meanwhile, dear “liberal” friends in the US of Amnesia who are still standing with these fascist coup-plotters and calling for “humanitarian” intervention…when will YOU remember, and start holding your elected officials (and your unelected spooks) accountable? After all, this is their baby too…and the blood is on you.

*How very touching that the same Chicken Noodle Network, which was recently kicked out of Venezuela for its part in spreading lies and right-wing crapaganda depicting Madurito as a lunatic, has sent a flunkey from its Spanish-language service to support the beleaguered putschist ex-general, Vivas. These birds of a feather all have a distinct whiff of carrion about them.

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Posted in Barreling Right Along, Crapagandarati, El NarcoPresidente, Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Guns, Guns, Guns, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't It Ironic?, Isn't That Illegal?, Spooks, The United States of Amnesia | Comments Off

The ironies of the Venezuelan opposition, part 40

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Sabina Becker

angel-vivas-tweet

“Good day, comrade @JgarciaArq, if you don’t have any nylon ropes you can use GALVANIZED WIRE of the thickest kind, it’s very effective as well.” Ladies and gentlemen, Venezuelan ex-general Ángel Vivas, giving free advice to the yoots on how to murder innocent motorcyclists in Caracas. The sign above his head says “Yesterday I served my Homeland as a Soldier”. He’ll be here all week. Try the chicken, and don’t forget to tip your server.

Howdy, folks, and welcome to a landmark edition of VenOpIronía. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover tonight, so let’s get on it. First stop: Caracas, where this happened:

general-vivas-standoff

Yup, that’s General Vivas, he of the noxious tweeting habits. He’s in his civvies, and holding a ludicrous standoff in a very fancy neighborhood. And he’s got blood on his hands, which may be why he’s posturing like a macho madman, instead of handing himself over to the authorities like a decent human being:

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, called for an investigation of retired army general Ángel Vivas, for instigating violence and ordering [opposition demonstrators] to string up nylon ropes and wires during their guarimbas, causing the deaths of at least two people.

On Friday night, Santiago Enrique Pedroza, 29, died trying to pass a barricade, when he was caught by a taut wire which he could not see, on Rómulo Gallegos Avenue in Caracas, and was strangled to death. In the western state of Mérida, a woman died of the same causes.

Maduro said that the Caracas case had to do with a young man who worked in a supermarket, was a sports leader in his neighborhood, and a Chavista who had celebrated his birthday just the day before. “We have already identified who strung the wire. They will go to jail,” he said.

Translation mine.

Here’s another view of the ex-general, making like Charlton Heston:

general-vivas-standoff2

As you can see, he’s drawn a small crowd. Which is par for the course with the Venezuelan oppos, although they do make a touching effort to pretend otherwise. Sorry, guys, but there is just no such thing as a popular oligarch in Venezuela!

Meanwhile, not to be outdone by the recent arrest of Prettyboy Leo and the not-yet-arrest of ex-general Vivas, Maricori has piped up again…and is calling for moar dirty war:

On Sunday night, audio was revealed of opposition deputy María Corina Machado on the Zello social network, divulging instructions for “participating in civil disobedience and active guarimbas, so that all Venezuela’s streets would be closed on Monday.”

The audio was broadcast by Mario Silva on his program, La Hojilla (The Razorblade).

There, one could hear Machado say: “Gentlemen, I repeat: This is not the time to fold your arms. This is not the time to go to the beach, it’s not the time to enjoy the weekend. This is the time to show the government who we are, and why we’re fighting. There are brothers laying it all on the line for Táchira, there are brothers who gave their lives in the last few days for us. We have to avenge them, gentlemen. We have to show their mothers that their sons’ struggle was not in vain. We have to participate in civil disobedience and active guarimba, so that on Monday morning, all the streets of Venezuela are closed, please. I invite everyone to participate in active struggle.”

Translation mine. Audio link added, so you can hear her actually say that.

Of course, MariCori and her fellow putschists had to be disappointed. Not only was their plan for a “Great National Barricade” leaked, it also flopped. All the cities they planned to cut off, including Caracas, stayed glaringly open. Galvanized wires, nylon ropes, and gun-mad ex-generals notwithstanding.

Guess too many of those “peaceful” little putschists were off at the beach, eh MariCori?

