From Cairo’s pro-democracy protests, a little taste of Tiananmen Square:
People putting their bodies between the water cannon and the protesters, thus ensuring that the protesters get away unsoaked. Note that the riot cops are well behind the water cannon. Guess they’re not very effective at kettling.
Last I heard, protests were still going on well into the night. Tunisians are apparently not the only badasses in North Africa right now.
Hey, y’all…remember the kerfuffle over the dead body of a certain awful ex-president of Venezuela, and how the same could not be buried? Legal proceedings got underway today, and boy are they a doozer:
The judge hearing the case over the burial place of Venezuelan ex-president Carlos Andrés Pérez said that he could not come to a decision today and that the judgment could take up to three months. For that reason, he proposed, as a provisional solution, that the remains be placed in a crypt.
Pérez’s family members who live in Venezuela are opposed to that.
The proposal by judge Arthur Rothenberg came today at the beginning hearings to decide whether Pérez will be buried in the US, as is the wish of his companion Cecilia Matos and their two children, or in Venezuela, as is the wish of Blanca Rodríguez de Pérez, his widow in the eyes of the law, and their children.
The latter part of the family tried without success today to get the judge to exclude Cecilia Matos from the case. Matos was with Carlos Andrés Pérez for nearly three decades and lives in Miami, where the ex-president died last December 25.
Family members representing Pérez’s widow opposed the provisional measure, believing that in many similar cases, it became a permanent one.
The hearings began with the statements of several employees of the funeral home where Pérez’s body remains. Attorneys representing the wife of the ex-president objected to the questions as to how long it takes for a body to decompose.
Carolina and Martha Pérez Rodríguez, daughters of the ex-president by his wife Blanca, and one of his granddaughters, María Andreina González, were present in court.
Representing the Miami contingent of the family were Cecilia Matos and her daughters, Cecilia Victoria and María Francia.
Blanca Rodríguez, who married Pérez in 1948, wants to bury the two-time ex-president (whose terms in office ran from 1974-1979 and 1989-1993) in a Caracas cemetery alongside their daughter Thais, who died 15 years ago.
But Cecilia Matos and her daughters oppose the repatriation, arguing that the ex-president did not want to be buried in Venezuela until the end of the government of Hugo Chávez,, who had tried to overthrow him in a military uprising in 1992.
Cecilia Victoria Matos said that her father had told her that “he could not and did not want to return to Venezuela because of the political agitation in the country”, and for this reason he sought permanent residency in the US in 2005, obtaining it in 2008.
The divorce proceedings of the ex-president from his wife, Blanca Rodríguez, were blocked for ten years by president Hugo Chávez, claimed an attorney today.
Rebecca H. Fischer, who represents Cecilia Matos, said “Carlos Andrés Pérez could not get a divorce because Hugo Chávez blocked it”.
According to Fischer, the Venezuelan attorney who handled the divorce proceedings in Caracas would testify today in order to explain the ex-president’s wishes.
Lawyers representing Cecilia Matos also indicated that Carlos Andrés Pérez had expressed a fear of “being tortured, incarcerated and killed” if he returned to Venezuela.
Translation mine.
I should qualify this by saying that the article in question comes from an opposition paper, El Mundo, and therefore the journalism is accordingly stinky and bears the usual, obvious (and hilarious) political taint. Once more, Chavecito is being blamed for everything. In this case, halting a divorce proceeding that was already taking way too long even before he got into office!
Okay, now for the reality check, people. Take a look at the timeline: CAP and his mistress, Cecilia Matos, were together “for nearly thirty years”, and yet Chavecito has been “blocking” CAP’s divorce for only the last ten, when he was in power? What motives could he possibly have had for blocking a personal matter that had nothing to do with him? To trap CAP? Pffft. If Chavecito had wanted CAP’s ass that badly, he could have sent agents to Miami to fetch it at any time. Isn’t Venezuela the land of the “express kidnapping”? It is in all the scare stories I’ve ever read about it. And to hear the scaremongers tell it, the kidnappers are always and inevitably “Chavista thugs”. If there were any truth to THAT urban legend, then I’m sure Chávez would have had no problem sending in the loyal thuggies. Which, as we can see, never happened.
Let’s face it: if CAP had really wanted that divorce, he could have gotten it. It would have been a fairly straight-forward matter of hiring a Venezuelan attorney and keeping him on the case until the aggrieved party, Blanca Rodríguez, finally signed the papers. I think he just didn’t want to dip into his vast supply of stolen cash to hire the requisite lawyers to do it for him. Lawyers cost, after all.
