Anti-Government Protests in Leftist Argentina

The love affair with the Latin leftist/socialist populist movement is starting to crumble, at least in Argentina. Thousands of people took to the streets of Buenos Aires pissed off at everything from crime, corruption, high inflation, and the possibility that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will dump the constitutional term limits to keep herself in power. After all, Hugo Chavez managed to do that, why couldn't she?

Though the actual number of anti-government protesters in Buenos Aires (which included children and seniors) varied greatly depending on who you were talking to, there were at least 30,000 people and there could have been as many as hundreds of thousands.

Organized via social media, the throngs banged pots (typical of the Latin culture) and chanted "We're not afraid," probably a throwback to the days when political opponents simply 'disappeared.' They also carried banners with "Stop the wave of Argentinians killed by crime, enough with corruption and say no to constitutional reform."

One of the major problems facing Argentinians is a huge increase in violent crime that the government seems  powerless to contain.

Newspapers and television programmes provide a daily diet of stories about increasingly bold home robberies, in which armed bands tie up families until victims hand over the cash that many Argentinians have kept at home since the government froze savings accounts and devalued the currency in 2002. The vast majority of the crimes are never solved, while the death toll is rising.

As for inflation:

Inflation also upsets many. The government's much-criticised index puts annual inflation at about 10%, but private economists say prices are rising about three times faster than that. Real estate transactions have slowed to a standstill because of the difficulty in estimating future values, and unions that won 25% pay rises only a few months ago are threatening to strike again unless the government comes up with more.

Kirchner won re-election by 54%, but her disapproval rating dipped to 31% in a poll taken this past September. So it's interesting to note that although Argentinians voted to give her another term, they have suddenly become disenchanted. One 74, year-old Marta Morosini said,

"I came to protest everything that I don't like about this government and I don't like a single thing starting with [the president's] arrogance. They're killing policemen like dogs, and the president doesn't even open her mouth. This government is just a bunch of hooligans and corrupters."

Besides the capital, there were protests across the country as well as overseas. In Madrid, Spain, one 40-year-old Argentinian expat, Marcelo Gimenez,  said:

"In Argentina, there's no separation of power and it cannot be considered a democracy. Cristina is not respecting the constitution. The presidency is not a blank cheque and she must govern for those who are for her and against her."

Apparently there were several smaller protests this year that were easy to dismiss, but not this time. In defense of Fernández Kirchner, supporters blamed it on the rich, though she herself did not comment on the demonstrations. However, she did defend her policies, claiming:

... they helped rescue Argentina from its worst economic crisis a decade ago and kept it afloat during the 2009 world financial downturn.

"During boom times it's easy to run a country but try running when it's crumbling down," Fernández said, while urging Argentinians to support her and pledging never to give up as her late husband had taught her.

"Never let go, not even in the worst moments," she said. "Because it's in the worst moments when the true colours of a leader of a country comes out."

Granted, they were in pretty bad shape, always have been, but whatever she was doing is obviously not working anymore, if it ever worked to begin with.  But someone voted for her, just like they did here.  It's not a far stretch to imagine what's going to happen when all the "gimmes" in this country suddenly no longer have all the freebies they are accustomed to because our government ran out of money.  We could have very scary times ahead for us.

Bolivian Nurses Forced to Wear Hijab At Inauguration of Iran-funded Hospital

The raunchy love affair between lefty Latin and South American leaders and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues unabashedly with Iran's funding of a medical center in Bolivia, at the cost of 1.2 million dollars. 2 more hospitals have been promised.

In the meantime, the female nurses were forced to wear the Islamic hijab and cover themselves from head to toe at the inauguration of the Hospital República Islámica de Irán (Islamic Republic of Iran Hospital) in El Alto on November 24, where Evo and Mahmoud attended via teleconference. Causing an uproar, the minister of Health, Ramiro Tapia, assured everyone that things would go back to normal once the hospital was officially handed over at the beginning of December. Apparently, the Red Crescent (the Islamic version of the Red Cross) is handling administrative duties, so it wasn't a question of forcing Islamic dress on the nurses, but rather the uniform of the red Crescent. At least that's what Iranian Embassy officials said. Frankly, it's the same thing. They're both Islamic attire being forced on non-Muslims, in a foreign non-Islamic country. The article on LosTiempos.com doesn't specify whether they will continue to administrate or not, but in another article a source, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claims that wearing the hijab is a requirement (for both doctors and nurses) for being hired. The women have no choice, if they need the job. Administrative director, Pou Mount, explained that using the veil as part of the uniform was simply "a little piece of Iran in Bolivia".