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Posted in Crapagandarati, Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Guns, Guns, Guns, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't It Ironic?, Isn't That Illegal? | 1 Comment

Music for a Sunday: At the end of a double day

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Sabina Becker

Call me a purist, but I miss the skittery fall-in at the beginning, and the dreamy loop-the-loop fade-out of the original:

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Wankers of the Week: The Ruckus in Caracas

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Sabina Becker

Crappy weekend, everyone! Well, how about all those riots in Venezuela? Have they got you convinced that Madurito is the Worstest President Ever? And that he needs to go? If so, the more fool you…you got the wool pulled over your eyes by your own corporate media — AGAIN. Not to worry, Nicolás Maduro isn’t going anywhere. He’s got the backing of UNASUR, Mercosur…and the bulk of the Venezuelan people. These wankers, on the other hand, include some REAL tyrants…and with any luck, they’re going DOWN. In no particular order, as usual:

1. Tony Fucking Abbott. So, spying “benefits our friends”? Those “friends” being the slimiest imperial regimes on Earth? With “friends” like those, Australia doesn’t need enemies.

2. Mark Fucking Levin. No, same-sex marriage isn’t like “father-daughter incest”. It’s like regular marriage, only gay. DUH.

3. Ted Fucking Cruz. Pray for discrimination! Why? Oh, who knows? Like #2, it seems to be an exercise in homophobia just for the hell of it. Now with more boo-hoo and crybaby tantrums!

4. Rick Fucking Snyder. And speaking of boo-hoo and crybaby tantrums, there’s the so-called governor of Michigan…whose idea of governing is to deny rights to citizens. And he’s willing to make a federal case of it. Here’s hoping he loses.

5. Rob Fucking Ford. In case there was any doubt that he was a homophobe, here you go: He’s gone and declared war on LGBTs everywhere. Ford Nation: a “nation” of two (Robbo and Dougie), two members stupid. And destined to fail.

6. Doug Fucking Ford. Aw, da bullies are being bullied by the victims of their own bullying! My heart bleeds! Meanwhile, guess who’s been throwing red meat to the other conservative bullies? Yup, THOSE guys. FAIL!

7. Fucking Lululemon. Does anything evil that this Randroid corporation does surprise you? Because it no longer surprises me. And it’s just one more reason for me never to be caught dead in any of their overpriced crap.

8. Pat Fucking Robertson. World’s worst advice: Having a trans girlfriend is sin to be kept forever in the closet, and Wiccan parenting puts you on a par with people who turn their kids into drug dealers and prostitutes. Really, Patwa? Because, funnily, I’ve never sold sex OR drugs. And neither have any other Witches I know. OR their kids. Maybe you should leave the advice-giving to Dear Abby and Ann Landers, Patwa.

9. Bob Fucking Marshall. Did gay voters get to ratify YOUR right to marry, Mr. Marshall? NO? Well, then, don’t complain when your not-so-democratic constitutional amendment gets shut down. And hands off the judge who only did the right thing — Loving v. Virginia is a legal precedent!

10. John Fucking McCain. Guess who’s all for US interference in Venezuela? Yup…THIS guy. Am I ever glad he’s not president, because his ass in the White House would spell unmitigated disaster.

11. Brent Fucking Bozell. Surprise, surprise, another right-wing plagiarist has been caught passing off someone else’s work as his own. This one has made a career out of haranguing non-cons to “TELL THE TRUTH!” Maybe he should try it himself sometime, eh?

12. John Fucking Kirkwood. The smell of mothballs is strong with this one. Funny how anti-gay assholes always spend more time thinking about gay sex than gay people themselves do. Why is that, I wonder?

13. Miranda Fucking Barbour. Murdering a man you lured on Craigslist is a heinous crime. But bragging that you’ve done dozens more of the same when you clearly haven’t? That, my friends, is one bizarro wank.

14. Jerry Fucking Boykin. If you ever wonder why there is a church/state separation (and why it ought to be even deeper), just look at Jesus’ General here, claiming that a mostly peaceful Jewish carpenter from 2000 years ago is gonna come back wielding a 20th-century weapon widely touted as a “Man Card”. There aren’t enough cuckoos in the clock for this one.

15. August Fucking Byron Fucking Kreis. Why the double Fucking? Because that’s how evil it is that he is both a white supremacist preacher…and a molester of little girls.

16. Mark Fucking Regnerus. Same-sex marriage will lead to what? Um, no. For one thing, straight men have been demanding those things for as long as I can remember. For another, they did that long before same-sex marriage was even a legal thing. And women have been saying no to sexual demands that they didn’t want to meet for at least that long, too. You know what’s truly heinous and ungodly? All those bogus studies claiming to “prove” things that they don’t. And those ugly chin-whiskers.

