If you need an Iranian missile, a Chinese AK-47, a Philipina slave girl, or a kilo of Colombian cocaine, Venezuela is the place to shop for it.
I've written enough stories about Venezuela and Hugo Chavez' slow march towards totalitarianism. I'd been hoping to just let the issue rest for a while and focus on more pleasant parts of the world. Most people seem to have made up their minds about Chavez, either against him or for him despite all the evidence, so they probably aren't listening anyway. But when I start getting news digests from the services I subscribe to and they fill my email with story after story of things going sour in Venezuela, I can't ignore it because no matter how predictable or inevitable, it's news and deserves to at least be noted.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments76 - Dave Nalle
Interesting info, T. The figure you cite for opposition protests is the highest I've ever seen, and if true it's information which the MSM is not reporting, which I think is significant.
One thing I've noticed about the reporting on protests is that whenever there's a pro-Chavez rally one of the things which is always mentioned is that in order to get a signficant number of marchers they have to bus them in from outside of Caracas, which suggests that he can't get enough people to appear voluntarily in the city's largest city to make a march look good, and makes me wonder what techniques they use to get those marchers onto those busses out where no one is really watching them.
Dave
77 - Jen
We are going to fill Avenida Bolivar (downtown Caracas) today at 2PM WITHOUT busing anyone in from outside Caracas.
Dave the government pays people to go to the marches thats how they convince them. If you are poor every bolivar counts! And a free trip to Caracas to boot! Money talks right?
78 - Lapdog
Brian: "Perhaps he thinks it would be ok if Venezuela funded a political opposition in the US.."
Clavos: "Chavez already is, by selling cheap heating oil in this country. Buying support for his despotism disguised as a "humanitarian" gesture."
The so-called disguise could have been easily countered by US oil companies selling even cheaper heating oil to the poor. But that didn't, and will not, happen.
US greed trumps need.
79 - Dave Nalle
Lapdog, US oil companies don't have the ability to cut out the middle man and sell direct to the people at a loss. They'd go out of business.
Dave
80 - Franco
“Tupi" Opens Door to Big Brazilian Oil to Curb Venezuela from Latin Americans hostile Monopoly
The discovery of a huge hydrocarbon deposit along the coast of Brazil feels like a gust of fresh air in a turbulent world upset by the endless hike in oil prices
Geologist Giuseppe Baccocoli, oil consultant of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told a European news agency at the beginning of November he refuted the extremes of comparing Brazil to oil powers like Venezuela or the Arab countries. "But there is no doubt the discovery will have world ripples," he said.
The state oil company Petrobrás confirmed on November 8 a deposit between 5 and 8 billion barrels of oil and natural gas, in a new geological horizon deep in the Atlantic.
The deposit by itself will increase proven reserves in all Brazil by 50 percent. The company also said that oilfield -almost 500 miles long and 124 miles wide- would hold as much probable reserves as to place this country among the exclusive club of the world s 10 most important producers and exporters.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said his country will enter the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and that once inside the grouping he will battle for a reduction of crude prices, currently near the 100 dollars per barrel, while in 2003 the prices fluctuated between 25 and 30 dollars.
Brazil: "Tupi" Opens Door to Big Oil
81 - Lapdog
Thanks for the video links, T.
But no thanks. I'm not interested in wasting time watching propaganda material produced by a US organization with this as their goal:
"While strategy development has always been one of our major tactics, the mission of the American Security Council Foundation is to promote the necessity of maintaining military, economic and diplomatic strength."
I'm don't know what you thought you'd accomplish by posting their freebies. Shouldn't you be promoting Venezuela's need to maintain it's own military, economic and diplomatic strength?
You have zero credibility.
82 - Clavos
In his zeal to consolidate his despotic hold on Venezuela with Sunday's referendum vote, Chavez has stepped on some mighty big and powerful toes this week.
In a speech yesterday reacting to criticism by Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino characterizing the constitutional revisions proposed in the referendum as "morally unacceptable," Venezuela's Thug in Chief branded Cardinal Urosa Savino as ''a thug,'' ''stupid,'' ''mentally retarded,'' ''sycophant'' and defender of ``dark interests.''
