Venezuela: A Coup in Real Time

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Mon, 2015-02-02 15:59

NDPP

Venezuela: A Coup in Real Time - by Eva Golinger

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/02/venezuela-a-coup-in-real-time/

"There is a coup underway in Venezuela. The pieces are falling into place like a bad CIA movie. At every turn a new traitor is revealed, a betrayal is born, full of promises to reveal the smoking gun that will justify the unjustifiable.

Infiltrations are rampant, rumours spread like wildfire, as the panic mentality threatens to overcome logic. Headlines scream danger, crisis and imminent demise, while the usual suspects declare war on a people whose only crime is being gatekeeper to the largest pot of black gold in the world..."

Mon, 2015-02-02 16:19

NDPP

Maduro Accuses Joe Biden of 'Bloody Coup' in Venezuela (and vid)

http://rt.com/news/228495-maduro-venezuela-us-coup/

"The northern imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of desperation, going to talk to the continent's governments to announce the overthrow of my government. And I accuse Vice president Joe Biden of this,' the head of state said.

He also questioned US President Barack Obama publically, whether he was 'aware of the plans to promote violence and a coup in Venezuela' and 'appealed to his consciousness.'

'There are US diplomats in Venezuela contracting military officers to betray their country, looking to influence socialist political leaders, public opinion leaders and entrepreneurs to provoke a coup,' the head of state went on.

'I appeal to the people and the patriots among the officers who are on high alert, as a bloody coup is underway in Venezuela.

The people must be prepared to rescue their democracy, the Constitution and their revolution..."

Mon, 2015-02-02 17:07

Mr. Magoo

Has Venezuela ever blamed their own actions or policies for ANYTHING? Ever?

It's always some Emmanuel Goldstein.

Maybe the thriving black market has something to do with having three different tiers of official exchange rate, no guarantee of exchange at any of those rates, an economy in which only 1/20th isn't oil, and the choice to subsidize gas down to approximately 1/50th the cost of gas in neighbouring countries. Heck, if I could buy gas for $0.02/L and sell it ten miles away for a buck -- a hard currency buck I can't get any other way -- I would too. That's pretty much begging for an underground economy.

Mon, 2015-02-02 17:10

Aristotleded24

I figured that if the US had orchestrated the recent fall in oil prices that destabilizing Venezuela was part of that strategy.

Mon, 2015-02-02 17:50

ygtbk

NDPP wrote:

Maduro Accuses Joe Biden of 'Bloody Coup' in Venezuela (and vid)

http://rt.com/news/228495-maduro-venezuela-us-coup/

"The northern imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of desperation, going to talk to the continent's governments to announce the overthrow of my government. And I accuse Vice president Joe Biden of this,' the head of state said.

If Joe Biden is the mastermind, Venezuela is pretty safe.

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:02

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
I figured that if the US had orchestrated the recent fall in oil prices that destabilizing Venezuela was part of that strategy.

The U.S. is certainly free to sell their own crude cheaper -- selling something for less than your competitor is pretty common in business -- but how is the U.S. making Iran sell theirs cheaper? How did the U.S. force OPEC to NOT agree to a higher price, other than by providing some not unreasonable competition?

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:02

NDPP

@ygtbk

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:04

epaulo13

The US Covert War on Venezuela in 2015 – Diary: Jan 29

Plenty of coffee in the coffee houses and bakeries in Caracas. In the supermarkets or grocery stores? Very rare in the last few months. This is hardly surprising when, in the last week, the authorities uncovered more than 1,000 tons of ground coffee and roasted coffee beans waiting to be spirited away to Colombia. In Falcón state 15 tons of coffee was found; in Lara state a supplier and packaging company had 500 tons standing idle in his warehouse; in neighboring Portuguesa state a further 460 tons were discovered hidden in a warehouse and being sold as “gourmet coffee” which is almost 6 times the official price for standard ground coffee when there is, is fact, very little difference.

At the other end of country in Anzoategui state, the National Guard found 91 tons of food, personal hygiene and cleaning products. In this haul the authorities found 50,600 kilos of corn flour; 23,180 kilos of wheat flour; 9,100 kilos of rice; 3,510 kilos of pasta; 4,700 liters of vegetable cooking oil and 830 cans of fish. We could not detect if arrests were made....

http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_69213.shtml

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:14

Bacchus

Starbucks conspiracy obviously

Im sure Biden has stock

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:25

#10

epaulo13

..you should read the article bacchus. do you think it's made up?

The US Covert War on Venezuela in 2015 – Diary: Feb 2

quote:

Cell Phones

For months it has been extremely difficult to find cell phones at non-speculative prices in Venezuela. One of the reasons is that the authorized agents are hiding the phones and offering them “under the counter” at four or five times the recommended retail price to desperate customers, or offering them on Facebook at exorbitant prices.

