Hugo Chavez's Opponent Plans Major Caracas Rally, Opposition Strength May be Growing (Translation)

El Universal ( Caracas ) ^ | October 2, 2006 | Pedro Pablo Peñaloza ( translated by self )

[StJacques]

Rosales will lead "Caracas Avalanche" Saturday

Pedro Pablo Peñaloza
El Universal (Caracas)

The director of the First Justice Party, Liliana Hernandez, member of the campaign command of Manuel Rosales, summoned the followers of the opposition candidate to concentrate themselves next Saturday in Libertador Avenue [in Caracas].

Hernandez specified that the act of support for the Governor of the State of Zulia¹ will be named the "Caracas Avalanche" and it is scheduled to begin at 10:00 in the morning.

"The idea is that, besides demonstrating in favor of the victory of the National Unity candidate [i.e. Rosales], we are calling people to support the proposal of fighting against the lack of [public] safety pointed out by Rosales," Hernandez insisted.

The campaign command strategy of the leader of the New Time Party (UNTC),² is attempting to mobilize the population stressing the electoral offer of impelling the defense of life over violence.³

Moreover, the adversaries of President Hugo Chavez are attempting to arouse the enthusiasm of the capital's inhabitants underlining the virtues of the social plan expounded by the Zulian Chief Executive and the initiative of the Mi Negra debit card.⁴

During the week, Rosales's team will determine the gathering points for sympathizers who will be mustering on Libertador Avenue. Even though they did not offer major details, it is hoped that they will set three or four meeting sites near the metro [transit] stations.

About the quantity of people who will aspire to congregate in Caracas, Hernandez pointed out: "The excitement we have had in the interior [of the country] motivates us. In Tachira I gave an estimate and I was short, here it will be the same."

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Translator's Notes:

¹ Manuel Rosales is currently Governor of the Venezuelan state of Zulia, located in the northwestern portion of the country, fronting the border with Colombia.

² The UNTC is the acronym for Rosales's Un Nuevo Tiempo Contigo Party, whose name literally translates to "A New Time With You." The party is generally referred to as either the "New Time Party" or even the "New Day Party" in the English-speaking press. The UNTC has managed to bring together numerous opposition parties, many of them splinter groups, into a unified opposition to Hugo Chavez as Venezuela approaches the December 3rd elections.

³ Rosales is making a major issue of violent crime in the campaign. See this earlier thread for his law and order platform.

⁴ Sadly; we cannot describe Manuel Rosales as either a social or economic conservative in terms which we here at Free Republic would recognize. The Mi Negra (my little black card) debit card proposal is the key part of his campaign platform, which represents a multi-pronged attack against Chavez; primarily for his twin failures to deliver the actual support he has promised to Venezuela's poor and his squandering of the country's oil wealth in various ways, including corruption at home and assistance given to leftist regimes and political movements abroad, the ideological basis of which Rosales decried in very strong terms today. Rosales proposes that a substantial portion of revenues from Venezuela's national oil production be administered by a national "Petroleum Fund of the Venezuelans," from which Venezuela's poorest citizens could receive a monthly stipend to cover their most basic necessities. The Venezuelan state would not be empowered to redirect the fund's appropriations. In defense of Rosales however; it should be pointed out that Chavez has already implemented massive and wasteful social spending over the past seven years and Rosales's plan is meant to streamline certain portions of that while providing guarantees that Venezuelans actually will benefit from oil revenues, in addition to removing the power of the Venezuelan state to direct entitlements on the basis of political favoritism. And of course, Chavez's financial support of leftists and even Islamic radicals would come to an end too. If you can read Spanish, you can learn more about this plan here.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Not far at all. They make the voting machines -- the same one's we have that don't use a paper trail -- and can program them so no one knows what the data they turn out will be but the programer. I've heard more than one supposition Chavez lost the recall and Carter helped certify he'd won.

[BobS]

"Easy now Bob. The tensions between Colombia and Venezuela are marked. We don't want to start a war!"

Let the women argue. Men can stand around and place bets and have a good time watching them do what comes naturally between women:):) And laugh the war off!

[StJacques]

"Let's pray I'm wrong."