According to the Miami Herald, "Chávez threatened reprisals -- and even prison -- against Cardinal [Jorge] Urosa Savino"
Church officials have reacted swiftly and decisively, charging that "...the Chávez government is populated by ''a number of bums and corrupt persons'' and that corruption in the Chávez government is a ``rottenness that stinks not only in the country but at the international level.''"
Venezuela's catholic officials are being supported by Bishops throughout the region.
The quarrel with the Church may well be Chavez's undoing in Sunday's referendum vote.
Venezuela is a heavily Catholic country, as is all of Latin America; and even Chavez's most ardent supporters, the poor whose loyalty he has assiduously been buying for ten years, are devout Catholics who will not suffer criticism of their Church lightly.
83 - Lapdog
Nalle, US oil companies will always put profits before people. They'll never go out of business as long as there are vulnerable nations like Iraq that have oil reserves.
84 - Lapdog
The anti-Chavez gang never seems to get its stories straight.
One will claim that the poor in Venezuela are suffering because of Chavez, and now here comes Clavos claiming that Chavez has been paying them: "Chavez's most ardent supporters, the poor whose loyalty he has assiduously been buying for ten years,..."
Read that again. Not just paying the poor but 'assiduously' paying them.
And what has the Catholic church been doing?
Well, according to Clavos they've been staying "mighty big and powerful".
While Chavez was building houses, schools and clinics.
85 - Clavos
"And what has the Catholic church been doing?"
Winning the hearts and minds of the people, which makes them powerful; something Chavez should have considered before attacking them (which, of course, was my point)...
"While Chavez was building houses, schools and clinics."
And always in poor areas, in order to buy the votes of the poor. Unfortunately for him, he's all hat and no cattle, so relatively few "houses, schools and clinics" have been built to date.
And the Bishops are kicking his ass in this particular spat.
86 - Moonraven
1. Nalle, of course, did not refute a single one of the points where I gave FACTS to rebut his PROPAGANDA two days ago. He even went to absurd lengths to WEASEL around the US State Department figures--saying that THEY calculate the gini differently. DO TELL, Duplicious Dave. DOES THAT MEAN THEY CALCULATE IT WRONG and YOU are the only person on the planet who can calculte it correctly?
WHAT A COMPLETE CROCK.
2. Jen: I have lived in Latin America for 15 years and have spent substantial time in Venezuela--including the entire month of June of this year, when folks were claiming in the OPPOSITION media that there were shortages of basic food products.
I did NOT see any such shortages. I did not stand in any lines--and I spent that month in the Candelaria--hardly an upper crust area of Caracas. I had no problem whatsoever buying anything I wanted by walking less than 2 minutes from where I was staying.
If YOU stand in lines, you must be creating those lines. (Probably in the same way that Nalle created YOU?)
And if you create lines to stand in them and spew anti-Chavez propaganda, I have no sympathy for you.
Anyone with half a brain, if he or she doesn't like where he or she is living, LEAVES.
I left the US because I didn't like it.
Easy as pie.
3. Yesterday's newspapers HERE in LATIN AMERICA (the area in question, if memory serves) had a great photo of anti-Chavez thugs in La Cruz (all wearing little striped tee shirts) beating folks wearing pro-Chavez shirts.
They were beating them with big heavy implements (about the size of 4 by 4s) that LOOKED like something used in constructing reinforced concrete buildings, but the caption did not indicate what they were.
Of course Nalle supports THOSE thugs.
As was pointed out earlier this week by myself and other posters, the proof of the pudding will come in the voting booth on Sunday.
Unlike the US, Venezuela has certified CLEAN elections--where folks are NOT kept from voting based on their skin color.
In the meantime, with CNN promoting the assassination of Chavez, he is consulting his legal experts about filing suit against them.
I believe their promoting his assassination is also against international Law.
But I bet whoever did that one got a blow job from Condolences Rice.
After all, the US doesn't need no stinkin' international law.
87 - Lapdog
Right on, Clavos!
