Banana Republic Newsflash

[SciFiFisher]

See, all it takes is the right catalyst. Heck, the US probably could have won in Vietnam if the National Guard hadn't picked the wrong time to shoot a bunch of college kids. <grumpy old man mode> Damn kids should have been studying.

[Sigma_Orionis]

yesterday was hotter than Monday

Now this is worrying..

The authorities also arrested Enzo Scarano, the mayor of San Diego of the opposition MUD coalition.

He was sentenced to 10 months and 15 days in prison for failing to keep protesters from barricading streets in his northern city in Carabobo state.

Arrested AND sentenced? not even a trial at a Kangaroo Court?

[Sigma_Orionis]

So, the OAS is in the back pocket of the evil imperialist gringos? yeah right, how come did managed to do this?

OAS bars press for session on Venezuela

In the meantime, Nicky is quietly attempting to relax the Currency Exchange Controls we got.

Despite the fact that it hasn't started operating yet, the expectation of this has driven the Black Market US$ Dollar Price around here down by 30%.

I guess it will have to be "wait and see", not that I can do anything different than that of course.

[geonuc]

yesterday was hotter than Monday

Now this is worrying..

The authorities also arrested Enzo Scarano, the mayor of San Diego of the opposition MUD coalition.

He was sentenced to 10 months and 15 days in prison for failing to keep protesters from barricading streets in his northern city in Carabobo state.

Arrested AND sentenced? not even a trial at a Kangaroo Court?

I thought the mayor of San Diego resigned a while back after groping too many of his female staff.

What? That's a different San Diego? Never mind. Carry on with the marsupial justice. Or lack thereof.

[FZR1KG]

yesterday was hotter than Monday

Now this is worrying..

The authorities also arrested Enzo Scarano, the mayor of San Diego of the opposition MUD coalition.

He was sentenced to 10 months and 15 days in prison for failing to keep protesters from barricading streets in his northern city in Carabobo state.

Arrested AND sentenced? not even a trial at a Kangaroo Court?

Three murderers were caught and tried today. Execution this afternoon on all channels.
Do you want to know more?

[Sigma_Orionis]

What do you know... Zee's Stage Name is Paul Verhoeven

[Sigma_Orionis]

More Protests

I think the government is hoping that the SICAD2 thing will help end the riots.

Now from what I have read, even if we had a rational Foreign Exchange policy it would be moot without raising interest rates, all it would accomplish is that everyone with "disposable income" to change it to US dollars and get it of the country. Yet they're doing exactly that: removing Foreign Exchange controls without raising interest rates, so either they're stupid (not improbable), The government is doing this on purpose to silence critics like Heinz Deterich and justify even tighter exchange controls or there's a piece missing.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Gee, I fell safer already....

Venezuela investigates '60 cases of human rights abuse'

[Sigma_Orionis]

I think I will name this update "Stupidity for Fun and Profit".....

A) Oliver Stone just brayed

Obama wrong to isolate Venezuela

I loved this part

They have seen this movie before. In 2002, the Bush administration “provided training, institution building, and other support to individuals and organizations understood to be actively involved in the military coup” that briefly overthrew then-President Hugo Chávez, according to the State Department. After the coup failed, Washington stepped up funding to opposition groups, which has continued to this day.

The last words of the quote point to a Congressional Budget Justification by the US State Department, where they want to spend [Dr. Evil Mode]5 MILLION DOLLARS[/Dr. Evil Mode] in:

The FY 2014 request will help strengthen Venezuelan civil society and
democratic institutions and support political competition-building efforts that will protect democratic
space and seek to serve the interests and needs of the Venezuelan people. Funding will assist civil
society and human rights organizations.

In that same budget justification the State Department is asking for 35 MILLION Dollars for Mexico to:

The FY 2014 request will support our relationship with the new Mexican
administration. The United States will continue its partnership with Mexico and expand mutual
cooperation under the Merida Initiative to address security risks from drug trafficking, violent crime,
and rule of law capacity in Mexico. Specifically, ESF funding will focus on strengthening and
institutionalizing reforms to improve the rule of law and respect for human rights and building strong
and resilient communities able to prevent and reduce crime and violence. A more stable Mexico will
increase the United States' national security, enhance economic growth potential, and protect
U.S. citizens along our shared border.

