Venezuela: Who You Gonna Believe, the New York Times or Your Lying Eyes?
Venezuela: Who You Gonna Believe, the New York Times or Your Lying Eyes?
Written by Mark Weisbrot
Saturday, 15 March 2014 19:25
Today’s report from the New York Times trashes the government for “combative tactics” and “cracking down” on protesters, but if you watch the accompanying video, all you see are protesters attacking police, and the police – without venturing forward, defending themselves with water cannon and tear gas.
One can criticize the decision of the government to block the march from going to hostile territory, but given the continuous presence of violent elements among the protestors, and that Venezuela is a country with a very high homicide rate and many armed civilians, it could have been the prudent thing to do. The government also believes, with some justification, that these protests seek to provoke violence in order to de-legitimize the government. Their stated goal is to overthrow the democratically elected government, and given that the vast majority of the country is against the protests, this really is their only chance of getting anywhere. And the government also knows that the media (both national private and international) will generally blame them for any violence.
In the United States, and especially here in Washington DC, you have to get a permit for marches like this, and they are often denied or re-routed; and if you try to defy this the police will generally beat you and throw you in jail. And these are actually peaceful protests here.
More:
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/venezuela-who-you-gonna-believe-the-new-york-times-or-your-lying-eyes
= new reply since forum marked as read
I guess they only "enforce" it if you're protesting for--not against-- the Dictator In Charge.
The poor widdle National Guard--not just the police--are going into homes without warrants after shooting teargas and beanbags into them, to take out suspects who are carted off to prisons and tortured.
So, there's that, too.
The excuses this guy uses are hilarious. He sounds like Nixon. First, it's these "others"--in this case, wealthy "elites" who are behind this. Then, it's "foreign forces." Now, it's violent n'er do wells.
It's students, is what it is. Students who started out pissed off because an assault of a woman on a college campus was blown off by police. Student who are asking for change. And for their trouble, they are being shot at with steel pellets, rubber bullets, beanbags, and all manner of teargas.
These students are leading the movement. They are the "adults in the room." They are saying things that MAKE SENSE, and the politicians--as well as the people--are paying attention to them. Old ladies are saying "God bless you" to them and bringing them sandwiches. Working class people agree with them and march with them.
And what do onlookers and pundits who don't bother to pay attention do? They tell falsehoods--blatant ones, too-- they put it all down to politics, when it's not about politics--it's about daily life. People of all ages from all walks of life--not just those "aristocrats" some keep yammering on about--want a decent, safe life with food on the supermarket shelves, an inflation rate that isn't out of control, and a crime rate that isn't amongst the worst in the world for murder.
and READ this. Maybe, just maybe, you'll learn something and get off that absurd "Everyone else is in favor of a coup (or your favorite word, "putsch"
'cept MEEEEEE" litany that you keep shopping.
And calling me a "right winger/whack job" is rude and disruptive. It also makes you look really bad when you engage in that kind of behavior. I urge you to stop name-calling, and grow up.
Here's the link--read it carefully, now, and learn what is really happening in VZ:
The Frank Underwood of Venezuela
Behind the daily scenes of anti-government protests, another power struggle is underway.
?n20loh
Diosdado Cabello sits behind Nicolas Maduro during a state of the nation address. (Reuters/The Atlantic)
...In recent weeks, Venezuela’s political crisis—mass protests in response to a flailing economy, rampant scarcities, soaring crime, and ideological polarization—has been portrayed in international media primarily as a struggle between a monolithic government and the embattled remnants of the nation’s traditional middle class. But this narrative is superficial; several storylines, both personal and social, are playing out below the surface. And these include a bitter clash between Hugo Chávez’s successor and almost-successor for the soul of his party and the future of the country...In other words, as Venezuela marks the first anniversary since Chávez’s death, the struggle between Cabello and Maduro is becoming more pronounced. And Cabello appears to be winning.
Diosdado Cabello began his political career as one of Chávez’s junior comrades-in-arms from the military, during a failed putsch against the government of Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992. The plot miscarried, and Cabello was briefly jailed for his participation. After his release, he assisted Chávez during his first successful presidential bid in 1998, and was singled out early on for his toughness and efficacy.
