La segunda muerte del Che Guevara
Por Alek Boyd
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 6 de mayo de 2008 | Che Guevara, el icono de los resentidos y revolucionarios del mundo, fue asesinado en La Higuera en octubre de 1967, no muy lejos de aquí. Aunque han pasado más de cuarenta años desde entonces, un proyecto de corte totalitario, dizque pro indigenista, que crea y exacerba tensiones raciales, acaba de ser asesinado, otra vez aquí. Algunos pensaran que los dos hechos no guardan relación. No obstante, históricamente este departamento ha tenido un rol preponderante en la política boliviana, y aun cuando solo tres Cruceños han logrado ascender al Olimpo político del país, no deja de ser cierto que actitudes e iniciativas emprendidas aquí han cambiado el panorama departamental y nacional. Así pues, la aprobación del estatuto autonómico el pasado domingo no solo constituye una bofetada a Evo Morales y sus patrones venezolanos y cubanos, sino que demuestra que el proyecto hegemónico conjunto no logra salvar obstáculos democráticos. >>
Is voting illegal in Bolivia?
By Alek Boyd
Santa Cruz 04.05.08 | The first question the BBC reporter asked me was why we were participating in an electoral event deemed illegal. As much as I wanted to ask him what sort of evidence existed to support such argument, beyond what the government of Evo Morales had been saying, I stated that it was premature for us, as electoral observers invited by the electoral regional body, to express any opinion in that respect. Our role in this process is one of observation. Therefore in the interest of impartiality it is expected of us to hear all sides and their arguments. Nonetheless the questioned legality of this process is worth discussing, and we shall be doing so in many years to come. >>
Software from Voting firm tied to Hugo Chavez still in use in US elections
By Alek Boyd
29,04,08 | The death of one Smartmatic founders in a plane crash yesterday in Catia La Mar, Alfredo Anzola, brought back to reality the huge conflict of interest behind its firm. In May 2006 Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), wrote to the Department of Treasury to ask if the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had reviewed the Smartmatic deal to buy Sequoia, which they had not. This prompted an investigation that coupled with the fiasco in Chicago in March 2006, where Sequoia's electronic voting devices -- supervised by Venezuelan personnel-- did not perform adequately, accelerated Smartmatic's alleged departure from the lucrative US election industry business. >>
Venezuela: Will Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory be expropriated?
By Alek Boyd
28.04.08 | You bet. It has happened before and it will happen again. Vestey's farms in Venezuela were once raided by the army after Chavez declared war against latifundistas. Afterwards Chavez paid Vestey off. Now, residents of Choroní, near Chuao where Chavez conducted his weekly talk-a-thon yesterday, allegedly accused William Harcourt-Cooze, of famous Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory, of underpaying and exploiting them. The former coupster has already ordered an 'investigation.' >>
Has Hugo Chavez thrown a lifeline to Ken Livingstone?
By Alek Boyd
10.04.08 | There are so many reasons why Londoners should boot Livingstone out of City Hall that is hard to enumerate all of them. In my opinion, near the top of relevance list, is Livingstone's cuddling of Venezuela's petro-caudillo Hugo Chavez, a failed coupster soon to be declared supporter of a terrorist organization by INTERPOL. Mind you, one key element in Livingstone's bid to win London's mayoral race is meant to be the environment. It does not bother him in the slightest, nor does it alert his daft opponents, that his militaristic chummy has pledged to build a 8,047 kilometers oil pipeline, through South American wilderness, from Caracas to Buenos Aires, which will destroy thousands of acres of rain forest. Neither does it trouble the communist mayor that Hugo Chavez heads one of the world's biggest, most polluting oil companies. >>
Letter to Mack & Ros-Lehtinen: Hugo Chavez supports terrorism, not Venezuela
By Alek Boyd
02.04.08 | The other day I received an email from somebody from Connie Mack's office, which contained the Congressional Resolution calling for Venezuela to be named State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST): "Citing Venezuela’s continued support of and ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), an internationally-recognized terrorist organization, Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives today that calls on the Administration to add Venezuela to the state sponsors of terrorism list." Said resolution is meant to have been supported by Reps. Michael McCaul (TX-10), Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03), Mike Pence (IN-06), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21) and Mary Bono Mack (CA-45). >>
How Not to Defend the Revolution: Mark Weisbrot and the Misinterpretation of Venezuela's Evidence
By Francisco Rodríguez
01.04.08 | Wesleyan University Assistant Professor of Economics and Latin American Studies, Dr. Francisco Rodríguez, was kind enough to send his reply to Chavez's favorite 'economy-expert' Mark Weisbrot, an economist, we've been told, whose grasp of economic matters is deficient, to say the least. However this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, when it's proven, beyond doubt, that Chavez's multi billion dollar propaganda campaign just can not get him sycophants clever enough to spin reality to acceptable levels. >>
Media War about Venezuela?