17. Ted Fucking Nugent. Dude, you calling anyone a Nazi is a distinct case of “pot, meet kettle”. STFU and go away, already. PS: Don’t bother nopologizing, the whole world knows you’re not really sorry for being a racist.

18. Patrick Fucking Brazeau. So, what’s Harpo’s pet senator/domestic abuser/embezzler up to lately? Oh, not much. Just managing a seedy strip joint in Ottawa. And still answering to “Senator Brazeau”, if you can believe that. How long do you reckon it’ll be before he’s arrested for harassing the dancers?

19. Scott Fucking Walker. Surprise, surprise…his staffers include a number of unfunny racists who like to forward unfunny racist e-mails and send illegal campaign mails on the public dime too. If that’s not a waste of public money, I don’t know what is. And for the thousandth time, Wisconsin…why the hell have you not impeached this shitweasel?

20. Simon Fucking Lokodo. He thinks that men raping girls is natural, but gay relationships between consenting adults are not? And just think, this deluded preacher is a minister for “ethics and integrity” in the Ugandan government! No wonder Uganda is so fucked up. PS: Sign, sign, sign.

21. Greg Fucking Ball. Saving the whales is a nice thing; plagiarizing a high-schooler’s essay in order to do it, however, is a wank. Give credit where it’s due like a grownup, senator!

22. John Fucking Myers. Whatever happened to that vow of poverty? Oh, I see…schoolkids are supposed to take it, while bishops get to live in palaces. If Pope Francis doesn’t give this one a stern talking-to, I’m going to be adding another wanker to this list. PS: “Your Grace”? Um, try DISgrace.

23. Tom Fucking DeLay. No, God didn’t write the US constitution, nor is it based on the bible. He also didn’t write the bible. God can’t write, you fucking idiot.

24. Scott Fucking Lively. Anyone else struck by the hypocrisy of a fascist preacher who calls for the death of gays all the time, telling people exercising their right to free speech to “stop killing speech”? Considering that his “speech” is responsible for actual human deaths, I’d say shutting him up is the most humane thing to do.

25. David Fucking Cameron. Is there any further doubt in your minds that not only is he unpopular with the British electorate (he had to have a coalition government, this time ’round), but he’s also a true tyrant? Who else would try to make money from people being kicked off public assistance?And threaten to press criminal charges against anyone who challenged the decision to cut them off? And of course, who can ever forget all that infamous kettling? You won’t see THAT happening in Venezuela, kiddies. But you WILL see it happening in merry old riot-torn England.

26. Ileana Fucking Ros-Lehtinen. Hey! Remember how she was all huggy-kissy-cozy with Roberto Fucking Micheletti, the interim dictator of Honduras, who overthrew a democratically elected and popular president there in 2009 (with a little “help” from his US State Dept. “friends”)? Well, guess what: She’s now dissing another democratically elected, popular president…IN VENEZUELA. Whatever could it mean???

27. James Fucking Bloodworth. If you’re going to go accusing the majority of Venezuelans (who, be it noted, actually live, work and vote there) of having a “huge blind spot” about their own country, maybe you should start with that plank in your own pretty blue eyes, Jimbo. And by “plank”, I mean CRAPAGANDA.

28. Leopoldo Fucking López. Speaking of pretty boys: Yup, Leo’s a wanker too — this week, every week. For fomenting another lousy putsch (doomed to failure, and you heard it here first). And for being possessed (demonically, even) of a criminal ambition so naked that even the CIA’s “diplomatic” spooks could see it for years. And faithfully reported it back to Washington, so he could be duly cultivated, financed and trained for the very actions you’re seeing go down in Venezuela now.

29. Rex Fucking Tillerson. This week in Shit You Couldn’t Make Up If You Tried, ExxtortionMobil’s CEO is all for fracking. Just not in his own backyard, because it would frighten the horses…and lower his $5 million property value.

30. Dean Fucking Esmay. Pro tip: When trying to convince an 18-year-old woman (who totally has you pegged, BTW) that your “men’s HUMAN rights” movement isn’t just an echo chamber for rampant misogyny and flat-out ridiculosity, you might want to start by, you know, not proving your detractor’s point for her in your so-called rebuttal.