His political trajectory since has been remarkable both for its duration (Chávez was quick to sideline potential rivals) and its variety. His posts have included stints as the minister of planning, justice, the interior, public works, and housing, along with stretches as a state governor, the head of the National Telecommunications Commission, and Chávez’s chief of staff and presidential campaign manager. Following the collapse of a bloodless coup in 2002 that briefly ousted Chávez, Cabello, then vice president, even assumed the presidency—an ephemeral tenure that lasted mere hours until Chávez himself could be located and constitutional order (or at least what passes for it in Venezuela) restored. Ten years later, with Chávez ailing, many suspected Cabello might be anointed his heir, but he was instead passed over for the country’s current president, Nicolás Maduro.
...In a region of the world where charisma is king, Cabello—whose first name, Diosdado, translates to “God-given”—is something of an oddity. He amasses his influence not as a mesmerizer of crowds, but as a master manipulator of those around him. Artfully leveraging his position and alliances, he mercilessly crushes enemies, lavishly rewards friends, and even helps fill government offices with members of his own family. His wife is a member of the National Assembly, his brother is in charge of the nation’s taxation authority, and his sister is a Venezuelan legate to the United Nations.
In these ways, Cabello has accumulated clout among crucial constituencies such as wealthy businessmen and the armed forces, where 36 generals are from Cabello’s graduating class at Venezuela’s military academy. Cabello’s tendrils are even rumored to extend to shadier realms, including alleged ties to narco-trafficking syndicates and criminal organizations. A Wikileaked U.S. Embassy cable from 2009 characterized Cabello as a “major pole” of corruption within the regime, describing him as “amassing great power and control over the regime’s apparatus as well as a private fortune, often through intimidation behind the scenes.” The communiqué likewise entertained speculation that “Chavez himself might be concerned about Cabello's growing influence but unable to diminish it.”....While the two men have been publicly supportive of each other since then, the relationship may be far tenser than they let on. In April 2013, after Maduro eked out a contested electoral victory over Capriles, Cabello tweeted to his nearly 1 million followers that the government should engage in “profound self reflection” about why it had performed so poorly relative to Chávez’s last election. As the latter race had taken place mere months before, against the same opponent and with the same regime advantages, the implication of Cabello’s message was clear: ‘Maduro is a liability.’
... much more at the link.
The coffee is perking, you might wake up and smell it, instead of firing off weak insults and shopping tired old themes straight out of Maduro's propaganda arm, Venezuelanalysis.
YOUR team (and apparently you care more about them than the people) will retain power--meet the new boss, more hardline than the old boss.
Watch. And learn.
Diosdado Cabello knows how to play it. He's playing you brilliantly. Last November, he rather adroitly handed Maduro the method of his own demise--absolute power.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-25012076
Until next November, everything that goes wrong in VZ can be laid smartly at el Presidente's feet.
Look at the SMILE on that man's face. The one on the LEFT, I mean. Frank Underwood got nuthin' on him!!!
Venezuela's National Assembly has given final approval to special powers for President Nicolas Maduro.
Under the measures Mr Maduro will be able to govern without consulting Congress for 12 months.
After signing the bill, he promised to keep prices down and conduct a "ground-shaking" anti-corruption offensive.
The president says the aim of the new powers is to tackle the economic crisis. However, critics fear he may use them against the opposition.
Venezuela is facing shortages of food and other essential goods, as well as power cuts and about 54% inflation.
Let's see...prices have gone up yet again....corruption is as rampant as ever. The electricity doesn't work, the water doesn't run, the lines are a mile long, and what good are ration cards when there are no "rations" on the shelves? How's that inflation rate?
Heckuvajob, Nicky! When the "failed state" fails but good, it will be CABELLO--not anyone on the opposition, who will pick up pieces with the help of his 36 general classmates, from his days in the Army with his late friend Hugo Chavez.
What Maduro is doing has nothing to do with "democracy." It has everything to do with DICTATORSHIP.
That's not a Doctor Seuss book he's holding, there...
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-25012076
That's a "Dictator For a Year" prize that his good buddy, Diosdado Cabello, has put in his over-eager hands.
Everything from November of last year to November of this year is now "Maduro's fault."
Won't that be a useful truth for someone who graduated with 36 guys who are now generals in the Venezuelan Armed Forces, don't you think?
Absolute power corrupts absolutely, doncha know...