By Alek Boyd
30.03.08 | It is hard not to crack up at some headlines. The Associated Press sent out "Dueling Media Forums Set for Venezuela." Dueling, seems to me, to be a bit of a stretch. In one corner we have the Inter American Press Association, with its "membership in excess of 1,300, representing newspapers and magazines from Patagonia to Alaska, with a combined circulation of 43,353,762." In the other, we have Chavez and his media sidekicks, otherwise known as 'Bolivarian Communications Hegemonic Construct,' which according to its creator, fake journalist Andres Izarra, is modeled on Gramsci's "freedom and plural" hegemonic concepts. It is quite obvious that Izarra either does not have a clue about Gramsci's work or he is trying to mislead Venezuela's many gullible ignorants. However it is worth pointing out who these 'dueling' contenders are. >>
Ecuador: President Correa's hypocritical stance on human rights
By Tirso Suarez
26.03.08 | Franklin Aisalla Molina died during the raid launched by Colombian armed forces against a FARC camp in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos. Not a notorious death, as that of the second in command of the narcoterrorist organization Raúl Reyes, it has fuelled anew the dispute between Colombia and Ecuador. However tragic loss of human life is, without having made drug dealing terrorists exerting unquantifiable damage on many societies legally accountable, President Rafael Correa’s new found concern for human rights strikes as hypocritical. >>
Colombia: authorities recover depleted Uranium in the hands of the FARC, as described in Reyes' computer
By Miguel Octavio
27.0.08 | Well, the most far fetched and explosive revelation of the Reyes computer was apparently confirmed today when it was revealed that the FARC did indeed have 30 Kilos of Uranium. While this will create a lot of scary headlines, the truth is that this was a commercial transaction, not an attempt by the FARC to build any type of nuclear device or dirty bomb. >>
Victory for Colombia, theater in Caracas
By Michael Radu
27.03.08 | Dr. Michael Radu is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and Co-Chairman of FPRI’s Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security. | On the night of March 1, the Colombian military, in a brilliant land and air operation, obliterated a terrorist camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia--People's Army (FARC) one mile inside Ecuadorian territory and killed Luis Edgar Devia Silva, better known as Raul Reyes, a member of FARC's seven-member Secretariat, and 22 others, including a number of foreigners, at least four of them Mexicans. >>
Colombia: FARC's Raúl Reyes died from stepping on his own landmine
By Raúl Tortolero*
Mexico City, 25.03.08 | Originally published by EXonline | Colombian intelligence maintains that the guerrilla leader died from stepping on an explosive device he had planted there. Frightened and trying to flee in the darkness during the first bombing raid by the Colombian army, Raúl Reyes—FARC’s second in command—stepped on an anti-personnel mine, which destroyed his right leg, its fragments puncturing his face, causing his death shortly thereafter. The blood from his face wound drained onto his white T-shirt. His left eye had burst open and his cheek was shredded. >>
Alvaro Uribe keeps outchavezing Hugo Chavez
By Aleksander Boyd
08.03.08 | Many people have asked me in the last few days about the 'looming war' that Venezuela and Ecuador were to wage against Colombia. Thing is, observers did not notice that Chavez's 'lethal army' was held up for 7 hours in Autopista Regional del Centro by a handful of taxi drivers that blocked roads in protest of rampant insecurity. I refused to take part in the charade, for I felt that the MSM did a pretty good job in reporting Raul Reyes' killing and the subsequent juicy bits that came out from his computers. As it turns Colombia not only dealt a mortal blow to FARC's narcoterrorism, but Chilean and Mexican extremist political and student movements, Russian arms dealers and some uranium broker, Venezuela's and Ecuador's presidents and the whole Bolivarian revolution farce have been deeply affected. To those of us who have been saying that Hugo Chavez is, and has been all along, in bed with FARC, late news are reason to celebrate. Having been vindicated, by information coming coming out from Reyes' own