Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Parade cancellation: The more that is explained, the more implausible it gets Chavez confirmed tonight that the military parade of June 24th. was cancelled for security reasons. According to the President, the Army detected a plan to kill him during teh parade. He added that this is not the first time that the parade is cancelled, which I do not recall ever being cancelled. Chavez even said that we have too many parades. This from the same man that loves to play soldier, wear uniforms and hold parades as he did during the first few years in office, when he was not afraid to go out in public. Well, the June 24th. parade takes place in Campo Carabobo, some 30 Kms. away from the city of Valencia, and it is a monument built in remembrance of the last battle for the independence of Venezuelawhich took place right there. Now, this is the most unlikely place to attempt an assasination. It is essentially a park with monuments, mostly open air, explicitly delineated which could be easily sealed and surrounded by military a couple of days before. And nothing should happen to teh President or those participating in the parade. You can see pictures of Campo Carabobo here or here. Of course, all of the above is true unless those trying to kill Chavez will be the same ones that are participating in the parade. Unless they are themselves members of his beloved military, which nobody has said. There are many problems within the military today. Some groups are upset over the cubanization of Venezuela, others at the levels of corruption reached out and within the military, others at how PDVSA has been weakened to what they think is dangerous levels and even some others at the destruction of the military institution and the attempt to create alternate parallel structures like the reserves. In fact, rumors are going around that over half of the officers in the Chiefs of Staff course have resigned because of the imposition of Fidel Castro as the Godfather/sponsor of their graduating class by Chavez himself. This out of no more than fifty members, the cream of the crop of each year's military class. By resigning, you destroy your military career, you will never go above the level of Lieutenant and you will likely be retired anyway. You can do so much positive spinning of the news. But the stories are getting too implausible to be believable. This is very dangerous, there are some real nuts (Yes, even more than the current ones, believe it or not!) in the Venezuelan military. Very scary indeed! 11:48:43 PM    comment []

Here and there... --“Everything is normal” and “the press has to be more responsible” says the Government in trying to deny unrest within the military, but the Head of the Unified Command of the Army (CUFAN), goes to Bolivar State to talk to the National Guardsmen of the garrison that was “disappeared” on Chavez’ orders. The problem seems to have been extortion by the Guardsmen of the miner in the region. The Army came in and brutally took over the garrison which is what has led to the protest by National Guardsmen across the country. It is a true story, no matter how much the Government wants to deny it. --As Venezuela complains about the extradition of Posada Carriles from the US to Venezuela (Which it has yet to request while its leaders accuse the US of delaying it), narco-guerrilla FARC leader Jose Maria Corredor “El Boyaco”, escapes from jail in the Headquarters of the intelligence police. The Minister of Justice has said that he received help form intelligence police member that aided in the escape. The US requested the extradition of “El Boyaco” to that country last year and in December the Venezuelan Supreme Court approved the extradition, but the Chavez administration had not extradited him because he could receive a sentence of more than thirty years in jail, the longest possible term in Venezuela. --A sub committee of the National Assembly continued its investigation of CITGO Petroleum. The auditor for the company said that the company had too many “black boxes”. Meanwhile, the former Vice-President of CITGO, Captain Antonio Rivero gave his testimony in which he gave a picture which in general conflicts with the official view about the company. Rivero said that Citgo has paid over US$ 2 billion in dividends to PDVSA since 1998. He defended keeping the company as a strategic investment and compared it to the problems Mexico has placing its heavy oils because it does not have its own refining capacity. He also described a policy of funding travel by Deputies from Chávez’ party out of Citgo, as well as jet setting by Citgo and PDVSA executives and their relatives in PDVSA’s jets. (Didn’t Chavez say his first day in office he was going to get rid of these jets?). Rivero defended the profitability of Citgo, which contrasts with the words of his mentor, Hugo Chávez, as well as Minister Ramirez. --Is it really International Bloggers day today, or just an excuse to party? 8:55:44 PM    comment []