Posted on 03/12/2006 6:36:35 PM PST by blam
New Venezuela flag divides nation
By Greg Morsbach
BBC News, Caracas
A giant new Venezuelan flag flies over Fort Tiuna in Caracas
Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez has officially unveiled the country's controversial new flag. Parliament last week approved changes to the 200-year-old design including the addition of an eighth star to honour the province of Guayana.
A white horse on the national coat of arms which appears on the flag now faces left instead of right.
The opposition has condemned the new flag as illegitimate saying there was no proper consultation.
Venezuelans have two flags - one of totalitarianism, autocracy and communism... and one of democrats
Oscar Perez opposition spokesman
Mr Chavez used the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's first flag to present the new one to the general public.
Ordinary Venezuelans caught a first glimpse of their new flag at a large military parade.
Soldiers carrying the flag goose-stepped past the podium of Mr Chavez who himself hoisted the new banner.
The eighth star was added in line with the thinking of Mr Chavez's idol, the 19th century independence leader Simon Bolivar.
Praising the new design, Mr Chavez said the white horse had now been "freed".
Rival banners
But on the other side of Caracas, around 1,000 opposition members were demonstrating against the new national symbol.
The opposition was defiantly brandishing the old flag on Sunday
They say they cannot accept the changes because they were not consulted and spokesman Oscar Perez said the opposition would go on using the old banner.
"We will continue using our flag of seven stars, the flag that we democrats recognise.
"At this moment, the Venezuelans have two flags - one of totalitarianism, autocracy and communism, that is the eight stars, and one of democrats - that is seven stars, which is the only one we recognise."
The government wants to keep the changeover costs down by allowing a five-year transition period.
Within that time frame all public buildings will have to switch to the new flag.
Stamps, coins and passports will also have to be revamped.
bttt
I'm sorry, but wouldn't "Total Eclipse of the Heart" be an awesome national anthem?
Isn't it a law of heraldry that animals on coats of arms face right?
The one finally adopted (...) was designed by Dr. Friedrich Krohn, a dentist from Sternberg (...). Krohn's design, the swastika on a white disk against a red background, was intended to symbolize the ideology of the movement — in red its social ideal, in white its nationalism, and in the swastika "the struggle for the victory of Aryan man". But Krohn's flag featured a right-handed swastika, traditional symbol of good fortune, spiritual evalution and the triumph of spirit over matter. Hitler insisted on it being replaced by the left-handed swastika, regarded by occultists as the equivalent of a reversed crucifix, an evocation of evil, spiritual devolution and black magic!
http://flagspot.net/flags/de}ns_or.html#ori
Nothing like giving the opposition a symbol to rally around. Now they have their own flag. And Chavez' got his.
I believe they face left for bastards...aka the illegitimate ones.
Nope seems to be left.
Yes, you are correct. My bad. I should have just looked at the lions on the English and Scottish coats of arms, which all face left. So at least we can say that Chavez is conforming to the laws of heraldry!
But Chavez is still an Ass Clown.
I love when the media call a socialist dirtbag a "Leftist" as if s/he is deftly practicing some art.
"I'm sorry, but wouldn't "Total Eclipse of the Heart" be an awesome national anthem?"
Way yeah, it would be. let's put it this way, now it will be the national anthem of my brain for at least two days!
They had Russian national flags to fly when the Soviet Union fell and Lord only knows where they got them - they had Iraqi flags to fly when Saddam went down. They'll be flying the seven-starred one when Chavez is hanging from a lamppost. Haste the day.
I hope old Hugo is found wrapped in a bloodied version of this rag one day soon.
ping
"Mr Chavez said the white horse had now been "freed".
Such symbolism. White horse of the apocolypse?Is he saying he's going to conquer his neighbors?
Wouldn't be too surprised.
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