Yes; let us pray. I'll bet Rosales is praying too. I can hear him now:

Padre nuestro que estás en el Cielo
santificado sea tu nombre
venga a nosotros tu Reino
hágase tu voluntad en la Tierra como en el Cielo
danos hoy nuestro pan de cada dia
y perdona nuestras ofensas
como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden
no nos dejes caer en tentación
y líbranos del mal
Amén

[StJacques]

"Let the women argue...."

I'm going to tell you a true story.

I spent a year in Colombia, living as I did in its "Department" (state) of Caldas, having an apartment in the city of Manizales and spending a lot more of my time in the immediate vicinity.

I visited Bogota about three times and on one occasion I was walking with a friend of mine and we came upon a fight in the street in front of a local cafe between two men. We couldn't tell what the fight was about and, soon after we came on the scene, three policemen showed up. We stood and watched while they began to question the two men fighting and the bystanders.

It turns out that the two men got into an argument over two participants in the upcoming Miss Colombia pageant. One of the men was from the Colombian Department of Bucaramanga and another was from the Department of Antioquia. And a side note here, Antioquian women are generally considered the finest in Colombia and their men are always ready to tell you about it, yes; they have an attitude, and for good reason I might add! LOL! But one of the men said something derogatory about the beauty queen representing the other's home turf and, you guessed it, they had to take it out into the street.

What was really hilarious about the whole scene was that when the policeman who led the interrogations got the story, he immediately insisted that it was Miss Bogota who was finer than either Miss Bucaramanga or Miss Antioquia. And he must have said something I didn't hear because immediately both of the men who had been fighting began to resist being restrained, wanting to go after the policeman who was talking up Miss Bogota. The bystanders generally favored Miss Bogota and began shouting their feelings as such at both men and giving the policeman some encouragement to argue Miss Bogota's case. But then some other passers-by heard what was going on, and it turns out that they were from Antioquia and decided they had to come to the assistance of the man who stood up for their beauty queen. A much larger scuffle ensued in which the newly-arrived passers-by were getting into it with the local Bogotanos and there just were not enough policemen on hand to keep things quiet. At which point the original policeman who conducted the interrogations pulled out his pistol and pointed it straight up in the air, and everything quieted down. But the local Bogotanos still insisted that the argument had been settled in their favor as they dispersed.

It's not the women you have to worry about Bob. It's the men.

I promise you, this is a true story.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Latin American Defense Ministers Meet Amid concerns Over Venezuela's Arms Buildup - by Julie Watson


http://www.hacer.org/current/LATAM189.php

[BobS]

I like news from South America because I lived in Spain on the economy while I was in tha AF a while back. Most of my German relatives moved there because of taxes and before the EU came to be, to be safe. There are titties running loose all over the Costa del Sol. You can always spot American ones with the zebra stripe:)

Nice, intelligent women as you have anywhere. I just meet people from SA. The cultures are as different between Spain, Portugal and South America as England is to the U.S.

IMHO, women from Brasil are similar to Spanish women, because I am with one. Smart, quiet and behaves like a lady. Very cute too:) And it only took the State Dept. 3 months to give her a work attachment to her Visa so she can be a critical care nurse in a coronary unit. And the stupid Immigration Dept. 6 more months to send her a green card. Passed the NCLEX exam last year before this. She wants to become a citizen. Half of her family is here and own businesses.

SO, is a job that pays $75K one that Americans are too lazy to train for? There is a nurse shortage here. It's the same science in all languages. Personally, I would like cuties with accents lurking around if I need a hospital bed:):):)

[StJacques]

"Personally, I would like cuties with accents lurking around if I need a hospital bed"

Well, I'll have to save revelations of my "nurse fantasies" for another thread. LOL! :>)

[BobS]

"Well, I'll have to save revelations of my "nurse fantasies" for another thread. LOL! :>)"

Well, I went into a hospital for a physical a few years ago. There is no placque in my heart or arteries because I saw the ultrasound in action. No cholesterol in my blood. Ran the treadmill nude with Air Jordans and continued after a nurse stepped on it while it was fast and a hook slammed into my head. Nuclear medicine also. MRI also. Blood and disease screen. The result was that my left arm pulled a few tendons right above my heart. I learned this on the 3rd day. West Hills is a very nice hospital with Fox News if you want to lay around. I didn't. Talk up the nurses and word eventually gets to the surgeon who doesn't want guys laying around in bed picking up his nurses. That's what got me released by 1 PM on the 3rd day.

