Hundreds of thousands rally to support President Chavez of Venezuela.

"A supporter of President Hugo Chavez expresses his opinion during a rally in support of Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan 23, 2003. Chavez supporters marched to protest a 53-day-old strike intended to topple their leader and to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the fall of Venezuela's last dictator. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)"

The day 23 of January, in contemporary history of Venezuela is remembered because those who ruled last half of the last century in Venezuela took power that day.

Those same most corrupted politicians and corporate magnates are saying today in the media their question that why Chavez is celebrating January 23?, the day that Perez Jimenez dictatorship finished his rule... (because Chavez wants to be a dictator, I think they foolishly want to mean)

I know why Chavez is celebrating so much January 23,
because those same corrupted ones will never return to rule again today...

because it was demonstrated their lies by grassroots venezuelan peoples supporting Chavez in the same historic date that they [those most and middle corrupted ones] started all this whorehouse style bussines of oil and everything in Venezuela last century.

Everybody on the streets is saying: Happy January 23th! , it's incredible, bolivarians invented even a new date to congratulate between them and to be happy, etc, ha ha!, happy january 23th! like happy new year, or something...hummm, maybe they are having now the happiness of the stolen christmas by opposition leaders and their gods.

Trastor

Drawing took from a 1998, or 1995, 1992?, venezuelan magazine called ELITE, I don't remember the date of that magazine, it must be rotten now, I got it long ago scanned and stored at my computer at that time.

Trastor

Caracas under Storm: 23 January, 2003

Yesterday was La Toma de Caracas, a mass rally and march organized by the government in honor of itself and to celebrate the 23rd of January, anniversary of the fall of the military dictatorship of Gen. Perez Jimenez. The Chavez administration has not always celebrated this date, in fact two years ago the official line was to denounce the date as the beginning of 40 years of cronyism between AD & Copei. Whatever the reasons for this turnaround, the government made sure the rally was a resounding success with well planned logistics to bus people from all parts of the country and supply them with food and drink. It would be proof of the overwhelming support the President has, especially since the opposition has managed to organize some very impressive crowds as of late, and pro-government rallies have been sparsely attended.

Considering the great effort the central government put into this, along with the states and municipalities headed by The Party plus the perk of the pro-government Supreme Court decisions of the previous day, it was a memorable event for Chavez supporters. One wonders if the judicial decisions weren't intentionally timed to be announced the day before the rally, especially since Chavez "predicted" at least one outcome in a speech much earlier that day. Deja vu? In any case, while Chavez does enjoy an important amount of support, the very fact the government actively participates in organizing the event is reason for raising some thorny issues.

Many public employees are routinely obliged to attend such rallies or faced being fired, a dire prospect considering the sad state of the economy which only promises to worsen. Private companies, both large and small, are folding and top it all the government is the nation's largest employer. The use of public funds for rallies is vox populi, and given the way public finances have traditionally been administered in Venezuela it should come as no surprise. The presence of so many official buses speaks for itself. The state-owned radio even announced free availability of food and drink for participants. Free? Another reason for suspecting significant government logistical involvement is the availability of gasoline and diesel for the buses at a time when the fuel shortages are the most critical since the PDVSA strike began. A significant part of public transportation is not functioning because of lack of fuel. The hundreds of buses involved in today's rally begs the question how all this fuel suddenly became available.

Perhaps the government should not be given too much grief for their role in organizing today's rally, after all previous administrations have suffered from similar ills. Old habits die hard. Given the prominent role the military, both retired and active, now play in Venezuelan public life it is ironic to see such a grandiose celebration of the end of a military dictatorship. The irony is compounded by the judicial decision against civil disobedience, elections, and the electoral council. So much for democracy and the independence of the different branches of government. One ruling even considers the present electoral council as invalid, thus forcing its replacement, but since by law the government-controlled National Assembly picks the members, it is not hard to imagine who will benefit. The use of public resources and the considerable effort invested in a gigantic self-serving political rally is problematic to say the least, not to mention the grim determination of Chavez to maintain tight reins on the country at any cost.

