Photo by Alé and used under a Creative Commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alele/3779476136/

The current Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but it also indicates that there must be some limits and responsibilities. However, this bill increases the number of crimes that may be committed by those in the media. The bill contains 17 articles that states that owners of media outlets, journalists, sources, and anyone that participates in any communication media, may receive up to 4 years in prison if the published news causes a public panic in the population or disturbs the peace, security, or independence of the Venezuelan State. The same punishment can be applied for those manipulating information, as well as those that harm “the mental health or public morals.”

It is these vague terms that concern many Venezuelan bloggers and journalists. They argue that the loose interpretation of these crimes may allow the government to crack down on any members of the media that criticize the government. It would be up to the government's discretion to determine what actions fit within the framework of the new law. Many of the country's bloggers and journalists are quite concerned about how such a law might be applied and what it would mean for journalism in Venezuela.

One such person is Journalism professor Moraima Guanipa, who comments on Twitter that the bill is a [es] “new attempt to establish censorship and self-censorship through the penalization of journalistic work.”

A couple of bloggers were among those that are using citizen media tools to create videos to provide their thoughts on the bill. Blogger Naky Soto made a viral video explaining how the bill strengthens the punitive character in the practice of journalism. Another blogger, Jogreg Henríquez of the blog Circulemos [es] created a video to alert the dangers that “anyone” could go to jail because of the government's loose interpretation of the regulation. The video is subtitled into English:

Other reactions from Venezuelan twitterers:

Kira Kariakin @kirakar

Dicen que George Bush asesoró a Luisa Ortega Diaz (la Fiscal) en su propuesta de Ley de delitos mediáticos…

@lobohombreriera

Leo la ley de delitos mediáticos. A ver quien es el guapo que puede definir lo que es “salud moral”. Vaya país. #FreeMediaVe

Analiz Suárez @anairinna:

Junto a la Ley de delítos mediáticos, deben -a su vez- crear una mega carcel, para que puedan meternos a todos :) ¿no que no?

@nabifer:

esto de la Ley de Delitos Mediáticos no deja dormir. Yo creo que no nos estamos percantando de la magnitud del asunto. #freemediave

The blog Panfleto Negro [es], which recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary as an online collective, comments that a law like that will also affect the State.

Finalmente, en Venezuela se legalizará la censura, una avanzada heroíca de la derecha conservadora y fundamentalista. El único aspecto positivo consiste en la posibilidad real de hacer limpieza. Desde ya en panfletonegro esperamos que apresen al Presidente, a todo el tren ministerial y a los miembros relevantes de la Asamblea Nacional, así como también a todos los reporteros de los canales del Estado y de los medios privados, por los delitos que cometen diariamente según este proyecto de ley.

In addition, the blogger at Slave to the PC [es] makes an announcement: “I declare myself a delinquent. Ladies and gentlemen, soon I will be a delinquent. Every time that I criticize some governmental action in this blog, I will be running the risk of being tried by the ‘Venezuelan justice' system.” He added that the other risk is self-censorship:

La idea de criminalizar la información es un reflejo claro de que este Gobierno está en decadencia. La justificación de querer poner límites a la libertad de expresión muestra un rechazo impresionante a la democracia. El debate, la discusión y, lo mas importante, la voz de cada quien, quedan suspendidos hasta nuevo aviso. La autocensura será la solución de los entregados. La búsqueda y muestra de la realidad será la bandera de los que lucharán. Caerán algunos, de eso estoy seguro, pero no podran callarlos a todos.

On the other hand, Michel, a pro-government blogger, uses the same argument as the Attorney General in saying that freedom of expression should be balanced with the citizen security and cites the irresponsibility of some media outlets [es]:

La fiscal general señaló que es necesario regular la actividad de los medios y brindarle una protección apropiada a los ciudadanos, quienes lucen indefensos ante el uso irracional del poder que actualmente ostentan los medios de comunicación social.

Finally, journalist Carlos Correa, director of the NGO Espacio Público [es] writes about what is at stake:

Dada la importancia de la libertad de expresión en una sociedad democrática, debe el Estado garantizar y promover su ejercicio, no limitarlo mediante leyes que buscan silenciar los medios de comunicación o todo intento de expresión libre y crítica.

Venezuelan bloggers and twitter users are covering the election with the tag #23N (November 23). One can see the various tweets that are already using this tag.

A few weeks ago, a campaign was launched to encourage people to vote, and to use citizen media to talk about the elections. This video is called “Create Your Own Network” and the translation:

Did you know you can be electoral observer on November 23?

You don't need to ask permission from the CNE (National Electoral Court) or any political party

You don't need to fill out a form or wear any credential

You just need to commit yourself with your network of friends, neighbors, family and colleagues

Circulate information of which you are a witness

Send messages from your cell phone or via the internet

Use your cell phone, your camera, internet connection, your blog, and if you don't have one, this is a good time to create one, your Facebook

Create your own network of citizens

Vote and Observe!

To see all of the videos, visit Hector Palacios at Rayas y Palabras [es], who was one of the organizers of the video campaign, along with Karelia Espinoza of Explikme [es], Luis Carlos Díaz of Periodismo de Paz [es], Naky Soto Parra of Zaperoco [es], Iria Puyosa of No Suma Cero [es], and Jogreg Henriquez of Circulemos [es].

For hours, Venezuelan bloggers watched the transmission on the state television channel, while the rocket was launched. They also watched President Hugo Chávez take advantage of the event to campaign politically for his candidates running for local mayors and governors in the November 23 elections. The satellite, as are all political events, is a symbol for discussion.

Yosmary de Rausseo [es] republished the official information, the launch videos, and accompanied the note with the following message, “Long live the Bolivarian Revolution and the advanced policies of Hugo Chávez.”

On his blog, Horacio of UnoConTodo [es] is reminded that the country still has a lot of social debts that have not been resolved and that it a “satellite for an elite” He also shows a photograph of a 5-year-old child searching for food in the garbage.

Guillermo Amador also writes about the changes that will tkae place in the country as a result of the satellite, and that soon there will be local names like Space Shuttle Arepa 3000, in reference to the music video of the band Los Amigos Invisibles. Guillermo hopes that the satellite will be “run by the most prepared, and not by the most loyal and “committed [es] ” in the government so that it does not go to waste.

Romulo Rodriguez, an astronomy blogger [es], approved of the launch and wrote that Venezuelan technicians were trained to control the satellite. He sees it as a positive thing that television signals will reach more people, even if they are state-run channels.

To end, humorist Laureano Márques, responded to the way that president Chávez used a scientific event for politics when he referred to his ideology and his candidates.