And finally, to the two fucking wankers above, and to anyone else who mindlessly retweeted any of those hashtags this week, or spread any of the crapaganda memes attached to them. Congratulations, the Mighty Wurlitzer has played you like a cheap fiddle. I hope you have the decency to feel foolish when you realize you’ve just backed another fascist coup in the name of “freedom”. If you think Leopoldo Fucking López (a.k.a. Wanker #28) is a man of the people, you are in for one helluva shock. Prettyboy Leo is an oligarch among oligarchs, and he couldn’t care less for democracy. And neither can all the little shitweasels who’ve been doing his bidding, terrorizing the cities of Venezuela because they can’t handle losing more than a dozen free, fair elections over the last 15 years. If you ever wonder why the opposition can’t make inroads against the PSUV, better ask yourself instead why the old ruling class of Venezuela will never make a comeback, and why they keep losing election after election. Because when all the dust from the current kerfuffle settles, the fact will remain that they aren’t a democratic opposition at all, but a bunch of whiny, overbred twits who don’t have the brains or the work ethic to run a lemonade stand, never mind a country rich with history…and oil.

Good night, and get fucked!

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Venezuela: Order restored in Táchira; Caracas in mourning

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Sabina Becker

rodriguez-torres

Well, that didn’t take long. The Venezuelan army’s in control of Táchira, and normality is being restored peacefully there…and without a drop of blood shed:

The Venezuelan minister for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace, Major-General Miguel Rodriguez Torres, informed that food supplies, cement and fuel are now co-ordinated in Táchira, and that “we are reaching order in this important state.”

[…]

Rodríguez Torres stated that he was pleased after touring the city [of San Cristóbal] and verifying that the sectors affected by the opposition demonstrations are few, and that “we have collected 180 tons of scrap metal.”

Translation mine.

The “scrap metal” he mentions is no doubt the junk that the oppos were using to block off the roads in and out of San Cristóbal, to create artificial shortages and panic among the people. Recall that the city was under siege from its opposition mayor, who used some ugly tactics to intimidate any Chavistas who might be about. Hence the military presence in the state.

Now San Cristóbal’s roads are unblocked and goods are moving freely in again. Meanwhile, another Venezuelan city is in mourning, thanks to a “peaceful” opposition demo that ended up murdering a passing motorcyclist:

The death of young Santiago Enrique Pedroza, 29, on Friday night has caused great consternation and repudiation. Pedroza was strangled to death when, while riding his motorcycle, he tried to pass a barricade erected by opposition demonstrators, and was caught by a taut wire, which he had not been able to see in time.

The incident occurred on Rómulo Gallegos Avenue, in the Horizonte district of Caracas, where opposition members are holding pot-banging demonstrations and guarimbas. It is the second death to occur under these circumstances.

“These fascist guarimberos strung a steel wire, and this young worker, who was travelling by motorbike, didn’t see it, and it took his life, it strangled him,” said the justice minister, Miguel Rodríguez Torres.

Several opposition demonstrators have strung wires across the streets of Caracas, supposedly as a “defence” against “collectives” and “Tupamaros” who, according to them, pass through the streets of this sector of Caracas “spreading terror”. According to the daily newspaper Últimas Notícias, friends arriving at the scene said that the young man lived in Boleíta. The body was removed by officers of the CICPC. It was initially identified as Elvis Rafael Durán.

Bolivarian National Guard captain Edgardo Zuleta told the public TV channel, VTV: “A group of fascists, with the sole intent of destabilizing [Caracas], strung a wire across the avenue […] as well as piles of trash across the same, and the young man lost his life when he ran into the wire.”

The minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Miguel Rodríguez Torres, repudiated the occurrence. He indicated that at this spot, there was a “guarimba” (protest consisting of blocking the roads with garbage and setting it on fire to cut off traffic), held by right-wing demonstrators on Rómulo Gallegos Avenue, in the Horizonte district of Caracas.

[…]

The minister called upon the governor of Miranda, Henrique Capriles Radonski, and the mayor of Sucre, Carlos Ocariz, to take responsibility and send out security forces to re-establish public order. “Work and co-operate with the people who elected you. It’s your job, do it,” Rodríguez Torres said.

[…]

In the Dos Caminos sector, it was also reported that a motorcyclist skidded on some oil spilled in the street. He was injured, and brought to a nearby first-aid post, according to Últimas Notícias.

