Freeper Reports from Ground Zero Venezuela...

Arrived last Sunday for my third trip down here to Caracas this year and was immediately encouraged to see the new optimism evident everywhere and so universally embraced that, finally, Hugo Chavez was soon to be history. And, hope everywhere that this embarrasing embracer of dictators and terrorists the world over, along with his economically devastating regime at home, could be sent packing... and soon. This attitude has been confirmed all this week by the popular marches and protests expanding well beyond the capitol to include the whole of the country this time and the successful general strike now even impacting significantly the vital petro sector.

Support for Chavez is now under 20%, where even the lower clases have tired of his five years of empty rhetoric and promises. All the Venezuelan TV stations, except for sole govt owned station, are now openly and eagerly anti-Chavez. One has a regular nightly comedy section as part of their news report called ¨Chavez vs Chavez¨ with Rocky theme music for the background as they show one clip of Chavez from the past making some declaration and then another, more recent, clip that is in direct contradiction to his earlier pronouncements. His lies and deceptions have caught up to him and his active support has largely shrunk to only those with a vested interest in his power maintaining theirs. With a Chavez packed/picked 11 to 9 Supreme Court, there are now over 20 strong merit Constitutional abuse and corruption cases against him languishing for lack of proper action by the Supreme Court ... Any one of which would, upon conviction, have him automatically removed from office. The people here have gone the legal route, know the facts of these cases clearly, know also what is going on in the stonewalling of those cases by his appointees, and this along with economic and military revelations (detailed below) has been the motivation for many to have now taken to the streets en mass and so effectively. The resulting anti-Chavez popular movement is made up of a large cross section of the population with many middle and upper class, clean cut and well dressed, energetic citizens and families of all ages. You would be proud to have them and their enthusiasm join in with any Freeper event!

Unfortunately, though, this new success, and now for-real potential for eventually accomplishing it's goals, has also tragically been confirmed last night by the desperation asserted via Chavez's unleashing violence here that is now being called the "Altamira Massacre" at the Altamira Plaza, also referred to as the Francia Plaza by some, and for those occupying it now, they call it the Plaza de Libertad.

At 7:10 PM local time last evening, in one of those 'never forget where you were when' moments, I heard what I figured were just some more fireworks from the festivities, speeches, energetic flag waving and loud cheering crowds so normal down below our hotel rooms overlooking the Altamira Plaza. Before I got to the window to look, and had barely got out of my mouth to my company here that 'I hope it's only more fireworks', a dozen stacatto shots came, and screams quickly followed and the first view I had was of hundreds of panicked, running, and diving for cover, unarmed civilians; the full spectrum of young and old, with lots of couples and families with children.

This was the festive place I'd passed through, and paused in, numerous times each day this week here and had enjoyed sharing in it's peoples round-the-clock, energy, optimism, and pride in their country. Especially, remembering as all stood at attention riveted reverentially to their National Anthem being played, and when cheering and waving their flags in approval of the latest pronouncement from the podium, but now this Plaza clutched about 30 victims as a reminder to all that securing freedom isn't free.

At this time; 5 dead and 29 wounded, is the official report, but what I'd not want to miss also having reported, is that less than 40 minutes after the last shot, and while the threat of more gunfire was clearly possible and actually happened later on, about a third of the original crowd of 2,000 local patriots, both from on stage and in the audience, came back out in the open defiantly resuming their program and loudly proclaiming that they would not be intimidated by Hugo Chavez and his cowardly hired thugs! The intense sense of historical purpose in doing so was inherently understood by all still there. What it required of them at that annointed time was evident in their energy and determination and would have surely made our own founding fathers proud! The last victims had only just been removed and the blood upon the Plaza was still wet and glistening, yet these Venezuelans had a in-your-face & up-yours message to deliver to Chavez that could not wait and only makes me more eager to see them successfully deliver it!

Cameras caught and relayed this scene all over the nation, hopefully it will be later seen as the turning point for the end of the Chavez regime, and no further violent escalation will surpass it, but I am afraid martial law and repressive media clamp downs and then unfettered (no camera evidence) abuses will be unleashed. Maybe, if lucky, Chavez will give it up and go retire to his home in Cuba that he has established there and been having shipments made to/for, but not counting on it, not yet anyways.

