The Rival Chávez Won't Permit

Leopoldo López, center, mayor of the central Caracas district of Chacao, at Mother's Day celebrations in Caracas in May. (By Fernando Llano -- Associated Press)

Defenders of Hugo Chávez like to argue that there is no alternative to the Venezuelan caudillo other than the feckless and unpopular politicians who preceded him in the 1990s. The simple refutation of that canard is Leopoldo López, the 37-year-old mayor of central Caracas, whose boyish good looks only underscore the fact that he represents a fresh generation. López, a hyperarticulate graduate of Kenyon College and Harvard, is a pragmatic center-leftist, like most of the presidents elected in South America since the turn of the century.

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Like in Zimbabwe

Powerful fans of Chavez are abusing Chacao mayor Leopoldo Lopez, the only politician who reaches levels of popularity as high as the revolucionarian comunist president.

It explains the repeated accusations and court cases agains the youg mayor...

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Venezuela financing terrorism?

President of Bolivian senate accuses Venezuelan Embassy of terrorist attack against a TV station in Yacuiba, province of Tarija. The car of the accused was under a rent contract with the Venezuelan Embassy in La Paz.

The original news note is in spanish:

LA PAZBolivia, jun. 27 (UPI) -- El presidente del Senado, Oscar Ortiz, presentó este viernes pruebas que vinculan a la Embajada de Venezuela con el atentado a un canal de televisión en Yacuiba. En un contacto con la Red Uno, el senador Ortiz sostuvo que dicha representación alquiló el automóvil en el que se trasladaba el militar Georges Nava, acusado de haber atentado contra el canal 4 de Yacuiba un día antes del referéndum autonómico en Tarija.

'Es un hecho gravísimo el poder comprobar que una Embajada extranjera en este caso la de Venezuela, financió un atentado terrorista. El presidente Morales le debe una explicación a los bolivianos y debe tomar medidas', aseveró. Pidió además que se identifiquen quienes dentro de su gobierno estuvieron involucrados en el atentado que sufrió dicho canal el domingo pasado.

© Copyright 2008 United Press International
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Venezuela 'supplies half of Britain's cocaine

Anti-drugs officials estimate that more than 50 per cent of all the cocaine consumed in Britain has been trafficked through Venezuela - under the 'revolutionary' regime of Mr Chavez.

50pc of all the cocaine consumed in Britain is believed to have been trafficked through Bolivarian Venezuela. Last year, about 250 tons of cocaine are thought to have passed through Venezuela - up to a five-fold increase on 2004. Much of this ended up in Britain.

The figure could be as high as two thirds. Senior commanders in Venezuela's security forces are thought to be profiting from the trade and actively helping the smugglers, notably by allowing them to use military airfields.

Daily Telegraph, 27/06/2008 by David Blair, Caracas"

You can help

... with ideas for more paradoxical magazines.

I already have in mind for next week the following magazine covers:

"Atheist Believer"

"Peaceful Warrior"

"Prolife Abortionist"

Crude but could be funny... for some...
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Paradoxical Magazines III

Paradoxical Magazines II

Paradoxical Magazines I

Bye, bye, McCain

Mussolini, Hitler y Stalin were babies

“No se trata de ganar elecciones, (sino) impedirle al enemigo que divida al país (?) eso es un primer paso; porque luego viene el compromiso profundo, el objetivo que va mucho más allá: Construir el socialismo en Venezuela desde el barrio y la alcaldía”

For this guy the country starts and finishes in the presidential palace.

People opinion expressed in the recent referendum does not exist for him.

It is the real XXI Century fascism-leninism with cuban inspiration...

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Round Up

Today an opinion survey by Alfredo Keller was published and his main finding is bad for everyone: Hugo Chavez is not finished yet but is in a minority on many issues and his supporters are losing almost every decently carried out election.

Defeat is now common, from the Andes University student union in Merida, to the Journalists Union or the Central University Deans selection to almost every professional guild or union.

For the coming elections his candidates are in a very bad position, losing between 8 and 12 states or provinces and deep divisions in his party rank and file. The communist option is rejected in his own party by moderate democrats, the enriched military and common people.

Internationally, the Reyes PCs have him in the verge of a pariah status. Just yesterday two persons with connections with the government were accused of being members of the terrorist Hizbolá organization which operates in the middle east and few weeks ago 2 Venezuelans were detained in Colombia with ammunition loads for the FARC guerrilla.

In the economic front, finances are at shambles despite the high state income from sky high oil prices, inflation is out of control, scarcity of food is estimated affects more than 33% of the products and medicines are frequently out of stock in the drugstores.

On the social side, basic services do not work: health, education and specially public safety are disorderly managed, police are infiltrated by gangs and homicide rates are the highest in America, 6 million guns are running free, drug traffic, guerrilla activities and kidnaps are in the increase, to travel -even in public transport- is unsafe anywhere and anytime.

Sadly, the only action taken so far is to go to Cuba to get advise from eternal dictator Fidel Castro and to limit liberties by law (but failed) or by fact (administrative and illegal inhabilitation of popular mayor and governor candidates), police terror with 1000s of people killed in "shootings" with the police and two known journalists killed in the last two weeks. Weakened authoritarians only think about being more authoritarians.