An authorized agent of one of the cell phone networks, Movilnet, was caught hoarding 330 cell phones and not offering them to the public. The agent in question is called Inversiones Guaritel and located in the shopping mall C.C. Chacaito in east Caracas.

Counter Offensive

Besides building up the pressure on the distribution network and speculators, the Venezuelan government has initiated a series of street markets up and down the country where all basic products are on offer at solidarity prices.

Last weekend, 524 street markets were organized by the Food Mission and the corresponding ministry and this weekend the number increased to 720.

According to the Ministry of Food, more than 591,000 tons of basic foodstuffs were sold to the public obviating the need for “real lines” and leaving that “job” to resellers desperate to make a “quick bolivar”.

Hopefully the biometric fingerprinting will be introduced soon in all major cities to stop the excessive buying and reselling of basic products which has become a “new business opportunity” at the expanse of state food subsidies for many poorer Venezuelans....

http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_69248.shtml

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:32

#11

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
which is almost 6 times the official price for standard ground coffee when there is, is fact, very little difference.

As soon as there's an "official" price for coffee, independent of supply and demand, it's hardly surprising that little of it is being sold in stores at the "official" price. I think a pretty big hint here is that they're evidently smuggling COFFEE to COLUMBIA. If you're getting a better price in the country that's synonymous with coffee production then something's out of whack.

I'd also bet that the "official" price of coffee is for coffee sold by the pound to consumers, and that there's no "official" price for a cup of coffee in a coffee shop. So, you've got coffee to sell. Want to sell it for more, or for less? Not really a tough choice, is it??

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:50

#12

epaulo13

..the sheer scale of the operation which goes far beyond coffee is another clue. needing cordination and corruption that goes far beyond just an underground economy. this is a concerted attack not a conspiracy therory.

Mon, 2015-02-02 18:51

#13

Bacchus

epaulo13 wrote:

..you should read the article bacchus. do you think it's made up?

The US Covert War on Venezuela in 2015 – Diary: Feb 2

quote:

Cell Phones

For months it has been extremely difficult to find cell phones at non-speculative prices in Venezuela. One of the reasons is that the authorized agents are hiding the phones and offering them “under the counter” at four or five times the recommended retail price to desperate customers, or offering them on Facebook at exorbitant prices.

An authorized agent of one of the cell phone networks, Movilnet, was caught hoarding 330 cell phones and not offering them to the public. The agent in question is called Inversiones Guaritel and located in the shopping mall C.C. Chacaito in east Caracas.

Counter Offensive

Besides building up the pressure on the distribution network and speculators, the Venezuelan government has initiated a series of street markets up and down the country where all basic products are on offer at solidarity prices.

Last weekend, 524 street markets were organized by the Food Mission and the corresponding ministry and this weekend the number increased to 720.

According to the Ministry of Food, more than 591,000 tons of basic foodstuffs were sold to the public obviating the need for “real lines” and leaving that “job” to resellers desperate to make a “quick bolivar”.

Hopefully the biometric fingerprinting will be introduced soon in all major cities to stop the excessive buying and reselling of basic products which has become a “new business opportunity” at the expanse of state food subsidies for many poorer Venezuelans....

http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_69248.shtml

Thats its created by the US? Yes I think its made up. Do I think its happening? Yes because thats what happens when you have strict price controls

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:01

#14

epaulo13

..the article say's that there is a us covert war going on and points to specific examples. no one said that the us started it only that it is up to it's elbows in it. and maybe you are right that those controls opened an opportunity for this to happen so what? this is fair game now? what's going on this is brutal.

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:37

#15

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Thats its created by the US? Yes I think its made up. Do I think its happening? Yes because thats what happens when you have strict price controls

Agreed. I'm finding it tough to swallow the idea that the guy on one side of the country who's preferentially selling his coffee to coffeeshops is somehow in coordinated communication witht the guy on the other side of the country who's sneaking gas across the border in old water bottles. A small shave with Occam's Razor would suggest that we don't really need some shadowy mastermind wearing the One Ring in order to explain this.

Of course Maduro DOES need that shadowy mastermind, and the shadowier the better.

ed'd to add:

Quote:
.the article say's that there is a us covert war going on and points to specific examples. no one said that the us started it only that it is up to it's elbows in it.

I read, and re-read, that first article and it doesn't even mention the U.S., save for the title. I guess we just have to accept on faith that the U.S. is "elbows deep" in this somehow -- the article certainly doesn't provide any concrete examples.

Also, is "Arturo Rosales" Maduro's nom de plume??

Mon, 2015-02-02 19:38

#16

Left Turn

Could the mods please retitle this thread? I tend to be fairly literal minded, I thought for a moment that Maduro had been overthrown. What's happening in Venezuela seems to me to be more along the lines of a coordinated captal strike.