Another source Semanario Verdad Latinoamericano also references the issue, but doesn't go into much detail, mentioning nothing about going back to business as usual. I'm not sure anyone knows for sure whether the forced wearing of hijab will be permanent or not. It appears to be, since being hired is predicated on accepting the rules, one of which is wearing a hijab.

I guess that's what happens when you make a deal with the devil.

H/T Fausta's Blog

Argentine-Venezuela Campaign Scandal Coverup: 4 arrested in Miami

In light of all the vicious name-calling and accusations heaped upon the U.S. by Hugo "Commie" Chavez and his Chavista cronies, I find the following absolutely hilarious;

Get this, on August 4th a Venezuelan-American, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, flies from Venezuela to Argentina in a private jet. On that same chartered Cessna are 7 other passengers, including one Claudio Uberti, who just so happens to be a senior Argentine government official. When they arrive in Buenos Aires, customs officials find a bag full 'o money, (about 800,000 U.S. dollars worth, no less) belonging to Antonini! The money is duly confiscated and Antonini, luckily, is allowed to fly back to South Florida, where he resides.

So, why was Antonini in possession of such a large sum of cold, hard U.S. cash? Drug money? Nope. How about attempting to influence an upcoming presidential election in Argentina! A donation courtesy of the Chavez government to the campaign coffers of Argentine candidate Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who happened to win the election on October 28, 2007. In other words, a gift from one lefty to another.

What transpires, thereafter, is straight out of some John Le Carré spy novel:

Soon after the seizure of monies in Buenos Aires, 4 Venezuelans and 1 Uruguayan national set out to convince Antonini to keep his mouth shut regarding the source (and destination) of said cash. Incidentally, 2 of those- Franklin Duran and Carlos Kauffmann- were friends and business partners of Antonini. The pressure to cover up the potential scandal, including threats to both Antonini and his children, continued up until December 11th. Those threats ended that same evening with the arrest of Duran, 40, Kauffmann, 35, Moises Maionica, 37, and Rodolfo Edgardo Wanseele Paciello, 40. Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, remains at large. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), on December 12th they were formally charged with being illegal agents of a foreign government.

Three Venezuelans and an Uruguayan national were arrested last night and appeared in federal court in Miami today on charges of acting and conspiring to act as agents of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela within the United States, without prior notification to the Attorney General of the United States, as required by law, announced Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for Justice Department’s National Security Division, R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office.

All the information leading up to their arrests was gathered by the feds. Federal prosecutors had taped various conversations between Antonini (who was wired) and Duran and Kauffmann, including one session at a Fort Lauderdale eatery.

The last meeting took place on Dec. 11, 2007, when defendants Maionica, Duran, and another individual met with Antonini to discuss
the creation of false documents in furtherance of the cover-up.

Of course, Venezuelan officials are denying any culpability, and claiming this is some nefarious U.S. plot to discredit Venezuela and all the other left-leaning countries in Latin America:

Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, speaking live on Dando y Dando, a national television program, accused the U.S. government of engaging in a ``political, psychological and media war against the progressive governments of the hemisphere.''

Madame Fernández de Kirchner concurs. Well sure, who wants to get caught with their pants around their ankles. Kirchner did win by a landslide, but that's not the point. The point is Chavez, once again, was attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

Interesting Side Notes:

1. Duran and Kauffman are very wealthy Venezuelans who own houses in Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove (exclusive areas of Miami). Duran owns a private jet. Nice socialists.

2. For all of Hugo's complaints about the U.S. dollar, what currency did he use? 800,000.00 greenbacks.

"Soon we will not talk about dollars because the dollar is falling in value and the empire of the dollar is crashing," Chavez said in comments translated into Farsi from Spanish. "Naturally, by the crash of the dollar, America's empire will crash," Chavez said at a joint news conference with Ahmadinejad.

