A new landmark date for repression in Venezuela: confirming the dictatorship

daniel-venezuela.blogspot.com ^ | 2/12/14 | Daniel

[Kartographer]

I was on my way back to San Felipe today so I could not follow events live (nor could I have attended the protests today for a variety of reasons). But in the end it did not matter much because censorship was heavy and tonight I can catch up through the net, Cable TV and Twitter, our only information these days.

The only thing I could see was at "Paramacay" my lunch stop on my way to Valencia where they had Globovision on. Maria Corina Machado was speaking at the rally and it was well attended (something confirmed by the pictures I saw tonight). Interestingly Globo was not showing anything this morning when I left home so that they decided to briefly show MCM was telling, they could not hide the success of the convocation. Also Paramacay had not on VTV, the state TV propaganda. Usually they show nothing or sports but to show Globo shows that, well, you know....

So it was with little concern that I arrived in San Felipe at 5 PM and after emptying the car I had my tea time. That is until a neighbor showed up to ask me if I knew anything about Caracas. So I went to my Playbook and turn on TV. The summary next.

The regime forced cable operators, at least Direct TV that I receive, to drop NTN24 from Colombia which had a live stream (their web page is also blocked with my provider) . Of course Maduro was on cadena inaugurating a grotesque new monument on top of a hill that I saw on my way through La Victoria. I also saw a gazillion cops and Nazional guards all the way from Caracas to La Victoria... apparently not all officials summoned to attend could go by helicopter so the highway should be made safe for them, just in case their car broke down and they got Speared.

What was more surprising is that CNN in Español showed 25, TWENTY FIVE minutes straight of Maduro cadena before they eventually got tired. I was flabbergasted, the more so that CÑN did not give the equivalent time to opposition leadership. Were they afraid to be taken off the grid too? It would be nice to know why Patricia Janiot went along. Still, CÑN showed that way, way less people attended the Maduro shindig than the opposition nice rally in Caracas and significant activities in many cities of the country (and Capriles more and more idiotically tweeting at sensing the situation escaping his slighter and slighter influence)

Eventually I started to get the body count. I looks like the regime used storm troopers to kill 3 protesters although 1 may be a chavista. Dozens of people injured? Things are obscure because the cadena kept going on in La Victoria with a night military parade. I will have to wait more for more hardcore news, but I am leaving you with some interesting stuff. The first one is a video when someone actually gets shot. You need to pay close attention and maybe look at it twice. But you will be sensible to the extensive shots, totally overdone if coming from security forces as students/protesters where running away.

[null and void]

Is my understanding correct that Venezuela, like Cuba before it, was once a thriving south American nation? Are the memories of the people there really that short?

Dunno. What was the price of a gallon of regular gas when Obama took office, hmmmm?

Highlight this $1.79⁹ space for the answer!

[DuncanWaring]

Are the memories of the people there really that short?

Judging by my fellow Americans I’d say: YES

Recall one of the big lies of the 1992 presidential campaign "Worst economy in 50 years" when it had clearly been FAR worse during the dying days of the Carter administration a mere 12 years earlier.

Memories are short, people are gullible and believe what they want to believe.