Four of the attackers from last night were promptly caught, two confirmed as govt employees. Some others firing from elevated positions and still others suspected of employing silenced weapons are still being sought as miles of video tape is studied here.

The risk of state sponsored violence was not unknown to this crowd last night (Friday). The 24/7 Plaza events and military encampment here has supporters day and night and early Friday morning, at 2:50 AM I awoke to shots being fired into the Plaza from drive-by assailants. Fortunately, no injuries reported and the capable security teams here pursued and captured them and they were discovered to be two card-carrying DIM (Division de Intelligencia Militar) agents. They were turned over to the local police, who are also overwhelmingly anti-Chavez, but with the aid of a Chavez appointed judge were promptly ´absolved´ and are now gone.

This morning (Saturday) at about 10 AM local time, the security teams captured another two more potential assailants coming into the Plaza. They were armed with a five shot revolver and Taurus 9mm. I examined the ID carried by both and they are Chavez MVR Party members and one is a MVR political appointee, a Comisario, which I have been told, is like a constable in the US. He was from the state of Anzoategui, which is about 6 hours away, long ways from home.

Altamira Plaza has rightly become the focus of this struggle because it was here that the dis-spirited and fragmented efforts left over since the April Coup debacle become whole again, focused, and re-energized. That credit clearly goes to the Venezuelan military high command that has recently been quitting Hugo Chavez's regime in protest over his unconstitutional usurpations of power and Cubanization plans. They not only quit, but then vowed to stay together and continue to occupy and protest at the Altamira Plaza until Chavez leaves. But, it gets better, all of this has happened over the last 46 days and these are the top 30 generals, plus about a hundred of lesser ranks, Colonels, Majors, etc. and they've only just recently come out from Chavez's regime and know what he's really up to that had them quitting in protest and are eager to tell us all why!

We are talking here about the overall head of all the armed services, and the Commanding General of the Army, the Commanding Admiral of the Navy, the General over the National Guard, etc., etc. See an impressive list of most of them here...
http://www.MilitaresDemocraticos.com/sp/oficiales.html

The list includes Military Attache for Chavez in Washington, Enrique Medina Gomez, Former head of the navy, Hector Ramirez, ex-U.N. attache for Venezuela, Carlos Alfonzo Martinez, inspector general of the National Guard, and nearly 30 other generals. In addition, the group also has unconditional support from a number of high-ranking generals who are NOT on the list because they chose to not physically live in the Altamira Plaza, however. These "non-residents" include: Chavez' first Secretary of Defense and former ambassador to Spain, Raul Salazar; Efrain Vasquez Velasco, Chavez' supreme commander of the Army earlier this year; Manuel Rosendo, general and commander general of the Army; Guaicapuro Lameda, general, ex-president of PDVSA the state oil company, and Chavez' former Secretary of the Treasury; Rommel Fuenmayor, president of CAVIM, Venezuela's state-owned arms manufacturer; Marcos Ferreira, former boss of Oni-Dex, the ID-card and citizen registration system.

In addition, there's another 15,000+ officers, NCO's, and enlisted that they've instructed to stay inside the military while awaiting orders, but, in the meantime, to continue feeding additional intel out to the officiers that have already left and are there at the Altamira Plaza. (Look for entire garrisons to renounce and dissert Chavez dramatically en mass and leave to join the anti-Chavez forces soon.) BTW, on a slow day, before this week, additional officers quit Chavez daily, came to the Plaza and gave their testimonial of conscience to the cheering crowds here daily.

The Venezuelan people responded quickly to the conscience-based protest these military men represented in risking arrest or worse to come out from under Hugo Chavez and reveal all. For many, too, they'd been with him for a long time and know where a lot 'of the bodies are buried'. One General related what he felt was an embarrasing story to me and that he says he regrets his actions in it to this day. He claims he was with Chavez right before he was taken into custody in the April Coup and said Chavez was so despondent that he had had to physically wrestle a pistol out of his mouth pleading with Chavez not to take his own life. He says, shaking his head slowly, that he wishes today he had not restrained him then.