Speaking of that vast supply of stolen cash, I bet he didn’t want to give Blanca half of it, either. Which would probably have happened had that divorce ever been finalized. And that would have defeated the whole purpose of CAP’s stealthy pilfering and mad dash for Miami, no? One doesn’t rob a nation blind only to leave half of one’s ill-gotten fortune behind. In the hands of one’s spurned spouse, no less. Blanca might even have paid taxes on it, to make matters worse. (And we all know how corruptos feel about taxes, don’t we, kiddies?)
Long story made short: CAP must not have wanted that divorce badly enough to pursue it. Money probably mattered more to him than any woman. Or any children he had (and he had plenty.) Says something rather sad about how he must really have felt about Cecilia, the mother of his last two children, eh? He didn’t apparently care enough to lawfully give them his name…
Meanwhile, the soap opera churns on. Tune in tomorrow, same time, same channel. And bring extra hankies, you’re gonna need ’em.
No, I’m not being escapist (although some warm weather would suit me fine about now); this is actually in keeping with the big freedom march in the 23 de Enero (January 23) neighborhood in Caracas. On this day in 1958, Venezuela got rid of its last military dictator, Marcos Pérez Jiménez, in a popular revolt led by communists and socialists, particularly civilian guerrillas. It was then promptly co-opted by the AD and COPEI parties, who edged out the popular leaders and ruled Venezuela to Washington’s liking. What followed were 40 years of weak, false, pacted democracy under the Punto Fijo system. Now, 11 years into the 5th Republic, the country is truly democratic at last. This video was taken at Puente Llaguno, where a group of Chávez supporters were shot and killed (and others badly wounded) during the failed coup d’état of April 11, 2002, when the Puntofijistas tried unsuccessfully to take the country back(ward). It’s a tribute concert in memory of the dead on the anniversary of that coup, but it’s also a defiant finger in the eye of the old order, as Pedro “Cacayara” Blanco makes clear below:
He segues from Dame Pa’ Matala’s patriotic hit, “Venezuela”, into a song not yet available on CD: “Eres un mojón” (“You’re a turd”). It’s aimed squarely at those Venezuelans, popularly called “escuálidos”, who whine about the country and Chavecito but do nothing for the people–other than hold impotent little protests. Cacayara tells them off very sweetly.
Bruce Cockburn’s song is an essential for a day like this. And if you read the weather forecast for the Toronto area today, you’d know why. Stay warm, y’all.
Crappy Saturday, everyone! So how are we liking the new astrology? Actually, it’s the same as the old one; lady in the cartoon could have kept her book, as it’s still relevant for all intents and purposes (entertainment primarily, please. We are not Nancy Reagan.) We still go by the Tropical Zodiac here, and that hasn’t changed. So you don’t have to worry about whether you are an Ophiuchus, much less how to pronounce it: Oh-phee-YEW-cuss? Aw-FUCUS? Ah, fuck it. These people are asshats no matter what sign of the Zodiac the Sun is in, or where it was when they were born:
1., 2. and 3. Jim Fucking Hoft, Ann Fucking Althouse, and Glenn Fucking Reynolds. Yep, it’s a three-fer–they all caught Teh Stoopid simultaneously when it comes to the effects of a change of lighting on His Barackness’s (greying, undyed) hair. First it was the closed captioning that got them, now this. People, watch out–viral stupidity is contagious, and highly embarrassing. I’m wondering if I should start offering a vaccine for that.
4. Rupert Fucking Murdoch. Wow, I knew he was a bag of dicks, but this one really takes it. Go Piers Morgan–I don’t know you from Adam’s housecat, but if you upset him, you’re well met here. (At least until you commit a wank of your own, anyway. Try to hold off on that for a bit, ‘kay?)
5. Teresa Fucking Scanlan. More proof, in case you needed it, that pageant contestants aren’t chosen for their brains, and that a dedication to dieting and hairdressing will take its toll on your mind. The newly crowned Miss America not only can’t string together a coherent sentence, she also doesn’t grasp the difference between espionage (which Wikileaks isn’t) and whistleblowing (which Wikileaks IS.) I foresee for this one a brilliant future as a Republican vice-presidential candidate and mid-term quitbull. My friends south of the border, I weep for you. And for the future of your children.
6. David Fucking Cameron. Suddenly, the British PM fancies himself a father of the nation, and therefore entitled to tell its outraged citizens to “grow up”. Someone please tell him he’s only a public servant, and the public is serving him notice that his services–or rather, his “reforms” thereto–are being found wanting.
7. Pat Fucking Buchanan. Why is this fucking fascist still being invited to appear on TV? He should have been shunned two decades ago. If you thought the Paliness’s “blood libel” snot-snit was bad, you’re gonna LOVE his “lynch mob” victim snivel-drivel. It’s a pogrom–a pogrom, I tellz ya! Rich white conservatives–the world’s biggest victims of oppression!
