Venezuela and Freedom of Speech.

What I really meant to say is why fight at all? Those examples speak volumes. When the moment is right it all will be worked out.  The collapse of the Soviet block is the best proof of that. After all those years of civil strife it simply disintegrated, and Walesa and Vazlav Havel suddenly found themselves presidents of their respective countries to their total amazement. As opposed to being dissidents under house arrest or doing jail time.  

Protests and dissent don’t produce the desired results. So your fighting is just an exercise in futility, it’s not worth wasting your time. I don’t have any personal experience since I came of age in the 70’s, but if you ask the rebellious 60’s generation you could probably find no one having sweet memories about street fighting. You could hear, “it was nice listening to music,” or  “it was nice smoking pot,” or “it was nice making love,” but you could hardly find anybody saying, “it was nice to get beaten up at a demonstration.” And when your opponents are armed with war weapons, it makes this struggle not only futile but also mortally dangerous. No civil freedom is worth dying for (you could definitely find no one saying, “it was nice dying for freedom”).  So stay away from it Chus. And don’t count on the international community. All they can do to bring Chavez down is stop buying his oil but nobody will do that.

I don’t believe Venezuela is at that stage yet. And even in the communist countries rulers know that the population should be supplied all basic staples since the deficit of those will ultimately bring their demise. And with the oil dollars… With regard to prog, etc., there are always ways to get around official bans. Look at Iran. Only Taliban with their brutality succeeded in suppression of all human freedoms. But to compare with them, Chaves is benevolence itself.  And considering his age group, he must be, at the very least, a Beatles’ fan.

I’m no expert on religious dictatorships. All I said was, with all the ideological bans in Iran, people still listen to rock and play soccer. But that’s a minor issue.

Now I’ve never experienced the Cuban healthcare system (thank God!) but I vividly remember all benefits of the Soviet one which by default must be superior to the Cuban and which was based not on knowledge and professionalism but on doctor’s compassion or lack of such. You were lucky if the doctor took interest in you since they had no other incentive to do a good job to retain you as a client. How about dentists inflicting pain on patients for the fun of it? Extractin a tooth vs. doing a root canal because it’s cheaper? Wiping your blood with your own handkerchief after a tooth extraction? (if you had none, bad luck). Doctors conducting weird experiments on orphaned infants? Sure thing, no accountability. I guess the Soviet Hippocratic Oath provided plenty of leeway for it. My childhood friend’s grandmother was given a wrong injection and died of it in the ambulance car. Anyone’s at fault? Human error, sh*t happens. Lack of hospital beds, medicine and equipment? Want more stories? Of course, all that expensive technology in California is not readily available to everyone, but it’s there and it gets available gradually when its cost decreases. The same way it’s available in Canada (or Belgium) for free, so Canadians cross the border to have a surgery in the US instead of waiting for years at home. Don't take everything leftist propaganda says for granted. 

Now what these guys write about Venezuelan affairs sounds somewhat familiar. So your threat to investigate markosherrera claims is rather ridiculous than malicious (and I’m saying it amicably) as you appear to be more of an honest victim of disinformation than a promoter of it. Although some things they say sound bizarre, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they are real. Don’t you think they know it better living in the country vs you reading it on the internet? Regardless of their political stance.

 I am profoundly sorry for what’s happening to them. I personally wouldn’t resort to protest and fighting, but it’s just me. It emanates from my deep apathy and cynicism towards politics and power. But I don’t question their best intentions.