My surgeon said to stop being lazy. I'm not fat. So I am with a Brizilian nurse.

That costs $14K to find out I will be horny for 40 more years!

[StJacques]

LOL! I'm not sure I wanted to know all of that but it was funny.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Evidently the Venezuelan poor haven't progressed under Chavez:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10032006/news/columnists/pain_in_slums_of_chavez_columnists_douglas_montero.htm

[BobS]

"LOL! I'm not sure I wanted to know all of that but it was funny."

I's true. If you end up in a hospital, and it turns out to be not in your worries, ask for a second breakfast on the third day and talk up the nurse a little. They talk. Word gets to the surgeon that you are too healthy to be laying around watching TV and looking for dates:) You will be released into the wild with everything you want to know about your body with an insurance company paying for it all.

[StJacques]

Guys; I do not have time right at the moment to stop and translate an article on Rosales's rally today, something I would like to put up on the board as a new thread, but I can tell you that there were at least 100,000 people there according to one Venezuelan newspaper report at:

http://www.2001.com.ve/noticias_2001online.asp?registro=72389

The article quoted a Rosales campaign spokesman who said there could have been as many as 200,000 people in attendance. For this to have happened right in Caracas, Hugo Chavez's home turf, is big news.

I have one pic of today's event to throw into the mix, sorry it's not larger, but look closely, there are people as far as the eye can see:



I will probably post something on the rally tomorrow.

[conservative in nyc]

The election is in December? If so, that's a long time for Chavez to take care of his opponent.

[StJacques]

I'm still not ready to say that Rosales has a real chance to overcome what we all know will be an election decided by Chavez's ability to manipulate the process. But I do believe that Rosales is well on the way to making it clear that Chavez is not the "man of the people" he claims to be. Rosales may be able to succeed in "putting the lie" to Chavez. Right now, I'd say he's doing pretty well on the road to accomplishing that goal.

[conservative in nyc]

I meant "take care of" in the mafia sense if Rosales looks like he's going to win - by jailing, maiming or having him killed.

[StJacques]

If Chavez has Rosales "taken care of" the lie will be inescapable. I really doubt Chavez will do that.

[California Patriot]

Thanks. Encouraging.

[Founding Father]

Saturday, October 07, 2006


Que mojella de avalancha!

What can I say? Great avalanche today, people pouring out to see Rosales. It was hot, but it was exciting, lots of people everywhere. Rosales greeted us saying "que molleja is this rally!" a typical maracucho saying which refers to something big, grand!

And it was. I tried to get as close to the front as I could and it reached a point that was claustrophobic, you could not move in any direction, I only got to about ten or fifteen rows deep. Very thrilling and exhausting, I think I am dehydrated but wanted to post this quickly. People were happy, excited, friendly. Lots of young people, Rosales gave an outline of what he will do.

http://blogs.salon.com/0001330/2006/10/07.html#a3095

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Mass Venezuela opposition rally
By Greg Morsbach
BBC News, Caracas




Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales.

Mr Rosales will face President Hugo Chavez in December's presidential poll.


The march, which filled the main avenues of the city centre, was the biggest opposition rally Venezuela has seen since early 2004.

Then, protesters made an unsuccessful bid to oust Mr Chavez from power in a recall referendum.

Chance to unite

Young and old took to the streets to throw their weight behind the campaign of Mr Rosales, a middle-class Social Democrat who governs the state of Zulia, on the Colombian border.

Many claimed that they were seeking liberty and democracy and that made Mr Rosales their only option:



"The problem of the opposition is that before we had a lot of candidates and people couldn't make up their minds whom to support," one woman said.

"Right now we have just one candidate and I believe that we have a better shot if we have just one candidate against Chavez."