laptop nonetheless, is just great. And Uribe, I am sure, is sitting on a mountain of evidence linking Chavez to all sorts of illegal stuff. The biggest looser of the tragicomedy, fortunately, is Hugo Chavez: a president that, not content with allowing Venezuela to become Colombia's cocaine produce launching pad, offers oil, funds, weapons, refuge, political support and state contracts to a narcoterrorist organization, effectively becoming a de facto advocate for drug dealing terrorists. This is the same president that Ken Livingstone and some rather fanatic English MPs support, but we all know how utterly deranged these other people are, don't we? No need of crucial information from laptops to confirm that. The Summit yesterday has to go down in history as one of the decisive episodes of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador contemporary histories: a man gives a bunch of dwarfs a real diplomacy class, Colombia's Alvaro Uribe outchavezes Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and his Ecuadorian puppet Rafael Correa before the world. Uribe, que grande eres mi hermano!! >>
The Unfulfilled Promises of Hugo Chavez
By Francisco Rodriguez
From Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008 | Summary: Even critics of Hugo Chavez tend to concede that he has made helping the poor his top priority. But in fact, Chavez's government has not done any more to fight poverty than past Venezuelan governments, and his much-heralded social programs have had little effect. A close look at the evidence reveals just how much Chavez's "revolution" has hurt Venezuela's economy -- and that the poor are hurting most of all. >>
Correcting Venezuela coverage: Press Association misleadingly describes Chavez - Livingstone oil deal
By Aleksander Boyd
26.02.08 | In the article "Cheap oil plan for Scotland?" The Press Association argues that Venezuela "provides subsidised fuel for London buses." >>
Correcting Venezuela coverage: man killed in blast was police officer
By Aleksander Boyd
25.02.08 | The man killed while planting a bomb in the headquarters of Fedecamaras, Venezuela's business chamber, was in fact a police officer at the Metropolitan Police. Héctor Serrano was identified as the only victim of the blast, which caused extensive material damage. Leaflets of a leftist guerrilla group, called Ejército Izquierdista del Pueblo (FGV-EIP), were found. >>
Exxon v PDVSA? Hugo Chavez v Venezuela actually
By Miguel Octavio
20.02.08 | You have all heard in the last ten days the cries in defense of sovereignty coming from the leaders of the revolution from top man Hugo Chavez, to Rafael Ramirez, to any bit size National Assembly Deputy trying to get his image on TV to get his or her opinions on the matter: Treason! Nobody was defending sovereignty in the IVth. Republic! Let's jail them for allowing foreign Courts to rule on contracts that should only have a Venezuelan jurisdiction - Cried most of them. >>
Hugo Chavez and the FARC boost Uribe's popularity
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 24.01.08 | That Alvaro Uribe is outchavezing Chavez since the very beginning became evident to me a long time ago. Colombia's president, a democratically elected man that has been outfoxing narcoterrorists attempts on his life for years now, plays the Venezuelan pariah like a fiddle. He first allowed Chavez to step in as 'negotiator' probably with the absolute certainty that by doing so the world would witness the relationship between the FARC and the Boliviarian caudillo. The latter, by clumsily appointing Rodriguez Chacin as the liaison agent and then as Interior Minister, put another nail in the coffin of his public persona, for let us never forget that FARC's leader Rodrigo Granda's family entered Venezuela under express orders of Rodriguez Chacin back in the days of his first tenure as Interior Minister. The cozy relationship between Rodriguez Chacin and the FARC is well known and documented, for how can anyone ignore his recent warm farewell to FARC members -in front of the cameras- stating "keep up your spirit and fight, we are with you"? >>
Re FARC hostages BBC replies
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 23-01-08 | Yesterday I sent a short note to the BBC, asking if they could share the source of the number of hostages Jeremy McDermott alleged are held by the narcoterrorist group FARC. To my surprise BBC News Website did reply, and in timely fashion, for which it merits a sincere and public thanks. Below the note received from the Beeb. >>