3. Chavez is forever accusing others of interfering with his country: just prior to the recent defeat on constitutional changes , when he noticed public support was waning,

Mr. Chavez raised the possibility last week that the United States could interfere with the election. Officials in Washington repudiated his comments, but Mr. Chavez followed up by threatening to cut off oil shipments to the United States if he saw evidence of any interference.

And yet, he himself is guilty of doing just that: During the Peruvian elections in 2006, Chavez threatened to break ties with Peru if Alan Garcia won. He was backing Ollanta Humala. Garcia won, but not by a huge margin. 52.6% to 47.4% of the votes.

Chavez is the personification of hypocrisy.

Further Reading:

USDOJ Press Release
Miami Herald Article
Criminal Complaint

Hat Tip: Citizen Feathers

Putin and Chavez: Election Fraud and Election Defeat

We had 2 elections on opposite ends of the world this past Sunday. Similar in kind. 2 countries with leaders who engage in anti-democratic activities. Both imperialists at heart. Each, in his own inimitable and infamous fashion, trying to bully his way to the top of the global hierarchy of power. Both countries with elections which would have allowed them to remain in power indefinitely.

Putin and Chavez, comrades of sorts, one a winner, the other a loser.

Not surprisingly, there have been widespread allegations of voter fraud, intimidation and coercion in the Russian elections. Elections which will effectively allow ex-KGB Vladimir (old habits die hard) Putin to remain as "national leader" even after his term limit as President ends next spring. Gary Gasparov, former chess champion and opposition leader, claimed the election was

“the most unfair and dirtiest in the whole history of modern Russia.”

Russia’s opposition groups and European observers criticized the vote as unfair, citing reports of pressure exerted by election authorities and workplace managers for Russians to vote for Putin’s party.

Little wonder his party won in a landslide victory. Ironically, even the Communist Party called it

“the most irresponsible and dirty” in the post-Soviet era and party officials vowed to challenge the results,

after they only won about 50 seats in the 450 seat Russian State Duma. Putin's United Russia party landed a whopping 315 seats.

On December 17 the presidential candidate is due to be named, although everyone knows whoever Congress happens to choose will merely serve as a puppet figure, with Putin handily pulling the strings. Which is why there was such a concerted effort to forcibly get out the vote, illegal or not.

Then we have Hugo (look at me) Chavez who lost, by a very slim margin, the constitutional vote which would have granted him, among other things, the power to be re-elected in perpetuity. I thought there would have been rampant voter fraud in that election, but Chavez was surprisingly level-headed and gracious when he conceded that the Venezuelan people are obviously not ready for a full blown socialist state, and that he learned from these elections that

"Venezuelan democracy is maturing."

He also called for no more violence:

"From this moment on, let's be calm," [snip] "There is no dictatorship here."

No dictatorship? Perhaps not in the near future, but we shall see what transpires over the next few years. Frankly, I don't trust him. The man is far too devious to suddenly change his way of being. I'm convinced there were ulterior motives for this concession, and that it's not some miraculous, sudden change of heart.

First and foremost, he (or his advisors) probably realized his recent, bizarre demeanour on the global front has been alienating rather endearing him to other leaders. He's been shunned and told to shut up by leaders of Spain, Colombia, Saudi Arabia. I'm sure he's aware that he needs allies other than his pal Ahmadinejad, so showing a little good sense might might curry favour amongst those who have lost their patience with his bluster and bully tactics. He shows some tolerance, a little good will - world opinion favours him once again- and he's back to being King Chavez, loved by all.

Furthermore, this sudden acceptance of defeat doesn't necessarily mean that things won't change down the line. As far as Chavez is concerned, anything could happen come 2012. And probably will.

The King to the Idiot-boy Chavez: "Why Don't You Shut Up!"

Hugo Chavez rarely disappoints! In his latest side-show appearance at the Latin American Summit in Santiago, Chile today, he continues to prove to the world at large (at least those bright enough to see it) that he's:

A. a decade short of a high school diploma
B. he's the walking personification of the DSM (the manual Psychologists and others use to diagnose mental disorders)
C. he's a major buffoon
D. all of the above.