El Presidente afirmó: “¿Qué tiene que ver un satélite con el socialismo? Una empresa capitalista lanza un satélite para hacer dinero. Este es un acto de liberación e independencia (…) para construir el socialismo dentro de Venezuela y para cooperar con otros pueblos”, cosa que me parece extraordinaria.

Lástima que los chinos no piensen igual y hayan cobrado a Venezuela 241 millones de dólares, a los que se suman 165 millones por la construcción de las dos sedes terrestres de control.

Electores, el próximo 23 de noviembre, cuando estén solos con sus conciencias, recuerden que ahora, desde lo alto del espacio, el Libertador os contempla.

The Venezuelan government's response to what it called, “another foreign aggression by U.S. Imperialism” was quick, convincing, and maybe even provided evidence of the political intolerance cited in the report, which is one of the fundamental features of contemporary Venezuela.

The report does not say anything that the Venezuela opposition has not already said, and in reality, Vivancos' statements were nothing new.

However, for being an foreigner and the international legitimacy of the NGO caused for his immediate exit. In addition, recently the Venezuelan government expelled the U.S. ambassador in solidarity with the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador in Bolivia.

Iria Puyosa in her blog Resteados [es], she publishes some portions of the HRW report in a post called “Please, Don't Watch or Fuck You,“

Venezuela no logrará obtener un progreso real y sostenido hacia el fortalecimiento de su democracia; ni tampoco ser un modelo útil para otros países de la región; mientras su gobierno continúe despreciando los principios de derechos humanos establecidos en su propia Constitución.

[…]

El capítulo 2 documenta de qué forma el gobierno ha:
- Despedido a opositores políticos de algunas instituciones estatales y de la compañía petrolera estatal y puesto sus nombres en listas negras;
- Ha negado a algunos ciudadanos el acceso a programas sociales como consecuencia de sus opiniones políticas; y
- Discriminado contra los medios de comunicación, los sindicatos y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en respuesta a sus críticas o a su actividad política.

Even though the blogs that support the government have decreased in activity over the past months, there are other spaces that these opinions are expressed. On the site Aporrea [es] there have been articles directly attacking Vivancos and the role of HRW (calling them employees of the CIA and destablizers), responding to the report as if it was a document from the United States, and even some authors such as Francisco Sierra Corrales proposes the need to redefine “Human Rights”

Podemos decir que no sólo los estados o gobiernos son los únicos sujetos activos o los únicos susceptibles de violar los derechos humanos o garantías sociales sino que lo puede hacer el Imperialismo Yanqui, como primer factor de poder mundial. Por ejemplo, el terrorismo mediático y las desestabilizaciones políticas son impulsadas y monitoreadas por Washington, en contra de nuestros pueblos, en especial en contra de los gobiernos de centro-izquierda y centro-derecha que han empezado a surgir en nuestro continente en lo que va de siglo.

In other political forums, a revolutionary forumist called Achue2 comments:

Con una diplomacia subliminal nos quieren convencer que se cometió un abuso contra este “martir” de los Derechos Humanos. Acá se le dio cuerda [oportunidad] suficiente a este señor. Tiene 10 años viniendo en tiempos electorales a subvertir el orden interno con calumnias y falacias apoyando a una tolda politica… perdió el equilibrio y la veracidad.

For those blogs, historically identified as opposition to Chávez, this impasse is only one more step towards intolerance by the military government in Venezuela. In other opinions, not so black and white, Rómulo Rodríguez comments on his blog Romrod [es] that he does not agreement with the way that someone making criticism was taken out of the country:

No me importa realmente quien es este señor Vivancos, no lo conozco ni me interesa. Pero lo que si me importa es que el gobierno venga y nos diga como y por que lo que se dice en el reporte es falso. Punto por punto si es posible. Responder con la expulsión de estos señores lo que me hace pensar es que como que tienen la razón y por esto es que los botan. Una torpe bravuconada. […]

¿No hay discriminación política? ¿No hay intolerancia? ¿Hay un completo respeto a las minorías?”

Petrusco participates in the comments section and enters into the discussion at the blog Periodismo de Paz [es] regarding the legitimacy of HRW and its political interests by coming to the country and to present its findings:

El día que la HRW demuestre su imparcialidad y eficiencia lanzando informes duros y contundentes en contra de gobiernos como el de Estados Unidos o Israel y realizando acciones serias y eficientes en función de esos informes entonces si valdrá la pena creerles lo que se vengan a leer aquí o en donde sea.

Are they attacking the message or the messenger? Read the report here and make your own conclusions.

Thumbnail photo by «•*٠ кιτ-кaτн .٠*•»

Meanwhile, concerns and issues appear each week like fireworks, dispersing one's attention. There have been many bumping of heads with the Venezuelan government ever since it lost last December's referendum aimed at reforming the national Constitution. This is part one in an article collecting some viewpoints of Venezuelan bloggers regarding Chavez' recent policy changes regarding education and intelligence.

Laws

Due to the discomfort from many teachers across the country, the new Bolivarian Educational Curriculum was halted, which had included several “socialist” ideological components that was to be included in the students' studies. Blog Al Agua [es] attended one of the classes for teachers and comments:

Resulta pavoroso el hecho de que se pretenda ideologizar la educación venezolana a partir de un palimpsesto de imágenes nacionalistas, frases hechas de corte castro-comunista y lugares comunes de la indefinible politiquería oficial. Terrible el hecho de que se mantenga a los educadores sometidos a esa vejación a punta de amenazas sobre su futuro profesional.

RomRod [es] also said that there lacked debate from public opinion, and that the law was not analyzed carefully:

Como corderitos todos van a la jornadas donde les están inyectando a los docentes de este país el nuevo currículum bolivariano mesmo.

A month later, due to the underground displeasure from the teachers' unions, the government withdrew the educational program that included remnants of the Constitutional reform that was not approved.

The National Assembly also decided to reverse some laws that it had changed to control the motorized traffic anarchy [es] and the high bus fares. After two large protests that collapsed the center of Caracas [es], both measures were cancelled. In addition to the raise in fares, the bus drivers called for justice for the kidnapping of an owner of a transport line. Days later he was murdered.

