Posted on 03/10/2019 4:13:16 PM PDT by Mariner
CARACAS, March 10 (Reuters) - Venezuelans woke up to a fourth day of an unprecedented nationwide blackout on Sunday, leaving residents concerned about the impacts of the lack of electricity on the South American country's health, communications and transport systems.
Socialist President Nicolas Maduro - who is facing a challenge to his rule by the leader of the opposition-led congress, Juan Guaido - has blamed the blackout on an act of "sabotage" by the United States at the Guri hydroelectric dam, but experts say it is the outcome of years of underinvestment.
"The national electrical system has been subject to multiple cyberattacks," Maduro wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "However, we are making huge efforts to restore stable and definitive supply in the coming hours."
Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing that Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent. He has been recognized as Venezuela's legitimate leader by the United States and most Western countries.
Despite pressure from frequent opposition marches and U.S. sanctions on the country's vital oil sector, Maduro is not open to negotiations on ending the political impasse and seems intent on trying to stay put, said Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration's envoy for Venezuela.
The blackout, which began Thursday afternoon, increased frustration among Venezuelans already suffering widespread food and medicine shortages, as the once-prosperous OPEC nation's economy suffers a hyperinflationary collapse. Food rotted in refrigerators, people walked for miles to work with the Caracas subway down, and relatives abroad anxiously waited for updates from family members with telephone and internet signals intermittent.
"What can you do without electricity?" said Leonel Gutierrez, a 47-year-old systems technician, as he carried his six-month-old daughter on his way to buy groceries. "The food we have has gone bad."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.trust.org ...
As will millions of Americans.
These people VOTED FOR THIS. The early elections were free and open, and they selected their government.
We should make and example of them, and do absolutely nothing. Let it melt.
Preview of how an EMP attack would impact US.
That’s odd. The one thing missing from the current situation appears to be an armed militia.
“All elections after this were fraud and invalid.”
Just who’s problem is that?
I know it’s not ours.
Same here! This country made its bed; they can lie in it.
Guaido is the equivalent of ISIS to Maduro's Assad anyway.
“That’s odd. The one thing missing from the current situation appears to be an armed militia.”
Oddly the old Venezuelan Constitution was almost a copy of ours. It had a fatal flaw. It did not have the second amendment.
Is Maduro related to Hillary?
They finally ate all the hamsters
True, right before the people who launched the attack were extinguished from the planet. The only scenario excepting from this would be where the democrats colluded with the attacker.
Translation: "We no longer possess the intellectual capacity to maintain industrial grade turbines."
Venezuela is living an “Atlas Shrugged” nightmare.
If Maduro’s minions have damaged the turbines at their hydroelectric plant they are in deep doodoo. Those things take months maybe years to repair.
“Food rotted in refrigerators”
This would not have happened on my watch... Very easy to save it. This is what will put us in jeopardy if it ever happens here. Lack of old school knowledge...
If we drop anything it should be small arms for the population.
You vote socialism in..
you have to shoot your way out.
and the people are disarmed..
same shyt is happening here, slowly but surely they are moving to disarm us.
“Venezuela is living an “Atlas Shrugged” nightmare.”
Are we far behind? The “news” lately is 24/7 AOC tweets. We’re told that the Pelosi/Schumer/Cuomo “merely leftist” regime is out. The socialist radicals are “in”. How far behind are we?
If they keep on like this we will end up w millions of them HEre
The Big Stump Mustachioed Maduro pulls out the old canard ‘blame the US Imperialists’. You know that fat moron bus driver isn’t personally affected by the power outage at his elitist hacienda.
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