In my opinion, the answer is: D.

But, whether he's officially diagnosable as nuts or not, he certainly exhibits many symptoms of several major personality disorders, some of which I have alluded to before, but I'm adding a new one to that list, after this latest episode: Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) . The definition of HPD is:

the affected individual displays an enduring pattern of attention-seeking and excessively dramatic behaviors beginning in early adulthood and present across a broad range of situations. Individuals with HPD are highly emotional, charming, energetic, manipulative, seductive, impulsive, erratic, and demanding.

Well, we can ditch the seductive part, but other than that, tell me he doesn't have HPD!

So, the leaders of Spain, Portugal and Latin America were all at the summit in Santiago, and Chavez at the closing session (in his typical boorish fashion), repeatedly called Jose Maria Aznar (the conservative, former Prime Minister of Spain) a "fascist", saying "Fascists are not human. A snake is more human." So, I guess that makes Chavez a snake, right? But I digress.

In response to the name-calling, the current socialist prime-minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero launched into a dignified lesson on diplomacy, asking Chavez to respect other democratic leaders regardless of ideological differences, and emphasizing that Aznar "...was chosen by the Spanish people and I demand that respect." It obviously failed to resonate, because Chavez kept interrupting throughout, and although we don't hear what he says (his mic was turned off), we do hear King Juan Carlos of Spain heatedly interject "Por que no te callas!" (Why don't you shut up). Boy-child Hugo did eventually shut up, for a while, but in the end responded to Zapatero's speech by saying :

"I do not offend by telling the truth." "The Venezuelan government reserves the right to respond to any aggression, anywhere, in any space and in any manner."

As entertainment, Chavez rocks. As a leader he, well... you can fill in the blank.

For a good laugh (and to see Chavez's idiocy in action), watch the shortened version of Zapatero's admonishment along with the King's scolding . Or to view a longer version click here. Both are in Spanish.



Others blogging about the King and the idiot-boy Chavez:

Daniel-Venezuela + H/T for video
Barce-Pundit
Kate at Colombo Americana gives a rundown of the whole meeting

H/T Instapundit

Chavez loves Chavez- sends Peruvian quake victims cans of tuna with his photo on label

Narcissist Hugo Chavez is at it again!! Still attempting to curry favour with the peoples of other South American countries, he promised to send 120 tons of aid to the quake victims of Peru. And what did he send? ... a load of canned tuna fish, with photos of his beloved self and the Peruvian opposition leader Ollanta Humala on the labels!!

How sick is that? Politicizing a natural disaster by sending food with photos of 2 comrades-in-arms pasted all over the cans. He obviously wanted to make sure the people knew from whence it came, in order to bolster the vision of himself as some kind of saviour for the common man. Sending just plain old cans of tuna wasn't enough. As Kate at Colombo-Americana's Perspective states, it could be a clever photo-shopped pic, though I doubt it.

The Venezuelan Ambassador to Lima emphatically denies the food arrived pre-labeled with Chavez's mug on the tin, but the fact that the Peruvian President, Alan Garcia, actually commented that he doesn't believe Chavez was trying to use the situation as a means of propaganda, confirms (in my mind) that the Chavez label Tuna exists, and originated in Venezuela. It's absolutely in line with Chavez's personality disorder (like North Korea's Kim Jong Il) to want to see his face plastered everywhere.

Kate also mentioned that she's waiting to see when Chavez starts blaming the U.S. for the labels. Me too. Everything is blamed on the U.S., so why not this?!




H/T A Colombo-Americana’s Perspective via This Aint Hell, but you can see it from Here

Hugo Chavez poised to set himself up as "President for Life"!

Here we go! Looks like Chavezito, as anticipated, is already treading down the same path as Fidel Castro, Mugabe, Jean-Claude Duvalier (Haiti's Baby Doc) and other past and present dictators of the world; poised and ready to join the small, but elite, President a Vie Club!

On Wednesday, Chavez set forth his proposal

for sweeping constitutional changes expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely. Chavez, who is seeking to transform Venezuelan society along socialist lines, announced late Tuesday that he would unveil his project before crowds of supporters at the National Assembly.

