Urban Arson

Why is not this same commentary being made about Michael Bloomberg doing the same thing by trying to(erase mayoral term limits)become "Mayor for life" of NYC.


Is it because he is one of the special people?
Or is Bloomberg a "tyrannical dictator aswell?

Dear Gonzalo,

geographical yes, Venezuelans will not freeze in harsh winters but ideological and cultural differences do not differ my dear sir! I would like to point again to Romania..Romania was and is the only Latin (romance language) speaking country in Eastern Europe...Romanian people are not Slavic like the Russian, Czechs, Hungarians, Polish etc etc...they are an island of Latins in the middle of a Slavic sea...and look what happened to them...When people are willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder for a loaf of bread or rank, there are no differences...may I point you to Cuba...they are Latin, Caribbean and your neighbor! You may have a very romantic view of how Venezuela will achieve freedom from tyranny...do not put that much stock in cultural differences...dictators use the ambition and stupidity of their followers to full extent while romantic views like yours pave roads to frustration. When it comes to struggle, to class warfare...there are no boundaries, maps, ideology or cultural differences...it has happened on every continent and to many cultures. The ones that don't have will want what is rightfully yours and the system will encourage it while it will suppress you. I would open my eyes wider if I were you...it seems to me that there is another kind of rhetoric at work on the side of the opposition...the kind that wants to risk nothing. Don't count on politicians that are not willing to be on the front lines, they will bring nothing but grief to your nation and frustration to people like you that want freedom. I wish you much luck and I sincerely hope I am wrong!

Long live King Chavez!!!!

For Alex
I appreciate the time you took to tell me about your experience in Eastern Europe and feel connected with your thoughts and fears on Venezuela. But I can tell you that there are lots of differences (cultural, ideological, geographical, etc) with the Soviet regime and whatever we can think this venezuelan government is. Venezuela is a caribbean as well as a latin american country, with a cultural mix that differs from any eastern european nation. I know political and ideological principles are universal, but cultural and geographical differences make each country's history unique and variable from other experiences.
I hope your past is not my future. I still believe in my people.
Best regards,
Gonzalo

For Aaron M. Burns:

Quote 1: "My comments were in no way a slight against Venezuelans"
Quote 2: "I cannot in good conscience return to a country full of people who in the face of such tyranny, continue to party and carry on like nothing is happening to their beautiful homeland"
I rest my case.

P.S. You should come and visit. See for yourself what's happening in Venezuela. Not thru the internet news. Not thru Fox News, CNN or L.A. Times. After that, you can do your judgmental thing and write your personal theories on the subject.

In Response to Gonzalo Peña Veloz:

My comments were in no way a slight against Venezuelans. Here's the deal I don't believe that the numbers are 53% to 46%, as I refuse to believe any of the numbers put out by the Chavista government. A common tactic of tyrannical leaders is skewing numbers both for and against them so that contests appear valid. Adjusting the numbers on a sliding scale so that a few small wins for the opposition build up in preparation for a huge let down caused by That is what happened on Sunday.

The referendum had failed before, his support seemed to be waning and the anti-Chavista numbers were stronger than ever. Many of those who had seen the evils of his regime joined up with with anti-Chavista movements, protested, passed out flyers and attempted to get the vote out before this referendum. I've been watching, the numbers were IMPRESSIVE. Seas of people carving channels of civil disobedience down the streets of major cities. The night of the vote came and all sat patiently by their television sets waiting to hear the good news of victory and their hopes were dashed by yet another defeat. He did this on purpose to diminish your resolve, and rather than channeling your anger at the man who caused it, you push it in my face. I'm a man, I can take it. But it still won't change the fact that Venezuela, like all of Latin America is going to hell in a hand basket; hemorrhaging blood and about to lose consciousness. Unless you stop the bleeding nothing will change and things will continue to get worse.

Going on with your everyday lives is a wonderful thing, and a testament to your resistance to suppression. But how long will it last? If your freedoms are constantly being chipped away how many more will it take before those sorts of get togethers are no longer allowed?

You cling to a number like 46% who stand against the evil, when I truly believe it is a lot higher. Since the numbers of such a vote are controlled by Chavistas of course we'll never know for sure, but 46% is definitely a low ball number. Venezuelans are a proud people and over the years many have given their lives for the cause of freedom. I am very well versed in the language of liberty and know my history. I have not lost an iota of hope in any group of people who yearn to be free. Especially a people so known for their national pride and resilience to strife.

Venezuela is the land of my mother, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends; I have a stake in its survival. I could simply stay mum and hope for the best, but that isn't good enough. I wrote this post in order to stir up something, bring more eyes to the growing problems in the beautiful country of my forefathers. Stay strong Venezuela. You need another revolution now before it's too late.