For the public, these military officers are true heros, often signing their flags and regularly up on the stage in their pressed uniforms, giving speeches, updates, and introducing new officers and public officials now joining the cause.

Shortly after they commenced their media rich activities here in the Plaza, the TV was covering them daily, frequently and in a positive light, as well as the other splintered anti-Chavez organizations, too, that are all now represented here with their own booths. And, that military lead is what is really the behind this effective rejuvination to get Chavez ousted with this new concerted and focused effort.

The Venezuelan peoples' motivation for most all along, has been primarily economical complaints, such as a 40% devaluation in the local currency (the "Bolivar") since the 1st of the year, but since the military has been enlightening everyone, this past month and a half, more are also discovering how Chavez Cubanization goals are much more than just the crazy rhetoric they had written it off to before. And they see, too, that they risk Venezuela being seen by the world as a terrorist state and shunned by the USA.

To understand how appaling this prospect is to them, it is important to realize where the Venezuelan people stand and their attitudes. They enjoy, largely due to they being the worlds' 5th largest oil producer, the most modern lifestyle of all the South American countries. From the best interstate highway system in South America (with plenty of newer cars and 24 cent/gallon gas) to the French made modern subway system below Caracas, both of which I have personally travelled extensivelly, to the only nation-wide and cheap cell phone coverage down here, along with modern and comprehensive media (cable TV, broadband internet, satellite, etc.). Bottom Line, they are very well connected with lots of their kids going to school in the USA, too, and are eager to stop the erosion in the quality of their lifestyles from the past five years of Chavez rule.

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!

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 innitiatives...

#1 - "Free" oil to Castro 'in trade' for Cuban advisors running secret 'internal security' training camps here.

#2 - FARC/ELN Columbian revolutionists, that US is fighting, 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.

#3 - Relationship with Gaddafi has secured Katushka missles and their Libyan technicians here.

#4 - Relationship with Saddam Hussein has produced both support and material trades with his regime.

#5 - 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.

#6 - Has deposited 4.5 Billion $'s into Chinese banks and has visited China more frequently than any US President. Also, China has made larger ¨investments¨ in Venezuela than in all other South American countries combined, even if Mexico is also included.

#7 - Thursday, military informer reported, small unit of National Guard ordered by Cnel.(EJ) 2do. Comandante of the Reserve Orlando Zurita Ramirez, who was following orders originating by Chavez, to go to an armory to load up 750 FAL's along with 1.8 million rounds of ammo and transport them to poor neighborhood west of Caracas called "23 de Enero". There they were distributed to local gang of about 1,000 strong called "Caraoaica y Tupacamaro". The Generals told me here that this sort of desperation agitation to create additional street violence by Chavez is to be expected as the precursor and excuse for eventual martial law. This is clear insight and indication of why Chavez is so comfortable with the likes of Saddam Hussein, and Chavez is a whole lot closer!

#8 - Remember brief mention in media recently about accusations Castro had a bio-weapon lab in Cuba? Well, don't bother looking for it there anymore, it was airlifted out by a Chavez C-130 in a rush/hush mission shortly after that news story broke. It's here, still largely crated and being watched, awaiting final destination along with Cuban technicians that came with it.

#9 - As if all the above wasn't enough, and now after Chavez has embraced all the worlds greatest living dictators and their regimes as something to emulate here in Venezuela, he has found, yet another 'hero of the people' to serve up. He has been petitioning the French government to give him 'Carlos The Jackal', currently incarcerated there, so he might 'serve out his term' here in his home country and where his brother resides, Raphael Ramirez, who is Chavez Minister of Energy & Mines.

Most of the above stories with details, and many more related to govt corruption and political shenanigans, can be seen now or will be soon published here...
http://www.MilitaresDemocraticos.com

Currently only in spanish, but english version web site being worked on right now, and coming very soon. Live web cam overlooking the Plaza is going in soon, too, and when up/running it will be announced on front page there, too. I've asked them to also add sound via the web, too, this crowd is impressively vibrant and just plain loud.