He predicted it would bring renewed political upheaval to Venezuela. Chavez has revealed few details of his proposal, but has stressed the need to do away with presidential term limits that currently prevent him from seeking re-election in 2012.

Venezuela's Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference has complained that Chavez's reform proposals were drafted without public involvement.

I've been to Cuba and traveled to Haiti (when Baby Doc was still in power) and frankly, though the political systems were different, they were very similar, in as much as both countries were ruled by despots, and had (and still have) insurmountable problems with poverty: for everyone but the ruling class, that is.

At least the Haitians had/have the freedom to come and go as they please, as opposed to the Cubanos who have no choice in the matter. But it just proves that any kind of dictatorship whether Communist or other, is not a good thing. Venezuela is headed for the same fate as all countries that have been or are currently ruled by dictators. History has shown us the results.
And they're not pretty!

Hugo Chavez, Sean Penn, now Jack Ellis (who?) - ultimate idiots

Chavez can now add Macon, GA Mayor Jack Ellis to the ever increasing ranks of his 'leftist idiots' mutual admiration club, along with Sean Penn, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover and wanna-be celeb Cindy Sheehan.

As we all know, Penn went to Venezuela after a 'journalistic' jaunt to Iraq and Iran because he now fancies himself a journalist! At a meeting, with a fawning Chavez in an auditorium packed with supporters, he was asked to say a few words. Penn told the crowd:

"I came here looking for a great country. I found a great country. I'm also here as a journalist and so I owe it to that medium to wait until I've digested, fact-checked and finished my journey here".

As though we really care what Sean-boy thinks about the paranoid, delusional, narcissistic, power-hungry Chavez and the poor country he's bound to dig into the ground.

At that same meeting, Chavez told the crowd that Washington is

"afraid that the people of the United States will learn the real truth" about the situation in Venezuela, citing his social programs for the poor. "If the people of the United States, those millions and millions of poor people ... if that nation realizes what is truly happening here, there would be a revolution in the United States," eliciting applause from Penn.

Uh, I don't think so Hugo. You won't get a revolution here, che, because people cherish freedom too much. It's a far more important commodity than crude oil. I'd rather personally cut back on my driving than sacrifice that freedom, thank you very much. And as far as we can tell, 'aint nothing great happening over there, buddy.

Anyway, this is what Macon's Mayor Jack Ellis seems enamored of: Hugo's penchant for trying to buy people's love, admiration and loyalty, by taking money etc. he should rightfully be spending on his own people, and spending it in other countries. Ellis recently sent, via courier, a letter of solidarity to Hugo Chavez.

Ellis said ... he sent the proclamation not only in his capacity as mayor of Macon but also as the vice president for tourism for the World Conference of Mayors. "We commend President Chavez for the things he's done in this country," said Ellis, citing Chavez's efforts to subsidize the cost of heating fuel for low income residents of the United States. "We want to work for peace and harmony ... through the mayors of Venezuela." Ellis said he sent the pledge to the South American nation by courier two to three weeks ago. Chavez on Sunday apparently read the proclamation during the weekly broadcast of his public television and radio show, "Alo, Presidente."

(Again with the 8 hour show! Don't people get bored of watching this pudgy vision in red?)

Now, I can understand the desire to work towards peace through diplomacy, that's an honorable and worthy goal, when dealing with rational, sane, human beings, but I'm convinced Chavez and his buddies Ahmadinejad, Mugabe, Kim Jong Il etc. are decidedly not.

What I find even more interesting, than being idiotic enough to send praise to a megalomaniac, is the fact that Mayor Jack Ellis will soon become Hakim Mansour Ellis. Yup. He converted from Christianity to Islam (Sunni Muslim) last December. Once again, those interesting ties between many of the far left and Islam.

Hugo Chavez: Me, Tyrant? You, go home!

Tyrant-child Chavez is throwing a tantrum once again, and declaring that anyone who calls him a "tyrant" or anything else derogatory, will be thrown out of his country. I guess that's his prerogative considering, after all, it's his dang sandbox, and he can do whatever he darn well pleases. He calls it a "question of national dignity', I call it a question of undignified stupidity.

