In my last post, I laid before you the current state of Venezuela, the misery imposed on its people by a socialist government which has yet to answer for the atrocities being inflicted on millions. Absurdities like “Coca-Cola ceases production in Venezuela due to sugar shortage”, “Gigantic beer crisis in Venezuela” and “McDonald’s takes Big Macs off menu citing the bread shortage in Venezuela” brought Venezuela to the news lately. I wish the list of incongruences would be shorter, that way I could focus more, but there is a sea of monstrous news to pick from when it comes to Venezuela, and we must carry on, so hold tight and I will bring you some more Bolivarian delights, which you can either use to prick fun at your commie friends or help by coming up with ideas to help (I am currently evaluating ways of sending aid and support to Venezuelans, advices are welcome).
On Venezuela’s latest submission to the “Unfortunate News” sponsored by the It Was Not Real Socialism Association, the said government has imposed forced labour on workers, who can now be forcefully moved from their jobs to farm fields or elsewhere in the agricultural sector for 60 days in order to “achieve strategic levels of self-sufficiency”. Yes, you read it right, as of July 2016, Venezuelans can be forced to work, and it is all legal thanks to Resolution no. 9855. Jamaica is currently paying off its oil debt to Venezuela by supplying them with food on a barter system, not a bad deal for Jamaicans if you ask me, but I bet you Venezuelans are much happier, and would trade much more oil for food if they could, taking into consideration the hours of queues for grocery shopping, often unsuccessful, or just watch what happened when the Venezuelan government opened the borders with Colombia to allow people to shop for basics. Even the Zoo animals are starving in Venezuela.
Fast forward a bit and we get a Recall Referendum being demanded by the opposition, which has gathered signatures to call for the public’s opinion on Maduro’s lingering mandate. Being successful on the first stage, the movement has already met a blip, the Supreme Court declared the parliament in contempt for swearing in opposition delegates, which nulls and voids all decisions until they step down. The National Electoral Council (CNE) did not set a date for the recall process to go ahead, when the opposition will have three days to collect 4 million signatures.
The evident love affair between Latin American countries and Socialism does not get enough repercussion. Apart from Castro’s lost paradise and recent hunger-ridden Venezuela, most people are surprised to know how most, if not all, Latino countries have a large socialist influence. Just in the past week, Nicaragua, part of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our Americas (ALBA), suffered a Coup, rendering Daniel Ortega, the president of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, an effective dictator, deposing each and every opposition lawmaker at once. Ortega has been in power before, from 1979 to 1990, and in this turn has been in charge since 2007, he has since, amended the constitution, extending his mandate, now indefinitely. You can read more here.
As the cases pile up, rendering Latin America a new Soviet breeding ground, the whole world pretends to pay attention by tuning in to The Olympic Games in Brazil, most likely trying and portray a happy, rich, safe country (despite the news) making a case for the now impeached left wing Dilma to make it back to power, having for years supported Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and more. Despite the playful tone, I would like to raise awareness to a serious ongoing violence against the liberty of the people, propaganda is proving successful, thousands are starving, dying without medication, and their agenda is to spread this to the whole continent.
Stay tuned for the next episodes of the Latino commie telenovela.
Jones and Abbot picture © anphoblacht.com
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I read once that there was a saying in Brazil ‘We must be grateful for the night, because the politicians sleep’, I suspect that it was made up, and I was not given the original wording, but it seems appropriate. There is resistance in Venezuela, and there is hope whilst there is resistance. Also, in absurd Mercosur, Venezuela is not very welcome. At present, Paraguay seems a bit of a beacon, and the Chileans may repent their folly at the last election. Macri in Argentina might actually be rather sensible.
Elsewhere in South America, the impeachment of Rousseff appears to have prospects of success, but 2/3rds of the Senate is a lot to hope for, but at least it shows that the rule of law is not dead, as Temer is now acting President, so it acts as a warning, and removing the President pending trial outcome, unlike in the USA, does show that there are checks with real consequences.
The big problem is the political vulture (I tried to write ‘culture’, but hey) of socialism. It is not just South America, Barbados has two Labour parties vying for power. How can a culture be changed? Examples such as Venezuela and Cuba seem to teach many nothing. However, in Portugal once, before the USSR collapsed, I ostentatiously whitewashed over some communist graffiti on my family house, and a Portuguese neighbour came up and congratulated me, saying ‘We don’t want to live like in Russia.’. Not a hard sell, is it?
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Remember it is all “low oil prices” and (perhaps) “mismanagement” – socialism (for example government setting prices) must NOT be blamed – the “liberal” media and academia forbid that.
And “Social Justice” (wild government spending bankrupting the country) must not be blamed either.
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