I could tell you about my ordeal to find medication for 4 different treatments I am supposed to take. I had to look for them in about a dozen pharmacies in Caracas and about half a dozen in San Felipe. In the end I could sort of put together with substitutes and incompletes three of them, Fortunately none was vital, one was preventive and one "just in case" otherwise I probably would not be typing today.
I could tell you that toilet paper, powder milk, coffee, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo seem to have disappeared for good. Corn flour, despite its recent price increase, is still nowhere to be found. But we do have tooth paste and mouth wash aplenty, something that was missing badly last year. I have stocked just in case.
Thus it is more relaxing to discuss the latest adventures of Obama's executive order and Maduro/Cabello hysteria. As you may recall Obama signed about a moth ago an executive order that bans 7 (SEVEN) Venezuelans from entry in the US, from having checking accounts in the US, from having property in the US, from having business deal with US citizens. They can go and do such things ANYWHERE else in the world but not in the US.
PERIOD.
Well, this sent the regime in a frothing in the mouth frenzy. First, they decided that this decree was about Venezuela, not 7 corrupt officials with crimes ranging from drug trafficking to human rights abuse. Of course NO SINGLE investigation was started inside Venezuela to prove the US wrong. But who is counting? They moved swiftly to bring to the dark side as many international players as possible. In Latin America this was not too difficult as chavista money has corrupted so many already that they better support any criminal in Venezuela least they are placed in the list next. By the said criminal probably. Blackmail has its advantages and when you can do it to others because you owe them so much money it is even funnier.
But this was not the worst, by far. The worst was the campaign started all across the country to have people sign a "petition" to have Obama withdraw the executive order. You may ask: what is wrong with that? Well, not only school children in public schools were drafted (and their parents along), but they even went to jails to gather signatures from inmates. The pressure on public servants was, well, you can imagine. Even Maduro went door to door (in San Felipe the fascist governor sent plenty to collect door to door).
Now, I am asking you, Maduro or a red shirted group shows up at your door and asks you to sign. What would you do if you disagree but lived in Podunck Venezuela while a Nazional Guard or militia accompanies the party that goes door to door?
Right.....
The amazing thing is that Maduro, Cabello et al. probably think that the world will not take notice on how these signatures have been taken. There are embassies, you know. But in the end the regime could not care less because this going to be another huge political tool for them: the renewal of the Tascon List. Those that will not appear in the data base currently elaborated out of these sheets (even the phone number was requested) will be a new Tascon List of sorts and will be used to actively discriminate against them in the future, as traitors preferably. The regime claims already 4.5 million signatures, This is enough to insure a chavista base easily blackmailed in the future to control both sides of the populace as need arises. They want 10 millions. Who knows, they may come to my office and I may sign. Twice if necessary. Who cares? What credibility in that process? I promise to take a picture if the day comes.
At least there is a silver lining: many inside the opposition will have their political career seriously dented for having supported the regime on that without having dared to demand at least an investigation. In particular the various flip.flops of Lara governor Heni Falcon will have a big cost. Good riddance.
So there you are, any excuse to advance the totalitarian state. Even Twitter is now threatened...
But what else can Cabello and Maduro do? If they are ousted from power they go to jail. All criminals know that when their weapons are taken away what is left is jail. So we can expect them to forge ahead with more crimes and abuses.
PS: more than ever I support the Obama executive order because it has revealed how rotten is Venezuela as a whole. Even if that was not necessarily the original intent.
And Pooh-Pooh on all who think that "the timing was bad" "the opposition will be hurt" "it helps Maduro in Latin America" and assorted idiocies.
0 Komentar