Chavez made the cardinal mistake of not handing out cash to the Catholic church while providing better housing, schools and healthcare for the wealthy.
88 - Moonraven
As for the role of the Catholic Church in Latin America, here's a quick History lesson, emphasis on Mexico:
1. Until President Benito Juarez promulgated the Reform Laws in the middle of the 19th century, the Catholic Church was BOTH CHURCH AND STATE. They owned most of the property here and that meant they owned most of the wealth.
2. Juarez expropriated the convents (there have only been EX-convents since then, and their use must be laical)--typically, in areas like where I live, they are Casas de la Cultura.
3. Since then The Church (as it calls itself, despite the fact that there are lots of Mormons and evangelicals and other churches here) has been trying to get back the power that it lost under Juarez. In the early years following the Mexican Revolution of 1910, they became so obstreperous that Plutarco Calles, one of the more authoritarian of Mexico's presidents, outlawed the Catholic Church--giving rise to a sort of mini-civil war called the Cristiada, which wreaked havoc in the center of the country--with emphasis on the state of Jalisco, which is still the bastion of the most rancid Catholicism (with secret societies that killed a lot of students during the Dirty War here in the 1970s and which are very powerful in the PAN governments since 2000).
4. The Catholic Church got a blast of wind in its sails in the early 1990s when Carlos Salinas decreed that they could wear the priest and nun's outfits again in public and could vote.
5. The current Cardinal, Rivera, is up to his neck in the ramifications of the large lawsuit which was settled in Los Angeles obligating The Church to pay 660 million dollars to sexual abuse victims, as he covered up one of the worst offenders here, then shipped him off to LA where in less than six months, apparently wearing roller skates, he molested 90 kids. he's been back here for years and is still being protected by Rivera--who is trying to distract from all of that by diving into politics up to his neck insisting that the Catholic religion be taught in the PUBLIC schools (which is still happening in parts of Latin America such as Bolivia--who didn't have the good fortune to have a president like Juarez) and allowing priests to run for public office.
6. In Venezuela and most of Latin America the Catholic Church and the Oligarchy are ACTIVELY in bed together--and in 2002 during the 47 hours of the Carmona Dictatorship, the archbishops in Caracas guzzled champagne in Miraflores with Carmona and The Gang and signed off on the elimination of all Venezuelan institutions as well as of its Constitution.
Now they are actively fomenting violent disturbances for the aftermath of the election on Sunday, assuming that the SI vote will prevail and the reforms will take place.
7. The current polls show 57% for the SI vote and 43% for the NO.
Nalle and the rest of the anti-Chavez mobsters have done their level best to distort, lie and even REVERSE the percentages.
Lots of effort and they get NOTHING out of doing it??????????????????????
Now, who are those dumb gringos anyway. I have a nice bridge to sell them. Strategically located between the NYV boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Going cheap.
89 - bliffle
The medical system in the USA IS run as a business, not a service. In particular, the insurance companies have been given free rein to operate as monopolies and extort extravagant premium payments from people and then deny them medical care arbitrarily. cf. the McCarran-Ferguson act of 1945 which exempts insurance companies from federal regulation.
A unique twist is being added to this in Massachusetts and California, where people will be required by state law to maintain health insurance. This is the first case I know of where every child born will be saddled with the ongoing debt of monthly premium payments to insurance companies.
90 - Moonraven
Just a word to the wise, if they even exist on this site apart from the Beautiful Bid:
Clavos is trying to sucker you folks again.
At no point in El laberínto does Octavio Paz indicate that death squads are highly regarded in Latin America.
Paz at the end of his life--that is to say almost 50 years after El laberínto was published--was a semi-senile shill for the PRI--most notably when he had a piece in support of NAFTA printed in the NYTIMES--but back in the day before he spoiled, for example in 1968, he resigned as Ambassador to India when Diaz Ordaz and Echeverría perpetrated the massacre of students in Tlatelelco on Oct. 2nd.
He also was very active against Franco's fascist thugs during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39.