A Country of Informants

Another episode that had a lot of repercussions in the Venezuelan blogosphere was the decreed Law of Intelligence and Counterintelligence impulsed by Chávez through this entitled power. In Venezuela, the president was given the power to legislate and take on Congressional powers, in which the laws are not debated or approved in consensus by the citizens. This time, the debate took place after the fact and soon after, the sound of the streets and the internet sounded in the ears of the president. The Law of Intelligence and Counter-intelligence denominated the Toad Law (because a toad has a big mouth capable of telling others), turned Venezuela into a country of spies. The blogosphere was very active and said things like this:

The blogger Panfleto Negro [es] said “Todos seremos sapos” (We Will All Be Toads):

Como todos sabemos la defensa contra los crimenes contra la “seguridad nacional” ha sido la coartada usada por todos los gobiernos con ansias totalitarias - asi se escuden bajo ropajes democraticos - para acabar con sus adversarios politicos, con las demandas de los sectores sociales y mantener al resto de la poblacion en estado subalterno mediante la represion y la autorepresion impulsada por el miedo y la desconfianza mutua que son los unicos productos de una ley tan inhumana.

Iria Puyosa of Resteados [es] adds her thoughts on an especially troubling part of the proposed law:

“Este 28 de mayo salió en Gaceta Oficial la Ley del Sistema Nacional de Inteligencia y Contrainteligencia. Our very own Homeland Security Act, our Venezuelan Patriot Act. El Artículo 6 asigna las competencias al Sistema Nacional de Inteligencia y Contrainteligencia, entre otras cosas incluye:

“Identificar, prevenir y neutralizar toda actividad interna o externa ejecutada por cualquier factor que pretenda atentar contra la seguridad, la soberanía nacional, el orden constitucional y las instituciones democráticas.”

Es decir, casi cualquier cosa que usted se pueda imaginar que no le guste al gobierno”.

Khandika of Enigma Express [es] writes about a country of frogs and traitors. He also includes a piece of graffiti that says “Big Brother is Watching You.”

Me acuerdo de un profesor de la UCV que nos decía: venezuela es un nido de traidores. Y nosotros tomábamos la frase a manera de mamadera de gallo. Pero regresemos al tema de sapos y traidores. O más sutilmente de inteligencia y contrainteligencia. De ahora en adelante los informantes y colaboradores serán recompensados por el Estado acobijados bajo la nueva política de inteligencia y contrainteligencia. […] El fin último, en ambos casos, es de todas maneras el mismo: la obtención de información acerca de los enemigos. En este caso los enemigos, son los enemigos de la revolución.

Even though different political spokespersons appeared defending the law, the reversal was already in place. Chávez left his supporters with their defense on their lips and ordered the withdrawal of the law under the argument that the law is not bad, but there are components that generate fear through the use of the internet, text messages, television, the press and the radio. He continued by saying that there no dictatorship in place that no one would be obligated to say anything more that they want.

Jeanfreddy of Hay Que Ser Irresponsable [es] writes about the strategic halt to the law and Chavez' change of tone:

¡Alerta! Vuelve aquella labia de “por amor”. Como novio arrepentido, que viene por debajito porque se sabe culpable, es capaz de hacer las cosas más insólitas, bellas y conquistadoras, para mostrarse como alguien diligente, conciliador y hasta justo. Quizás cambiado.

Thumbnail photo by Rufino Uribe and used under a Creative Commons license

Photo by Benitex and used with permission

The power outage has yet to be explained by the authorities, and during the past weeks there has been a series of protests over the power outages in the western and southern part of the country. The fluctuation of voltage has affected electrical appliances, television sets and refrigerators in those houses without surge protection. As seen in this news article [es], a protestor asks, “now, who will pay for my television?” Venezuela contains a giant network of hydroelectricity that provides energy to the entire country via companies that have been recently criticized by the government. The process of “state-ization” of those services that the government considers “strategic” for national soverignty has also been criticized because neither the quality of the service, nor the maintenance of the service has been guaranteed. The country is going through a national phenomenon that points things in that direction, and it reveals the system's capacity to control emergencies.

Álvaro Rafael of Planeta en Fuego [es] indigently analyzes the responsibildiad about the power outage and the political discourse:

Si este apagón hubiera ocurrido estando las empresas eléctricas en manos de empresas privadas ¿no habría sido «suficiente motivo» para que el Gobierno nacional haya pedido la expulsión de sus dueños privados en beneficio de una supuesta «recuperación nacional»? El apagón ocurrió estando las empresas eléctricas en manos del Estado, ¿no es motivo para que nosotros, los ciudadanos afectados, pidamos la expulsión de quienes nos desgobiernan de tales empresas (y hasta de la administración del Estado)?

On the other hand, Carlos García of Carlos Zombie [es] narrates and photographs his experience in his attempt to leave Caracas and get home. Like others, he had to not only deal with the failure of the Caracas metro system, but also had to walk several kilometers to reach one of the bus terminals to take a bus to one of the satellite cities because the electric train was also closed:

al llegar a la hoyada vi que mucha, pero mucha, mucha gente habia tenido la misma idea que yo y llego caminando, por lo que la multitud se incremento a niveles apocalipticos, la falta del tren hace que la hoyada viva momentos de pelicula de zombies. al final me monte en una camioneta a coñazo limpio y fue cuando pude venirme a casa, no sin antes calarme una mamarra cola para salir de ccs.

JuanCPovE [es] provides a long chronicle of how he had to descend 26 flights without elevator and how he found out about the national situation without radio or TV.

De tanto marcar mi celular logré comunicarme con mi primo ya que en la empresa donde el trabaja mantiene contacto con varias oficinas a lo largo del país y me confirmó que el apagón no sólo había ocurrido en Caracas (¡Rayos!, yo creía que era sólo en una zona de la capital), sino que en otras ciudades del país, posiblemente en toda Venezuela.

In addition to the long hours of standing in traffic, violence in the streets, traffic accidentss, and the general desperation to make it home, other episodes were part of the daily humor when one lives in relaxed socities.

The Twitterosphere had some interesting dialogues between those that followed along via cell phone or on unaffected electric networks:

Jeanfreddy: I am going over to Facebook, where there is light.

Anibal: It is very funny to see an ad of “Motherland, socialismo or death” connected to the system of emergency lights

Juliana B: I am annoyed. How did people live before? I am picking up candles.

Finally, the flickr user MaLu did not let the power outage get in her way of her beauty routine (used with permission):

The gathering of Latin American presidents from the Rio Summit, which took place in the capital city of the Dominican Republic, has become one of the most impactful meetings for the integration of the continent. The previous agenda was not followed because three countries were in conflict. Instead of important discussions regarding energy and petroleum, cooperation and poverty and other issues typical of these meetings, the eyes and voices of the continent was in charge of stopping the escalation of a regional conflict with an unpredictable end.