BBC's Jeremy McDermott echoing FARC's hostage numbers
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 22-01-08 | The following is a letter I have just sent to the BBC, though I do not expect any meaningful reply from it. >>
"El Señor Presidente": Venezuela film that said NO to Hugo Chávez
Venezuela--(HISPANIC PR WIRE - PRNewswire)--January 23rd, 2008--A country that falls apart amidst the degradation of a shameful tyranny, the unimaginable levels of decomposition of a corrupted society and everything opposed to a love story, one that seems doomed from inception, are the key plot lines of "El Señor Presidente". >>
Hugo Chavez must leave Venezuela’s presidency in 2013
By Aleksander Boyd
New York 18.12.07 - For many years freedom loving Venezuelans lived with a harrowing prospect: that of seeing Hugo Chavez perpetuate himself indefinitely in power as his idol Fidel Castro. Time and again the strongman would state, unambiguously, that his rule would end in 2021 or 2031 or 2050… None of it made sense, however for Chavez it has been very clear since his early revolutionary days. As he once said to co-coupster Francisco Arias Cardenas “once in power we will never relinquish it.” The real goal of the constitutional reform proposal recently presented was to introduce, for the first time in Venezuela’s republican life, indefinite reelection. It must be borne in mind though that indefinite reelection was meant to be a possibility which solely the president of the country could, exclusively, benefit from, for no other democratically elected public servant, be it governors, majors, deputies, councilmen, etc. could have run for additional terms had the reform been approved. Moreover President Chavez is on the record expressing that emergence of caudillos had to be avoided at all costs. Such naked ambition leaves very little doubt as to the democratic credentials of Hugo Chavez. >>
The Hallaca Effect: Chavez's Undoing
By Aleksander Boyd
New York 15.12.07 - The Devil was right. Throughout the last few years I have had many great debates with my fellow bloggers. My line of thinking vis-a-vis the reasons that would bring Chavez down have always been related to his ability/inability to spread money around. In that sense I tended to believe that decreasing oil prices was never going to be the caudillo's undoing, as he has mastered the art of rattling energy markets whenever he feels like it via outrageous remarks or nationalization antics. No, in my view it depended on the, now official, ever decreasing output of PDVSA coupled with the ever increasing size of not only the company but the Venezuelan State. Less production meant less money; less money meant that whatever available only would last for a limited number of projects, handouts, presidential-suitcase jobs, etc. More leeches less blood sort of analogy. >>
So who else is 'democrat' Hugo Chavez financing?
By Aleksander Boyd
New York 13.12.07 - Been a bit slow on the news lately but, what to do about the arrest of Moises Maionica, 36, Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, Rodolfo Edgardo Wanseele Paciello, 40, Franklin Duran, 40, and Carlos Kauffmann, 35, in Miami for "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? It seems that the stench goes all the way up to the offices of the 'democratic' leaders of Venezuela and Argentina. Demonstrably we have two in the count: Evo Morales and Cristina Kirchner. I wonder if solid evidence on Red Ken and Daniel Ortega will ever surface, perhaps it is only a matter of time. >>
Democrat Chavez subverting Bolivia
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 08.12.07 - A Venezuelan military plane, identified with registration no. 9508, was attacked by an angry group in the city of Riberalta, Bolivia 2 days ago. The group, presumably foes of Chavez´s puppet Evo Morales, waited until the plane landed and proceeded to throw stones at it which caused an earlier than planned departure. The impromptu escape left Luis Michel Klein Ferrer, allegedly former Venezuelan army officer, stranded at the airport from where he escaped only to be be captured, beaten and, after negotiations, released. Bolivian daily La Prensa reports that Klein Ferrer had a briefcase containing $872,000. >>
Hugo Chavez: a democrat?