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:12

#17

epaulo13

..you are right in that in that particular piece it doesn't mention the us except for the title. the diary or blog has a theme which is "the us covert war". it is ongoing and it paints a picture.

The US Covert War on Venezuela in 2015

quote:

2014 was also a year here in Venezuela that was scarred by actions of the political opposition, funded by Washington and supported by the Western media. Bereft of support by the majority of Venezuelans and unable to gain power through a peaceful electoral process, the opposition resorted to: sabotage of the infrastructure (e.g. attacks on the electrical grid); hoarding and dumping food and daily household products to keep them off the retail markets; manipulating food distribution to create the appearance of “shortages;’ smuggling subsidized products across the border into Colombia for huge profits; attacks on the economy with speculation and an illegal black-market dollar system, driving up a manipulated rate of inflation with spiraling prices in retail markets; causing capital flight by abusing the government’s system of making dollars available for imports and leisure traveling and the violence we saw for 3 months from February to April in the guarimbas in which more than 40 people were killed under the pretext of “student protests.” The greater violence in 2014 ended with the assassination of the foremost leader of Venezuelan youth, youngest member of congress, Robert Serra along with his spouse in their home on October 1, 2014.

The attacks on the Venezuelan economy are manifold. The attempt to destroy the national currency, the bolivar, began in earnest in October 2012 after the re-election of former President Hugo Chávez Frías. At that time, the bolivar was trading at 13.4 bolivars to the dollar. By means of speculation and the illegal black-market dollar, the official exchange rate for most items was forced to soar to 50:1 and the black market dollar rate is currently at about 200:1 and increasing from week to week. By all these means, high prices, making food and products unavailable, standing in long lines waiting to purchase anything from laundry detergent to corn meal, electrical outages, etc, Washington is bent on making life as miserable as possible for the people to turn them against the government. Moreover, the violence is meant to cause fear and a climate of insecurity among the people – in a word, terrorism, laying blame on the government and to portray Venezuela in the media as one of the most dangerous countries on earth....

quote:

2015 will be an important nationwide election year for members of the National Assembly (parliament) and the assault on Venezuela this year will focus on turning the people against the government to gain control of the government through the National Assembly in the December elections.

http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_69015.shtml

Mon, 2015-02-02 20:29

#18

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
At that time, the bolivar was trading at 13.4 bolivars to the dollar. By means of speculation and the illegal black-market dollar, the official exchange rate for most items was forced to soar to 50:1 and the black market dollar rate is currently at about 200:1 and increasing from week to week.

So if the official exchange rate is 13.4 bolivars to the dollar (or even fifty to the dollar) why would anyone pay a black market price of 4X that for dollars?

Could it be that that's the only way they can get them?

And then, if you've just paid 4X the official rate for dollars on the black market so that you can buy, say, flour to make cookies to sell, how is it not inevitable that the price of cookies will suddenly skyrocket?

More to the point, since this is really just a matter of that exchange rate (or, really, those three different exchange rates) how again is Joe Biden in control of this??

Mon, 2015-02-02 21:14

#19

epaulo13

..sometime back i ran across a piece that explained the complexities of the venezuelan economy. i continue to search for that. and then will respond. it's not that i don't understand what your asking just that i'm not sure if things actually work only that way.

..to be clear i'm not in this to support the government per say. i see that what is happening in venezuelan can happen anywhere including here..should we every elect people that really piss off capital. what this is doing to most people is fucking scary. oh and i never mentioned joe biden.

Mon, 2015-02-02 21:15

#20

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
oh and i never mentioned joe biden.

Agreed. That was Maduro.

Mon, 2015-02-02 22:26

#21

epaulo13

US Further Isolated as CELAC Rejects Regional Intervention

Bogota, January 30th 2015 (Venezuelanalysis) The US is seeing its role in Latin America increasingly challenged, as the 33 member states of CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) vehemently rejected North American intervention in the continent, and particularly the US-led blockade of Cuba and recently enacted sanctions against Venezuela.

The comments were part of the "Belen Declaration," approved during the CELAC's third annual presidential summit, held on January 28th and 29th in Belen, Costa Rica. Formed in 2011, the CELAC was a political initiative proposed by former Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, who aimed to reconstruct Simon Bolivar's dream of a united Latin American continent.

"We reiterate our most profound rejection of the implementation of all coercive and unilateral measures and once more call on the US to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade which it has imposed on its sister nation for over five decades," reads the 22 page document....

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11178

Mon, 2015-02-02 22:27

#22

epaulo13

mr. magoo

..but i did mention that the us was involved. up to it's elbows in fact. well i couldn't find the piece i wanted. but ran across this. it doesn't have your flare for phrasing but it does provide an understanding of what the underling objectives are.

