Yes kings

Satire (not reporting) from Babylon Bee 😄

Angry left-wing protesters have made an amazing transition.

Last fall their signs read "No Kings" But now that a dictator (Maduro) has actually been stopped, their signs read "Yes Kings"!

from Babylon Bee

Resisting 5

Follow up to this post

Last summer in Venezuela, the presidential election was stolen by dictator Nicolas Maduro. Nelson Merino had worked the campaign for the opposition party and then worked to prevent Maduro from "illegally seizing power." He writes here about the subsequent suffering he endured for his efforts.

Despite the courage of the opposition and its leader Maria Machado, the dictator retained his power and declared his victory. Merino was soon arrested and charged with resisting authority, obstruction of public roads, incitement to hatred, and terrorism.

"We were tortured. We had no access to clean drinking water and no proper food . . . We had no rights--only what they called privileges." One of those privileges was the paqueteria: every 15 days, family members of prisoners were allowed to bring a 5-liter bottle of drinking water, five packs of crackers, and one chocolate bar. That was all." More details are given in his article below.

Like so many other (photo) Venezuelan patriots, he says "I celebrate and applaud the actions taken by the United States government against the narco-trafficker Nicolas Maduro . . ." 

"Today I am a refugee in Spain with an overwhelming need to return to Venezuela, out of love and commitment to freedom and democracy."

from "I Survived Maduro's Torture State"

Same old

Follow-up to this post

Stiff opposition to dictator Victor Maduro's regime in Venezuela has died for the present. His power to overwhelm his challengers has landed him a victory, in spite of big protests and in spite of the opinion of global leaders that he stole last summer's election.

"Maduro was sworn in [1-12-25] as president of Venezuela for a third term, declaring victory in a stolen election. Though Venezuelans protested the fraud--thronging Caracas and other cities--the regime crushed the uprising and threw 2,000 opponents in jail. Venezuelans seem doomed to live under a regime that has brought them nothing but inflation, repression and despair."

Criminals here

Venezuela (image) has released convicted criminals to work with intelligence officers to infiltrate the U.S. Their mission is to track down former officials or military from their own country and "neutralize" them. 

 

Why would their government order such a thing? They know that at least some of these individuals may soon come before American border control and could be in a position to reveal secrets. "[T]he Maduro regime may fear some Venezuelans may trade information to avoid removal" from the U.S.

How does Venezuela know this? Because of our election results. Our incoming president taking office in January promises to deport illegal immigrants.

The story is based on a leaked U.S. Customs and Border Control field report. Over half a million Venezuelan immigrants have come across our borders since early 2020.

from Breitbart

Price control

One of our candidates for president of the United States says she wants to start controlling prices in this country. She claims that food would be cheaper, for example, because greedy evil companies in the food business would be forced by the government to sell at low prices.

Would that be good for the people? Here's a report from National Public Radio about the outcomes in one nation where that plan has been done by the socialist government for years.

photo

Venezuelan citizen Anny can shop only on certain days and at government-run stores. She is limited in how much she can buy. She must prove her identity. And, of course, many shelves are empty and food shortages are common.

NPR published this article in 2015, nine years ago. I doubt that it would be published today. Why not? Because of this: our political party on the left wants similar controls now, and NPR is a mouthpiece for the party's policies. This article would tell voters that price controls are a bad thing.

from NPR, "The Nightmare of Food Shopping in Venezuela"

Resisting 5

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Nicolas Maduro still holds power in Venezuela, in spite of losing July's election (in the view of many countries) and in spite of massive protests. We know his tactics include accusations and threats against his opposition, but that's not all.

A dictator cannot be too careful of allowing influencers to speak. So he has ordered X (former Twitter) to be blocked from the country for ten days as a punishment for X owner Elon Musk. Why? Because--shock--Elon has made mean statements about him, like calling him a dictator and a clown.

(Actually, I call him a dictator too, but for some reason Maduro's not coming after me 😄)

 

from Seattle Times

Resisting 4

Follow up to this post

Venezuela's fight for freedom from socialist dictator Maduro is not over. A fight for power is taking place right now, and the American government is taking sides in the outcome of that disputed election held a couple weeks ago.

According to the US Secretary of State, “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that [the opposition party] won the most votes . . .”

His statement goes on to denounce Maduro's threats and accusations toward the opposition as "unsubstantiated,"  "an undemocratic attempt to repress political participation and retain power.”

Opposition leader Machado says she is in hiding, fearing the loss of her freedom and even her life. This is far from over.

from CNN

Resisting 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

People of Venezuela, drawing courage from Maria Corina Machado, are taking to the streets to protest against Maduro's claim of election victory. Both sides say they have evidence to support their claim. Machado says her candidate received 73% of the vote.