Last week the Catholic Church in Spain made a public apology for its public support of the Franco thugs during the Civil War as well as the Franco fascist regime which put Spain into the toilet until he died in the mid-70s and the current King swore to support the fascist regime.
91 - troll
is the vote Sunday on the reforms 'all or nothing' or will the people vote on each provision separately - ?
92 - The Obnoxious American
Moonraven, thanks for the compliment, although people don't generally refer to me as the Beautiful Bid. But I'll let you call me that little pet name :>
Dave, Great article. I think the world needs to be continuously reminded that this guy isn't a good thing. Apologists are losing ground on this one, especially following the rebuke heard round the world from the King of Spain.
Joe Kennedy should be ashamed for linking with this monster. His commercials touting the benefits of cheap venezuelean oil still run from time to time around here.
93 - Moonraven
"Off with his head", screamed the King. "I will not allow that dirty Indian to speak in my presence! Viva Franco! Viva Fascism! Viva the Falangists that made ME king so that I can scream Off with his head at the presidents of Latin America!"
Really sweet guy--Number One parasite in Spain.
In the spirit of which I say: String up the Obnoxious American by his...oh oh, he doesn't have any!
Troll, if you had checked the information on venezuelanalysis.com you would be aware that the referendum is in TWO PARTS.
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
Give you gringos books and you chew the fuckin' covers....
94 - Moonraven
From that same site, here's an EXCERPT from Mark Weisbrot's comments about polls in Venezuela:
"The international media has not always exercised due diligence in its reporting on polling data and elections in Venezuela," said Weisbrot, who has authored papers on previous elections there.
"This opens up the possibility for the use of fake polling, as was done in the last (2004) referendum, to cast doubt on the results if the proposed constitutional reforms are approved," he said.
In 2004, the influential U.S. polling firm Penn, Schoen, and Berland published fake exit polls on the day of the Presidential recall referendum, showing President Hugo Chávez losing by a 59-41 margin.(1) The actual results, which were certified by observer missions from the Organization of American States and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, showed the opposite, with Chávez winning by a margin of 58 to 41 percent.(2)
The fake exit polls were not the only dubious polls that plagued the last referendum. Most of the pre-election polls in 2004 showed the race "too close to call." Although these were conducted by opposition pollsters, most of the international media accepted them in their reporting. As CEPR demonstrated at the time, it is extremely unlikely that a properly conducted poll could have shown a result that was "too close to call."
The election's credibility was also attacked by a widely-cited statistical paper(3) purporting to show evidence of fraud. CEPR showed that this analysis was deeply flawed and provided no such evidence; the Carter Center later commissioned an independent panel of statisticians from U.S. universities, which confirmed CEPR's finding and concluded that there was no statistical evidence of fraud.(4)
Nonetheless, the Wall Street Journal and some Latin American media outlets used this paper and the fake exit polls to claim that the referendum was actually stolen through a clever electronic fraud.(5)
On this basis of such analysis and fake exit polls, most of the opposition rejected the results of the 2004 referendum, and went on to boycott the 2005 national elections.
In the 2006 Presidential election, Penn, Schoen and Berland once again produced questionable polling data showing the race to be in a " very close" just before the election. Other pollsters, including Zogby International, showed an 18-29 point spread favoring Chávez.(6) According to the Miami Herald, this led to the sudden departure of Doug Schoen - who was responsible for the Venezuela polling - on the eve of the election.(7) Chávez won the presidency by a margin of 63 to 37 percent."
95 - Moonraven
And then there is this--from an article published yesterday in Britain's New Statesman by Hugh O'Shaughnessy:
"On Sunday 2 December 16 million Venezuelans vote in a referendum: all the signs are that they will approve constitutional reforms proposed by President Hugo Chávez.
Popular as ever for having put a big dent in the shocking gap between rich and poor in an oil-rich country, he wants a chance to bury 19th century Leninist shibboleths, strengthen already rumbustious local democracy and stand for election again.
It is very likely that the electors will give Chávez what he wants: it is certain that spinners in Washington, London and elsewhere will do their best to pull the process to pieces.