Looks like Chavezito took great offense when Mexican politician Manuel Espino (president of Mexico's conservative National Action Party)

accused Mr Chavez of seeking to extend his rule indefinitely through his proposed constitutional reforms at a recent conference on democracy and freedom of expression [in Caracas].

Not that he called him a tyrant, per se. But, it obviously touched a nerve.

Without actually naming names, Chavez lashed out, in a 6 hour televised speech [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz], ordering

cabinet ministers to monitor statements by visitors and deport them if they "denigrated" his leadership. He then asked:"How long are we going to allow a person - from any country in the world - to come to our own house to say there's a dictatorship here, that the president is a tyrant, and nobody does anything about it?......No foreigner, whoever he may be, can come here and attack us. Whoever comes, we must remove him from the country. Here is your bag, sir, go."

Chavez has a serious problem with criticism! Maybe a little therapy would help, though I doubt it. Men like Chavez, Kim Jong-Il, Ahmadinejad and pretty much any dictator (past and present) all seem to have several things in common:

1. Major personality disorders, from narcissism to delusions of grandeur, sprinkled in with a little paranoia.

And,

2. The love of power.

No amount of therapy would help.

And this isn't the first time Chavez has threatened to give foreigners the boot. Back in April 2006, Chavez warned U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield, that he faced expulsion if he continued with his charity work in poor neighborhoods. His offense: handing out baseballs, gloves and other gear to poor kids. Yes, believe it or not, that incident prompted Information Minister Willian Lara to call Brownfield a

"bully" and trying to influence public opinion. [Lara then stated that] “William Brownfield is more active than any Venezuelan opposition leader. You don’t see the ambassadors of Norway, China, or any other country ... in an activity that has such a clear proselytizing nature.”

Hmmm. Handing out sports equipment is proselytizing? Okay. Little does he know of diplomacy. U.S. diplomats, and their families, are always encouraged to participate in charitable activities in their host countries.

And ironically, hypocrite Chavez, critical of our charitable efforts in Venezuela,

has supplied millions of gallons of discounted heating oil to poor Americans! [has the audacity to call] the ambassador’s visit “demagoguery” and an attempt by Washington to extend its influence.

Ah yes, the inability of fools to look within.

Others blogging about Chavez's recent tantrum:

Captains Quarters,
D.C. Thornton



Photo H/T Citizen Feathers

Costa Rica breaks Diplomatic Relations with Taiwan!

Costa Rica has decided to forsake almost 60 years of "solidarity and co-operation" with democratic Taiwan, in order to establish ties with communist China! Taiwan, or the Republic of China (ROC), as it is also known, has been vying for recognition ever since China and Taiwan split in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War. China refuses to establish diplomatic ties with any country that recognizes Taiwan, so, a choice has to be made: Taipei or Beijing, and considering China has its sights set on becoming the next major world super power, it's obvious which choice will be made. Taiwan, sadly, has been slowly losing the battle. There are now fewer than 26 countries which maintain full, formal diplomatic relations with the ROC, although it does have unofficial ties with approximately 147 others.

According to an AP Report, "China spends heavily to induce nations to change diplomatic allegiances, offering investment, loans and other incentives." In other words, it bribes countries to switch allegiances. Money talks, as they say. Sound familiar? That's how Chavez has been managing to win votes and turn other Latin American countries towards his political bent. Not surprising, considering both those systems of government are cut from the same cloth.

Costa Rica's choice is based on economics. China apparently purchased over $1 billion in Costa Rican exports in 2006, and is considered the "Central American nation's No. 1 trading partner." President Oscar Arias obviously wants to continue to profit from China's trade, and so his country has made its choice. Of his decision to break ties with Taiwan, Arias said "China is the most successful emerging economy in the world and soon it will be the second strongest economy in the world after the United States.....We are looking to strengthen the commercial ties and attract investment."