.

"Venezuelan elections under Mr. Maduro have long ceased to be considered free or fair, beset by voter suppression and other irregularities." Some Latin American countries have downgraded their relationship to Venezuela in protest.

The NYT reports that the analysis of a non-government research group is consistent with an independent exit poll conducted on Election Day. Their conclusion? The opposition party beat Maduro by 66% to 31%.

A fight for power is taking place right now.

from New York Times

Resisting 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

This woman "and the opposition movement she has created are the only things standing between the people and Nicolás Maduro and his thugs." 

She's not the kind of leader you'd expect to win the hearts of Venezuelans because "she's too white and too rich." But she stands for principles the people love, like personal dignity, the freedom to start a business, reuniting families torn up by migration. "Grandparents die alone because their children decided to walk thousands of miles and cross jungles to reach societies where they can thrive."

Electricity may be turned off by the government when she plans a rally, so the people "turn on the flashlights on their cell phones and silence themselves to listen." If they block the roads, fishermen bring her by boat. If they block tv and radio, social media carries her message.

When her candidacy was barred, she asked the people to vote for her stand-in. With record numbers voting, polls indicated a landslide for her representative. But Maduro claimed the victory.

from The Free Press

(cont'd tomorrow)

Resisting

Inflation climbed 9,000% from 2012 to 2022, and that is just the tip of the misery iceberg in Venezuela where socialist dictators Chavez and Maduro have held control since 1998. Chavez changed the constitution to take the country by revolution when his term as president was to end in 2003.

A third of the country's citizens (eight million) have left it, and the people are desperate. Take a look at the "man-made hell" they've been dealing with here.

Opposing the government of Maduro (successor to Chavez) is dangerous. This author was convicted of creating a movie "portraying the authorities in a negative light," and sentenced to 6-10 years in prison for it. He moved to the U.S. two hours later.

Maduro claimed victory in last Sunday's national election--after opposition figures were arrested and the leader barred from running (that should sound familiar). That leader is still the focus of whatever hope is left. Her name is Maria Corina Machado.

from The Free Press

(cont'd tomorrow)

Lost freedoms 2

 (cont'd from yesterday's post)

El Nacional's owner has fled the country for (understandable) fear for his safety. Dozens of media outlets have been driven out of business by courts friendly to Maduro. The Committee to Protect Journalists says, “This is a clear case of judicial harassment against one of the few remaining independent outlets in Venezuela, which has managed to keep reporting against all odds.”

In this particular case, if it does not pay the "astronomical" fee, the newspaper may be seized and sold at auction.

When the economy and government branches are free and separate, they are a protection against tyranny: each can act to restrain excesses in the others. When they are all controlled by Maduro, there is no protection. He can use the courts, the economy, etc., to insulate himself from opposition.

photo

from Stream

Lost freedoms 1

You know that Venezuela has been in trouble for years if you follow this blog. Go here to see massive lines of people waiting at grocery stores, big migrations to neighboring countries, health care and medical facilities barely functioning.

This is the country which has more reserves of oil than any other country in the world. Under leader Maduro, the people live in desperate poverty. Somehow he manages to hold on to power.

photo

With the legislative (law-making) and judicial (courts) branches of government under Maduro, the nation  lacks what we in the U.S. call "separation of powers." His executive branch of government will freely use all powers to maintain his control.

Amnesty International published a report last year enumerating the ongoing loss of civil liberties:

• excessive use of force
• unlawful killings
• torture
• criminalization
• unfair trials

Hardly any news outlet is willing to go out on a limb to report any of this. But the newspaper El Nacional was such a one. Its end may be near. It reported that Maduro's second-in-power, Cabella, was being investigated by the U.S. for ties to drug trafficking. For that, Cabella sued. The courts have now issued a decision that the paper will pay a fine which they cannot possibly pay.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Still socialism

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

 If socialism is called by another name, like "democratic socialism," is it better? 

Will the outcomes be good if people actually vote for it in an election? No, the outcomes still won't be good.

Collapsing 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Jorge says, "Venezuela is a dictatorship that brutally represses its people. Maduro’s dictatorship controls the entire state apparatus as well as almost all media outlets. Under this system, Venezuelans lack fundamental political freedoms such as free elections, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly."

photo

"I believe in the deep transformation of my country. I believe in a country of freedom, with opportunities to fulfill our dreams."

Fair distribution of resources "is only possible through markets, private property, and public policies that empower people . . ."

Major League Baseball (MLB) players in the U.S. who originally came from Venezuela also have something to say:

“We want liberty for our country,” said Pittsburgh pitcher Felipe Rivero.

