Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Much ado about nothing
I suppose given that I blog about Venezuela I’m supposed to have something to say about the current events there – you know the name calling and the rock and bottle throwing.
Truthfully, I can’t get too worked up about it. Thing is, the RCTV case has already been discussed and I think all the readers of this blog already have their own opinions formed on that subject
Yet some might expect something to be said about the all the supposed tumult and upheaval going on right now. After all the opposition media, blogs, and even to some extent the pro-Chavez media seem to be making a big deal out of it. Thing is, I’ve seen Venezuela go down this road so many times over the past years that I just can’t jump on the bandwagon of blowing this out of proportion.
Seriously, what is going on here? The opposition media is all in a tizzy? Nothing new there, they always are. The people on radical opposition internet sites seem to think the government might fall any minute. Yawn. And even the more staid opposition observers think this is a big deal. Please.
Ten, or fifteen or twenty thousand students are going out and raising little ruckus. I’m supposed to be impressed by that? Chavez is supposed to be losing sleep over it? Lets get real. Four years ago the Venezuelan opposition virtually shut down the Venezuelan oil industry for a few months and a good part of the rest of the economy too. The government and Venezuela as a whole survived. If thety could survive THAT I’m sure they’ll survive this little adolescent mischief making too.
And even as riots go they aren’t very impressive. They don’t compare even to what the anarchists do at the W.T.O. conferences. And forget about comparing them to the student demonstrations at the ’68 Democratic convention.
So sorry – no pictures, no YouTube videos of who threw the first rock, no dissecting the supposed Globovision subliminal messages. I just don’t see that any of that will have any significance past this coming Friday when the same people throwing rocks today will be back in Las Mercedes shooting pool and drinking their Polar.
Now,you want the most significant piece of news out of Venezuela today? Here it is.
BTW, if an when the numbers in that article get reversed THEN Chavez will have cause to lose sleep. Of course, at the rate the Venezuelan opposition is destroying itself don't count on them being around to capitalize on it.
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Truthfully, I can’t get too worked up about it. Thing is, the RCTV case has already been discussed and I think all the readers of this blog already have their own opinions formed on that subject
Yet some might expect something to be said about the all the supposed tumult and upheaval going on right now. After all the opposition media, blogs, and even to some extent the pro-Chavez media seem to be making a big deal out of it. Thing is, I’ve seen Venezuela go down this road so many times over the past years that I just can’t jump on the bandwagon of blowing this out of proportion.
Seriously, what is going on here? The opposition media is all in a tizzy? Nothing new there, they always are. The people on radical opposition internet sites seem to think the government might fall any minute. Yawn. And even the more staid opposition observers think this is a big deal. Please.
Ten, or fifteen or twenty thousand students are going out and raising little ruckus. I’m supposed to be impressed by that? Chavez is supposed to be losing sleep over it? Lets get real. Four years ago the Venezuelan opposition virtually shut down the Venezuelan oil industry for a few months and a good part of the rest of the economy too. The government and Venezuela as a whole survived. If thety could survive THAT I’m sure they’ll survive this little adolescent mischief making too.
And even as riots go they aren’t very impressive. They don’t compare even to what the anarchists do at the W.T.O. conferences. And forget about comparing them to the student demonstrations at the ’68 Democratic convention.
So sorry – no pictures, no YouTube videos of who threw the first rock, no dissecting the supposed Globovision subliminal messages. I just don’t see that any of that will have any significance past this coming Friday when the same people throwing rocks today will be back in Las Mercedes shooting pool and drinking their Polar.
Now,you want the most significant piece of news out of Venezuela today? Here it is.
BTW, if an when the numbers in that article get reversed THEN Chavez will have cause to lose sleep. Of course, at the rate the Venezuelan opposition is destroying itself don't count on them being around to capitalize on it.
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