The spinners blench at the idea that US nationalism could be challenged by nationalism of some South American. Nor can they abide the feeling that Chávez’s star is waxing, despite his injudicious outbursts.
At the same time the feeling that the US star is waning - consequent on a floundering Wall Street and a foundering dollar, George Bush’s military defeats in the Third World, Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and a global kidnapping scheme " cannot be contemplated.
Now those who have fawned on Saudi Arabian kings, indulged the Israelis’ atom bomb and their criminal mistreatment of Palestinians, and quietly backed every Latin American dictator from Somoza and Pinochet to the Argentine and Brazilian generals will attempt to portray the Venezuelan leader as anti-democratic.
They will also try to bury the European Commission’s high praise for last year’s presidential elections in Venezuela - "the high turnout, and peaceful atmosphere in which they were held, together with the acceptance of results by all those involved".
Chávez won that poll having in 2002 had to fight his way out of a brief coup by a dim but authoritarian businessman.
The stage is set for the undermining of Chávez. On 19 November BBC2’s This World screened 'The Trillion Dollar Revolutionary', programme which would never have been permitted about, say, Begin or Olmert.
Its combination of culpable ignorance and sneering superciliousness produced what must be the worst “documentary” of the decade.
With slightly more sophistication, Chatham House four days earlier had staged a conference on fighting social inequality in Latin America aided by the Foreign Office and DIFID and funded by the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank.
Toe-curlingly, it was inaugurated by Shaheed Malik, a junior minister at DIFID, who contented himself with sad little jokes about Lancashire and Yorkshire but, to the relief of all, soon rushed off.
Despite the fact that Chávez has distinguished himself in the fight for a fairer society the day included no speakers from Venezuela and attempted to avoid any reference to that country. It refused to accept the words last month of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America which commented: "Thanks to rapid GDP growth and the ongoing implementation of broad social programmes, in 2006 alone the poverty rate was lowered from 37.1% to 30.2% and the indigence [extreme poverty] rate from 15.9% to 9.9%." Venezuela was, the UN said, well on the way to reaching its first Millennium Development Goal.
Meanwhile at the top end The Economist, which has for long made money out of laughing at poor people, forms a plangent Greek chorus who forlornly hope that wicked Venezuela’s oil, the country’s prop, will run out or the price collapse. But with Venezuela’s growing reserves the magazine’s writers might as well dream Osama bin Laden will become the next editor of Vogue.
With Chávez gaining strength, a spinner’s life in Britain is not a happy one."
But here on blogcritics, the life of a spinner is worry-free, in the best tradition of Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame--and with just about as much credibility as Alfred E. in regard to geopolitics.
96 - Clavos
As seen on venezuelanalysis.org, official mouthpiece of the rotund jolly Venezuelan despot, Hugo (Santa Claus) Chavez, who will surely be beatified by the Pope shortly, as soon as Carrion eater orders him to do so.
97 - Clavos
It's very amusing to see a thug like Chavez pull the wool over the eyes of wannabe socialists worldwide by simply claiming populist credentials and a concern for the poor, without actually doing anything substantive or measurable to back his claims up.
Gullible dupes.
BTW, despite your sarcastic, caustic tone, you didn't actually answer troll's question with your comments in #93...
98 - The Obnoxious American
Clavos on Chaves' concern for the poor:
For a while there, the WSJ was rife with articles like this one, talking about how so many of his wrongheaded initiatives hurt so many - from turning private farms into communes (by simply taking them), closing down rctv(i think thats what it was called), etc etc ad nauseum.
I think the vote, both in terms of the ballots cast and the resulting change to his power, are entirely what he decides them to be. And that's no conspiracy theory.
99 - Jen
I am saying that there are shortages NOW not in June! I had no trouble finding groceries in JUNE! Gee thats 5 moths ago!
"On Sunday 2 December 16 million Venezuelans vote in a referendum: all the signs are that they will approve constitutional reforms proposed by President Hugo Chávez."
You believe what you will but the polls say otherwise. We ALL have to wait and see.
Nalle did not create me. You're too funny!
By the way we did fill that F***ing avenue today!