Collapsing 1

It's tough to live in today's Venezuela. The Atlantic summarized it four years ago: 

"Venezuela is now the world champion of inflation, homicide, insecurity, and shortages of essential goods--from milk for children to insulin for diabetics and all kinds of indispensable products. All this despite having the greatest oil reserves in the world and a government with absolute control of all state institutions and levers of power."

Jorge Jraissati was just two years old when his country started on this path of collapse in 1999.  He says, "Throughout my twenty-two years of life, I have seen the intense pain that Maduro’s repressive institutions have inflicted on my family, friends, and community."

He offers not only his professional observations as an economist . . but also his personal observation of the "depth of human suffering" that socialism has caused there. 

image

For stories of Venezuela's worsening situation, go here.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Downfall 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Nicolas Maduro has presided over Venezuela's collapsing society (see label Venezuela) since the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013. You've seen the protests, the immense lines of people hoping to buy food. Two million have fled the country.

Cuba's government wants to prop up the rule of Maduro according to this report in the NYT. Before the last election - commonly known to have been rigged - Cuba sent thousands of doctors. Not to help the people, but to help Maduro win:

"Cuban doctors said they were ordered to go door-to-door in impoverished neighborhoods, offering medicine and warning residents that they would be cut off from medical services if they did not vote for Mr. Maduro or his candidates."

Instructions were given to the doctors on how to manipulate patients to vote for Maduro. Foreign medical workers were given counterfeit ID cards so they could vote for Maduro. Treatment was forbidden to opposition supporters. Oxygen was withheld from heart patients.

“These are the kinds of things you should never do in your life,” said one doctor.

photo

from NYT "It Is Unspeakable,": How Maduro Used Cuban Doctors to Coerce Venezuela Voters"

Downfall

Quick, what country has the world's biggest supply of proven oil reserves? Saudi Arabia? America? Russia? No. As you may remember from previous posts, it's Venezuela.

But Venezuela's daily production is far from big. Compare to the American state of Texas: Venezuela was producing much more than Texas til ~2013. Then Texas production soared and Venezuela's eventually tumbled.

image: carpe diem

In 1998, Venezuela's daily oil production was at the highest level in this chart's time frame. Then socialist Hugo Chavez took office as president in 1999, and by 2004 he had fired 19,0000 striking employees of the state-owned oil company, a severe blow to productivity. He replaced them with people more loyal to his government.

The government had invited companies like Chevron, BP, ExxonMobil, and others to help develop Venezuela's state-owned oil business. Those companies invested billions of dollars into technology, equipment and infrastructure - then Chavez changed the deal to get more profit, and some left the country.

So that's a short version of the downfall of Venezuela's economy. They lost expertise (the firing of the 19,000) and then lost investment (as well as expertise) in the oil companies who pulled out.

from "Charting the Decline of Venezuela's Oil Industry"

(cont'd tomorrow)

Hollowed out

"It's easy for governments to confiscate money, but eventually there's no more money to confiscate." 

This woman tells how "my beloved Venezuela" became a "hollowed out" failed state.

90% poverty #2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Father Romero sees needs everywhere. "Our work is about helping others go to heaven. Yet evangelization goes beyond declaration. We feed those who are hungry. Every week, we care for 300 to 400 homeless kids who have been taken off the streets. Other programs prevent people from falling into poverty."

But to keep this ministry going in a country of 90% poverty . . is difficult.

"Recently, many institutions offered help but the state is putting up barriers. It is not allowing them to come and help. Needs have increased. Three to four million Venezuelans have emigrated to neighboring countries. Today, 60 percent of the population lives off money that comes from other countries. It is a disaster."

"[Our] 94 priests want to help. That motivates them to be occupied in running soup kitchens, taking care of the sick and reinvigorating society. But there are limitations. Many are sick, and there is no transportation. . . Sometimes they get desperate because they don’t have the resources to do those things."

"[I]n Venezuela, they practice a 21st century type of socialism. The majority of the population does not accept this. I do not believe in this socialist system. This system of socialism humiliates and degrades people. There are those who want to divide us and assault the dignity of the human person."

Most oil

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Venezuela has been under socialism since Hugo Chavez began his rule as president in 1999, and then he was succeeded by the current president Nicolas Maduro (his follower). So the government has controlled most of the economy for 19 years.

As you know, people are fleeing the economic disaster that is Venezuela. In 2001 it was the richest country in South America. Today it's in free fall, despite the fact that it has the biggest petroleum reserves in the world.

"But how can it be that the country with the world's largest proved oil reserves can't afford to feed its people? The current crisis can be traced to the historical management of the country's oil industry."

(cont'd next week)