The Plaza, scene of the massacre less than 24 hours ago, as I write this here now, is again filling up for this evening, too! These folks are willing to risk it all, for me an awesome and indescribable inspiration, and personally I am humbled and consider myself fortunate to be able to help in their effort in any small way.

Regarding oil, many have inquired from US about export situation, tanker movement and refinery production here; Current breaking story here is a contingent of National Guard was just sent to take over and drive the tanker trucks at a refinery in Carabobo State and owners deferred to Constitionally protected property rights in refusing them and Commandant tried to get a judge to issue some sort of emergency order overiding the Constitution and, in the meantime, his rank/file soldiers decided now was as good a time as any to dissert and proclaim that they refuse to act unconstitutionally and they did so en masse and the cameras caught it. Quick as I saw it on TV here, I could hear the crowd erupt below in the Plaza as they announced it from the stage there, too.

In other oil news, all but two of the PDVSA board of directors has quit in protest and the strike within the oil sector will go on at least through a good part of next week, though many members of the industry could carry on much longer.

Regarding the stalled tankers, 11 of the 14 are still halted in-place. The Navy has boarded many, but is not convincing their capitans/crews to crank them back up and the Navy is shy about taking the responsibility themselves and piloting them, so no movement.

Events and developments from across the country continue moving ever faster here now, will update ASAP, also check that web site above for latest/best info, too.

Chavez attempted a coup in 1992. The motive for the coup was that the government was "selling out the country". This charge was explicitly based on (1) a NAFTA type free trade agreement the government was trying to put in place, (2) the offer of off-shore gas concessions for bid to foreign companies, and (3) the sale of a 33% interest in the countries dysfunctional phone system to GTE.

So Chavez struck, and failed. Got a lot of young boys killed. The common people were thrilled, though, and he became an immediate hero. There has always been a lot of anger and frustration in Venezuela. Although, at one level, it was a marvelous place, still they couldn't understand why, if they are such a rich country, they could be so poor.

I would occasionally try to explain to people that one govenment-owned industry cannot produce a wealthy country, anymore than can a single large extended family prosper with only one wage-earner. I don't think anyone ever got it. Venezuela is, or was, a democracy, but a socialist one, with government ownership of key industries. And, consequently, a tendency toward bankruptcy. And poverty for anyone not directly involved in the oil industry.

So the people have bought into two ideas, that the country would be better off under military rule, looking back to the "good old days" when the generals ruled and everyone prospered. (There is some truth there, as under the generals, the economy was relatively free). And, secondly, a profound resentment of the money'd class, the belief that if someone invests in the country, and builds up a business, and is successful, he has robbed the people.

Chavez offered both, military rule and populist economics in one package.

He was jailed after the coup, but a subsequent president tried to tap into the populist fervor and among other disastrous decisions such as seizing ever more direct control of the economy and driving it further into the ground, he released Chavez from jail with a full pardon.

Chavez spent several years traveling, meeting with the FARC guerrillas, with Castro, with Khaddafi, and then ran for president. The presidents since the coup had tried to emulate Chavez's ideas in years since the coup, and had almost destroyed the country. So when Chavez himself ran, he seemed to the people a savior.

He promised to throw out the constitution, and write his own, to throw out the congress, and the supreme court. He did exactly that, having been elected with maybe 85% or 90% of the vote, he announced that the constitution and the courts and the congress were suspended, from the inauguration podium. It was that quick.

He had his cronies write another one to his specification, packed the supreme court with his pals, elected a congress which was 90% his followers. The other parties simply collapsed and disappeared.

When even a packed congress and a made to order constitution was too cumbersome, he had them pass a law allowing him to rule by decree, so that he wouldn't have to bother with his rubber-stamp congress.

He brought Cuban military observers in and put them in every camp, to give himself a second chain of command, and a second source of information, and cut off all contact with the US military. He created and armed his own vigilante organization, to have another armed force loyal only to himself.