100 - Franco
#99 " Jen
By the way we did fill that F***ing avenue today!
Good job! What was it like? What do you think now?
101 - Lapdog
"I am saying that there are shortages NOW not in June! I had no trouble finding groceries in JUNE! Gee thats 5 moths ago!"
Hey Jen, you sure about that?
"I go to the supermarket, with the same ammount of money, but I can buy less than before, and sometimes I can't buy a thing. Shortage of meat one day, shortage of chicken the next, shortage of sugar or black beens. Products you need and you cannot find."
#48 " March 28, 2007 @ 08:51AM " Julia [URL]
Chavez Fiddles by Clavos
102 - Jen
There have been shortages sporaticaly for quite some time but not like it is right now. NOW we have to make lines but not before because what we couldn't find in one place we found in another. Right NOW the grocery stores have filled up the space where milk once was with pannettone! Seems like they don't expect much milk for some time either.
Franco...the march was great. A lot of emotion and hope. Too bad you couldn't have experienced it! What do I think now? I just hope those who CAN vote DO!
103 - Clavos
Jen,
If you have Venezuelan friends and acquaintances here in Miami, call them NOW and urge them to vote!!
In yesterday's edition of the Miami Herald, there was an article which said that most of the Venezuelans resident here were not going to vote, because they considered it useless.
This is a HUGE mistake!! If those of you who are opposed to Chavez don't vote, (and that includes practically ALL the Venezuelans in Miami), Chavez WILL win. He may anyway, but at least, if everyone votes, it won't be by default.
¡Para ganar, hay que votar!
104 - Franco
Jen,
Clavos is right. Maybe you could get some students motivated, they could get some more motivated, and so on, all to do the same as Clavos points out. If you want a chance at victory, you have to go the extra mile.
Do it!
105 - brian
Clavos: 'Chavez already is, by selling cheap heating oil in this country. Buying support for his despotism disguised as a "humanitarian" gesture.'
No,thats called humanitarian aid....funding political groups as NED does is very different..but you know that, its your inherent dishonesty that prevents you admitting it
106 - brian
Clavos: 'In his zeal to consolidate his despotic hold on Venezuela with Sunday's referendum vote, Chavez has stepped on some mighty big and powerful toes this week.'
And Clavos didnt even have to post from the lying press..he can make up phrases all by himself like 'consolidate his despotic hold' with no reference at all to the situation...
The Obnoxious American(such honest self deprecation is rare): 'Dave, Great article. I think the world needs to be continuously reminded that this guy isn't a good thing. '
Here we have another antidmocratic american who wants to tell a foreign power who should be in power...a common symptomn with obnoxious americans and other anti-democrats. It would be easier if u just said: 'i hate Venezuelans and this is who you should vote for...'
Lucky im here to remind you not only is Chavez a good guy, he far better than any guy in american politics. The whole world knows this: thats why you find Chavez supported around the globe...and Bush and his unelected govt vilified.
107 - brian
clavos: 'As seen on venezuelanalysis.org, official mouthpiece of the rotund jolly Venezuelan despot, Hugo (Santa Claus) Chavez, who will surely be beatified by the Pope shortly, as soon as Carrion eater orders him to do so.'
Venezuela analysis, so far as im aware is an independent site, with no connections to Chavez or his govenment. Despotic, democratic hating Clavos needs to hone his investigation skills a bit more, and stop lurking in dark places and currying unsavory friendhips.
108 - Lapdog
Jen,
What a shame you weren't with Julia when you "... had no trouble finding groceries in JUNE!" You could have shown her how to shop.
I don't know when you became a grocery shopper but there were severe shortages of beans, sugar, milk, chicken and bread long before Chavez was elected. From the 1950s for sure. So why blame only him?
109 - brian
Clavos: 'If you have Venezuelan friends and acquaintances here in Miami, call them NOW and urge them to vote!!
In yesterday's edition of the Miami Herald, there was an article which said that most of the Venezuelans resident here were not going to vote, because they considered it useless.'
