Venezuela charges opposition leader, sparking protests

[Zorro]

Source: AFP

Protests broke out in Caracas after Venezuela's attorney general charged jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez with responsibility for anti-government demonstrations that have shaken the country for two months.

The Harvard-educated economist has been held in a military prison since his February 18 arrest in the midst of an opposition protest rally against leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who has faced near-daily demonstrations since early February.

Thirty-nine people have died in clashes between security forces and protesters angered by soaring crime, high inflation and shortages of essential goods. Another 608 were wounded and 192 are going through the court process.

Attorney General Luis Ortega Diaz told a press conference that formal charges were brought against Lopez, leader of the Popular Will party, accusing him of inciting violence, arson, damage to property and conspiracy.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/jailed-venezuelan-opposition-leader-formally-charged-185439105.html

[7962]

1. No response from the usual Maduro-istas??

[Zorra]

2. The response from the DU anti-imperialist left is: YAY!

Last edited Mon Apr 7, 2014, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Lopez is a RW fascist who was trying to overthrow the left wing government of Venezuela in service of the 1% so that him and his domestic and foreign super rich RW fascist pals could take over, steal the oil, and end all the progressive humanitarian programs that have improved the lives of the majority of Venezuelans under Chavez and Maduro.

From the article:

[link:http://news.yahoo.com/jailed-venezuelan-opposition-leader-formally-charged-185439105.html|
snip---
Lopez and some other opposition leaders support a strategy dubbed "the exit" that is aimed at generating pressure through street protests for Maduro -- the handpicked successor to late socialist icon Hugo Chavez -- to resign.
snip---
Colombian suspect Hugo Alberto Nuncira Soto, alias "Don Diego" and "El Junco," of the Los Urabenos criminal gang was arrested, Maduro said, blaming him for "guarimbas," or blocking streets with rubble.

Gabriel Alejandro Reyes Beltran of Venezuela, who is wanted by Interpol, was also arrested on charges of setting up barricades in San Cristobal.

"Criminal gangs of Colombian drug traffickers, paramilitaries and border security forces are directly involved in the planning and execution of roadblocks," the president complained on national media.

http://news.yahoo.com/jailed-venezuelan-opposition-leader-formally-charged-185439105.html]

[7962]

3. Then I guess you should LOVE this:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/04/venezuela-queues-food-ration-cards

Yep, this should solve everything.

[Zorra]

4. Every country has problems; and RW imperialists are singling out Venezuela because they want

wealthy domestic private interests and wealthy foreign private interests to take over so that the global 1% can control Venezuela's resources and labor, and take Venezuela back to the miserable human conditions of the pre-Chavez eras.

At one time we had a Great Depression in our country where food became unavailable to many due to extreme mass poverty. Should we have allowed the American sympathizers with rise of European fascism take over our government so they could try to fix this condition?

Venezuela has a new system that has only been in place for 15 years or so. There will be mistakes, and there will be attacks from the 1% that wants control of Venezuela as desperately as they wanted control of Iraq.

Fuck fascism, and every RWer as well, nothing good has ever come out of either.

[7962]

5. When you have more oil than any other country, it shouldnt take 15 yrs,

and you shouldnt run out of ANYTHING. And you shouldnt steal from legal international companies. The result WILL be more and more companies like Air Canada refusing to do any business with them. So supply and service issues will worsen. And the problems are going to increase because what the government has chosen to do WILL NOT WORK.
I hope the US does stay out of it. Totally. The people elected the leaders they have, so let them see what they get. Let it fail on its own.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. +1! And fail it will, without any help from us. Of course, we'll still be blamed.

[freshwest]

8. Yes, we'll be blamed, the new American exceptionalism is how incredibly EVIL we are. And we don't

need to make other countries run themselves based on what has worked for us. One size does not fit all and we have plenty to do right here at home.

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. Exactly.

[Zorra]

17. CALL VENEZUELAS CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!

Explain to them how you know how they can solve all their problems.

I'm sure they'll be eternally grateful for your helpful expertise.