The three countries, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela had three political and military actions during the week and with three presidents with different personalities and objectives. What was once a single republic between 1819 and 1831 and founded by Simón Bolívar is now divided into three, and with territories in a more cultural, rather than administrative sense.

The debate in Santo Domingo was long, filled with emotion, and conducted well by the leaders of the region in attendance. The primary topic, which took precedence over any other topic on each president's agenda: peace is needed in Colombia in order to construct peace in South America.

Ecuador reclaimed its sovereignty. Colombia reclaimed its right to defend its people from insurgent, armed and narcotrafficking groups that have been attacking them for decades. And Venezuela is counting on negogiating the release of those kidnapped by the FARC through political means, and not through arms, as well as an end to an internal war that has not been resolved for 60 years in Colombia. That is why Chávez felt attacked by the assasination of the guerrilla leader Raúl Reyes, who acted as negotiator for these deals.

Santo Domingo served as a stage to present positions and create compromises for governability and unite forces for the construction of peace in the region. The blogosphere also served as a stage for Venezuelan bloggers to express their thoughts on the brewing conflict.

The prospect of war with neighboring Colombia was not very appealing and Liberal Venezolano [es] writes:

Venezuela no está en condiciones, ni militares ni económicas, para enfrentar un conflicto bélico con Colombia, ni con nadie más si a ver vamos. Con una economía que no es capaz, bajo el peso del yugo socialista chavecista, de proveerse internamente de manera decente, no hace falta ser un genio para concluir que una confrontación bélica, incluso de escala moderada, sería catastrófica para Venezuela y más bien podría causar la caída del propio Chávez, derribado por quienes hasta ahora han sido sus mejores aliados: los más pobres, quienes están descontentos ya de por sí con la situación económica actual.

Slave to the PC [es] agrees:

Hugo Rafael no quiero tu guerra, primero y ante todo porque no es mía, este país que tanto amo llamado Venezuela no ha sido atacado por nadie, ni violada su soberanía, nuestro líderes no han sufrido atentado alguno y nuestra independencia como nación autónoma sigue intacta, por lo tanto no tengo razón alguna para participar en un enfrentamiento armado donde no se han medido las consecuencias para el continente, los pueblos afectados directamente y sus modos de vida. ¿Cuál es el empeño de inmiscuirse en asuntos colombianos constantemente?, ¿Qué se busca con los insultos hacia el presidente colombiano Álvaro Uribe?,¿Cuál es la hipocresía de andar hablando de violaciones de soberanía, cuando Venezuela y Ecuador son oasis para los guerrilleros colombianos?, ¿Qué se persigue con un estado de guerra en nuestro país?, la situación es critica mis querido amigos, estamos a las puertas de un conflicto que costaría muy caro a los países implicados, sensatez es el nombre del juego.

Rom Rod [es] does not understand the support for the FARC by the Venezuelan government.

Pero siguen en pie preguntas que parece que nadie en nuestro gobierno quiere responder. El para que es la movilización militar. Que es lo que realmente se pretende con ella. El por que si nuestro gobierno está claramente apoyando a un grupo con tenebrosos antecedentes como las FARC, pasando por encima del pueblo colombiano que eligió a Uribe…Me parece algo sencillamente siniestro apoyar a un grupo insurgente de otro país simplemente porque no me gusta su gobierno.

Explíkme [es] wonders about how the relations between the two countries might be affected.

Nuestro gobierno no tiene idea del daño político, democrático, comercial y económico que nos está ocasionando, Venezuela tiene un alto número de Colombianos residentes que contribuyen a nuestro desarrollo, además de todo el intercambio comercial a través de convenios y el que se hace en la frontera, que ya ha empezado a paralizarse y que le puede costar al aparato productivo binacional una gran pérdida que puede llegar a ser irrecuperable.

Other bloggers think that the Venezuelan government should be concentrating on other things, such as internal issues. Manuel Miranda writes [es]:

Hugo Chávez y sus seguidores andan agitando los tambores de la guerra con Colombia, cuando la verdadera guerra es interna, el implacable enemigo se llama inflación y el gobierno está perdiendo todas las batallas en este frente desde que tengo uso de la memoria…El Banco Central de Venezuela publicó ayer el IPC del mes de febrero (la medida preferida de inflación del BCV), el cual vino 2,3% más alto que en enero y ya acumula una variación de 5,8% en lo que va de año. Por estas mismas fechas el año pasado, la inflación acumulada era de 3,4%; lo cual es un mal augurio para la fantasiosa meta inflacionaria del gobierno… La verdadera guerra es contra la inflación… Y la estamos perdiendo

Finally, some bloggers like Carla Mariela of ICARO [es] wanted to send messages to the people of the three countries involved in this tension.

Amigo colombiano, ecuatoriano y venezolano:
Vamos a demostrar que los lazos que unen a nuestros pueblos de Ecuador, Colombia y Venezuela son más fuertes que los egos de nuestros gobernantes.
Vamos a demostrar que condenamos el terrorismo y respetamos la soberanía
Vamos a demostrar que ningún gobierno nos va obligar a dispararle a un hermano de nuestros países.
Vamos a demostrar que somos más, muchos más los que no concebimos a Latinoamérica en guerra
Vamos a demostrar que pese a la historia, no estamos condenados a ella
Vamos a demostrar que nuestras diferencias son nuestro valor, que nuestra diversidad es nuestra riqueza
Vamos a demostrar que hoy germina una generación que anhela crecer en paz
“Pasa la voz, pasa la bola”
Sugerimos que si quieres multiplicar el poder de este mensaje, puedes copiarlo en tu blog, reenviarlo por Facebook y a través de mensajes de correo electrónico

Of course, with a president like Hugo Chávez some might say that the potential to be amazed grows with each new controversy. More Baker writes, “In our hearts and in our minds, these words, acts and gestures remained etched in our mind, left our mouths wide open, made us laugh and angered us.”

Here are her choices for the top 12 “oops” moments in Venezuela, with some background information and explanations for each:

12. “You feel offended because you want me to say what you want me to say and I don't go for that.” Answer from an interviewee to the journalist Carla Angola when she tried to conduct a subjective and unbalanced interview in favor of the opposition.

11. “Of those surveyed, 77.8% have knowledge of and have had access to the Constitutional Reform and 55.4% of those surveyed supported the Constitutional Reform without needing any information,” said the president of the National Assembly (parliament) even though a month later Hugo Chávez would ask for a referendum about socialism and his indefinite reelection.

10. “We did not come to the National Assembly to play politics,” said by Yon Goicoechea, the leader of the opposition student movement, when they spoke at the National Parliament on was covered by all of the radio and television channels, and before leaving so as to not have a debate with the pro-government students.