He offered contracts to foreign oil companies, to try and jump start the economy. But in general his erratic policies took a ravaged economy and drove it further into the ground. Huge numbers of Venezuelans began to abandon the country. Florida is filling up with Venezuelans who have lost hope.

He has been feeding weapons to the FARC guerrillas, he has begun the Cubanization of the Armed Forces, and the people are worse off than ever. He has begun arming his private goon squads, and now the most dangerous job in the country is journalist, as they are targeted by the goons for beatings and murder. Several reporters have been shot and killed. Newspapers that don't toe the mark are surrounded for days by mobs organized by Chavez.

And, finally, a couple of months ago, he had his goons open fire on a demonstration and some 30 people were gunned down. This is when he was overthrown for a couple of days, and returned to power. But since then the opposition has become more determined, and Chavez' people have become more violent, as you see from the Altamira massacre of Friday night, another 35 people gunned down.

Since the Venezuelans were so eager to have this guy, and to throw out the constitution at his word, and to throw out all of their elected leaders at his word, it is fitting and necessary that they themselves bring this guy down. The US must not do it, and really, the Vz military must not do it. The people themselves have to do it, and this is apparently what is happening. This is the best lesson in liberty they will ever have.

Chavez has been elected, not once, but twice, both times by a landslide. He was elected the first time under the old constitution. He threw that one out, re-wrote it, and then ran again, and was elected again, under the new one. Both times with about 90% margins.

As I say, these people really wanted this guy.

It is a 6 year term, with allowance for him to run again.

At the beginning, he had tremendous support among all classes of people, and huge support among younger officers. He still has a lot of support among young officers.

It is unfortunate that Venezuelans are pre-disposed toward coups as a means of solving their problems. In the years before Chavez I was told many times by many people that the solution to Venezuela's problems was a return to military rule. And, as I say, the people are naturally populist in their orientation, believing in state control of the economy "for the good of the people".

Chavez fulfilled both orders, an autocratic officer, and a populist who promised to seize even more control of an already controlled economy.

Of course, the results of that solution have been disastrous. As things went from bad to worse, at the beginning people continued to support him, believing that his program would work, if only the US and the rich people would allow it.

Things were bad when he took power, but have gotten dramatically worse since.

The older military officers are panicked, as they see his contacts with Castro, and the FARC. He is feeding weapons to the guerrillas, and facilitating their drug shipments to pay for it. He has been putting Cuban military people in every Vz army post almost since the first day of office. And shipping free oil to Cuba to pay for it.

So the military are seeing that he is going down a road they don't want.

The guerrilla ties, and the Cubanization, has not really been a secret, but people haven't wanted to believe it. But it is becoming more open.

Journalists have been the target of attacks since the beginning, which is odd, since young journalists tend to be leftists, and were among his strongest supporters. But he has systematically targeted them and their companies for violent intimidation. Several have been killed.

Chavez has about 4 more years in this term of office, but has been openly saying that he doesn't plan to leave office. Ever. So, people are beginning to panic. His policies are driving a ravaged economy to destruction, and there is a growing wave of refugees leaving the country, mostly for the US. Mostly the educated ones, who before would never have left. But now they can't make a living, their businesses are going bust, and they saw no hope, not when 90% of the people support this guy.

But his support has fallen away to maybe 20%, but it is a very hard core 20%. These folks are armed, and loyal, and angry. Chavez has taken many steps to try and make himself coup-proof. Among other things, he has pre-positioned weapons in the countryside near the Colombian border, in case he has to go to the hills. He has scattered Cubans among his troops, to give him a heads up if anything is going down, he has given the military the cherry jobs in the civilian administration, and he has created a parallel armed force, his "Bolivarian Circles", which are violent and take orders only from him.

It was these Bolivarian brigades that saved him the last time.

They were also the cause of his problem. He had surrounded the palace with military, for security during an opposition demonstration, but they had said that under no circumstance would they fire on the people if they remained peaceful.