In the morning, the governor of Mérida, Alexis Ramírez, informed that a citizen, identified as Delia Elena Lobo Arias, 40, of Santa Juana, died as a result of grave injuries inflicted when the motorcycle she was travelling on with one of her sons ran into a trap of barbed wire, laid by radical groups to prevent the passage of motorcycles.

“This was at 9:00 in the night, in the Santa Bárbara sector, on the avenue of the Americas. Thanks to these fascist barricades, this lady lost her life. It is a situation which we denounce, of a woman returning to her home and losing her life,” said Ramírez. The driver of the bike, the son of the deceased woman, suffered a broken right arm and minor injuries.

Again, translation mine.

Some backgrounder is in order here. The mayor of the sector in question, Carlos Ocariz, is an oppositionist, as is the state governor, Capriles (whom you may also recognize as the guy who lost to both Chavecito and his successor, Nicolás Maduro). That’s why the minister is calling on them to do their jobs. Of course, they won’t listen; when have they ever? It’s quite obvious that they are in cahoots with these guarimberos, if not in control of the “spontaneous” operation itself. That’s why there are no police on scene, dismantling the burning trash barricades and trip-wires. The mayor and governor won’t send them. This is a fascist putsch, not a “peaceful protest”. They want to see Maduro, who is fairly elected, brought down, as surely as that innocent passing motorcyclist who was killed. They might just go down in history as the sorest losers ever.

Here’s some video from the scene:

And here’s a photo of the wire in question:

trip-wire

As you can see (despite the awkward angle from which the picture was taken), it’s high enough off the ground to catch the throat of a passing biker if that person is travelling at night, when it’s hard to see something as thin as a wire across a dark street. And this in a city where so many ordinary citizens travel by motorbike or scooter. This was a planned murder, people. The victim could have been anybody. And the “peaceful opposition demonstrators” knew that, and they couldn’t care less.

Here’s a picture of some of those “peaceful” oppos, stringing barbed wire in another location…the fancy eastern part of Caracas, Altamira:

oppos-stringing-wire

You can see that they’re doing it right at a traffic light. And that there’s no “government repression” in to be seen. Again, that’s because the opposition governor of Miranda and the opposition mayor of the municipality are letting this happen. On their watch. Illegally.

They are all fascists. They ALL belong behind bars.

And riddle me this, all you dumb gringos who think it’s the PSUV government repressing these so-called protests: Why isn’t the army all over Caracas stopping this? Gee, could it be because Madurito isn’t the tyrant you’re making him out to be?

PS: Well, looky here. There’s been an arrest of a high-level ex-military man in connection with the trip-wire murders:

President Maduro has ordered the arrest of retired General Angel Vivas, who promoted the use of wire at blockades in order to “neutralise” people on motorbikes. One government supporter on a motorbike died by such a method last night.

On 20 February Vivas tweeted “In order to neutralise criminal hordes on motorbikes, one must place nylon string or galvanised wire across the street, at a height of 1.2 metres”.

He also tweeted, “to render armoured vehicles of the dictatorship useless, Molotov cocktails should be thrown under the motor, to burn belts and hoses, they become inoperative”.

Other tweeters responded to his tweet about decapitating motorbike riders with further advice for the violent blockades, including suggesting that “a lot of oil be used in the streets, it is good for two things, they fall off, and it can set [things] alight. The collectives are the ones in the vehicles”.

So we can see that his methods are in play for the two motorcycle deaths mentioned above, as well as the spin-out “accident” caused by oil on the road. Again, remember that Caracas is a city where motorcyclists abound, especially in the poorer neighborhoods, which extend well up the surrounding hillsides, and where the streets are often too narrow for cars, but still wide enough for bikes. This ugly aspect of the opposition putsch was clearly aimed at the Chavistas in those poor neighborhoods, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that an ex-general (obviously a man of the old ruling class) is giving the nasty little piglets of the oligarchy advice on how to kill them.

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Posted in Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't It Ironic?, Isn't That Illegal?, The "Well, DUH!" Files | 1 Comment

Festive Left Friday Blogging: Ska-P, heroes

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Sabina Becker

ska-p

Spanish ska-punk group Ska-P are my heroes today. Why? Read on:

The Spanish group, Ska-P, sent a message of reflection not only to Venezuelans, but to their followers all over the world, about the situation in Venezuela. On their official Facebook page, they state that they “don’t want to insult, but to arrive at a point of reasoning with those who want to contribute something.”