9. “By not registering the United Socialist Party (PSUV for its initials in Spanish) with the National Electoral Council for the elections of mayors and governors for the next year, it is inevitable that the V Republican Movement would be exhumed,” even though the Socialist Party was not created, President Chávez sent Deputy Francisco Ameliach to the Disciplinary Tribunal after asking that he use the old party because the new one did not exist. Not having a political party had an effect during the Chávez defeat.

8. “Damn coward, liar!!!” were the shouts from the deputy, Iris Varela, while she hit the journalist Gustavo Azócar on his television program because he published a story about the death of her newborn son and the effect that it had on the explosive personality of the deputy.

7. “The Reform Project is a labor of love of president Chávez,” a phrase from one of the many passionate supporters of the president and used during the campaign in support of the proposal to change the Constitution so that Chávez could remain more time in power. This sentimentality is part of political debates.

6. “On my knees, I ask you, President: return RCTV to us. I symbolize the people,” phrase from actor Franklin Virgüez, while kneeling to ask that the private channel's signal to be renewed.

5. “Sir, what do you have in the suitcase?” “Oh, books. Only books … and some pamphlets of San Joaquín.” The joke that arose from the scandal between Venezuela, Argentina and the United States after a Venezuelan citizen arrived in Argentina with a suitcase containing $800,000 that was not declared in customs. There still are no answers regarding this case of corruption.

4. “We thank Hugo Chávez because by using the word “mierda” (shit), it accomplished the same as when Uslar Pietri used the word “pendejo.” The former minister of Communications and Information, William Lara attempted to clarify the President's public insult when the President said that the opposition's victory was a “victory of shit,” which bothered many people. The minister equated Chavez with a Venezuelan literary figure and later with the Colombian Gabriel García Marque, who had used the word “mierda” in his works. During his tenure, the public official appeared to be Chavez' minister of propaganda.

3. “Um, but, um, um, um,” just as Looney Tunes' Porky the Pig would stutter, the minister Pedro Carreño would do the same, when a journalist asked him why he talked about bringing socialism to Venezuela, if he used Luis Vuitton ties and Gucci shoes.

2. “Why don't you shut up?” phrase from Juan Carlos de Borbón, King of Spain to President Chávez during an event in Chile. It made the world go around.

1. “If they kill me, and I die…” a denunciation made by opposition leader Manuel Rosales, known for his clumsy words, who was trying to give himself political importance.

Hugo Chávez had referred to the ex-president of Spain, José María Aznar, as “fascist” on repeated occasions, for which Zapatero asked for the right to speak during the meeting in order to demand respect for the ex-president and the people that voted for him, even though Aznar is an adversary in Spanish politics. In the middle of his words, Chávez insisted on interrupting to say that he would also ask for respect from Aznar because the King intervened for 2 seconds to say, “Why don't you shut up?” and from there the headlines on hundreds of newspapers, radio and television in Venezuela, Spain and the world. This sub-titled video shows the incident.

In the blogospheres and the Twitter messages of Ibero-America, the issue has continued to be commented upon in distinct manners. President Chávez has been characterized by his popularity and for not being indifferent to anybody…he is also well known for his long speeches on radio and on television. His Sunday television shows last seven hours. The phrase has become an act of justice for those that are against him. Enigma Express [es] complied hundreds of blogs that made fun of “Why don't you shut up?”SlaveofthePC [es] dedicated a poem to the episode:

¿Por qué no te callas y nos dejas en paz?
No te das cuenta que ya no te queremos más
¿Por qué no te callas y aprendes a respetar?
Fuera de Venezuela nadie te va a tolerar
¿Por qué no te callas y acabas con la corrupción?
Rodeado de ladrones has pretendido hacer nación
¿Por qué no te callas y nos devuelves a Venezuela?
Tu discurso de odio ha destruido esta hermosa tierra

Why don't you shut up and leave us in peace?
Don't you realize that we don't like you anymore
Why don't you shut up and learn to respect others?
Outside of Venezuela no one will tolerate you
Why don't you shut up and end corruption?
Surrounded by thieves, you have pretended to form a nation
Why don't you shut up and give Venezuela back to us?
Your words of hate have destroyed this beautiful land.

Karelia writes [es]:

“Por fin alguien le dice algo en la cara”: “Chávez no deja hablar a nadie y mucho menos escucha, por eso estamos como estamos. Necesitamos mandarlo a callar en casa, y eso tiene que salir de nosotros como ciudadanos, porque no puede ser que la voz del Estado y del Gobierno (que se ha convertido en una) sea la única que se escuche y que además nos hable gritado […]. Por hoy y porque hizo algo que en muchas ocasiones le ha provocado a millones de venezolanos, ¡que viva el Rey! XD”

Finally someone says something in his face. Chávez does not let anyone talk and listens even less, that is why we are like this. We need him to shut up at home and that should be from us as citizens, because it cannot be that the voice of the State and of the Government (which has become one) be the only one that you hear and that talks to us by shouting … today and as he has done on many occasions by provoking millions of Venezuelans. Long live the King! XD

The Spanish political analyst, Ignacio Escolar wrote that this episode was a lesson for Aznar [es]:

Dice Zapatero que el Gobierno de España 'siempre ha respetado, respeta y respetará a todos los gobernantes elegidos democráticamente'. Discrepo. Ese ‘ha respetado' se referirá sólo a los últimos tres años y medio. Hugo Chávez tenía algo de razón cuando criticaba el papel que jugó el Gobierno de Aznar durante el golpe de estado de 2002 en Venezuela, aunque no fuese ni el día ni el interlocutor ni el lugar oportuno para ese debate.

Zapatero says that the Government of Spain has ‘always respected, respects and will respect all those that govern who are elected democratically'. I disagree. The ‘has respected' only refers to the last three and a half years. Hugo Chávez was partly right when he critcized the role that the Government of Aznar played in the Veneuzlan coup of 2002, even though he was not there that day or was he the one being spoken to that day for that debate.

Nevertheless, a large part of the Spanish press harshly attacked the Venezuelan president for his declarations and supported the King's reaction. The most jocular, but also offensive video against the Venezuelan president has attracted more than 430,000 visits and 1,400 comments in less than 2 days. It is a parody of a classic Venezuelan song in the Spanish rhythm of paso doble called “Long live, Spain,” but instead it says “Why don't you shut up?” It shows the president as an ape, which has been used to refer to him by his internal and external adversaries.