It is a round up of recent news in Venezuela...
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Venezuela today

Chavez next economic measure

Lost in space

Chavez friends of the first hour look now far and away from the Colonel...














(La imagen es del chiguire bipolar)

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Colonel Narciso should have started by recognizing the validity of the 1999 Constitution and accept the verdict of the people on December 2, 2007 who rejected Communism and its entrance door that is the Cuban style Socialism.

Colonel Narciso had to admit that he has been wrong for 10 years when seeking personal control (not by the Estate) of the goods and people living in this country, that is not his -or his corrupt buddies- but all Venezuelans.

After that, only after that, should have Colonel Narciso announced any measure. But real measures, not that meringue of warm patches arriving late in clearly insufficient magnitude to reactivate anything.

“Too little too late...”, as the English say.

1000 MM $ are 120 are bags of money, nothing to reactivate an economy.

Dollar exchange controlling is nonsense, he had to remove it.

Price controls do not work, he had to remove them.

The dollar is not worth 3,00 Bs. and he knows it, he should have been sincere on that.

Petrol is not worth 10 cents, he should free the price. The fuel subsidy only benefits the rich, congestes streets and damages the lungs of children in Caracas. Colonel Narciso should have eliminated it.

It is true that all this can not be done at once.

... but Colonel Narciso had 10 years to do it and he did not.

It is time for Colonel Narciso to leave the high office for someone more capable.

That's what I think.

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Me and my new office assistant

Nations Urge Oil Producers For More

"Leading energy-consuming nations urged oil producers to boost their output to counter soaring prices threatening the world economy, while they pledged to develop clean energy technologies and improve efficiency."

Oil prodicer shouls say no.

1. To produce more for less depletes their grandchildren´s piggy.

2. To increase production lows price and retards the development of alternative sources of energy.

3. To increase production pollutes the atmosphere and long term damages earth climate.

Three good reasons to let rich countires to adjust to higher prices...
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Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned...

"I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans. And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future. The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States. Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me."
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Venezuela: A police state?

A draconian charter for spies

IT MAY be an autocracy, but Hugo Chávez's government has never been particularly repressive, let alone a dictatorship. A decree issued late last month with no prior debate threatens to change that. It creates a new intelligence and counter-intelligence system which in the name of national security enlists the entire population in ... a spy network.

“This undoubtedly brings us close to...a police state” declared Provea..."

“The law establishes vague, generic crimes, which is very dangerous... and ... abolishes the presumption of innocence...."

The decree authorises police raids without warrant, the use of anonymous witnesses and secret evidence. Judges are obliged to collaborate with the intelligence services. Anyone caught investigating sensitive matters faces jail.

The law contains no provision for any kind of oversight. It blurs the distinction between external threats and internal political dissent. It requires all citizens, foreigners and organisations to act in support of the intelligence system whenever required—or face jail terms of up to six years.

The Economist print edition, Jun 5th 2008 | CARACAS
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Make me your VP

It's All About Her

"Waiting for Senator Clinton to decide what she wants. This routine -- be it Senator Clinton's defiance, or the party's deferential behavior toward her -- illustrates exactly why this party, and liberalism with it, must change. And while we wait here in some kind of twisted Pollyanna limbo, Senator McCain is measuring the White House Residence to see if his Craftmatic adjustable bed will fit through the door..."

Bob Cesca: Even In Defeat, It's All About Her - Politics on The Huffington Post
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EDITOR KILLED BY SICARS

At 6:00 PM, the VP of Reporte Diario de la Economía, a very critical venezuelan newspaper, was killed by motorized sicars with 17 bullets. Apparently he was confused with his brother, who is the President and Editor of the paper and has received death threaths from many sources, apparently from the corrupt official denounced by the newspaper.

Already, the Director of the paper is in jail under "criminal charges".

One journalist of this paper, Leocenis García, is in jail too also under "criminal charges".

Another, journalist and cleric Padre Palmar, stoped working in the paper.

If it is not a bloody african tirany, you tell me ¿what is it?
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Chávez tightens hold on venezuelans

CARACAS, Venezuela: President Hugo Chávez has used his decree powers to carry out a major overhaul of this country's intelligence agencies, provoking a fierce backlash here from human rights groups and legal scholars who say the measures will force citizens to inform on one another to avoid prison terms.

Under the new intelligence law, which took effect last week, Venezuela's two main intelligence services, the DISIP secret police and the DIM military intelligence agency, will be replaced with new agencies, the General Intelligence Office and General Counterintelligence Office, under the control of Chávez.

From the IHT
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DEDOCRACIA (Fingerocracy)

It is the name of a regime (the Venezuelan) which fingers candidates to regional elections on the basis of personal loyalty and a past as militay conspirator.

It resulted in 15 military (mainly army) being imposed as candidates to governors in primary elections with deeply oscure winner selection methodos...
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Retrovolution

Retrovolution: Neologism to describe Venezuelan Hugo Chavez communist experiment.
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