Banana Republic Newsflash

[SciFiFisher]

Apparently Maduro was a no show for the Ibero-American Summit

In part because of this:

His attendance had been expected after Peru's president laid down a gauntlet of sorts. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said he would seek consensus for Venezuela's suspension from the Organization of American States for violating its democratic charter.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Well, at least SOMEONE in the region is doing something more than commiserating

[Sigma_Orionis]

Comparisons between Trump and Chavez have been common this year Here's also a comparison between Trump and Nicky that hits too close to home to make me smile.

[Sigma_Orionis]

I've always said that Chavez went Bananas AFTER the attempted coup of 2002

Well, THIS Proves me wrong, he was nuts all along,

I have the feeling that this piece was written for a US audience specifically, due to the many comparisons between Trump and Chavez. Back in 1999/2000 I was too busy with work to care.

The article goes on to say that you can't blame Chavez going Bananas to the attempted coup of 2002 and the strike of 2003. Maybe not. But what I DO remember of those days is that the opposition NEVER articulated the abuse of power Chavez did. By the time I started paying attention to our situation (say, late 2001) none of this was articulated by the opposition. Much less an alternative. I still think that their inept handling of things bought Chavez and his group at least five years of respite. How do I support that? Look at Argentina. They had a similar problem. BUT they did get out of it by way of elections. Their economy (despite that they at least they don't need to import food) was more unstable than ours, yet it took 20 years before they got rid of their nutjobs (who are still pretty much causing trouble, politically speaking) to get back in power. Or Braziil, who managed to oust DIlma Rousseff out of power. So, the economy helped the opposition more in Argentina and Brazil than here, yet their opposition didn't try stunts like ours did.

[Rommie]

Hey Sigma, I totally have tickets to this documentary next week.

Not too political, but seemed like a good place to post it.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Considering the state of politics in this country. I think you posted it in the right place

[Sigma_Orionis]

Well, game over I need to get drunk.

[Cyborg Girl]

Ah, fuck...

Well Sigma, at least the rest of the world is in the same handbasket, hurtling down into the flames.

[SciFiFisher]

Well, game over I need to get drunk.

I am shocked. Shocked I say!

[Sigma_Orionis]

Last week, the ex-president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias quipped that Venezuela is a Narco-State ( he said this in an interview on Deutsche Welle, unfortunately the link is only in Spanish) , and that's why Nicky and his Band of Merry idiots will never step down.

Of course this ties in with the Nephews of Nicky's Wife who have just been found guilty of Drug Trafficking

And just to make things a bit more interesting. there are some issues with our latest bond payments from PDVSA (our state owned oil company) so the black market price of the US dollar here has gone up about 20% in less than a week.

[Sigma_Orionis]

No way to check if this is true. But I remember a similar scene from Frederick Forsyth's "The Dogs of War"

Maiquetía Dispatch: The Gringo as ATM Machine

[Sigma_Orionis]

I haven't posted anything in a while partly due to personal issues and partly because after the drive for a referendum failed miserably I figured that we could not get any worse.

As usual I was wrong.

This is going from a "Bumpy Ride" to a scene taken out of "Resident Evil"

Venezuela threatens to take over bakeries that break rules

[SciFiFisher]

Ah yes. Nationalization of businesses. One of the best ways to control the economy. And the black market. Except it usually doesn't work as well as expected. Don't worry my poor downtrodden socialist Latino. Now that the fascists are focusing on "America First" I am sure you won't have to worry about American Marines coming to liberate you. BTW... does Venezuela have any valuable resources our Kleptocracy might be interested in?

[vendic]

wow

[Sigma_Orionis]

Ah yes. Nationalization of businesses. One of the best ways to control the economy. And the black market. Except it usually doesn't work as well as expected. Don't worry my poor downtrodden socialist Latino. Now that the fascists are focusing on "America First" I am sure you won't have to worry about American Marines coming to liberate you. BTW... does Venezuela have any valuable resources our Kleptocracy might be interested in?

Oil, which you don't need no more (if we're to believe Shale Oil Companies), Gold, Bauxite, And supposedly there are deposits of Thorium in our part of the Amazon. But from what I've seen of your "America First" dudes, they can't spell Bauxite or Thorium

[SciFiFisher]

Ah yes. Nationalization of businesses. One of the best ways to control the economy. And the black market. Except it usually doesn't work as well as expected. Don't worry my poor downtrodden socialist Latino. Now that the fascists are focusing on "America First" I am sure you won't have to worry about American Marines coming to liberate you. BTW... does Venezuela have any valuable resources our Kleptocracy might be interested in?

Oil, which you don't need no more (if we're to believe Shale Oil Companies), Gold, Bauxite, And supposedly there are deposits of Thorium in our part of the Amazon. But from what I've seen of your "America First" dudes, they can't spell Bauxite or Thorium

Well, most of them seem to be extremely proud of the fact that they flunked out of the 4th Grade.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Well, most of them seem to be extremely proud of the fact that they flunked out of the 4th Grade.

Let me guess, they flunked out of the 4th Grade because they went to work on the Farm. If they're feeling THAT bucolic, we've got Coffee Beans and Cocoa (naww, can't be: they want to cut funding to the Department of Agriculture too, right? )

[vendic]

They had to work the farm because they no longer had anyone to pick cotton.

[Sigma_Orionis]

I bumped on this today: The Bolsheviks Versus the Deep State. It reminded me of the disastrous general strike of 2002-2003 because of one thing. In both cases it allowed the nutjobs to take over the machinery of the state. Why bother with a general strike that happened 14 years ago? because AFTER that strike. The Chavistas got their grubby little hands on our Oil Industry. (You see most mid-level level workers in the State Oil Industry joined the strike. Which allowed Chavez to fire them and substitute them with his followers.) It was particularly galling because last week we had a Gasoline Shortage Cruelly Ironic huh? It has become painfully apparent that our refineries are now in shambles. So, we get our Gasoline produced in the Evil Imperial Empire's facilities (at least we still own Citgo) and then ship it back here.

[grapes]

Citgo? Now I have to check their papers, just to get gas?

I'm sure they're all in working order.

[code monkey]

Oil, which you don't need no more (if we're to believe Shale Oil Companies), Gold, Bauxite, And supposedly there are deposits of Thorium in our part of the Amazon. But from what I've seen of your "America First" dudes, they can't spell Bauxite or Thorium

do you really think that would stop them?

[SciFiFisher]

Oil, which you don't need no more (if we're to believe Shale Oil Companies), Gold, Bauxite, And supposedly there are deposits of Thorium in our part of the Amazon. But from what I've seen of your "America First" dudes, they can't spell Bauxite or Thorium

do you really think that would stop them?

Especially if we need it to build the newest IPhone.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Bauxite and Thorium needed for an iPhone, unless Elon Musk gets in it I doubt it

No it wouldn't stop them. Hell, right now, I think even Chavistas want the Evil Imperial Imperialist US to invade us.

[Sigma_Orionis]

In hindsight I guess it was inevitable. I'm not buying this "contempt of court" BS one minute. Nicky has been trying to get rid of the National Assembly ever since the last elections we had. I guess we're now officially a dictatorship

Venezuela court takes over National Assembly functions

The OAS had an extraordinary meeting yesterday about us. the resident nutjob (ie our External Affairs Minister) and her allies (the usual suspects: Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador and most Caribbean Islands) tried to stop it. They threatened and spewed bullshit that was even over the standard Trump Tweet. I am pretty sure that the OAS is going to love the lastest news

[SciFiFisher]

I guess Madura has stopped pretending that the assembly really has any power.