One one hand, there have been articles written against the King, the Monarchy and the press by bloggers that support President Chávez saying that it was a lack of royal respect and by a colonizing attempt by the King of Spain. Okrim Al Qasal from the blog Okrim Opina [es] says that the problem has to do with the revolution proposed by Chávez, which touches upon interests that are intolerable to world powers.

Cuando algún líder, en este caso Chávez, se sale mínimamente de este guión de títeres acartonados que tan bien quedan en las pantallas de CNN con su lenguaje de pseudotolerancia del tipo “te respeto si estimulas el libre mercado, si no eres un tirano dictador”, entonces estalla la polémica. Si alguien cree que el Rey mandó callar a Chávez sólo por su acertada y justa descripción de PP Aznar, se equivoca. La Revolución Bolivariana y la propuesta de Reforma están tocando intereses muy, muy estratégicos. Se huele en el ambiente.

When a leader, in this case Chávez, strays even minimally from the script of puppets that appear on the screens of CNN with their language of pseudo-tolerance like, “I'll respect you if you stimulate free markets, and if not you are a tyrant dictator,” then controversy erupts. If someone thinks that the King told Chávez to shut up only because of his correct and fair description of PP Aznar, then he is wrong. The Bolivarian Revolution and the reform proposals are touching interests very strategic. You can smell it in the air.

On the other hand, journalist José Roberto Duque places the magnifying glass on the constitutional and democratic aspects on the King of Spain by placing a series of photos [es] with the deceased dictator, Francisco Franco and says:

Dedico esta foto al antichavismo “amante de la democracia” […] Aquí van otras foticos (cortesía de Mauricio Rodríguez) del sujeto que se cree ungido por su origen, y cuyo Por qué no te callas ha sido tan celebrado por los sabios amantes de la democracia y la libertad en Venezuela y el mundo.

I dedicate this photo to the anti-Chavism “lover of democracy” … Here are other photographs (courtesy of Mauricio Rodríguez) of the man that thinks himself anointed by his origin and whose “Why don't you shut up?” has been celebrated by the wise lovers of democracy and freedom in Venezuela and the world.

Reindertot, a young Venezuelan blogger, titles his post “Juan Carlos and the small virtual victory of the readers of Hola! [es]” in reference to the a famous entertainment magazine edited in Spain.

Resulta que esta bien para Juan Carlos ser grosero y maleducado, pero no para Chávez. Vaya paradoja. Chávez es el inculto, el mono, el macaco mayor, el zambo, el que DEBE CALLARSE. Pero Juan Carlos, el cual además no estaba metido en la conversación directa Chávez-Zapatero, de repente si puede gritar lo que le venga en gana y ser vitoreado por los medios y los pequeños opositores los cuales se han autoconvencido de que han obtenido una “pequeña victoria” en las palabras del Rey español, cuando evidentemente sufrirán otra derrota electoral en diciembre. Casi conmovedor.

It appears that it is fine that Juan Carlos can be rude and impolite, but not Chávez. What a paradox. Chávez is the uncultured, the monkey, the older macaco, the zambo, he is the one that should SHUT UP. But Juan Carlos, who wasn't even in the direct conversation between Chávez - Zapatero, apparently can yell whatever he wants and be cheered by the media and the opposition that have convinced themselves that they have achieved a “small victory” in the words of the Spanish King, and who will evidently suffer another electoral defeat in December. It is almost moving.

In the middle of political polarization, this is another event of global notoriety about Venezuela, which is being interpreted from within the country with two views absolutely distinct and exclusive of the same reality. The phrase from the King is the new joke and slogan for Chávez' opposition and also another argument for his backers to continue with the approval of constitutional reform in December.

Translation by Eduardo Avila

In its second consecutive year, Blogstock gathered dozens of bloggers, Twitter-users, Flickr-users and other forms of information citizens (infocitizens) for a night of concerts, drinks and food, Venezuelan-style.

The event was streamed online for those that stayed at home. There was also a Flickr tag to tell the whole story. “You are not ready for this,” was the slogan that gathered people by the initiative of “Los Guaraos” (aka the “disorganizers), who summarized the event with videos [ES]. The event also counted on a meme to list of things to bring to the event, to avoid contigencies, such as the items shown by Impulsos y Sentidos [ES].

David Luna, the photographer, said that the gathering was [ES]:

Una noche bastante divertida, entretenida, llena de muchas anécdotas, de compartir con personas que solo leemos de vez en cuando y ponerle rostro a la mayoría de los nicks que abundan en la blogosfera.

It was a fun and entertaining night. It was full of stories shared by people that we read from time to time, we were able to put faces to the nicknames that are abundant in the blogosphere.

This takes place in Venezuela? This could be asked of those who follow the political happenings in the country. Inti of Equizopedia [ES] provides the answer:

Mientras el mundo exterior piensa que Venezuela va hacia el socialismo más “extraño” y “extremo” jamas visto, mucha gente aquí no se toma las cosas muy en serio. La mejor virtud del venezolano (a su vez el peor defecto) es que aquí la gente es feliz. Pocos habitantes del planeta tierra viven tan contentos, como los nacidos en la patria de Simón Bolívar. Quizás el petróleo, la (fuera de toda regla y estadística) cantidad alucinante de mujeres bellas, la cerveza o el ron, ayudan en definitiva a que la vida acá sea increíblemente más “relajada” que en el resto de los países. Y hasta en la pasión vertiginosa política que nos tiene atrapados actualmente, buscamos la manera de seguir viviendo, riendo, disfrutando y rumbeando. Y como en todos lados, hay gente más y menos responsable con sus actos. Algo tiene este desenfadado país, que es difícil de copiar, y más explicar.

While the outside World thinks that Venezuela is heading for a “stranger” and “extreme” form of socialism never seen befote, many people here don’t take things so seriously. The best virtue of a Venezuelan (also his worst defect) is that here the people are happy. Fewer people on the earth live as content than those who were born in Simón Bolívar’s homeland. Maybe it’s the petroleum, the incredibly beautiful women (more than statistics), beer or rum, helps make life incredibly more “relaxed” than in other countries. Even with the dizzying politics that currently has us trapped, we look for ways to continue to live, laugh, enjoy and party. And here as in other places, there are people who are more or less responsible for their actions. This uninhibited country has something that is difficult to copy and even less, explain.

The Venezuelan blogosphere continues its way with necessary joyful rituals and distractions, for the good of personal tranquility. Hopefully it will take place again in 2008 or next Christmas.

