Thursday, April 24, 2003

Government balks at signing agreement, says it does not exist After six months of negotiations an agreement was reached between the Government and the oposition and was to be signed on Tuesday. Today, the Government in its most cynical statement to date said the agrrement never existed and its signing was never contemplated. The agreement was announced on April 11th by Cesar Gaviria's second in command at the OAS and that same day Gaviria himself hailed the agreement from New York. A very somber Gaviria said today there was no signing and for now, all conversations are suspended. Once again the Chavez administration twists the truth and shows that Chavez and his partisans are a bunch of liars, thiefs and an unethical bunch. 9:02:13 PM    comment []

Oxford, Chavez, Human Rights and oxymorons A year ago, Hugo Chavez was invited to speak at the International Human Rights Seminar at Oxford University. To me this sounded like a true oxymoron and led to a section in my page called the Requena Files, which contains the exchange between Jaime Requena and that seminar. Today the oxymoronic nature of that invitation was confirmed when the Venezuelan Government rejected the resolution at the OAS (Tal Cual page 3) backing Human Rights and democratic freedom in the island. The Venezuelan Ambassador to the OAS said that this was making the issue "political" and that these issues shoud be addressed at the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. Interestingly enough that same body has repeatedly found the Venezuelan Government violates human rights and the right of free speech and the Chavez Government has always disregarded its conclusions. Definitely a new level for the concept of oxymoron and the stupidity of the foreign left. 8:45:48 PM    comment []

The genius of Weil's humor From today's Tal Cual newspaper by Weil, pure genius 8:18:18 PM    comment []

More on Hugo Chavez, Presidential grocer Article in today's Wall Streert Journal (need subscription) related to what I wrote last night about the packaging being used in propaganda for Chavez and the Government and how the Government is competing with the private sector. (Except that the private sector has yet to be given a dollar in the 90 days since exchange controls were imposed). The advisors for the Chavez Government are none other than the same people that manage food provisions in Cuba, where there are rationing cards and people don't eat complete meals. What a great example to follow!. Some quotes from the article: The government's new "Special Plan for Sovereignty and Food Security" aims to ensure the food supply "does not go back ever to being subordinated to private interests," Mr. Chavez said in a radio address. Government buyers, assisted by brokers from the Cuban state company, Alimport, have ordered shiploads of food products, bypassing private-sector companies that in recent years bought and distributed all imported food, about 70% of everything Venezuela consumes. Cubans are helping Venezuela set up its new food-supply system, but so are experts from the U.S., Spain and Colombia, said Oswaldo Carnevali, Venezuela's vice minister of agriculture and land. He said the government seeks to reclaim "an empty space" in the food-distribution system that has left about 30% of the population unable to afford a 2,400-calorie daily diet. On the last quote, I can only add that Chavez eliminated all social assistance programs when he became President, so who is he blaming? 8:13:13 PM    comment []