The Pros and Cons of Venezuela's Currency Controls

Venezuela's currency controls including its fixed exchange rate are among the most controversial of Chavez-era policies. Under former president Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's currency was fixed, and exchange controls were imposed. The initial objective of Chavez's currency policies was to stem capital flight amid the 2002-03 oil strikes, but they are now a well established part of the government's economic policy; particularly aimed at controlling inflation and sheltering domestic industries, among other goals....

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10317

Tue, 2015-02-03 00:17

#23

laine lowe laine lowe's picture

I hope the US continues to fail in their attempt to topple Venezuela's socialist government and the other left-leaning governments in South America. If poverty reduction and increased literacy is a crime agains freedom and liberty, well then let full bellies and increased awareness rule the day. If the US feels so strongly in their principles, let the capitalists copyright freedom and liberty and sell them on the open market rather than have the CIA/NED/USAID force their tainted concepts of these two terms through propaganda and internal manipulation or at gun point or through economic sanctions.

I admire Maduro, Morales and Castro for resisting. La luta continua.

Tue, 2015-02-03 00:35

#24

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
The Pros and Cons of Venezuela's Currency Controls

Interesting article.

Tue, 2015-02-03 01:09

#25

Left Turn

laine lowe wrote:

I hope the US continues to fail in their attempt to topple Venezuela's socialist government and the other left-leaning governments in South America. If poverty reduction and increased literacy is a crime agains freedom and liberty, well then let full bellies and increased awareness rule the day. If the US feels so strongly in their principles, let the capitalists copyright freedom and liberty and sell them on the open market rather than have the CIA/NED/USAID force their tainted concepts of these two terms through propaganda and internal manipulation or at gun point or through economic sanctions.

I admire Maduro, Morales and Castro for resisting. La luta continua.

Tue, 2015-02-03 09:48

#26

A_J

Mr. Magoo wrote:

Quote:
I figured that if the US had orchestrated the recent fall in oil prices that destabilizing Venezuela was part of that strategy.

The U.S. is certainly free to sell their own crude cheaper -- selling something for less than your competitor is pretty common in business -- but how is the U.S. making Iran sell theirs cheaper? How did the U.S. force OPEC to NOT agree to a higher price, other than by providing some not unreasonable competition?

Agreed. The accusation that the drop in oil prices is a U.S. conspiracy to destroy the Venezuelan economy is ridiculous. First of all, it's largely lead by Saudi Arabia, which has lower production costs (so it can get by comfortably on sub-$50/barrel oil) and second of all, if it can be attributed to the U.S. - why wouldn't the U.S. want 1) to increase domestic production or 2) reduce prices for economic reasons? And even then it's not that simple: U.S. production costs are fairly high, so such a low price doesn't help their producers either.

Gwynne Dyer - The slow-moving conspiracy of an "oil war" (2 January, 2015)

“DID YOU KNOW there’s an oil war? And the war has an objective: to destroy Russia,” said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a live television speech last week. “It’s a strategically planned war…also aimed at Venezuela, to try and destroy our revolution and cause an economic collapse.”
It’s the United States that has started the war, Maduro said, and its strategy was to flood the market with shale oil and collapse the price.

. . .

We are hearing this kind of talk a lot these days, especially from countries that have been hit hard by the crash in the oil price. Last Thursday, Brent crude hit $55 per barrel, precisely half the price it was selling for last June. The Obama administration’s announcement last week that it is preparing to allow the export of some U.S. oil to foreign markets may send it even lower. (U.S. crude oil exports have been banned since 1973.)

When the oil price collapses, countries that depend very heavily on oil exports to make ends meet are obviously going to get hurt. President Putin, who has let Russia get itself into a position where more than half its budget revenue comes from oil and gas sales (some estimates go as high as 80 percent) is in deep trouble: the value of the ruble has halved, and the economy has already slipped into recession.

Venezuela, where government spending is certainly more than 50 percent dependent on oil exports, is in even deeper trouble—and, like Putin in Russia, President Maduro of Venezuela sees this as the result of an American plot. Various commentators in the West have taken up the chorus, and the conspiracy theory is taking root all over the developing world.

So let us consider whether there really is an “oil war”. The accusation is that the United States is deliberately “flooding the market” with shale oil, that is, with oil that has only become available because of the fracking techniques that have become widespread, especially in the U.S., over the past decade. Moreover, Washington is doing this for political purposes, not just because it makes economic sense for the United States to behave like this.

In order to believe this conspiracy theory, however, you really have to think that a rational U.S. government, acting in its own best economic interests, would do the opposite: suppress the fracking techniques and keep American oil production low, in order to keep its imports up and the oil price high. But why on earth would it want to do that?

You will note that I am going along with the notion (a necessary part of the conspiracy theory) that all important business decisions in the United States are ultimately made by the U.S. government. That is ridiculous, of course, but we don’t need to refute this delusion in order to settle the question at hand, so let it pass.