Taiwan's main fear is that with Costa Rica's change of heart, many of the other Latin American countries might be inspired to follow suit, and their 'survival' as a democracy, so to speak, is contingent upon whether they are recognized as a legitimate 'state'. The fewer countries that support Taiwan, the greater the likelihood that it will, eventually, be absorbed by mainland China. Something Beijing desperately wants and Taipei does not. Taiwan has been battling this for decades. It doesn't help that the ROC lost its United Nations seat in 1971 to the People's Republic of China (PRC), even though it was a founding member. Since then, most member states have switched their diplomatic allegiances to Communist China, recognizing the PRC as the only legitimate representative of all Chinese interests. I find it obscene, that the U.N. would dump a founding member state, for a regime that usurped its power to begin with. And to continue to choose a communist country over a democratic sovereign state is appalling. 23 million lives hang in the balance. Their freedom is at stake.

I find this all terribly sad and disturbing, but just proves that it's all about the bottom line.

Hugo Chavez and the Israelis

Here we have the ever charming Hugo Chavez speechifying from the Venezuelan Embassy in Beijing, China, (sometime last year) about his undying love for the Israelis. I have translated below, in case you don't speak Spanish. It's actually good for a laugh, considering the source, and the country he made the speech in.

"How do you justify, eh, all this aggression, all this fascism, this unleashed fury, against an innocent people. [with all the] bombings, how many children have died? A few hours ago, I was reading a communique' from a group of international human rights organizations that talk of genocide. And I believe that there has occurred a genocide. There has occurred a genocide. I believe that those in Israel who are responsible, for this genocide, should be brought before international tribunals. We have to do away with these fascist attitudes in the world. Israel criticizes Hitler alot, so do we, but they have done something similar, what do I know.. maybe worse, than what the Nazis did ..to half the world. That is fascism....."

Joke of the day: Castro to run for re-election in 2008!

Fidel Castro (if he survives that long), has said he will run for Prez, again, in 2008! He's seeking re-election!? Does this make anyone else laugh, as much as it does me?

Let's see. Fidel was Prime Minister from 1959 until 1976. That position was abolished and replaced with a Presidency, and he held that office from 1976 until last year, when he became too ill to govern. He has been re-elected, every 5 years, since 1959 and holds the record for the longest-sitting ruler in the world: 47 years! So when he says he's seeking re-election you just have to laugh. Ricardo Alarcon, head of the National Assembly says this of Castro: "I would nominate him. I'm sure he will be in perfect shape to continue handling his responsibilities." Of course, he would nominate him! If he didn't, he'd be packed off to some Havana prison to rot away there for the rest of his life. No-one would ever dare nominate anyone else.

Besides, athough it's called the Socialist Republic of Cuba, the Communist Party is considered the only legal political entity, and members are not allowed to nominate or campaign on behalf of anyone. So, even if there were other viable candidates, they would never be nominated to begin with. Unless, of course, it was brother Raul, and then only if Fidel was dead and gone.

And so continues life in Cuba.

Trouble in Paradise: Food shortages in the socialistic republic of Venezuela!

I have been very blessed to have travelled extensively throughout my life, and I've explored some truly incredible places. But from all the countries I have lived in and visited, one journey stands out from all the rest: an extremely enlightening, eye-opening sojourn in Havana, Cuba in the mid '80s. My Dad happened to be stationed there, for several years, with the U.S. Interests Section. Prior to that, I was totally unaware there were even officials with the State Department working in Cuba, considering the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the 2 countries but, surprisingly, the U.S. has had representatives there since May, 1977. Cuba, correspondingly, has an Interests Section under the protection of the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C., although in the mid '80s it was housed in the Czech Embassy.

As the daughter of a U.S. Diplomat, I was allowed to visit my parents there, so when the opportunity presented itself, off I went. My trip was rather short, a mere 15 days, but even after some 20 or so odd years, certain stark observations have remained forever etched in my memory:

1. The first thing that struck me, upon arrival, was the amount of gun-toting military personnel at the airport, and everywhere else for that matter. I can't be sure this still remains the case, but it was pre-9/11 and all the security precautions that have sadly become a necessity these days, were not prevalent in those, so the presence of so many uniform-clad men was a rather ominous sight.