Funny, you'd think that if the US was pushing for "regime change" here, they'd put in a bit more money. I guess the Venezuelan Opposition is so useless that they work for dirt cheap salaries

BTW that Boston Globe Piece was co-authored with Mark Weisbrot, an economist who seems to be in love with Chavez or something, why do I think so? cause he writes bullshit like this: Sorry, Venezuela haters: this economy is not the Greece of Latin America

Obviously, he has never had to make a living in this country.

It gets better

B) This Video is so you know the students that started the protests are being deceived by the opposition....

La Fundación Jorge Rodríguez Padre, Mensaje a la Juventud Bolivariana

And it thoughtfully included subtitles in english.....

C) Unfortunately for this one I will have to link to a site in spanish with no translation.

That Pillar of Critical Thinking known as Heiz Dieterich (the same ass that made the "burger boy" comment) has now posted a lengthy article where he claims that:

a) The Ukraine Crisis was a Colossal Strategic Triumph in the Overall US strategy to isolate Russia and China is letting them get away with it.

b) The US is trying to topple the Chavista Government here (anyone who didn't see that one coming, please raise your hand)

Let's see: the US has a grand plan to isolate Russia (by causing the Ukraine Crisis) and to do the same in Venezuela is only putting out 5 MILLION Dollars?

Hello? is this Mr. Occam? Could you please lend me your razor?

[SciFiFisher]

The simple answer is that we are hoping we can get regime change cheap in South America. After all, we did just fight 2 wars over a 13 year period without raising revenues and we are very budget conscious these days.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Riiiiiight.

So cheap that after 12 years of trying you still can't get rid of our Glorious Socialist Revolutionary Government....... I guess you get what you pay for

[SciFiFisher]

Riiiiiight.

So cheap that after 12 years of trying you still can't get rid of our Glorious Socialist Revolutionary Government....... I guess you get what you pay for

How does that saying go.... ah yes. You can have it cheap, fast, good.... except you can only pick 2 of the 3.

[Sigma_Orionis]

I think that in this case you only get one of the three.........

[Sigma_Orionis]

According to The Economist the shit will hit the fan in a couple of months.

[SciFiFisher]

Another way to gauge it is to follow the money. Are foreign businesses closing up shop and leaving? Are the affluent shipping their money to offshore accounts? etc
The middle class, the almost rich, and the poor are stuck. But, the ones with connections and lots of money will be skipping town if they haven't already.

[Sigma_Orionis]

That's been happening steadily since 2007

Here is an example,

And Another one

[Sigma_Orionis]

Gee, the protests got their own Wikipedia Entry

[SciFiFisher]

Gee the protests got their own Wikipedia Entry

That was fast.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Stupidity for Fun and Profit take 2.

On this site there's a post saying that that the tear gas our glorious patriotic socialist government is using to quell the riots comes from Brazil.

Why do I mention it?

Because the blogpost says that the goverment bought 143 tons of tear gas, at what cost? 6.5 MILLION USD.

Just to put the 5 Million bucks the US state department is spending to "destabilize" the country in perspective.

[Sigma_Orionis]

And since we're a never ending source of entertainment.....

Venezuela President Maduro arrests 'three plotting generals'

This one is a bit more serious, I always considered Leopoldo Lopez (a former opposition mayor) a featherweight, but it looks like he finally learned to speak coherently.

Venezuela’s Failing State

[Cyborg Girl]

Bloody hell... Try to stay safe, Sigma.

[Swift]

Stupidity for Fun and Profit take 2.

On this site there's a post saying that that the tear gas our glorious patriotic socialist government is using to quell the riots comes from Brazil.

Why do I mention it?

Because the blogpost says that the goverment bought 143 tons of tear gas, at what cost? 6.5 MILLION USD.

Just to put the 5 Million bucks the US state department is spending to "destabilize" the country in perspective.

Hey, tear gas doesn't grow on trees you know.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Indeed, and neither does "training facists" like Nicky claims you evil gringos are with 5 MILLION DOLLARS I'd say that would be a bit more expensive.....

[geonuc]

Yes, with all the unstable areas in the world right now, the supply of trainable fascists has dwindled recently causing an increase in cost. You just can't buy a cheap mercenary these days.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Bloody hell... Try to stay safe, Sigma.

Thanks, so far I have. Caracas seems rather quiet these days....