Clavos: Why dont you stick to your own sorry country,...The rich venezuelans prefer partying their lives away in miami because they know that the people of venezuela support Chavez and his revolution.
110 - Dave Nalle
They were beating them with big heavy implements (about the size of 4 by 4s) that LOOKED like something used in constructing reinforced concrete buildings, but the caption did not indicate what they were.
We got a link to that picture earlier. It's not clear who was beating whom from the picture, but the target is at least wearing a red shirt, so he could be a Chavista. Not an appealing image for the opposition.
Of course Nalle supports THOSE thugs.
Really? When have I said anything in support of ANY form of thuggery or any group of thugs? I haven't even written anything favorable about the Venezuelan opposition, whose main positive characteristic is that they at least oppose Chavez.
I have no reason to believe that the opposition would produce a government any better than what Venezuela currently has, but at the same time I doubt they could do much worse. Perhaps if they are ever allowed a fair election they will keep the object lesson of Chavez in mind and actually do the kind of good things for the country which he has promised and not delivered.
Dave
111 - brian
'There have been shortages sporaticaly for quite some time but not like it is right now. NOW we have to make lines but not before because what we couldn't find in one place we found in another. Right NOW the grocery stores have filled up the space where milk once was with pannettone! Seems like they don't expect much milk for some time either.'
artifically induced shortages...another tactic to destroy Venezuela...so desperate are the elites to gain power.
112 - brian
It's very amusing to see a thug like Bush pull the wool over the eyes of wannabe capitalist.
This is truer than Clavos's spit-piece.
113 - Clavos
Welcome back, brian!!
Good to see you whistling past the graveyard again...
"Clavos: Why dont you stick to your own sorry country,.."
Which one, brian? I have two.
And some people say they're BOTH sorry.
But, they both do fine by me. As does Venezuela, for that matter. My Venezuelan partner has sold quite a few boats down there lately.
Money in the bank.
114 - brian
clavos: 'Which one, brian? I have two.'
the usual question to ask dual nationals is which are they the more loyal to? Eg; Jews tend to be loyal to israel...regardless of where they live.
115 - Dave Nalle
Which would be because Jews are evil, right Brian?
Dave
116 - brian
Dave: 'We got a link to that picture earlier. It's not clear who was beating whom from the picture, but the target is at least wearing a red shirt, so he could be a Chavista. Not an appealing image for the opposition.'
No, but thats the sort of thug you seem to be supporting wittingly or unwittingly. Thats the sort of person youd like to see in power?
Dave: 'Really? When have I said anything in support of ANY form of thuggery or any group of thugs? I haven't even written anything favorable about the Venezuelan opposition, whose main positive characteristic is that they at least oppose Chavez.'
That makes a refreshing difference to the US, where there is no opposition to Bush at all. But there is nothing positive about thuggery, esp when its aided by the US...
117 - brian
'Which would be because Jews are evil, right Brian?'
If they support the apartheid jews only state? Yes, the same with people who support apartheid SA, or nazi germany. Its all the same crew.
118 - brian
Dave: ' have no reason to believe that the opposition would produce a government any better than what Venezuela currently has, but at the same time I doubt they could do much worse.'
Surely april 2002 has show you what they would do...and the snipers who shot at people were clearly their handiwork. RCTV and the other media enaged in the censorship you accuse Chavez of...
No, they do MUCH worse.Thats why the people vote for the Bolivarian revolution and Chavez.Thats why te elite has to get the USaid of the evil empire. And they are doing it again.
119 - Clavos
"the usual question to ask dual nationals is which are they the more loyal to?"
Neither, brian.
120 - brian
Clavos: 'Neither, brian.'
Clavos showing his talent for telling the truth.
121 - Clavos
"Clavos showing his talent for telling the truth."
??????????????
122 - brian
Its called irony
123 - Dr Dreadful
I bet if Dave had written an article entitled 'The Cape Verde Islands Go to Hell in a Handbasket' it wouldn't have gotten 122 comments.
124 - brian
Cape Verde islands is not important to US foreign policy.
125 - Clavos
"Its called irony"
Didn't stop to consider what I meant, did you?