“What is the opposition trying to do? Don’t they believe that behind this opposition is the oligarchy, privatization, the ownership of the country’s natural resources by big gringo and European corporations, the dismantling of sanity and public education, of pensions, etc.? It’s only a question, we hope that you will debate respectfully,” the band said.

The post received more than 4000 “likes” and has managed to open a debate on the subject, between Venezuelans living abroad, foreigners, and natives of the land.

As was hoped, the proposal received support, more than 600 users have left messages, some in favor of a foreign “intervention” in Venezuela, and others rejecting the brutal media war that some are trying to provoke.

Translation mine. Here’s the post in question:

Oh yeah, and they also rock the hell out of Bolívar:

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Posted in Festive Left Friday Blogging, Huguito Chavecito, Under the Name of Spain | Comments Off

A letter from Venezuela

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Sabina Becker

Just some more video of the Venezuelan opposition making shit up as they go along, with the ever-complicit local corporate media along for the ride. Nothing to see here, folks.

While browsing Aporrea this morning, I came upon this open letter in the opinion section. The author, Leopoldo Alberto Cook Antonorsi, addresses it “to a foreign friend”, whom he does not name. I think it’s worth translating in its entirety, as it sets straight the very crooked picture the media have painted of Venezuela in the last week or so. Here it is, complete and unabridged:

You are concerned about Venezuela, and I understand the sincerity of your position. The short time in which we have exchanged [messages] has allowed me to know you, to see your inner light. But I think you have formed an opinion on the basis of erroneous information, or at least incomplete.

You say that in Venezuela, violence rules, corruption, repression. That is what the international media show. I propose that you verify each piece of information that you see. There is a simple procedure, in the case of photographs:

1. Save the image.
2. Using Google, select Images.
3. Once there, click the icon of the camera on the search bar.
4. Insert the image you saved earlier, search for it, and you will see similar images with their sources.

In these past few days we have seen, as if it were here and now, images of past repression (the Caracas Metropolitan Police, which has not existed for years), or from other places (Egypt, for example). There are laboratories dedicated to this dirty war. They are divulging a lot of false information, presented in a manner well studied by specialists in human comportment, to hook people into their [political] sentiments.

I tell you, yes, there are opposition protests, which began as peaceful ones, and there are many well-meaning people there. But the acts of violence which have taken place, have come from the opposition, from the most fascist group, have caused serious damage in the millions of dollars, and about a hundred of them have been identified and detained. The opposition say that they are infiltrating vandals. So now the big question: Why do the opposition demand that we free them, if they are infiltrators?

Leopoldo López, with a large putschist budget, called the people to the streets in a tone of violence, with the consequences of recent disorder and three deaths. Why do Álvaro Uribe and the US government defend him?

Now I ask you, knowing that your are progressive and sincere:

Have you investigated the levels of nutrition and health in the people of Venezuela, how they have improved in the last 15 years? Have you observed the growth in primary healthcare services?

Have you investigated the indices of education, how illiteracy has been eradicated, how there are fewer school drop-outs, how millions of adults have completed their high school diplomas and are now at university? Have you seen how the people are now more awake, more alert?

Have you investigated how they are resolving the housing deficit in our country, with the construction of new homes and the remodeling of entire neighborhoods?

Have you investigated the level of political participation, how in 15 years we have had 19 elections (of which the Revolution has won 18), with an electoral system which has been internationally praised as one of the best in the world? How many elections have their been during this period in the country where you live and in other “developed” ones?

Have you investigated the antecedents of the leaders of the Venezuelan opposition? I’ll give you some facts: Investigate the fascist organization “Tradition, Family and Property”. Investigate the political history of Venezuela from 1960 to 1998. Have you investigated the financing which opposition political organizations in Venezuela receive, in dollars from the US government and its institutions?

On top of all this, what is the fundamental contradiction? What is it that bothers the US about the Venezuelan revolution? (Because that is the opposition principle, which directs the entire campaign against Venezuela.) Have you asked yourself that? Yesterday, a US congressman said it very clearly: “We have to send troops to Venezuela to guarantee the flow of oil.” The part about the supposed repression, freedoms, etc., etc., is pure pantomime. Their interest is our natural resources, but Latin America is not their backyard, like before.