For some it was simply a day out to enjoy the sunshine, but for most it was a chance to listen to a speech by Mr Rosales, who declared that Venezuela was "at a crossroads".

Mr Rosales condemned what he called the cheque book diplomacy of Mr Chavez, accusing him of giving away Venezuela's oil wealth to foreign powers.

If Mr Rosales can keep up this kind of pressure against his rival, the election results may not necessarily be a foregone conclusion.

But for now, Mr Chavez still enjoys a clear lead in opinion polls because of a sense of loyalty that poor and working-class voters feel towards him.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4801521.stm

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[Founding Father]

[Founding Father]

Posted FRIDAY before the rally:

---

Friday, October 06, 2006


Atrevete!

While I am not thrilled with some of Rosales’ economic proposals, I can’t help but be fully behind his candidacy, for the simple reason that Manuel Rosales’ principles and values are much, very much closer to mine than those of the militaristic, autocratic, egotistical, intolerant and divisive man that has been our President for the last eight years. In fact, have nothing in common with the autocrat at all levels.

--To begin with, Rosales is a family man. He not only has a family, but has a proven track record that he really and truly cares about people the poor and those without resources. While our current President talks about the kids on the streets, Manuel Rosales has adopted three of them so far, for a total of ten kids, including just as a curiosity, triplets.

--Rosales is running to be President of all Venezuelans, without the sectarism of the current President and his party MVR. As Mayor of Maracaibo and Governor of Zulia he has proven this is the case. He is a true democrat, respecting others and talking to everyone. People have forgotten how well Governor Arias Cardenas got along with Rosales, working as a team to make a difference in Zulia.

--Rosales has handled his candidacy and unified the opposition with exquisite timing and ability, managing to do what no leader of the opposition has done in years. You don’t hear bickering and infighting and the people that I have contacted that work with him, talk about openness and reachability (If this word exists)

--Rosales has made fighting crime and security one of his main priorities, while the current Government ignores the problem in the face of absolute failure to fight it. Militaristic solutions to the crime problem don’t work as the last eight years have shown.

--Rosales is the only President in modern Venezuelan history to talk mainly about elementary education as his main priority in the educational field. Yes, he has plans for the other sectors but he seems to understand the problem better than many of the educators that have gone through the Ministry of Education and have typically emphasized or paid attention to higher education.

--Rosales has promised to establish nutritional programs aimed at pregnant women and kids under six and basic education kids by reestablishing and expanding the milk and school lunch’s programs that this Government canned when he got to power.

--Rosales has made contact and has on board the country’s best experts on social programs and problems. He believes in knowledge and know how and not the trial and error and intuition that has destroyed Venezuela and its infrastructure in the last eight years.

--Rosales has an ambitious US$ 40 billion program for infrastructure, housing and barrio refurbishing, including electricity, water, sewage and water treatment. I have not seen the details, but I imagine, he is reviving the program generated informally by a bunch of planners and architects from Central University.

--Rosales said he will revive and pass the pension system that was shelved by this Government and had been approved in 1998 by Congress. This project creates pension funds and makes retirement uniform in ages and requirements.

--From what I have heard from Rosales he understands the need to create employment for all and how the Government can not do it alone and needs to attract investment.

--Yes, I do not like Mi Negra. I find it populist, hard to finance, cyclical and a concern. Given the distortions in the economy, there will be a need for devaluations in the next three years, no matter who wins. What happens then to the amount given to people through Mi Negra? If they stay the same, it just does not help. We have to tie up the politicians hands, eliminate the Bolivar. Create a basket of hard currencies to back the circulation of the US$ in Venezuela. That way, Government’s will have to hold spending if oil prices drop and the purchasing power of poor people will never go down.

--It is clear Rosales does not want to antagonize the military but he has clearly stated that he will cut spending on new military equipment other than that needed for internal security.

--Finally, as Governor Rosales has been effective, efficient and practical, a Governor appreciated and loved in his own state of Zulia.


That is why tomorrow I will go to the Rosales “Avalancha”, we need to mobilize people to get the autocrat out of power in December, restore democracy in Venezuela and have a Government that cares for all Venezuelans.

Atrevete! Go tomorrow!


http://blogs.salon.com/0001330/