Tue, 2015-02-03 11:42

#27

epaulo13

US Slaps Venezuelans with New Sanctions

The United States officially imposed new sanctions on Venezuela Monday, amid accusations from President Nicolas Maduro that Washington is trying to destabilize his country.

The new sanctions expand the number of Venezuelan government officials barred from entering the United States.

“These restrictions will also affect the immediate family members of a number of those individuals subject to visa restrictions for believed involvement in human rights abuses or for acts of public corruption,” said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.

Psaki continued by stating, “We will not publicly identify these individuals because of U.S. visa confidentiality laws, but we are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United States.”

Maduro hit back at the announcement by accusing the U.S. government of hypocrisy.

“They kill black youth in the street with impunity, they persecute and have concentration camps of Central American kids. (In Guantanamo), they have abducted dozens of citizens of the world under no known legal system, submitting them to torture, isolation," he said during a speech....

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11181

Tue, 2015-02-03 11:54

#28

A_J

Venezuela allows possible deadly force at protests

New regulations have been published in Venezuela allowing soldiers to open fire if they feel their lives are at risk during demonstrations.

The rules specify a scaled approach to maintaining public order, up to and including the use of deadly force.

Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the changes were made in response to three months of violent protests last year.

Citizen rights groups in Venezuela say the new rules are "dangerously vague".

. . .

Marcela Maspero of the National Workers Union called the plans "a direct threat to the working class.

"It is the workers who have been the main participants in the social protests in the country in the last few years."

She said the country was going through hard economic times, and there had been protests about the serious problems in the food supply chain and increases in the price of petrol. She felt the government was publishing these rules as "a warning" to the workers.

Civil rights groups pointed out that the ruling was unconstitutional because the Constitution expressly forbids the use of firearms to control peaceful demonstrations.

Thu, 2015-02-05 19:09

#29

Thanks for the thread NDPP

Here is another example of how western English press is covering Venezuela

Store shelves in Venezuela are today increasingly bare, recalling the experience of shoppers in communist countries in the run-up to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Venezuela Is Running Out of Everything — and Its Government Is Blaming Supermarket and Pharmacy Owners

This narrative helps the opposition in the country as they want to take power instead of fixing the economic situation.

The current economic crisis is a result of decades a systematic problems of an export oil economy - not the current administration. The scarcity of specific items such as diapers, milk etc are caused hoarding.

An economic system with lack of domestic production, poor fiscal policy,import reliance are causes of the crisis. If Maduro is overthrown or not in power , these problems will still exist.

Thu, 2015-02-05 20:00

#30

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
The current economic crisis is a result of decades a systematic problems of an export oil economy

Doesn't that also mean decades to sock a little of that oil money aside, in hard currency perhaps, in case oil prices don't climb forever?

Quote:
The scarcity of specific items such as diapers, milk etc are caused hoarding.

It's also called "not being able to import more". If I go buy 150 rolls of toilet paper, guess what my local supermarket will do? They'll just buy more.

Quote:
If Maduro is overthrown or not in power , these problems will still exist.

The poor fiscal policy doesn't have to. Sure, the economy won't recover overnight, but as the Chinese say "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Anyhoo, no real need to change their fiscal policy or anything silly like that when they can just scapegoat their political enemies. That should fix things quickly enough. A couple more opposition members in jail and those shelves will be overflowing toot sweet.

Wed, 2015-02-11 13:02

#31

epaulo13

The Non-Aligned Movement, UNASUR, and CELAC Stand with Venezuela Against Latest US Sanctions

quote:

Members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) including the foreign ministers of Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia, as well the UNASUR Secretary General, Ernesto Samper, indicated that part of yesterday’s efforts were to establish a direct dialogue between Caracas and Washington.

Ecuadorian foreign minister Ricardo Patiño told reporters that the sanctions “warrant[ed] an immediate reaction from UNASUR and that is why we met.”

“We hope our actions will promote peace, concord and dialogue and…. prevent countries outside the region from disturbing peace and stability in our countries,” Patiño said.

Samper, for his part, emphasized that all UNASUR members would unanimously reject any attempt to destabilize a member state, and previously announced the organization would be launching an investigation into claims that the White House is actively interfering in Venezuelan affairs.

The Non-Aligned Movement, a group of 120 nations currently presided over by Iran, has also condemned the latest set of US sanctions as a further attempt “to undermine Venezuela's sovereignty, its political independence and its right to self-determination.”....

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11202

Fri, 2015-02-13 10:49

#32

iyraste1313

Coup plot against Venezuelan President uncoveredPublished 12 February 2015 (39 minutes ago)0 +Coup plotters planned on assassinating the Venezuelan President and installing a transitional government.

A coup plotted, hatched in the U.S. against Venezuela, has been exposed, with both civilians and members of the military detained, President Nicolas Maduro revealed Thursday in a televised address.