But Chavez was afraid they might breach the fences and come on into the palace. So he had his Bolivarians open fire, and they shot 30 or 40 people. Some people have said that they specifically targeted reporters, but who knows. A lot of people were gunned down.

So the generals went into his office and arrested him.

Two things happened; the Bolivarian brigades came down out of the slums and started shooting up the city, and did, in fact, target reporters.

The Bolivarians seized the palace, and then the young officers who were guarding Chavez in his cell released him and choppered him back to his palace.

The general who had arrested him, if I remember correctly, is the one who started the Altamira movement. He went to one of the principal plazas of the city, and announced that he could no longer work for Chavez, and wasn't going home until Chavez was gone.

I may be confusing events here, maybe someone else will clarify, but my memory is that this is the guy that Chavez put on trial before the Supreme Court, who were Chavez's cronies, but they refused to convict him. He ordered a retrial, and threatened to arrest the Supreme Court if they didn't go along, but again they refused, and the general walked.

Thats how I knew Chavez was finished. If his own packed Court, threatened with arrest, is defying him, its over.

There is a movement to impeach him, which has been made difficult by the fact that judges throughout the system were Chavists, but it is moving forward.

His goons have become more violent as his day of reckoning looms, but people are losing their fear of them.

Chavez is a textbook example of the difference between Democracy and Liberty. They are quite different. Democracy can be used to destroy liberty.

Venezuelans went into this with their eyes open, sadly. He has only done what he promised to do. He promised to throw out the constitution, and he did. He promised to fire their democratically elected leaders, if elected, and to replace them with his loyalists, and he did.

He promised to attack the banking system, and the business class, and the foreign investors, and he has. Populism, like leftism in general, promises prosperity if only the rich can be driven out. It brings misery which can be easily blamed on the rich, who flee the country.

But at some point, you have to deliver. People have seen that things can not get better the way they are going. And they see that he is consolidating power to make himself permanent, and he has announced that he is permanent.

So, having given up their legal rights at the ballot box, they are taking to the streets to take them back, and to give the judges handling the impeachment the courage to do their jobs in the face of threats and intimidation from Chavez and his goons.

There is a lesson in all of this, even for ourselves. It is quite possible to vote away your freedom. And then everything your oppressor does is legal. And anything you do to resist your oppressor is illegal. That is the end of the road for populist politics, and that is how a modern despot works.

Update Caracas, Sunday 12/8, 11:15PM Local Time

Roughly half of the gas stations are closed for lack of re-supply with fuel tank truck drivers also striking, long lines at ones still open. Military is trying to drive some of the big rigs with limited success because strikers are blocking access to trucks and fuel tank farms. Most all gas stations, open or closed, have 3-4 armed soldiers in-place. Stopped earlier in the day and walked up to a pair of them and they got 'real focused fast'. Asked them to pose for a photo with a gringo touristico and they were pretty edgy saying 'no way', probably didn't want to risk getting into trouble.

Memorial to one of the victims of the massacre Friday night, where fallen, at Altamira Plaza...

Plaza Altamira photo I took this afternoon...

General Enrique Medina Gomez, highest ranking officer here, at TV conference held in our hotel adjacent to the Plaza. That's me on the right with my back to you. BTW, the most dangerous profession here for the last few years has been to be a journalist or TV reporter/crew. Dozen shot at, several killed, all wear body armor on the street.

Banks here, for the next two days at least, have announced tonight that they are joining the strike.

Marisabel de Chavez, First Lady of Venezuela, was on TV here tonight in a interview Q&A setting...

While she is still married to Hugo Chavez, they live separately now. She has filed for divorce on grounds of physical abuse. She refused to discuss politics and when pressed, told anyone thinking all his normal here in Venezuela need only "...open the window and listen to the clamor of the people." She is referring here to the trademark of this movement to bring out and bang pots & pans in support of opposition to Chavez. She also said tonight... " - The country can not drown just because of one person, but one person can also not save the country alone." ...and... " - Presidente, please, in the name of your daughter, in the name of your family, in the name of the country, listen to the people." Surprizing stuff, never heard anything close to this from her before.

-Shane

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