Pedro Camejo, Cagua

Pedro Camejo.
Believe it or not, we are used to such spin doctoring such as yours from our own corporate media. I prefer these non-corporate or independent news sources:

Google-Search Venezuela news sites. Some sites (such as MotherJones.com, NarcoNews.com, Guardian.co.uk, CommonDreams.org, and San Francisco Bay Area Indymedia) are indexed daily by Google News. Click the "News" tab in the Google search results page. Then click "Sort by date." Some sites (such as Vheadline.com) have search engines onsite that index daily. Google indexes some sites more often than others. So for the very latest info you may have to go to the websites directly, and browse there, or use their site search engines there if they have one. 

you dont have a clue about chavez. this is a man who has gutted his country and filled his own pockets. do you know hes got a hotel in cuba with money he and his party have stolen? that the vice president has a mansion in chile? do you know that he pays the poor people to show up at his rallys?

do you ignore the fact that he goes on tv and claims to be "fighting the rich for jesus christ"? that he takes over tv stations for hours and rants and rants about baseball and fidel castro?

please do some investigative work and try to actually learn about the topics you report

I need to say again that I am not investigating here, it is my vital experience as a venezuelan rebel, which seem to be more close to reality than your comfy opinion!

Trastor

Chavez and Corruption

The cartoon published a few years ago by the Venezuelan magazine Elite, depicting Chavez as a David defying the ugly giant of corruption, brings to mind irony and sadness. It was published at the time when Chavez was the darling of the press. That's right, there was a time when the private media actually treated Chavez not only with respect, but with friendliness. It was a time when so many people believed Chavez was the antidote to 40 years of cronyism between AD and Copei and we all voted for him. His promises of fighting corruption were taken seriously back then.

But that is history, and today the situation is has changed. Chavez lost the favor of the press, to put it mildly, and corruption in public administration is so bad that it makes the antics of AD & Copei look like child's play. What could be expected? Graft comes in all forms and sizes and encompasses from the night watchman in the ministry all the way to the Minister him-/herself. It is a cultural thing that has a long and rich tradition going back to Colonial days. It became worse during the oil-boom days with the populist promises of riches for all. Gradually we developed a culture that expected the government to do for us and we all demanded our handouts of the riches of the land. When we all had rights, responsibility and work became notions relegated to the furthest reaches of our conscious. The idea of getting into government for most is to enjoy the access of public funds for one's own well-being. To expect all this to change just because one man has become President is absolutely naive. Corruption and graft are an inherent part of political life here and will not disappear overnight, and much less so when so much cash is being poured into grandiose social schemes with exiguous accountability.

Allegations of corruption within the administration was one big reason for the souring of relations between Chavez and the local press. The press has always been critical of politicians, and if Chavez expected to be the sweetheart forever he was mistaken. Instead of suggesting investigations, ignoring the accusations, or simply denying them, he lashed out angrily with counter accusations and threats. The honeymoon was over. Mismanagement and graft in this government is gigantic and the list of unsolved cases so long as to be boring. I would mention the social plan Bolivar 2000 which poured untold riches into the hands of military, with the excuse of financing social programs. The purchase of vacation villas, farms, apartments abroad and luxury homes in Caracas by military officers was way too evident. Even the tragic landslides of December 1999 were OK for making off with government funds as military brass created companies on paper to obtain contracts for the restoration work through outsourcing. Right now in the midst of the gasoline shortage, when its distribution is under military control, guess who is benefitting from it all?

Chavez and his cronies champions against corruption? What a laugh!

Pedro Camejo
Cagua, Venezuela

Paris 2003-01-25.


VENEZUELA.