Those involved were being paid in U.S. dollars, and one of the suspects had been granted a visa to enter the United States should the plot fail, Maduro said.

Maduro stated that the coup plotters already had a “transitional” government and program lined up once the acts – which included bombings in Caracas and other places, as well as assassinations of members of the opposition, Maduro and others – was carried out.

According to Maduro, one of the suspects was already under surveillance and had been suspected of plotting against the government last year but was not charged. Nevertheless he continued plotting against the democratically-elected government.

Maduro stated that the plot was uncovered after loyal officials reported it to authorities.

Fri, 2015-02-13 17:14

#33

Mr. Magoo wrote:

Quote:
The current economic crisis is a result of decades a systematic problems of an export oil economy

Doesn't that also mean decades to sock a little of that oil money aside, in hard currency perhaps, in case oil prices don't climb forever?

Quote:
The scarcity of specific items such as diapers, milk etc are caused hoarding.

It's also called "not being able to import more". If I go buy 150 rolls of toilet paper, guess what my local supermarket will do? They'll just buy more.

Quote:
If Maduro is overthrown or not in power , these problems will still exist.

The poor fiscal policy doesn't have to. Sure, the economy won't recover overnight, but as the Chinese say "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Anyhoo, no real need to change their fiscal policy or anything silly like that when they can just scapegoat their political enemies. That should fix things quickly enough. A couple more opposition members in jail and those shelves will be overflowing toot sweet.

Chavez was not in power 20 years ago , he came in 1999

Of course, Chavez could 've prepared for a rainy day but thats not the opposition is saying. There is a difference between saying there is mismanagment and creating an international debate around a supposed humanitarian crisis.

Maduro came in to office in the similar way Obama came into office at the height of the finacial crisis

The hoarding problem is not just due to importing more but because of subsidy system.The reason why there are long line ups is because poor people are able to get items like meat through subsidies not just well off Venezuelans

Fri, 2015-02-13 21:42

#34

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Chavez was not in power 20 years ago , he came in 1999

Ok, let me paraphrase the old saying: "The best time to plant a tree is in 1999. The second best time is now". Same idea, yes?

Anyway, does it strike you as at all strange that "having the world's largest proven reserves of oil" would be insufficient to prevent scarcity? Absolute ass-loads of dinosaur juice, and people are still hoarding toilet paper because unlike the Bolivar, its value isn't depreciating daily?

Quote:
.The reason why there are long line ups is because poor people are able to get items like meat through subsidies not just well off Venezuelans

Really? Because I've seen it suggested that people are lining up for the chance to maybe purchase some basic consumer goods that are in very short supply, not the chance to get some meat at less than market price.

Sat, 2015-02-14 18:15

#35

epaulo13

..further to what iyraste1313 in post #31 was talking about

Coup Plot in Venezuela Thwarted

Coup plotters planned on assassinating the Venezuelan president and installing a de facto government.

A coup plot against the Venezuelan government has been foiled, with both civilians and members of the military detained, President Nicolas Maduro revealed Thursday in a televised address.

Those involved were being paid in U.S. dollars, and one of the suspects had been granted a visa to enter the United States should the plot fail, Maduro said.

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11208

Sun, 2015-02-15 16:08

#36

Mr. Magoo

Has this been verified by a party loyalist yet? :)

Sun, 2015-02-15 16:37

#37

iyraste1313

...just breaking news!!

This news is all over Latin America.

The Canadian embassy employee caught “inspecting” one of Venezuela’s airports without any right to do so, (in Carabobo state) is called Nancy Birbeck, an officer of the Canadian Mounted Police.

The Canadian Parliamentary Sub-Committee on International Human Rights supports the urban terrorist Leopoldo López (not the Human Rights of the families of the 43 people whose death he is responsible for, plus those of the 870 who were injured) and now, is the Canadian embassy in the business of “coup plotting” against a democratic and legitimate government of this Hemisphere????

There is some explaining/apologies/change of policies needed in Ottawa.

Evidence Reveals Canada, UK Involvement in Venezuela Coup Plot

Evidence presented on Venezuelan TV showed a video of the coup plotters, as well as the 10-year U.S. visa granted to one of the accused.

By Telesur

February 14, 2015 "ICH" - "Telesur" - The president of Venezuela's national assembly, Diosdado Cabello, presented further evidence of the right-wing plot to overthrow the Bolivarian government Friday evening.

Cabello presented evidence of the foiled plans, including a video showing members of the military prior to recording a message announcing that the military no longer recognized the government.

The video, which was set to be aired after planned attacks had been carried out, was to have been televised by a station in Venezuela or Miami.

Cabello also showed a 10-year U.S. visa given to one of the detained, days before the plan was to be implemented.