The debate in the country continues to be the same: on one side the opposition to the Chavez government considers that this has to do with political retaliation in punishment for the channel's role of political opposition, and on the other hand, the Chavistas support the measure because it can now “liberate” the open television signal from a channel that has destabilized the country through its propaganda.

There is very little gray area in a situation so polarzied, but the best thing is to read both sides.

The Venezuelan blog directory To2blogs.com opened a special section about RCTV and is collecting all of the posts that the Venezuelan bloggers are writing about the subject. This tells us about the importance of this governmental action in the morale of the Venezuelan blogosphere, because in itself, the process is another opportunity for political confrontation, as we have become accustomed to. Blogs have been created especially about the topic, those that are in favor the measure (RCTV from the inside) or against it (I am with RCTV).

Up until now, there are more than 2,000 articles just in that site alone. There is a wealth of opinions about this conflict.

A channel without signal is a closed channel?

Within the political correctness language, “the non-renewal of the channel's license” means that it cannot transmit over open signal, which will affect the channel's economic standing and also the viewers will not be able to see it. The channel will not close, but it is restricted to transmit over cable, but because there is also no Digital TV technology in Venezuela, it ends this discussion.

Freedom of speech, public or private

The internal debates within each blog, such as the one at Slave to the PC [ES] with more than 200 comments, center upon whether the measure against the private channel represents a violation of freedom of speech.

Kira Kariakin comments:

Para mí la cuestión radica en los principios que mueven una sociedad que se precie de democrática y en esos principios están incluidos no solo la libertad de expresión, sino el derecho a la disensión, al juicio justo, a la defensa, a la protesta, al trabajo, a la propiedad privada, entre tantos otros que con este retiro de la concesión de la señal para RCTV se violentan. Luego de sentado un precedente como éste no habrá marcha atrás en cuanto a la libertad de expresión en los medios.

Iria at Resteados [ES] criticizes the quality of the channel and thinks that the problem of freedom of speech goes beyond whether or not it stays on the air:

RCTV sigue siendo hoy, el canal que hace 12 años dejé de ver por razones éticas y estéticas. No ha cambiado en estos meses desde que Chávez le dictó la sentencia de cierre.

Así que no tengo más que repetir: “Yo no estoy con RCTV”.

Lubrio asks at El Espacio de Lubrio [ES] whether opinions and protests are really restricted in Venezuela, and provides an example of the opposition march on May 19, in which there was not a single repressive event.

La oposición marchó el 19 de mayo de 2007 en defensa de RCTV. Miles de opositores marcharon pacíficamente, algo que no pasa en dictaduras. Sin embargo, varios líderes opositores hacen llamados a que el 27 de mayo la población debe permanecer en las calles creando desestabilización para sacar al gobierno, lo cual es transmitido con normalidad en Globovisión y RCTV. Hasta llaman estúpido al Presidente Chávez.

This week appears to be the end of the line for the channel. The license expires at midnight on May 27 and another Public Service station designed by the state called Tves will begin to broadcast. This is another station in the hands of the state, in addition to the official station and another four that are broadcasting on a national level.

Caracas is particularly tense and filled with protests and mobilizations for the past week. Vendors, actors and workers of the channel, university students, politicians, television viewers and members of political parties have all taken to the street … all in favor or against the shutdown of the station. Marches and gatherings are separated by geographic and ideological distances. The opposition is actively distributing audio of the protest (mp3) via the internet on the nights of the 26th and 27th in order to sound an alarm in favor of freedom of speech. The government has released the National Guard and Armed Forces in the city since Friday to prevent any public disorder.

On Monday morning, another intense reason for the political conflict will have taken place. The communications war in Venezuela will continue, even though the opposition will have one less channel at its disposal.

For a photoset, visit h_xavier's Flickr.

Carnicería by Luis Carlos Diaz

Venezuela is one of the principal oil-exporting countries of the world. However, petroleum is not edible and, lamentably, Venezuela's national food industry is not able to feed its population. So Venezuela is, since its economy stopped having an agricultural focus at the beginning of the 20th century, a country that imports almost everything it consumes, with the exception of a few internal industries producing basic necessities.

The lack of understanding of how these commercial channels operate means that periodically citizens find themselves with a shortage of some products. From 2006 onward, the shelves of Venezuelan markets and supermarkets have been seasonally empty of things like coffee, sugar, milk, chicken, beef, pork, cheese, sardines, oil, beans, caraotas (black beans, the base of our typical dish), and rice, among others. Other products such as the spare parts of vehicles or some medicines are also scarcely available, as Mario Concha reveals in his article Anorexic Revolutionary.

At the moment, the paradox of a “rich country” without the internal production of basic foodstuffs is highlighted by the increase in the consumption of whiskey. Scottish whiskey is available, and in a tour of the liquor stores of the capital, salesmen report higher sales of luxury items.

The problem of not finding something as basic as sugar, was recounted to the Venezuelan blogosfera months back by Consuelo, who blogs about a cafe he has managed for some time.

Señores NO HAY azúcar y como es eso? … hace poco lei en el blog de takeshi su problema con el azúcar y yo recordé el mío con las caraotas y recuerdo haber mencionado que por doquier en Barquisimeto hay cañaverales…ujum pero ahora no hay azucar…

A greater crisis came to life with the shortage of beef. It was a problem that dominated the front pages of newspapers and street-side conversations, because it directly impacts consumers and thousands of meat markets across the country. The official declarations of a minister who denied the shortage of supplies, were satirized by RomRod in a brief post [ES]:

No hay desabastecimiento. Tampoco hay carne, ni pollo, ni azúcar. Y leche de vez en cuando.

The official measures by the government were to regulate prices of some products, an action regarded by Yosmary as “social justice for all Venezuelans.” It was thought then that the cause of the shortage of basic foodstuffs was due to the fight to control prices and, furthermore, because it caused economic losses to the business class. That was seen as monopolizing and speculation by the production capitals of the country.

In order to end the situation then, the government announced two policies simultaneously: that the organized communities control the salesmen so that they respect the stipulated prices, and to fine, expropriate, or close the meat markets before they themselves, operating at a loss, close down. And so, the country advances towards a process of nationalization of the meat industry. The priest Arturo Peraza denounced in his parish blog the notion that the general population should serve as a “social police” of their own neighbors, or, in this case, local retailers.

La lectura del decreto ley contra el acaparamiento genera la sensación de que la sociedad civil se ha vuelto enemiga del Estado y éste le ha declarado la guerra. Tal sociedad civil no son los grandes propietarios del capital, sino el bodeguero, los dueños de camioncitos, los carniceros, los pescadores, los agricultores, etc.

