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Caribbean-Latin America
The Game Changed in Venezuela Last Night
2016-02-25
– and the International Media Is Asleep At the Switch

Dear International Editor:

Listen and understand. The game changed in Venezuela last night. What had been a slow-motion unravelling that had stretched out over many years went kinetic all of a sudden.

What we have this morning is no longer the Venezuela story you thought you understood.

Throughout last night, panicked people told their stories of state-sponsored paramilitaries on motorcycles roaming middle class neighborhoods, shooting at people and storming into apartment buildings, shooting at anyone who seemed like he might be protesting.

People continue to be arrested merely for protesting, and a long established local Human Rights NGO makes an urgent plea for an investigation into widespread reports of torture of detainees. There are now dozens of serious human right abuses: National Guardsmen shooting tear gas canisters directly into residential buildings. We have videos of soldiers shooting civilians on the street.

And that’s just what came out in real time, over Twitter and YouTube, before any real investigation is carried out. Online media is next, a city of 645,000 inhabitants has been taken off the internet amid mounting repression, and this blog itself has been the object of a Facebook “block” campaign.

What we saw were not “street clashes”, what we saw is a state-hatched offensive to suppress and terrorize its opponents.

Here at Caracas Chronicles we’re doing what it can to document the crisis, but there’s only so much one tiny, zero-budget blog can do.

After the major crackdown on the streets of large (and small) Venezuelan cities last night, I expected some kind of response in the major international news outlets this morning. I understand that with an even bigger and more photogenic freakout ongoing in an even more strategically important country, we weren’t going to be front-page-above-the-fold, but I’m staggered this morning to wake up, scan the press and find…

Nothing.
Hat tip to a loyal Rantburg citizen on Facebook. Venezuela is about to crash and burn due to yet another failed attempt at socialism. Now that the Bolivarian Socialists have grabbed everything that can be looted (and now that Hugo's daughter is the richest person in South America), it's time for naked violence to keep the population down. A lot of innocent people are going to die.
Posted by:Steve White

#18  I remember reading something like this, if not this article, possibly here at the 'Burg.

Seems like a couple weeks before that model was shot during protests

(looks it up)

Genesis Carmona, Feb 19, 2014.

Oh yeah, sort of like Neda in Iran, it was at the time a desperate attempt for any international recognition, in retrospect the last best chance.

Perhaps Sad Panda could enlighten me on dutiful reciprocity of action between two political groups not of the same moral obligations?

But yeah, it is remarkable so many sites, not just here, are just now seeing it for the first (remembered?) time.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2016-02-25 18:39  

#17  The If’s, When’s and How’s of Regime Change
Posted by: KBK   2016-02-25 17:40  

#16  Still screwed up:

Scroll down for English version of corruption chart
Posted by: KBK   2016-02-25 17:37  

#15  The fact the article is almost 2 years old is telling. It's just now getting out.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2016-02-25 13:51  

#14  There's lots of socialist water in Flint, Anon1, and lots of free education in LA, if you speak spanish.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2016-02-25 12:59  

#13  But ACA is a cock up.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2016-02-25 12:23  

#12  No property taxes (if you buy it you own it, why should the govt charge you rent on what you own??)

Can't argue with that.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2016-02-25 12:22  

#11  That strategy worked on voters for the Affordable Care Act.
Posted by: Skidmark   2016-02-25 10:51  

#10  There is no reason to treat 5% of an issue as 95% of the marketed bullshit. And eat everyone's money for a bullshit program that was bankrupt before it's start - MR $250 BRILLIANT in Un-funded Debt future. Time to ignore it and build a choooo chooooooo train to ignore this?
Posted by: newc   2016-02-25 10:38  

#9  i agree with you. communism is evil. i do like public health care, being from australia we are used to it. also roads, fresh water, sanitation services and education.

plus police and military

but apart from that.... nothing should get funded. No public housing for a start. And no CGT tax - tax on inflation. No property taxes (if you buy it you own it, why should the govt charge you rent on what you own??)

However there is a point -- if you post stuff that is 2 years old, and it appears to be a crisis unfolding, maybe let the readers know the date so that they know it is not breaking news, of something happening right now.

otherwise people will be thinking Caracas is about to go up in flames ...
Posted by: anon1   2016-02-25 09:02  

#8  this story on the original at the link is dated February 20, 2014

so it is 2 years old...
Posted by anon1

Sir, Yes.
But the Lesson is Eternal.

There are two types of people: Those that use the law to enrich themselves, and those who are to pay for it.

If you Need Government, you lost any Moral Sovereign
Posted by: newc   2016-02-25 08:14  

#7  The only thing Socialists concentrate on is perfecting a turd with another roach coach vendor with a license to Racketeer (RICO)

They take 90% of profit
Posted by: newc   2016-02-25 08:02  

#6  Just remember Jimmy Carter 'certified' a fraud racked election. Virtue signalling on his part to avoid a potential civil war. The price has been paid for years now by the people of Venezuela and will continue to accrued interest.

That's the same Jimmy who didn't back the Shah of Iran, giving the world the resurgence of fundamental Islam, the hostages, the signal for the Russians to invade Afghanistan and the opening for Saddam to initiate the Iran-Iraq War, followed by the invasion of Kuwait. However, Jimmy was virtuous in not backing that strong man in Iran.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2016-02-25 08:01  

#5  this story on the original at the link is dated February 20, 2014

so it is 2 years old...

Thank you. Missed that. Aargh...
Posted by: anon1   2016-02-25 06:59  

#4  Gutted a country and its population for a few billion dollars.
Posted by: gorb   2016-02-25 03:50  

#3  "Rule by Decree" Ain't Socialism grand?
Posted by: DepotGuy   2016-02-25 02:46  

#2  Show this at the next bernie rally.
http://mobile.reuters.com/news/picture/venezuelas-crackdown-on-dissent?articleId=USRTR4SMY7
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2016-02-25 02:43  

#1  And this is the state economic and social model that Bernie and his useful idiot supporters want to implement in the US.
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2016-02-25 01:22  

00:00