Sun, 2015-02-15 17:15

#38

Mr. Magoo

It's terrible when 11 people totally hamstring the economy of the world's most oil-rich nation by hoarding toilet paper.

And then, as if that's not enough, they force other nations of the world to be concerned about a humanitarian crisis!!!

Fortunately, the Venezuelan government already warned us of this or I'd never have imagined it was even possible.

Build a gallows, Mr. Maduro! Build eleven of them!

But the good news is that the country's going to be fine now. Right?

Mon, 2015-02-16 11:28

#39

ikosmos

Britain and Canada involved in in Foiled US Venezuelan Coup D'etat Plot

Quote:

Washington, Britain and Canada hatched the latest plot to return Venezuela to its bad old days. TeleSUR reported new details.

“Fresh evidence” showing their involvement, saying:

“Many of the individuals being charged, included a military general – whom has confessed to participating in the plans – and a retired lieutenant colonel – have indicated you (fascist Justice Party president Julio Borges) as being a key participant in meetings, which resulted in the decision to carry out a series of bombing attacks as a part of the coup, targeting the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly,” key ministries, TeleSUR’s offices, and other Caracas sites.

Venezuelan authorities identified US embassy personnel involved. So were a Royal Canadian Mounted Police official and UK diplomatic core member, according to National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.

Not really a surprise, given the bootlicking qualities of the current regime in Ottawa.

Mon, 2015-02-16 12:28

#40

Slumberjack

Yes, in the world according to Magoo, one comes away with the impression that all of the intrigue and economic deprivation would be reversed if Venezeula would just get with Uncle Sam's program.

Mon, 2015-02-16 14:18

#41

Mr. Magoo

"Economic deprivation"? Lol. Poor Venezuela.

More proven black gold reserves than any other country on Earth, wiping their asses with leaves because 11 Emmanuel Goldbergs hoarded all the toilet paper and sent the entire economy into a tailspin.

Like I noted, the coup was foiled. Everything will be awesome now, right? If not, I think Maduro is running out of things to scapegoat.

Mon, 2015-02-16 15:29

#42

Slumberjack

There are no utopias Mr. Magoo, not even socialist ones. Nations should be free to work out their own affairs without having to ward off plots and coup attempts by Wall Street and its security and intelligence branches in Washington. As this article suggests, South American nations should consider sanctions of their own.

Mon, 2015-02-16 16:06

#43

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

Given US history in Latin America, I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to doubt that the US is engaging in economic destablization in Venezuela. Yes the Venezuelan government occasionally says and does some stupid things, but the overarching issue is the US trying to re-gain control of its "back yard".

While the US was tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, some left and reformist oriented governments managed to get elected in Latin America. If the Venezuelan government is overthrown, then the dominoes in the rest of Latin America will fall with it.

One only need look back at US economic destablization efforts in Chile during the early 1970's or in Nicaragua during the 1980's. The leopard might be wounded, but it hasn't changed it spots.

Mon, 2015-02-16 16:15

#44

epaulo13

..at the same time the us is being warded off the struggle within must be recognized and must continue.

Hector Navarro: I’m Encouraging a Rebellion at the Bases of the PSUV

Ex-minister Hector Navarro calls for the bases of the PSUV to retake control of the party whose internal democracy he claims has been threatened by bureaucratization and corruption. Nevarro, who was himself formally disciplined by the leadership of the PSUV for defending ex-planning minister Jorge Giordani, nonetheless holds open the possibility of further deepening the Revolution by broadening popular protagonism.

Mon, 2015-02-16 16:23

#45

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Nations should be free to work out their own affairs without having to ward off plots and coup attempts by Wall Street and its security and intelligence branches in Washington.

I don't disagree. But I'm also far from convinced that Venezuela's financial problems are the result of 11 people plotting (oh, yet another!) coup.

Maduro seems to have a bit of a habit of scapegoating the opposition and discovering "traitors" under the bed whenever the going gets tough. I'm openminded enough to be interested in any kind of reasonable evidence of this latest coup, but it's going to take a bit more than the names of some opposition leaders and a bunch of rhetoric to make me believe that Venezuela's current economic problems aren't primarily the result of Venezuela's own choices (which is to say, them "working out their own affairs").

And I'll say again: they claim they've warded off the coup, and imprisoned the plotters. Excellent! So, will the economy thrive now? Will Venezuelans have cooking oil and corn flour and toilet paper, now that the "real" cause of scarcity and inflation has been stopped?

And if not, what will Maduro claim next? My bet: another coup! An even bigger one! It's pretty much that, or lose face and admit that their policies aren't really working.

Mon, 2015-02-16 16:48

#46

Slumberjack

Mr. Magoo wrote:
But I'm also far from convinced that Venezuela's financial problems are the result of 11 people plotting (oh, yet another!) coup.

