Call an ambush by Venezuelan government thugs by its true name

It is one thing to write about the authoritarian soul of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, as I have for years, and another to see its ugly face. Last Friday, while marching with my 13-year-old daughter in Caracas, through unbearable fumes of tear gases, I could clearly distinguish the face of fascism.

We were part of a peaceful demonstration of several hundred thousand Venezuelans who were marching to demand early elections as a democratic solution to the current political crisis. Near the end of the route, we were ambushed by armed civil groups who attacked us with tear gas, stones, sticks and guns. All of this took place before the indolent eyes of the military police, who at first were just strolling along as the armed gangs were shooting. But soon we saw with astonishment that the police were handing more tear-gas grenades to our attackers and coordinating their moves.

When I later saw the events reported by CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press and The New York Times as a ''confrontation'' between government supporters and the opposition, I was appalled. What confrontation? I said to myself while remembering the terror in my daughter's eyes and in the thousands of unarmed demonstrators who were forced to flee.

Armed civilian groups responding to government orders are not new. Fascist and communist regimes have used them for the same purpose as the Chávez government: to intimidate opponents and to disguise government repression under a civilian facade. The armed Bolivarian Circles have already been denounced by Organization of American States Secretary General César Gaviria, who has found deaf ears not only in Chávez and his cabinet members but in the attorney general and the ombudsman as well.

The foreign press has failed to report the truth about events in Venezuela such as the march in which I participated. On Christmas Day, Boston Globe correspondent Marion Lloyd described the Circles as ''watchdog groups to support the Chávez government.'' No mention was made of their role as an illegal armed militia. The Circles terrorize those who dare to dissent with the government.

On Dec. 30, a senior officer of the political police threatened to sic the Circles on a group that was protesting the illegal imprisonment of a dissident general. Soon afterward, the violence started. A few nights ago, a 22-year-old man was hospitalized after being brutally assaulted by the Circles while he was banging pans in protest in front of his house.

The Circles act with complete impunity. They are seldom apprehended, and when caught, they are immediately released, encouraging them to repeat their crimes.

Information and transparency help contain violence. Distorting the truth to appear to present a balanced account of an unbalanced reality promotes violence by sheltering criminals from moral condemnation. It is crucial that the media call things by their name. Calling a one-sided government-supported ambush a two-sided confrontation, or describing criminal bands as watchdog groups, is more than just a bad choice of words.

Ana Julia Jatar, former head of Venezuela's antitrust agency, is a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

Military seizes heavy arms from Caracas police-Officers left with pistols as Chávez tightens control ***The intense rivalry between Chávez and the Metropolitan Police began shortly after the president's 1998 election, when he began making changes to consolidate his power. Through a constituent assembly's new constitution, Chávez abolished Congress, creating a single-chamber legislature that he controlled. But before that new assembly got to work, an interim Congress appointed a new public prosecutor, comptroller, Supreme Court, and elections council, which until then had functioned as independent powers. ''When all you want is one political party, one newspaper, one radio station, and control over police and banks,'' Peña said, ``you are instituting a totalitarian regime.''***

Chavez VP says government would accept court ruling upholding presidential referendum *** CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's vice president said the government would respect the high court if it rules to allow a Feb. 2 referendum on President Hugo Chavez's rule. However, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel warned that such a ruling would create chaos in this country of 24 million coping with a general strike called by opponents to overthrow Chavez. "If the Supreme Tribunal confirms the referendum is constitutional we will accept this verdict," said Rangel. The government, he added, complied with a ruling exonerating the leaders of an April 11 coup against Chavez. ***

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Great post, and typical of what I saw when there last month and hear from Caracas almost daily now, too.

For anyone new to the Opposition struggle against the Chavez regime, the following may be illuminating...

Chavez has lost most of the support of the poor, too, with five years of empty promises that has them clearly in worse shape now than when he arrived on the scene.

The oil money he might have helped them with has gone to filling his own pockets and those of his top supporters and financing dictators and international terrorism.

Chavez, and his unbridled praise for, active alliances and support with, and openly proclaimed desire to have Venezuela become like; Cuba, Iraq, Libya, and China does not equate to helping his own people, nor to a sustainable future supporter of U.S. interests, not by a long-shot. But, very dangerously, just the opposite! (BTW, too, China has made more 'investments' in Venezuela than in all of the rest of South America, including Mexico, combined! And, Chavez is on record proclaiming himself a maoist!)

This is not empty rhetoric from Chavez to simply be ignored, and the people opposing him today know it.

Chavez, according to the top military that have recently left him, is an active supporter of the FARC/ELN Columbian revolutionists, that US is currently fighting, and they are supported materially in exchange for lucrative drug trade that's transported via official health dept vehicles here across Venezuela with Puerto Rico as the foreign destination.

Just yesterday (1/14/03) U.S. Customs agents have made what's believed to be the biggest cocaine seizure ever made at the Port of Corpus Christi and that oil tanker smuggling the $6 million worth of coke was from Venezuela.

And, Chavez donated 1 million $'s to Al Queda in Afganistan shortly after 9/11. He also publicly excused his Chavista supporters burning USA flags then by saying USA brought 9/11 upon itself.

If U.S. does nothing, or worse, supports Chavez for illusion of stable oil in the short term, this administration will eventually be seen to have facilitated another, much more dangerous, Cuba in this hemisphere!

The millions of Venezuelans, along with his top military that have deserted him, and are now striking and in the streets protesting Chavez's cubanization of their beloved country know it all too clearly, they've been having to live through it...

Variations of that same "NO CUBA HERE!" sentiment is on a lot of those banners being carried down there right now...

We all here in the U.S.A. better get up-to-speed on this historic fight for freedom in Venezuela that'll surely impact us here, and quick, too!

Attitude-wise, we could hope here in the USA for no better allies than the Venezuelan people. According to the just published 2002 Global Attitudes Survey by the Pew Research Center in Washington; 82% have a favorable opinion of the USA, and that is amongst the highest ratings of all the 44 countries surveyed. And, in regard to supporting the US led war on terrorism, 79% favor it while only 20% oppose it! (What's the current %'s for that question here in the USA?)

Clearly, no country in South America holds more promise for being a strong and effective ally and supporter of the USA, perhaps none better in this entire Hemisphere, *when* Chavez is gone and remnants of his regime are fully rooted out.

Also, though, there is no current government in this hemisphere that is a more "Clear & Present Danger" to the USA with the continuation and expansion of Hugo Chavez type initiatives. Unchecked, Chavez will be able to do throughout this hemisphere what Fidel has only dreamed/wished he could do!

-Shane

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