The “persecution announcement” also caused discomfort at the neighborhood watch association “Radar de los Barrios”, which declared to the communities that they would not be made “to do the work dirty of the Government [ES].”

The act of asking the community to denounce the shop owners and causing anxiety in the streets was written about, almost jokingly, by Jeanfreddy who reminds us that many retailers are foreign-born. One Venezuelan characteristic is to turn all news into a joke, but it can quickly become classist persecution with elements of xenophobia. If previously people complained to shop owners saying, “You do not know who you're messing with, you don't know who I am. I am going to close down this joint, Mr. Portuguese. I know the owner of this building and I am going to have them kick you out,” Jeanfreddy writes on his blog Irresponsibility that:

Ahora se dirá boina roja en mano: te voy a echar paja con el Consejo Comunal, portu coño e tu madre!”

That conflict with the meat markets, without understanding the production chain behind it, continues generating chaos with regards to meat consumption. There have also been problems in other sectors like poultry, whose “flight” from the supermarkets caught the attention once again of RomRod.

¿Es que se los llevó alguna nave extraterrestre? ¿o llegó la gripe aviar y nadie nos dijo? ¿o es una víctima más de aquella famosa ley que dice “si no es negocio no lo vendo”? A buena hora se me ocurrió a mí hacer dieta con pechuguita a la plancha.

Apparently, the Venezuelan spirit in times of crisis is to resort to humor. For those who support the government, there is also the use of humor when speaking of the food shortage. One of the economic indicators, as already noted above, has been the increase in consumption. In the last year they were not able to supply all of the vehicles to the automotive market due to such a high demand, and the same has happened in other sectors of luxury items, where consumerism has caused product shortages. Consumption, in a country that is accused from the outside of advancing communism.

Back in December, Luigino warned: “Castro-communism advances in all the forms and colors. We spoke yesterday of how the stocks of car dealerships were exhausted, probably due to the record number of new automobile purchases in our country. Today, it is the cell phone that is hard to come by.” Accompanying his post is YouTube Video from Venezuelan state television in which a group of Chavista comedians make fun of the luxury item shortage. Because today we still lack meat, sugar, and black beans is obtained in the black market.

There are still no answers, and the digital conversation continues. Perhaps, as another blogger mentioned in informal conversation, the shortage of food will help with the strict diets in a country transfixed by beauty.

Translated from Spanish by David Sasaki

Los Amigos Invisibles con Patricia [at RCTV] by Alfredo Izaguirre F.

Hugo Chavez, shortly after his re-election in December for a term of 6 more years of governance, announced that the license of a television channel, whose editorial line tends toward opposition, will not be renewed. Channel RCTV, with 52 years of operation, will have its transmission limited and it will no longer be able to broadcast over public spectrum, which puts its sustainability at risk. For that reason before the expression “closure of channel” and “no renovation of licensing” is a difference in what can be considered legitimate state procedure.

In the Venezuelan blogosphere, reflecting the current political division, opinions are split on one side or the other. Within the Venezuelan context, political debate circles around the emotional sensibility of each faction, which is why the arguments of both sides seem to be subject to the same reflections made by politicians.

On the one hand, the reasons of the Government to not renew the broadcasting license are based on the participation of the television station in the attempted coup d'etat of 2002 and oil sabotage of that same year. Also, the channel has maintained a critical and propagandistic editorial line against the government of Hugo Chavez. The president alleges that some constitutional laws and media-based legislation have been violated, although, up until now, no cases have been filed.

Those defending the channel - which, in the midst of such political polarization, become defenders of the anti-Chavez opposition - base their arguments on the media's right to freedom of expression, the labor rights of its workers, and the political plurality that must exist within a democracy.

Venezuelan bloggers like Kira Kariakin [ES] and Héctor Torres [ES] say that Chavez's decision marks the arrival of new times in which the Government presents its firmest policies to install a socialist system. In a post titled “Te jodo porque puedo” (I'll [screw] you because I can), Kira does not foresee a good result from the proposal: “

Estoy convencida de que este intento de socialismo no tendrá éxito. Y es porque aún con votos, el sistema que se persigue implantar es centralista, totalitario en el ejercicio de los poderes y ya está dando evidencias de querer controlar todos los niveles de la vida nacional en una estructura de dominio piramidal que inducirá la sensación de participación democrática aunque bajo la vigilancia y lineamientos de Chávez que estará sentado en su ápice.

On the other hand, NBV argues [ES] that, although the channel produces poor news and entertainment, the case should pass through the courts before the station is closed by presidential decree:

Es que yo podría estar de acuerdo, incluso, en que le quiten la concesión si es que les parece que han actuado ilegalmente. Pero primero deberían demostrar en un tribunal, ante un juez y un jurado, que hubo una conducta delictiva. No pueden retirarle la concesión nada más porque sí. Y definitivamente no debiera determinarlo una autoridad meramente administrativa, sino una judicial.

This way, the decision to watch the channel or not would be up to the viewer.

RCTV Interview by “Huguito”

Martha Beatriz [ES], a Venezuelan in Miami, considers it blackmail that the owners of the channel present arguments such as their “long contribution to national culture.” Nevertheless, in political terms, she argues that “a broadcasting license should not be a weapon in the hands of the politicians to punish.” She also examines the effects of a lack of political plurality: “The truth is that these measures are not only lessons for those affected, but also serious scares for everyone else. I wonder what type of “revolutionary” mentalities are forming in these times.”

The strategy of channel RCTV to appeal to historical memory and cultural roots of Venezuela's population, is analyzed by the journalist-blogger Jose Roberto Duque, who warns of “emotional blackmail” that tries to hide the bad quality of its programming and the protection of an economic class accustomed to the argument worker's rights to employment. He writes, “the RCTV of today is a monument to decay; not only moral, but artistic.”

Besides wondering why the government has not taken similar actions with other opposition television channels, Rom Rod asks [ES] if, with this measure, the government,

¿se quiere intimidar a RCTV? ¿O de verdad el grupo 1BC son una partida de sediciosos que a punta de malos programas quieren desinformar a la gente y tumbar el gobierno? ¿O es que la gente es tan estúpida en este país como para hacerles caso y creerse todo lo que ellos le quieren decir a la gente? Si hay casos concretos de manipulación de la información y de intentos de sedición pues procedan legalmente.

The broadcasting license of RCTV does not expire until May 27. It remains to be discussed under what procedure they will cease transmission, but like Luigino Bracci points out [ES], the Minister of Communication and Information, Willian Lara is planning a new audiovisual production for the new channel to debut around that date. The discussions continue …

Translated from Spanish by David Sasaki.