Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Once again, the more things change, the more they are the same Via Publiuspundit I learn about this article in the Miami Herald about Venezuelans seeking political asylum in the US in increasing numbers, something that extends to people emigrating looking for opportunities and safer places to live in. Which ties with this note published today in Tal Cual, which you may think was written a few years ago…but read on… Talking to a sharp and loose-tongued intellectual like Ibsen Martinez we were evaluation g the unsettling situation of political debate. For the reporter and writer what is notable is what he calls “the abomination of ideas”, which translates into non confrontation and the search for any type of transaction. Thus, Venezuelans have no interest in complex ideas. They lean towards simplicity. They evade polemics because he does not care or because he assigns this little importance. The consequence? The stratification of politics, the complete domination by the apparatchik, the demobilization of society. Nor the civil society nor the political one functions. Or both function in the same way. Thus, anyone that has an opinion is transformed into a great provocateur and information turns into routine. The ills affecting Venezuela are so many and the things that happen so grave that that we have lost our ability to be amazed, and of course, to be able to respond. This explains why in the last two years more than 100 thousand Venezuelans have moved to the US of which 60 thousand are illegal. The author?...None other than now Vice-President José Vicente Rangel Los hechos y los días ( El Universal ) 16 de febrero de 1997 He could have fooled me! 8:46:29 PM    comment []

Of labels and ramblings As the charade about the nominating committee for the Electoral Board continued today, both pro-Government and anti-Government media seemed to concentrate their efforts in measuring things by whether the people nominated are or not in the Maisanta database, which according to them gave a 50% split for that committee. Maybe we should also publish their tax records, pay stub, sexual preferences, kid’s pictures and wife's pictures, as well as having an opinion from the religious or military counselor and/or psychiatrist published. That way we can really invade everyone's privacy and fully violate thier rights once and for all. Let's go ahead and put a label on everyone in the country, that will guarantee we will never get along, ever, which will surely help the future of this poor nation. Hey! We could even make it quantitative. One could say, for example, so and so is 86.5% Chavista according to the new and improved Maisanta database. Or how about: we can not hire this guy, he only rates 66.3% for the opposition according to Maisanta 8.0.01i. I can even imagine this one: He can share in the profit in this shady deal, he has a 92.3% Chavista rating. Maybe people could have their rating stamped in their ID card! I guess all I can really say is that I am happy a physicist with a Ph.D. that I know made the committee. I know that physicist are well trained to make decisions and I know he is fair and competent. So, I rate the committee as 10% OK, 90% unknown, for whatever is worth. I did read a positive thing today in one of the local papers, which had this quote: “Nothing is as dangerous as to allow the same citizen to remain in power for a long time, because people will get used to obeying him and he will get used to ruling them; from which tyranny and usurpation originate” Now, that is one Simon Bolivar (who now our President claims was a zambo) quote you will never hear Chavez ever saying in public. 12:48:44 AM    comment []