It’s true that there is an asymmetry with respect to the international “market”. In Venezuela, basic products and services are accessible to the majority, the price indices are well below the international levels. This generates a pressure toward the contraband of extraction. Anti-patriotic sectors illegally hoard tonnes of products of first necessity to sell them out of country. For that reason there is a scarcity of goods, because insensible persons think more of themselves and not of others, and prefer to send products abroad.

Also, the US is investing millions of dollars to cause an imbalance in our economic system. It is fueling speculation, hoarding, financing the “businessmen” with dollars so that they have an income even though they aren’t selling anything.

On the other hand, the Bolivarian government has seen the greatest growth in earnings. Have you investigated what are the indices of acceptable earnings where you live? Because in Venezuela, it has risen 30%, which is excessive in any other country. But did you know that here, there are gains in earnings of 100%, 1,000%, even 10,000%? That is immoral.

As for insecurity, I sincerely believe it has been exaggerated. I don’t deny it, and we are working to bring it down. But it is not worse than in Mexico or Colombia, or El Salvador, or even some parts of the US. But the media influence opinion a great deal. In particular, I go out at night a lot, to workers’ meetings, the movies, on walks, etc., and I can tell you that insecurity has been “maximized”. But there is a real element of insecurity, a part stemming from materialist mentality, which has inculcated capitalism in us, another part artificially financed by the US. They are financing armed gangs, of “thugs” and demobilized paramilitaries, to cause fear, insecurity, in such a way as to raise the statistics of insecurity.

Yes, there is corruption, and we don’t like it. But have you analyzed the actions of the opposition? Their leaders? They are the most corrupt. It’s no consolation to choose the lesser evil, but human nature is like that. We have to fight continually against corruption, there is no perfect government. I don’t ask you to support the revolution because it is “less” corrupt. I ask you to look at the big picture. Inside the process, we have many criticisms, but we are clear on the general direction, which is the option that benefits the majority. We have to work for that and not let others decide for us.

Persecution and torture? We don’t have those (except for a few, which we reject). Investigate the 100 “students” recently detained (there are another 75 estimated to be roaming free). Which of them alleges he was tortured? I saw a video on your Facebook wall in which a demonstrator is talking to some police. Did they repress her? No, in Venezuela we even respect insolence. I don’t know if you saw the video of a demonstrator spitting in the face of a National Guard officer, and the guard remained impassive. Those are the orders: patience, respect even if there is disrespect on the part of the other. Political persecutions? Wrong. In Venezuela, there is freedom of political organization. What is going on is that those sectors, being right-wing, and some even fascist, have no people, and are seeking power through the violent route. It’s true that there are “political” prisoners, on the part of the Revolution as well as the opposition, for corruption or common crimes. But those are not political prisoners, they are politicians in prison.

Finally, there is much information on the Internet, much of it prepared by ill-intentioned laboratories, whose objective is the toppling of a legitimate government which reflects the interests of large groups of power, which has favored the great majority of the Venezuelan people.

For that reason, I ask you to verify very closely the information you receive, and don’t propagate it unless you are sure of its veracity. If you do that, then hopefully in the near future we will see you in the ranks of those who, from an objective position, support us (with due criticisms, but from the people), in a process of the elevation of the human conscience, with its right and wrong answers, so that our political actions are in line with our spiritual thinking.

A sincere hug.

Translation mine. Linkage added.

As you can see, the writer doesn’t paint a too rosy picture of his homeland, but he isn’t willing to stand idly by and let foreigners besmirch it, either. Especially not foreigners with imperialistic interests at stake — or worse, locals who identify with those foreign imperial interests at the expense of their own fellow Venezuelans.

And better still, he advises all those who have been swayed by horror stories from Venezuela to verify the things they’ve seen. Something it would behoove us all to keep in mind the next time we see some sensational trash being flung through the air, whether from up here or from down there. After all, the Mighty Wurlitzer never sleeps…and neither should we who strive to hold it accountable.

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Posted in Crapagandarati, El NarcoPresidente, Fascism Without Swastikas, Filthy Stinking Rich, Fine Young Cannibals, Found in Translation, Good to Know, Huguito Chavecito, If You REALLY Care | 1 Comment

Compare and Contrast: Peña Nieto vs. Maduro

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Sabina Becker

pena-neto-vs-maduro

Left: “He stole the Mexican elections, privatized the state oil companies, and the people repudiate him. TV and the US call him the president who saved Mexico.”

Right: “The Venezuelan people elected him democratically and he didn’t privatize the oil. TV and the US call him a dictator.”

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