Because coups never happen in South America. They're all figments of fewer imaginations than the 11 people it apparently takes to get one off the ground.

Quote:
Maduro seems to have a bit of a habit of scapegoating the opposition and discovering "traitors" under the bed whenever the going gets tough. I'm openminded enough to be interested in any kind of reasonable evidence of this latest coup, but it's going to take a bit more than the names of some opposition leaders and a bunch of rhetoric to make me believe that Venezuela's current economic problems aren't primarily the result of Venezuela's own choices (which is to say, them "working out their own affairs").

Good of you to be concerned and open minded about Venezeulan politics. If the current state of the economy is their own choices as you say, then how does that justify a coup? It doesn't.

Quote:
And I'll say again: they claim they've warded off the coup, and imprisoned the plotters. Excellent! So, will the economy thrive now?

I don't know. How does economic performance and non-constitutional power grabs relate? If poorly performing economies deserved to be taken over by a coup arranged amongst interests that are foreign to the countries in question, how does Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece not rate the same attention? I'd venture it's because one government after another remained faithful to the austerity line of the banking cartels, although it remains to be seen with the latest developments out of Greece.

Quote:
And if not, what will Maduro claim next? My bet: another coup! An even bigger one! It's pretty much that, or lose face and admit that their policies aren't really working.

Well, Wall Street has been quite persistent over the decades where Cuba is concerned. More coup attempts shouldn't take anyone by surprise, except that you seem to believe South America and coups being mentioned in the same sentence must be straight out of some work of fiction.

Mon, 2015-02-16 16:51

#47

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Because coups never happen in South America. They're all figments of fewer imaginations than the 11 people it apparently takes to get one off the ground.

I didn't say coups never happen. I said "But I'm also far from convinced that Venezuela's financial problems are the result of 11 people plotting (oh, yet another!) coup."

Quote:
More coup attempts shouldn't take anyone by surprise, except that you seem to believe South America and coups being mentioned in the same sentence must be straight out of some work of fiction.

Again, no. But from a logical point of view, saying "coups exist" is not the same as "this is, therefore, a coup".

Mon, 2015-02-16 17:06

#48

Slumberjack

Mr. Magoo wrote:
I didn't say coups never happen. I said "But I'm also far from convinced that Venezuela's financial problems are the result of 11 people plotting (oh, yet another!) coup."

Do you have a ballpark figure as to how many people it should take to mount a coup? I don't know, but it seems you've been proven right with the apparent arrest of this latest coup that they probably need more people involved. Hard to judge from here what sort of critical mass might work. It's probably why they have intelligence people and foreign embassy staff crunching those numbers, although the current effort must have been spearheaded by Agent Jethro Bodine.

Quote:
But from a logical point of view, saying "coups exist" is not the same as "this is, therefore, a coup".

Saying the word coup out loud in South America is not the same thing as the story about the boy who cried wolf. The odds are pretty good that there's actually a coup going on.

Mon, 2015-02-16 17:11

#49

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

Coup plotting was taking place in Chile as early as October, 1970 as this now declassified US government document reveals.

In the case of the coup plot mentioned in this document, the US government told the plotters to call it off and wait for a better opportunity...which did come on September 11, 1973.

There was one almost successful coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002 and a successful one in Honduras in 2009. No doubt there will be others.

Mon, 2015-02-16 17:15

#50

iyraste1313

the published engagement of Canada in this foiled coup plot will have very harsh consequences for Canada...

Canada is the heart and control of the mining industry of Latin America....watch as the projects are challenged one by one....here they have their nickel operations, now publicly backed by a fascist imperialist regime called Canada...

the power of Canadian foreign policy was built on its humanitarian good reputation, aka good cop bad cop analogy...

no more! Harper has made a tremendous error......wonder if anyone in the politiucal arena will respond...probably the NDP will say...ohh, that was not the nice way to go about eliminating a regime, we wil eliminate them different! A regime, trying if possibly failing to meet the needs of its poor and marginalized, along with supporting its resource poor allies

Mon, 2015-02-16 17:17

#51

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
Do you have a ballpark figure as to how many people it should take to mount a coup?

If it means destroying the economy of an oil-rich nation from within, I'd ballpark it at "thousands".

Quote:
The odds are pretty good that there's actually a coup going on.

Perhaps there is. But I guess my question is "is that REALLY why inflation is spiralling out of control, and Venezuelans don't have access to basic goods?"

Here's a possibility. Maybe 11 individuals WERE plotting a coup, while at the same time Venezuela is on the ropes primarily because of their own policies. And maybe the failed coup is just a convenient scapegoat for all fo the country's problems. Any thoughts on that?

Quote:
There was one almost successful coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002 and a successful one in Honduras in 2009. No doubt there will be others.

I think you forgot one, in 1992. Ooops!

Venezuela: A Coup in Real Time

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