Gonzalo,
with all due respect I have to disagree with you at the same time I pain with you...I lived in a communist country (Romania) for 16 years of my life, I came to USA as a political refugee (1983) and I know what I am talking about, in Romania too half of population was pro and the other against...the one against were too afraid of the other half, it took them 50 years to revolt it didn't happen until the winter of '89 when people were starving and dying frozen in their homes... the pleasures you enjoy now, of your friends and spending time doing what you want to do, will be short lived...(I hate to say this)I promise you! You will start living in fear, then you're going to have to have your dissenting conversations while loud music is playing or the water running... because your house will be bugged, then you will be completely silenced in fear because the only thing you're interested in, is to be alive, Remember this old saying " the hand you don't slap today, will slap you tomorrow"...You don't believe it...ask a Romanian or Slovak, Chek or Polak... they had chances of slapping the Russian communist hand a long time ago but they didn't because they believed will not last or something better will come along or that according to Voice of America "the Americans are coming" or just simply put it in your words I have better things to do or we will vote him out next time, mentality. The Venezuelan people, the 46% will better serve the future generations by doing something now...not next year not the year after...why because you will be silenced little by little until you will have no voice. Only the courageous Venezuelans that are willing to make sacrifices today are your hope...tomorrow they will be too scared ...History has proven this in all the socialist/communist regimes time and time again. You do not want to be put in the same bag with the rest of 54% of Venezuelans, remember this, history judges 100% of a country not in half's and not on case by case basis... and even more importantly what will the future Venezuelans think of the ones that passively stood by today, deciding for hope instead of action...freedom is not free and is not gained by votes...rarely! someone way smarter than me once say something to the tune of " there is no evil in the world until good men decided to look the other way" ... and about the 54% of the pro, let me say this: I can't fully blame them jumping on the red wagon...poor and uneducated people all over the world including Romania did the same..why? they just wanted to do better, eat better, live better even if it was at someone else expense or cost someone their life...Socialists and Communists know this! the uneducated fill their ranks and do their dirty deeds...the ones you see carrying the dictators flag...are bought with money and rank, they seldom believe the rhetoric, most of the time they don't even understand or they do not want to...Gonzalo I wish you all the best not only to you but to Venezuelans as a nation, it pains me to hear and see history repeated...Venezuelans are a great people with a lot of history and deserve better than what you are going through...

It's very difficult to read these lines without thinking what would your mother, your grandparents, your great grandparents and all the generations before them think about your rough thoughts.
After all, life has taught me not to jump into conclusions with my first thoughts in mind. I have learned that I have to read between the lines. Look deep into the numbers and get the real answer. And the answer is not to put a whole country and its people into the same bag. We have fought a lot, we have learned a lot through this proccess, we've had a lot of brave souls that stood up to this, but it hasn"t been enough. It hasn't been enough because we still have a lot of work to do. And we are not alone in this fight. We have a lot of venezuelans, still living and working in this beautiful country, trying to make the best out of it.
If you look well into the numbers you will see a country split in two halves (53% - 46%). And THAT is a powerful message. It's a message of dignity to this Oil Pimp -as the New York Post once addressed him- that tells him in strong numbers that, although he has spent a lot of money trying to gain the will of the venezuelans, there's one half that doesn't want him to be President eternally. Not 1%, not 10%, not 25%, but 46%.
Excuse me, but you don't have to put us all into one bag. And you shouldn't be pointing your finger at us because we still carry on with our lives, and go to work, and celebrate important dates with our friends and families just because, according to your belief, we have a wanna-be dictator as a President and we have to make our lives miserable because of that. I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way. In real life, it works just the other way around.
I admire the United States of America and I applaud americans because with all the war going on the Middle East they still carry on with their lives. Because that's the way of the human spirit. That's the way it is supposed to be. People have to live on so they can fight for their beliefs in the most democratic way possible.
When you have 46% you still have hope. You still have people fighting. You still have people believing the democratic way is the only way.
So please, for the sake of your venezuelan roots, think again on your easy judgments of our people. Be proud of where you come from. Think about your great grandfather from the Veloz side and his role as pioneer of the radio and TV industry in this country. Think about the achievements of your Avellán great grandfather as a succesful man of our industrial development. Think about all your relatives still living here that don't want this President for life and keep fighting democratically for that. I can share a lot of your judgments about the wrongful and distateful ways of this Oil Pimp but I think that my fight is still in this land. 46% of venezuelans gave me hope. This is not the end. We still have the Assembly elections next year. We still have the 2012 presidential elections. We still can sum up a lot of people to our side.
I respect your opinion when you say you wont come back to Venezuela as long as he is our President, but I have to ask you to reconsider, after reading these few lines, on your judgments of our people. Do it for that 46% of us. Do it for your relatives still living in this land. After all, as the old saying refers and as your grandmother used to say: "Blood is thicker than water".