2. The paranoia that is part of the Cubano's daily life was clearly evident, and there was a constant, palpable sense of fear. I recall chatting with several young men in a secluded area of a bookstore, one day. I don't remember the conversation, per se, but what I do vividly recollect was the panic in their faces when someone wandered into our section of the store; without another word, they turned away and quickly exited the premises. The reason: Cuba has a system of neighborhood snitches called Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), so people are very careful not to associate with foreigners. There's a lot at stake if they are reported.

3. Driving around Havana was like stepping into a time warp, and I don't think much has changed since. The once beautiful buildings were dilapidated and dirty, and other than a few new cars that were imported from Iron Curtain countries, the majority of the vehicles were circa 1940s to '50s. The only areas and buildings of Havana they bothered to maintain, in somewhat decent condition, were those populated by tourists. In spite of Castro's promise to eradicate poverty, most Cubans lived (and continue to do so) in abject poverty.

Dilapidated building in Havana, Cuba

4. The lack of available food was a major problem then and now. There were Diplo-mercados (exclusive Supermarkets for members of the Diplomatic Corps, who had to pay in U.S. dollars, by the way) that were sufficiently stocked (though with nothing too exciting), but the local markets were often bare, a few tins from the Soviet Union, Canada or Panama gracing the mostly empty shelves. Trying to find fresh veggies (other than potatoes) was well-nigh impossible, which was not very pleasant for this vegetarian. Meat, however, was plentiful for the foreigners, but rationed for the Cuban people who were allowed to purchase it once a week. Most other food items were also rationed, if you could even find them. Free education and medical care do not a stomach feed.

Empty market in Havana, Cuba

So it was with great interest that I read an article in the Washington Post, about the problems Venezuela is currently having with food supplies. According to the article, meat and sugar are very scarce now, and other staples are hard to come by. I've talked about how Chavez seems destined to drag Venezuela down the same miserable path that Castro did with Cuba, and I find it fascinating that they're already having food distribution problems; although the country did begin having sporadic food shortages commencing in 2003, after Chavez started regulating prices on 400 different products from milk to coffee. His rationale for fixing prices on those items, was to counter inflation and protect the poor, but what it has obviously caused is greater hardship for everyone, including 'the poor' that he claims he is trying to protect. And instead of curbing inflation, it is now at a hefty 78 percent, in an oil-rich country to boot. Food prices have also increased substantially, and the problem distributors are having, is that the actual cost of food far surpasses the prices the government has set for said items. Of course, the government is quick to deny any inherent problems with price-fixing.

Supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela

And reminiscent of Cuba's CDR (snitch system) the Venezuelan government has created a toll-free number for people to "denounce the hoarders and speculators". According to the Information Ministry,"The weight of the law will be felt, and we demand punishment."

It's only going to get worse!

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Chavez's best buddies

Was checking out Caracas Chronicles today, and found a few interesting quotes that Chavez has made about certain individuals that he seems quite taken with. In light of Parade's recent list of the world's 20 worst dictators, it's quite telling that most ranked in the top 20, at least at some point in time. I'm wondering how long it will take before Chavez, himself, makes it to that list!

Hugo's best buds:

"...a friend and brother."-Chávez on Qaddafi (ranked #9)

"I am only a soldier in this battle. Fidel is our president. If we had to name a president of the world with enough powers to set it right, it would be Fidel. I believe in one decade he could set the world right."-Chávez on Fidel Castro (ranked #9 in 2004)

"We have the same political vision." Chavez on Bashar Al-Assad. (ranked #10)

"Here, I've got a new friend and together we'll form a team, a go-ahead team. I thank you, Alexander, for solidarity and we've come here to demonstrate our solidarity."-Chávez on Lukashenko (ranked # 14)

"You are and always will be a true freedom warrior."-Chávez on Mugabe (ranked #7)

"....good friends." Chavez on Putin (ranked #20)

"...he's a brother..." -Chávez on Saddam (ranked #3 in 2003)

Chavez salutes the "solidarity" between "friendly nations" specifically, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. "Socialism survives ... in North Korea which, although isolated and alone, has achieved a strong economy." (ranked #2)

And last but certainly not least, we have Ahmadinejad. And although he, personally, did not make the ranks, Iran's Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, did.