8. Laura Fucking Schlessinger. Because hey–why should Sarah Fucking Palin have all the fun of claiming to be oppressed and persecuted?
9. Roger Fucking Helmer. And speaking of oppressed and persecuted, poor Rodge…the tweeter bit him back. How was he to know he was only being a kinder, gentler homophobe? Don’t ALL gays really, secretly want to be “turned” away from that dreadful, destructive “lifestyle”?
10. Tony Fucking Bernardo. Isn’t it touching how Canadian gun nuts are taking up for the poor, beleaguered NRA? Guess they had to…it took up the cudgels (illegally) for them when that nasty, oppressive gun registry became law here, despite all efforts to sabotage it.
11. Danny Fucking Deutsch. What’s the difference between Sarah Fucking Palin and Snooki? One is a dumb, tacky, loud-mouthed, big-haired, orange-skinned embarrassment to humanity. The other is Snooki.
12. Baby Doc Fucking Duvalier. Chutzpah: He has it. First an earthquake, then cholera, now this motherfucker comes back to the country he ruined–the one that can’t get back on its feet because of him? Bad things really do come in threes. And oh woe is me, he fears “persecution”! Um, that’s PROsecution. Rumor has it that he has pancreatic cancer, and hence not much longer to live; that would be nice. Failing that, though, life imprisonment will also do just fine.
13. Sarah Fucking Palin. When in a hole, dig deeper? Lousy philosophy, but we knew she’d do it anyway. Anything to keep her name out there. One question: Does she WANT to be forever unelectable? Because that’s what this is boiling down to. PS: Here is the sound of one political career imploding:
Cheery, innit?
14. Rick Fucking Man-on-Dog Santorum. Yes, he’s at it again, hatin’ on the gays. At this rate, all the skeletons are gonna bust out of his closet simultaneously, screaming “MARY!!!” That is, if all the gay critters in the animal kingdom don’t mow him down first. Because, y’know, if you’re gonna talk about what’s natural, you had best let Nature be your guide!
15. Robert Fucking Bentley. What would Jesus do? Well, for starters, he wouldn’t pull any of this “If you’re not a Christian, you’re not my brother” shit. In fact, I distinctly recall reading him say words to the effect that we’re all brothers and sisters here, like it or not. Now, will somebody please tell the guvnor of Bamma to get right with God?
16. Rush Fucking Limbaugh. There’s always a buttload of hateful things to choose from when it comes to the Pigman’s wanks, but this week, my absolute fave is how he and his dittodorks damn near crashed the computers of the Tucson sheriff’s office. With hate mail for truth-telling hero Clarence Dupnik, of course.
17. Stephen Fucking Harper. Fighter jets are worth the money, but the gun registry isn’t? Naturally, Stevie-Peevie hasn’t served a day in the military OR on any police force. BTW, his waffling on the non-reform of the Senate is sheer comedy gold.
18. Travis Fucking Corcoran. Someone please remind this nutter that being armed for bear and threatening to kill liberals isn’t “free speech”, it’s uttering death threats. Which is NOT protected under any constitution, anywhere.
19. Glenn Fucking Beck. Why?
That’s why. No, of course all his violent rhetoric has no real-world effects or consequences, you silly critics! He’s just an entertainer! An entertainer with a persecution complex who has a remarkable knack of projecting it onto his brain-damaged audience, who then go out and shoot the befuckingjeezus out of everything! Of course he shouldn’t be deprived of an audience for uttering death threats–that “shoot them in the head” stuff is all just good clean fun! Ask Frances Fox Piven if you don’t believe me! PS: Nice non-explanation explanation, Biff.
20. Laura Fucking Ingraham. No sense of irony. Or Godwin. But that’s one helluva projection you got going there, Magda Goebbels.
21. Tony Fucking Blair. So, he “regrets deeply and profoundly the loss of life” that is Gulf War II? Gee, Tony, I bet the dead will sleep SO much better knowing you “care”. Here’s a thought which I’m sure has never occurred to any of these deep and profound regretters: HOW ABOUT JUST NOT MAKING ANY MORE FUCKING WARS? Too complicated for ya?
22. Sean Fucking Hannity. See Wanker #20 and go Goebbels yourself.
23. Whoever the fuck tried to bomb the MLK Day parade in Spokane, Washington. And no, I don’t for one instant believe it was a leftist that did it.
24. The fucking Venezuelan opposition. Is there anything they won’t stoop to? Even terrorism? No. But they sure do like to pretend they are democratic. Why, tomorrow they’re even going to be holding yet another of their pathetic “global” marches against the “tyranny” of an elected leadership in Venezuela. The world’s smallest orchestra of mariachi cucarachas will be leading the parade.