Interconnected to the many spins this episode is unfolding. I can say that we are getting deeper and deeper into a total uncertainty.
The hesitant movements of the Bush administration and its relation to the triangle of oil, which now includes, Venezuela, Iraq Arabia Soudite.
The aim of all this maneuvers seams on one hand, the eventual change of the form of government that exist in Iraq as well as Venezuela, and the further we all know is the oil that the industrial countries so desperately need. In our actual this theories will probably fail, and the reasons are as fallows.
The actuality of Iraq has transform itself into a self defeating game, no matter what the Bush administration does it will fall into the benefit of Bin Laden who seams to be the principal enemy in this adventure. The complexity of the situation and the methods that are employ give the Bin Laden side the advantage of benefiting from any action taking. A diplomatic victory imposed by force over Iraq will certainly weakens South Arabia, and created a vacuum of power which is just what Bin Laden is waiting for.
A reversal of the Iraqi government and an installation of democracy will weaken the kingdom of South Arabia. An armed defeat over Iraq will further enhance the power of Al Queda and bring a more powerful determination for the Arab world to expel foreigners from the Middle East. As you can see, even the UN resolutions are all bind together to a circular predicament. In other words seams you have underestimated the enemy once again.
In Venezuela, you happen to have a similar scenario, the Paro civico that is a force of upper class citizens, in contrast to the Chavez supporters. The main objective of the Paro Civico is to gain back control of the oil revenues of the country and remain as sole rulers of the income.
This general strike of the ruling class is as well doom to failure, exactly for the analogous reasons as the Iraqi catch-22.
The opposition on his desire to regain power has completely excluded the reason by which Chavez won the elections on 1998, their idea of democracy leaves out any progress towards democracy and proposes a return of the failed political parties that existed in the country before Chavez (AD COPIE). It is clear that the Bush administration favors the opposition; the problem is that the context is rapidly changing and the surroundings of Venezuela are no longer the same as there were in 1998.
The same phenomenon is shaping the Middle East now.
A collapse of the Chavez government will bring a divided population into the hands of the few clever businessmen that created the Paro Civico. They will declare democracy but the fractured country will most surely increase the divisions that they already exist, giving as a result a complete collapse of the economy and a possible contamination to a Colombian style guerrillas. The vanquisher will probably hate further more the lifeless.
A stalemate situation most surely will weaken the opposition as well as the government and give as a result a sparking start to a regional decline in the whole continent.
In the end, we got the same enemy we so desperately seek giving us another round of despair.
As you have experienced every single action of the Paro Civico has giving an opposite result. The brain washing of Globovision and local papers have little effect, in fact you can even link in the future both issues of misinformation (Iraq and Venezuela).
The antiwar demonstrations that are increasingly surfacing worldwide are bound to link to the Venezuelan drama ultimately. This will have the effect of a fracture on the global society.
The current system held by the new ego-liberalism has caused the speed up of capitalist system metamorphosis. The system in order to reorganize itself is creating two main poles. We got the profit takers and the believers of an economy that will function only if there is consumption and oppression. Moreover, on the other side you got the other party who happens to believe in a new form of organized method of existence. These two sides are pulling themselves further apart as the adventure continues.
On the Venezuelan side we got this never ending Paro Civico, carried out by the economical empire facing the poor side of the country who cant even afford the privilege of going on strike.
This great economical power of media and diplomatic minds are unable to defeat the underprivileged, the poor and the oppressed.
It is understood that the ruler of Iraq is a despot, but regarding his environment and the circumstances he has being driven to, you will understand that the old fool is a victim of his old friends, who nowadays have no more need of him?
Our friend Chavez might face the same predicament; the old friendly hand giving to him two years ago is the same hand that turns against him.
The logic and lesson of the event are that the main ingredient, the people who have always being name as the, consumer, the follower, and the believer is no longer fallowing the writing rules. This changes the situation completely and as a result, we have an increasing confusion worldwide.
Now we got Lula, and a stream of new presidents who are not on the same line of thought as the pre-Chavez era.
We expose a revolution brewing from Argentina to Mexico and we can include a few immigrants in the US.
We blend this with the drastic clime changes. A certainly you will agree, the world is getting foggier each minute it runs through.
However, it looks as if in the end the Porto allegro side will win.
In the middle of this, we find the new technologies, which are indirectly the saviors and possible, the providers of equilibrium. The new technologies offer the opportunity to moderately modernize the third world; they can advance their research and balance the inequalities that exist in the planet.
This of course will only be possible if the ego-liberalist that control the industry will mend, and develop into conscious individuals of their role in humanity at this time.