[FrodosPet]

13. If only Che Guevara were still alive and helping the Bolivarian Revolution

The streets would run red with the blood of the oppressors, their offspring, and their lackeys and supporters.

Those who do not embrace the will of the people would never be allowed to oppose it.

"Hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine. This is what our soldiers must become …"

[freshwest]

15. Rather undemocratic. Or demagogic and genocidal. Same as reichwingnuts.

Thumbs down on that!

[freshwest]

7. I'm kinda surprised that they want all this electronic stuff, but from your own link:

But the larger aim is to halt the huge outflow of food to neighbouring Colombia, where it sells for up to 10 times as much. It is estimated that almost 40% of Venezuela's food is transported illegally across the border.

There would be NO shortages if almost half the domestic food wasn't being taken across the border to another country. And that the prices in Columbia are 10X as high means food is very cheap in Venezuela. It has to be for such a large profit margin to occur.

And despite the negative spin at the top of the article, further down it also says, Instead of being disdained by the consumers, they are happy about it:

...Some of the people here have come to register for the new system; others simply want to buy food. Most of them have already been waiting for several hours. They are desperate over what they say is a lifetime spent standing in queues. The card, they hope, will put an end to a perverse cycle they say they cannot bear for much longer.

"This card will take the edge, the sense of panic, out of shopping. If we know that we will find rice or milk next time we come we don't need to stock up and so there will be more to go around," says Oscar Romero, as he orders a cup of coffee from a street vendor to make the wait more pleasant.

After queuing for almost three hours, Pascual Sandoval is just three blue plastic chairs away from registering for the "card for secure supply" as it is being called. Inside, government employees will ask him for his name, home address, job and salary, and if he owns a home or vehicle. They will even scan his thumbprint. "It is a needed step to stop food contraband and speculators who have bled us dry of food," says Sandoval, a retired stonemason.

Like Sandoval, Romero blames the shortage of basic shopping items on speculative shoppers who buy milk, sugar and toilet paper at the subsidised store to resell in their street stalls at three times the price.

Do you want to reconsider what you perhaps thought of as a 'gotcha' moment there with that link, I'm guessing because you were thinking of the difference in regular retail here and food programs for the poor, who are truly rationed here?

While I make no claim to know Venezuela, and my take all this is not like what I'm generally seeing argued in these theads, it doesn't appear to be a bad thing.

I don't want to be involved in such a system myself, but if this is a food program for the poor, at least they aren't being threatened everyday by GOP Randians drooling at the thought of starving grandmas, et al.

I do see it as possibly trying to micromanage the wrong group, unless there is proof these are the ones who are reducing the food stuffs in Venezuela by smuggling. IDK who is doing it.

Nor why Columbia isn't self-sufficient in its food production as Venezuela obviously is, so much so they aren't starving with only 60% of their food left.

I think you have not made your case on this being a bad idea. But is is creepy to American sentiments.

It's also interesting that they refer to it as something like a supermarket club card where one is not allowed to buy unlimited amounts of a product to not interfere with it being available for all.

Just my opinion. What do you think of my take on it?

[Judi Lynn]

10. Stupendous post! Thank you. n/t

[7962]

12. The food is sold in Columbia BECAUSE of the price controls in VZ. It would be the same anywhere.

People are earning money despite the government. There's no shortage in Columbia, they just buy VZ food and save their money. Its no different than what used to happen in the old Soviet Union, and what happens now in Cuba. The shortages are manufactured by the government trying to control what they cannot control.
The rationing will only push the people to figure out how to do it a different way, and they will. Regardless of nationality, people will always figure out how to get around these types of controls. And what will the govt do? Push even MORE control, which will keep the snowball rolling.

[freshwest]

9. Don't hold back! Tell us what you really think! I may not agree with all of that, but good rant. n/t

[Zorra]

18. lol

[Judi Lynn]

11. Absolutely. Thank you. n/t

[Pterodactyl]

14. Of course he's not responsible for protests when he was in jail, right? Right?

They ought to charge that ass Maduro with causing protests.