venezuela’s politics knowledge

Sean Trane: When comes to talk about politics, it's easy to lose the temper and to fall into personal disqualifications, I hope that it doesn't happen among us. Said so, I have to tell you this: maybe, observing the venezuelan situation thru a microscope glass, as a curious social phenomena, seems that Chavez is a liberator kind of leader, which strieves for the poors and fights the imperium. But when you lives in Venezuela, as member of a medium class that is pushed down everyday, with the labour sources getting thinner and thinner, when you see that your kids' education begins to be totally controlled by the government ideology, when the TV, radio and even internet are being regulated by a stress press law, by which the tv plant can be closed if anybody says something that the goverment doesn't like , then you will be concerned about your future in your own country. And is very disconforting to see that people in Europe, with great life standars, people who doesn't know what hungry, bad social services, seggregation if you are against the government and total anarchy are, simphatizes with the Chavez government.  

ps: by the way, I didn't know that you are the same Chantrain that has such  good album reviews. Good work!

Mirco,

Thanks for the kind words regarding the reviews.

Hey I am the first one complaining about people arguing about politics , but in this case you opened a thread regarding the difficult situation in your country . Please do not believe that everything is good in Europe - There are hungry people too and in winter time (it is -5 Celsius as I write) some people die frozen before being hungry - we are regularly flooded with refugees that think this is like a dream and even though our collective gov'ts send out messages to potential illegal immigrants , but those refuse to believe and risk their lives to end up in the slums that they contribute to create.

You were asking to see if the infinite minority of progheads on this site knew what happened in your country and then you end up not agreeing with the opinions you sought. Listening to an educated venezuelian middle-class citizen about Chavez is like naming a Flemish judge to a case tearing Belgium apart: the French-speaking minority being denied their rights in their own language just outside Brussels and ask him to be fair - not very likely. I may explain you this in a longer private mail if you wish, but it is as long and as complex as the Chavez stuff and may explode our country in the following months because the rich Flemish abuse their majority to get rid of the poorer (only in the last 50 years because it was the opposite for the first 150 years) Wallon side . The fact is that money is spoiling everything and the more one has the more he wants and the oligarchy is exactly that: Greedy and ready to lie to get their point across - for example Chavez supporting terrorim , not one intelligent journalist would report such unsubstanciated nonsense. As far as we can read (International Herald Tribune , Le Monde , El Mundo), it is the oligarchy that choose to sabotage and go on strike and undermine the economy , because they are asked to share less than 10% of the wealth.... Who is hurting the country, now? I am not a  Chavez supporter but it seems that so far he is credible (fairy tale said Ivan ) and sincere about his political goals and wishes to includes the vast forgotten majority.

I will maybe stop after this post because this might get too heated but would like to thank you for discussing this subject.

Peace. Your country left me quite an impression and maybe someday.....

I would say Mirco , that for me ,(an outsider) it is too soon to call this guy a dictator and a leftist (for now he is a populist).

 Not forgetting that in 88 , Pinochet organized a referendum (monitored by the UN who said that there was no cheating) to see if he should go or stay and an amazing 45% of the people said yes to him against a narrow majority wanting him to leave...... Most leftist journalists yelled that the results had been altered to minimize his loss because they could not believe such an Ugly and bloodshed dictator still managed 45%. And he left...... All he got is a maybe-trial to come in the following months if the judges do not pay attention to the illness-comedy plot that got him out of UK a few years back..... Sad , So saad. How's that for a dictatorship....

The situation in Colombia is totally different and hopeless and I have no sympathy for the FARC or Gov't Forces or the drugs cartel. A guerilla can be legitimous (Reagan and his contras were not really clean IMO) if fighting a dictatorship (see the Burmese example).

Thank you for shed a new light on what happens in Venezuela and your opinions , I will take in account when I read more newspapers.... So Be It....

Hi Ivan,

I am not fooled by the propaganda be it from the master of boring speahes (I think Fidel's record is twelve hours in a pouring rain with a big part of the crowd forbidden to leave) or more subliminal coming from Uncle Sam (I think the US Secret Services - no names - will be knocking on my door within a few hours now). I do not admire Castro per se (he is a bloody dictator), but am awed at his persistence and resistance with such poor means. That Cuba provides military assistance to revolutionary gov'ts is no secret but feeding money to mad dogs terrorist is worthy of Cold War Uncle Sam propaganda - there is simply not enough money in Cuba.

Ivan: I agree with most of your last post even the first sentence about an opinion from Belgium, I had said in the previous post that I considered myself as an outsider, only moderatley apt at giving an opinion in a prog forum. And when I do (after being asked to), the people concerned tell me it's not valid.... well at least you had one member who has an idea (albeit deformed if you wish) of what goes on in that fabulous continent of yours.

Colombia: the only politician I have any sympathy was that bloody naive (to the idiotic sense) Ingrid De Bettencourt , but she was cast aside by her stupidity: she thought that Guerilla would not touch them like journalists in Bagdad or that priest , hostage for four years in the 80's in Lebanon. How beautifully naive....and incredibly stupid...

Mirco: one more thing, those strikes were organized as a blackmail, not even hurting the oligarchy - maybe they lost a bit of cash (cigar money for them - and probably Cubans on top of it - ooops) and they hurt the country, but really who go hurt? The people like you (small middle class guys , caught between the Hammer and the Anvil - now that must be fun ) and then they say it is Chavez's fault....... sounds fishy to me , man. Cheer up man , somehow I am on your side for hope of better human condition but that does includes the Jivaros people and related tribes also - yes they exist. I really deeply grieve for South America..

"During his visit to La Guacamaya. governor LFAC announced the expropiation of Polar beer manufacturer deposits".

If anybody have a doubt about the political inclination of the goverment, see this picture: the guy is the governor of Carabobo state, a former general loyal to Chavez, who wins a doubt election. The t-shirt he's wearing is a sort of uniform: the simbolism is obvious, the red hat, Che Guevara picture.