Alfred Bremont

FROM: http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/01/1566085.php


World Social Forum and Hugo Chavez, President of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
by gg? / copytrastortranslation • Sunday January 26, 2003 at 02:37 AM


Another president to world-wide the social forum... - - The Ministry of Communication and Information of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela invites to the Press conference that will offer the President of the Bolivariana Republic of Venezuela Hugo Chávez Frias in the occasion of its visit the City of Porto Alegre, Brazil, Day January 26th, 2003, 5:00 p.m. How to be there if you are journalist --

http://uruguay.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/9253.php
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Another president to world-wide the social forum...

The Ministry of Communication and Information of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela invites to the Press conference that will offer the President of the Bolivariana Republic of Venezuela Hugo Chávez Frias in the occasion of its visit the City of Porto Alegre, Brazil, Day January 26th, 2003, 5:00 p.m., in the Plenary room Joao Neves da Fontoura, (Planarinho) of the Legislative Assembly of this city, Located in Matrix's square.

Thanks to journalists who will cover this press conference, please confirm their attendance to electronic mail fperezs [at] telcel.net.ve or to telephones of Francisco Perez (051) 81157918 or to the 98060306 of Stella Valenzuela, before the 12:30 at noon of the January 26th 2003, if not will not be able to enter the room.

In order to guarantee a greater organization and due to the tight schedule that will fulfill President of venezuelan republic, questions will be by type of mass media, therefore the Agencies of the News, the Television, the Radio, the Written Press Local and the National, and the Alternative and Communitarian means will have to select two representatives to formulate their questions.

The Entrance of the Representatives from media to room will be between 3 p.m. and 4:50 p.m.
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ORIGINAL SPANISH VERSION FROM URUGUAY INDYMEDIA
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http://uruguay.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/9253.php

República Bolivariana de Venezuela y Hugo Chávez
by gg • Saturday January 25, 2003 at 01:48 PM

Otro presidente al foro social mundial...

El Ministerio de Comunicación e Información de la República Bolivariana de enezuela invita a la Rueda de Prensa que ofrecerá el Señor Presidente de la
República Bolivariana de Venezuela Hugo Chávez Frias con motivo de su visita la Ciudad de Porto Alegre, Brasil, el Día 26 de Enero de 2003, a las 5:00
pm en la sala Plenaria Joao Neves da Fontoura, (Planarinho) de la Asamblea Legislativa de esta ciudad, Ubicada en la Plaza da Matriz.

Se agradece a los periodistas que cubrirán esta rueda de prensa confirmar su asistencia al correo electrónico fperezs [at] telcel.net.ve o a los teléfonos de Francisco Pérez (051) 81157918 o al 98060306 de Stella Valenzuela, antes de las 12:30 de la tarde del 26 de enero de 2003, caso contrario no podrán
ingresar a la sala.

Para garantizar una mayor organización y debido a la apretada agenda que cumplirá el Señor Presidente de la república se realizarán preguntas por tipo de medio de comunicación, así las Agencias de Noticias, la Televisión, la Radio, la Prensa Escrita Local y la Nacional, y los medios Alternativos y Comunitarios deberán seleccionar a dos representantes para formular sus preguntas.

El Ingreso de los Representantes de los medios a la sala será entre as 3 pm y las 4:50 pm

uruguay.indymedia.org/news/2003/01/9253.php

add your comments

BOOOOOOOOOM !!!

[ commentary from trastor: SUPPORT CHAVEZ ON THIS ONE, PLEASE ]
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/01/1560129.php
Venezuela: COMMERCIAL MEDIA HOSTILE PROGRAMMING WORST THAN ATOMIC BOMB !
by from Washington Post linked here by Trastor Sunday January 12, 2003 at 09:49 PM

CHAVEZ ORDERS CRACKDOWN ON OPPOSITION.

Reuters
Monday, January 13, 2003; Page A16

CARACAS, Venezuela, Jan. 12 -- Venezuelan troops fired tear gas today to disperse tens of thousands of protesters as President Hugo Chavez ordered a crackdown against a six-week-old opposition strike that is bleeding the economy.

Chavez warned opponents he would not let them disrupt schools, banks or food supplies with the strike, which has already crippled shipments by the world's No. 5 oil exporter.

