Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Did a Gas Leak Ignite Amuay?

thirty nine dead and at least 70 injured in Venezuelan refinery blast.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Socialismo, o Muerte

Say it Ain't So, Hugo....

from Columbia Reports
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe admitted Monday he planned a military intervention against the rebel groups FARC and ELN in Venezuela but "didn't have time" to execute it before his presidential term ended in 2010.

"We obtained new evidence of guerrilla camps in Venezuela. I had three options: Report it, [or] keep quiet, or the other option was to stage a military operation in Venezuela. I didn't have time," Uribe said during a conference at the Autonomous Latin American University in Medellin.

Uribe said he found new proof about the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuela in the first six months of 2010. His presidential term ended in August 2010, leaving him without time to send military troops across Colombia's eastern border.

In July 2010, Uribe denounced the presence of 87 guerrilla camps on Venezuelan territory in front of the Organization of American States. As a result, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez broke all ties with Colombia.

At the conference, Uribe accused Chavez' government failing to control high insecurity and criminality in Venezuela and contributing to it in Colombia. "In Venezuela insecurity and criminality has risen without anyone doing anything about it. Chavez insists that the violence is due to neoliberalism and he disagrees with our model although it has proven to be the one that works," Uribe said.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Yankee Paranoia...

from the Huffington Post
CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez announced Thursday that security forces arrested a U.S. citizen and suspect he is a mercenary who could be involved in an alleged plot to destabilize Venezuela if the opposition's candidate loses the upcoming presidential election.

Chavez said the Hispanic man was detained Aug. 4 while crossing into Venezuela from Colombia. The president said the man was carrying a U.S. passport with entrance and exit stamps from countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya as well as a notebook containing geographical coordinates.

The man's identity was not released. Chavez did not say where he was being interrogated.

An official from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas did not answer repeated telephone calls seeking comment on Chavez's announcement.

"He has all the appearance of a mercenary," Chavez said, speaking during a campaign rally in the coastal state of Vargas. "We are interrogating him."

The man tore up part of the notebook in his possession when he was detained, Chavez said.

Chavez suggested, without offering evidence, the American might have been recruited by government opponents to instigate violent protests if opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles loses the Oct. 7 election.

Chavez has repeatedly vowed to win re-election and continue trying to steer Venezuela toward socialism.

The president has repeatedly claimed the opposition plans to accuse election officials of rigging the vote and refuse to accept the results if he is victorious – an allegation that Capriles and fellow opposition leaders deny.

"A group of the bourgeoisie is preparing to reject the people's triumph, that's very clear," Chavez told the crowd of cheering supporters.

Opposition leaders are going "to try to plunge the country into a political crisis and fill the country with violence," Chavez warned. "I urge everybody to be very alert."

Opposition lawmaker Pedro Pablo Alcantara scoffed at the president's allegations that government foes would attempt to stir up trouble if Chavez is re-elected to a new six-year term.

"We reject his accusations," Alcantara said in a telephone interview after Chavez's speech.

Alcantara accused the government of encouraging violence against its adversaries in the past while arming thuggish groups that have attacked opposition marches and television stations strongly critical of Chavez.

"It's the president who has promoted violence," he said.

Alcantara sidestepped questions on Chavez's claims that the opposition would refuse to accept a victory by him even if it was corroborated by an independent audit of the election results. Alcantara said only that anti-Chavez parties have recruited thousands of volunteers to try to prevent vote rigging by the National Electoral Council.

Many government opponents perceive a pro-Chavez bias in the council, which Alcantara referred to as the government's "elections ministry."

"It's not an impartial arbitrator," he said.

The council's directors deny the institution favors Chavez.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Suenan las Campanas

El Padre Antonio Tejeira vino de España,
buscando nuevas promesas en esta tierra.
Llegó a la selva sin la esperanza de ser obispo,
y entre el calor y en entre los mosquitos habló de Cristo.
El padre no funcionaba en el Vaticano,
entre papeles y sueños de aire acondicionado;
y fue a un pueblito en medio de la nada a dar su sermón,
cada semana pa' los que busquen la salvación.

El niño Andrés Eloy Pérez tiene diez años.
Estudia en la elementaria "Simón Bolivar".
Todavia no sabe decir el Credo correctamente;
le gusta el río, jugar al fútbol y estar ausente.

Le han dado el puesto en la iglesia de monaguillo
a ver si la conexión compone al chiquillo;
y su familia está muy orgullosa, porque a su vez se cree
que con Dios conectando a uno, conecta a diez.

Suenan la campanas un, dos, tres,
del Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés.

Suenan la campanas otra ves
del Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés.

El padre condena la violencia.
Sabe por experiencia que no es la solución.
Les habla de amor y de justicia,
de Dios va la noticia vibrando en su sermón:

suenan las campanas: un, dos, tres
del Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés.

Suenan la campanas otra ves
del Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés.

Al padre lo halló la guerra un domingo de misa,
dando la comunión en mangas de camisa.
En medio del padre nuestro entró el matador
y sin confesar su culpa le disparó.

Antonio cayo, ostia en mano y sin saber por qué
Andrés se murió a su lado sin conocer a Pelé;
y entre el grito y la sorpresa, agonizando otra vez
estaba el Cristo de palo pegado a la pared.
Y nunca se supo el criminal quién fue
del Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés.

Pero suenan las campanas otra ves,
por el Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andres

Suenan las campanas
tierra va a temblar
suenan las campanas
por amërica
suenan las campanas
oh; virgen señora
quien nos salva ahora
suenan las campanas
de antonio y andres
suenan las campanas
ven y oyela otra ves
suena la campana
centroamericana
suena la campana
por mi tierra hermana
mira y tu veras
suena la campana