While Chavez is busy suing Globovision after having closed RCTV, Globovision continues to produce and post videos for RCTV on You Tube twice a day. Here’s yesterday evening’s (in Spanish):
Tamara Slusniys explains that the RCTV webpage, El Observador, which had been shut down from a DOS attack is now back on line El Observador. The actors from one of the RCTV comedy shows is taking their show on the road showing on screen one of the shows they couldn’t broadcast when the station was closed by the government.
On Wednesday there was a huge demonstration of students who went to the National Assembly. As the WaPo correctly explains, there have been no opposition lawmakers since 2005. Daniel explains that the students are Settling into a protest routine, Venezuela style
El Universal has a slide show. This man’s wearing a sign that reads, “Sorry for the inconvenience. We’re working for your freedom!”
Of course, a cadena followed, and this is no news: Chavez calls protesting students ‘pawns of Washington’.
Via Miguel, a new blog The end of Venezuela as I know it. That blogger is certainly no “pawn of Washington”, or of anyone for that matter. But not everyone is as strong: Gustavo Coronel writes about The Dark Hour of Gustavo Cisneros.
Here’s A priceless statement on the RCTV shutdown by a Government adviser. Indeed, as Daniel states in his article for Index on censorship, The non-renewal of the licence of the main opposition station is part of a broader, worrying, trend in Chavista Venezuela
AP has an article, Venezuela seeks leftist defense bloc
President Hugo Chavez called for the creation of a common defense pact between Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia, while the leftist Latin American bloc announced the creation of a development bank to finance joint projects.
which is something I’ve been posting on for a while, but now the rethoric’s a little hotter,
Chavez said Wednesday that the four-nation Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, which began as a socialist-leaning trade group, should cooperate militarily to become more independent of U.S. influence. “It seems to be the moment to establish a joint defense strategy,” Chavez said. He called for joint military aid as well as intelligence and counterintelligence cooperation “to prepare our people for defense so that nobody makes any mistake with us.”
Austin Bay‘s Washington Times op-ed looks at Venezuela’s current land claims against Colombia, Guyana and Holland (because of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire) and asks, A second Falklands?
One thing is clear, Hugo’s networking involves Bolivia, and terrorist-supporting states:
Update: The Economist says Much though Evo Morales (left) might want to be another Hugo Chávez, he will not find it easy
Brazil’s Senate is not too happy over recent developments: Stratfor has an excellent article, Mercosur and Brazil: The Venezuela Question and Quitting Time
Summary: Despite recent conciliatory gestures between the presidents of Brazil and Venezuela, Brazil’s Senate has shown a new determination to block full membership for Venezuela in the trade group Mercosur as part of the fallout from the revocation of Radio Caracas TV’s license. If Mercosur denies Venezuela, it could become a more viable trade group, though that greatly depends on Argentina’s stance following elections later this year. Ultimately, Brazil will have to leave Mercosur if it does not become a more effective trade body.
Hugo’s even ordering Fidel around, Get out of your trackies, Chavez tells Castro
“I believe the time has come to return to wearing the uniform,” said Mr Chavez, a staunch supporter and protege of Castro.
“We want you in uniform … That’s an order,” he joked.
I guess Hugo doesn’t understand the dotty dictator’s fashion sense.
Update Excellent round-ups at A colombo-americana’s perspective