25. Karen Fucking Hughes. Why?
That’s why. The standard false equivalency we’re drearily accustomed to seeing from the right. It’s also very typical of Karen, who has always been creepily loyal to Dubya and hasn’t hesitated to slander his opponents to show it. BTW, rumor has it that Dubya was carrying on with her even in the White House. There’s even a strange little scene in Fahrenheit 9/11 where Laura Bush’s face crumples, as if she were about to cry, when Dubya says she’ll be coming over. But I’m sure that’s the equivalent of calling Obama “Hitler”, too.
26. Bob Fucking Barr. The Haitian ex-dictator’s kinder, gentler Libertarian apologist. Awwww. Why is it always these so-called “libertarians” who come out most strongly in favor of murderous dictators and silencing opposition, I wonder? They tried to pull that shit with me here, too. It’s like they don’t care about other people’s personal liberties or freedom of speech at all, eh?
27. Allen Robert Fucking Reyes. Looks like the would-be legendary lothario, alias “Gunwitch”, is gonna be a gunbitch now. He’s facing charges of attempted murder while a reluctant intended conquest whom he shot in the face at a party clings to life in hospital. Guess his vaunted “trigger skills” ain’t all that. I wonder how much “animalistic sexuality” he can exude while trying hard not to drop the soap. Maybe he’ll finally learn the hard way that “make the ho say no” is no way to go through life.
And finally, to fucking Comcast and MSNBC. Guess the most valuable (and most-watched) NBC journo just wasn’t valuable enough for these merger-mad greedheads. Why else the sudden shafting of Keith Olbermann? My opinion of Comcast was already in the sump-hole, since it funnels a lot of right-wing trolls to this site. I’m thinking of just blocking that entire domain now. Think I’d miss the traffic? Not as long as there are others in town, and right now, there still are. Comcast, MSNBC…congrats. You are the scum de la scum.
Goodnight, and get fucked!
Or if you must, please…just nibble. Gently. Or this could happen:
A New Zealand woman was temporarily partially paralyzed by a hickey on her neck from her amorous partner, AFP reported Friday.
The 44-year-old woman went to the emergency department of Middlemore Hospital in Auckland last year after experiencing loss of movement in her left arm while watching television, doctors reported in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Doctors concluded the woman had suffered a mild stroke but were puzzled about its cause until they found a small vertical bruise on her neck near a major artery, a hickey, she received a few days earlier.
“Because it was a love bite there would be a lot of suction,” one of the doctors who treated her, Teddy Wu, told the Christchurch Press.
“Because of the physical trauma it had made a bit of bruising inside the vessel. There was a clot in the artery underneath where the hickey was.”
Wu said the clot dislodged and traveled to the woman’s heart, where it caused a minor stroke that led to the loss of movement.
Okay…I know that sounds funny, given that the doctor’s name was Wu and all. But srsly, this is the kind of heart-stopping romantic action we can all live without. The woman had to receive anticoagulants to break up the clot, and made a full recovery–luckily!
Chavecito kicks oppo ass again, by refusing to give up the Enabling Law which is letting him pass laws faster in order to deal with the flooding emergency in Venezuela. And as you can see, the people are happy to let him keep right on going. They know that what he’s doing is constitutional, democratic and certainly NOT dictatorial!
Cort G. sent me this link yesterday. It’s so appalling, I just had to share it:
Video in Spanish. Apparently it’s a Miami talk show where putschists are regularly featured. Part 1 of two; click through for the second, if you can stand it.
Listening to her makes my ears hurt, as she’s an absolute non-entity trying to usurp other countries’ sovereignty. She calls Chavecito a “clown” who “takes away people’s rights”, claiming, falsely, that “nobody believes in him”, when in fact nobody believes in his opponents! She is so dissociated that I actually felt embarrassed for her, and got more and more so as the clip went on.
But what do we expect of Miami ex-Cubans with a rabid hate-on for anything connected to Fidel…even if that “thing” is democratically elected by six out of ten Venezuelans, and viewed more positively by those six of ten than any “democratic” leader the US has ever backed? And even if what goes on in other countries is frankly none of any congresscritter’s damn business? I daresay far more Latin Americans hold a positive view of Fidel Castro than they do of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who has a reputation for being unlikable and not terribly bright. A pity for her, then, that her base is limited to Florida, and very specifically, the ex-Cuban far right there.
In her shoes, I’d stop calling for the overthrow (or assassination) of anyone…
…and start attending to the real needs of her own voters. Brainless, pandering blather like this isn’t serving them one iota.
Translation:
“Are you Mr. Posada Carriles?”
“Yes, why? Are you going to arrest me for bombing a Cuban airliner? For murders in Havana? For torture…?”
“No, man, be cool. It’s only a parking ticket.”