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 06.12.07 - Only 3 days ago I was apologetic about my erred perception about my country, after all Hugo Chavez had allowed the NO option to win the constitutional referendum. But has he really? >>
Venezuela says NO to Hugo Chavez
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 03.12.07 - Before anything else I publicly admit that I misread, yet again, the political climate in my country and I was wrong about the likely outcome of yesterday’s referendum when I stated that victory for Chavez was a given. >>
A year on Venezuela´s political landscape unchanged
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 30.11.07 - At this time last year I was in the thick of a presidential campaign. For some 50 days I had been shadowing the opposition candidate of choice, traveling around Venezuelan cities and towns, getting all worked and excited about what appeared to be his growing chances of beating Chavez at the ballots. Mind you having been pushed, hugged, carried, stepped on, run over, kissed, hit and, in a way, instantly loved, just for being part of the entourage of a politico, is a life changing experience. It is humbling. Seeing thousands and thousands of compatriots cheering and singing and dancing in the midst of striking poverty, immersed in a state of collective frenzy, day in and day out, has a potent effect on one’s objectivity and I must admit that my perception then was clearly altered by what I was living on a daily basis. The party-like atmosphere of rallies is very contagious, that’s for certain. Election day came and I promised myself not to be carried away in order to do some serious reporting. >>
On the reasons why Chavez´s reform will pass in Venezuela
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 27.11.07 - There is a saying back home that mocks wishful thinkers. Pensando en pajaritos preñados means, literally, that somebody is thinking about pregant little birds so as to factor in something which is implausible. To illustrate what I mean I will give some examples. Yesterday I got an email request from a fellow blogger who dabbles into policy strategies for Primero Justicia: the party is troubled about getting some voluntary witnesses for the NO option in the coming referendum on the constitutional reform. "Great!" I would have thought, the parties seem to be getting their act together just 6 days before the vote actually takes place. But where is Primero Justicia looking for witnesses, is it for Chachopo, Bobure, Punta Mata or Elorza? No, the lack of witnesses in London has got them worried... So what should I assume, that Primero Justicia has managed to cover each and every single one of the 33,000 polling centres in Venezuela? Again, great news, only if it had any resemblance with reality. >>
Para aprobar reforma Hugo rompe con España y Colombia
Por Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 26.11.07 - A escasos 6 días del referendo sobre la reforma constitucional el teniente coronel ha vuelto a dizque suspender las relaciones con Colombia y congelado las relaciones con España. Y digo ha vuelto a suspender con Colombia pues a muchos parece habérseles escapado el incidente previo con ese país por la captura del narcoterrorista Rodrigo Granda en Caracas, quien moraba de lo mas campante en Venezuela protegido por el régimen chavista. La reacción de Alvaro Uribe y en especial su tenaz comentario sobre el carácter legitimador de terrorismo de Chavez son, en la opinión de este observador de la política venezolana y regional, lo más certero que presidente latinoamericano alguno haya dicho en los últimos 8 años, ya que el accionar del golpista no puede interpretarse como eso: legitimación del terrorismo. Uribe entrego a Chavez recientemente en Chile un dossier que contenía información detallada de presencia y asentamientos de la narcoguerrilla FARC en Venezuela. ¿Y que hizo Chavez con ello? Pues lo mismo que hizo hace muchos años cuando el General Nestor Gonzalez Gonzalez le informo personalmente de las actividades de estos terroristas en el país, léase absolutamente nada. >>
The Systematic Annihilation of the Right to Vote in Venezuela
From http://esdata.info
14.11.2007 | Editor's note: fellow bloggers are reporting the launching of a website that deals with the many issues that Venezuela's electoral system has. With the aid of presentations, research, peer-reviewed internationally published papers and mathematic models the site provides solid proof of the utter unreliability of Venezuela's electoral system. Please visit http://esdata.info More >>
Venezuela's Chavez: that ungrateful SOB
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 14.11.07 | "Spanish investment in Venezuela is not indispensable for us, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya, Banco Santander ... we don't need them," reported Reuters that Chavez said at a news conference. Is this the same Hugo Chavez that got $1,525,586 in 1998-99 from Spain's Banco Bilbao Vizcaya? What an ungrateful SOB that Chavez, now that he commands unrestrictedly Venezuela's monies 'he doesn't need' Spanish banks any more... >>
Why don't you shut up?
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 11.11.07 | Democrats the world were royally treated yesterday when Spain's King told Venezuela's dictator to shut up. Mind you this is one of those historic moments that people cherish and the delicious phrase will surely become a motto "why don't you shut up?" or "porque no te callas?" in the proper King's language. So neat is the phrase that I tried yesterday to purchase the domain www.porquenotecallas.com or register a blog with the coined question as title alas couldn't do either; others had been quicker at it. >>
King of Spain tells Chavez to shut up...
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 10.11.07 | ... at the summit in Chile. And who comes to his defence? None other that über democrats Daniel Ortega and Fidel's minion Carlos Lage. Great stuff, isn't it? I guess my previous article was right on the money... >>
Venezuela's Emperor is naked and kicking
By Aleksander Boyd
Marbella 10.11.07 | Gone are the days when we struggled to explain to interested parties what Hugo Chavez meant for Venezuela's democracy. For the first time in many years international news correspondents based in Venezuela are actually reporting what's going on. Newswires and pictures depicting the caudillo's supporters shooting unarmed students are making the rounds. Nowadays very few people fall for the official propaganda, editors in some news sources even place single quotes when citing verbatim from Chavez or his officials, mocking its preposterousness. >>