"They want to break us economically. They are not going to do it. I swear it by God and my mother," Chavez said during his weekly television and radio show.

During his broadcast, Chavez signed a decree creating a special government commission to combat a tax rebellion announced by opposition leaders. By urging Venezuelans not to pay taxes, the strikers hope to cut government revenue already drained by the oil strike.

The president, elected in 1998, said the strike was costing the country tens of millions of dollars a day. Chavez, who has already fired 2,000 striking state oil employees, repeated threats to send troops to take over private factories and warehouses if they hoarded food supplies.

He also threatened to revoke the broadcasting licenses of private TV stations that criticize his rule. He described their hostile programming as "worse than an atomic bomb."

© 2003 The Washington Post Company

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47479-2003Jan12.html

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DECISIONS OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE OF VENEZUELA
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On January 22, 2003, the Supreme Court of Justice dictated three sentences of special importance.
Read more:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/02/1568899_comment.php#1568938
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ECO WARNING VENEZUELA
by eco warning venezuela Thursday January 23, 2003 at 06:50 PM
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http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/01/1562614_comment.php#1564959
I am talking in behalf of Mother Earth.
She says 'thank eco man for putting LEA VENEZUELA as your first search regarding venezuelan realities at the news'
BEWARE INMEDIATLY FROM ANY 'ESCUALIDOS' ECOLOGICAL NEWS.
I already settled my possition at [LEA Venezuela] mailing list:
****** ****** ********
I am not Chavista, I am not 'escualido' from vitalis.net, I am ecologist !
****** ****** ********
It is happening what I warned about time ago, escualidos are using ecological situation to write greenwashing news for attacking chavez!
BEWARE OF VITALIS.net
http://www.elistas.net/lista/lea/archivo
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THE CONTROL
by Luis Britto García (TrastorTranslation) Sunday January 12, 2003 at 11:24 PM

THE CONTROL
by Luis Britto García
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The world is a small box with buttons labeled On, Off, Channel, Mute, Volume, plus numbers from one to nine and zero.

On is always activated.

Off is forbiden to push it. They say that when you push it, the world disappears. They say that also disappears who presses it.

Push any of the numbers. In the screen appears the reality, that is footbridges, studies, sets for interviewed people and cardboard mansions.

Push another number. Into the screen the humanity bursts in, that is speakers, announcers in spangles, models in tangas, offerers and candidates to Miss Little Princess.

Push the remaining numbers. In the other channel wisdom shines, that is astrologers and fortune tellers that commercialize your destiny.

In other channel they teach healthful habits to you: junk food, sodas with cancerigenic, alcoholic beverages disguised as sodas.

In other channel you learn science, that is to say, secret ingredients of the shampoo that attracts all the women, the deodorant that guarantees your ascents and the formula to reduce your weight without exercises nor diet.

In other channel they inform to you about productive activities, such as raffles, lottery, quinos, duplexes, bingos, casinos, race courses and extraordinary drawings.

In other channel they train you in human relations, that is emotional blackmail of the ingenuous one that manipulates to marry with the multimillionaire, the cruelty of the stepmother that excludes from the testament the heirs and the undressed natural daughter of its fortune while his lovely mother agonizes.

In other channel you learn the essence of success, that is to say, consumption.

In other channel one identifies the enemy, that is the poors, badly worn, toothless, badly dressed, partially or totally paralyzed and trained to applaud and to be in ridiculous situation in the programs of contests or pretended confessions.

In other channel it is summoned justice and laws in the form of commandos, superheroes and private avengers who eliminate whichever poor who does not applaud.

In other channel are solved social problems by means of telethons, charitable rallys and absence of mention of whom is not telegenic.

In other channel you follow the news, that is the aspirations of the owners of media presented like facts.

In other channel your new political leaders arise, taking oath of fidelity to the channels that chose them in Reality Shows by means of measurements of rating and audience researches.

In other channels pluralism is pronounced, that is, the right to find the same lie in thousand different screens.

Then you understand that the control controls to you.

You disconnect it, and you obtain the wonderful gift of the world.

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