por Robert Alonso

Mi amigo adeco me llamó para asegurarme que esta vez NO NOS HARÁN CORRER EN GAMBOTE.  La última concentración a la cual asistí fue a una cuadra de la embajada de Cuba.  Allá, un grupito no muy nutrido nos “latió” en la cueva, siendo nosotros muchos más que ellos.  Me dice “el pana” que mañana, si algunos corren, serán los malos.

Advierto que voy por mi cuenta, sin representación alguna.  Voy en paz y no me meteré con quien no se meta conmigo.  Pero voy con la confianza que mi amigo – el adeco – me dice la verdad.  Hace falta ver que ganemos una, para variar… de lo contrario “esa gente” pensará que tenemos complejo de “Andarín Carvajal”.

Claro que ellos son guapos y apoyados porque cuando llega la Guardia Nacional los cañones de sus armas les apuntan cobarde y CON TRAICIÓN a nuestras banderas de tres colores con siete estrellas en su franja interna.  Ellos no portan el tricolor nacional y muchos deshonran aquella de la estrella solitaria diseñada, por cierto, por el venezolano Narciso López y enarbolada por vez primera por este general -- que dio la vida por Cuba – en la ciudad de Cárdenas (provincia de Matanzas), el 19 de mayo de 1850. 

Estoy altamente emocionado y motivado.  Tal vez mañana corra la sangre heroica tras la defensa de la democracia y a sabiendas de que daremos la cara.  No habrá muertes fortuitas.  Quien muera mañana de nuestro lado, lo hará a sabiendas de lo que hacía y se convertirá en héroe nacional.  Podría ser un estupendo día que no me querré perder por nada de este mundo.  Tan motivado estoy que me han salido de mi alterado corazón los siguientes versos sencillos:

Siento en mi alma el llamado de salir hoy a las calles en las lomas y en  los valles de este noble suelo amado

Lucharé bandera en mano ya no aguanto este dolor despídeme de mi amor voy a morir con mi hermano

Si volver es mi destino y no caigo en la batalla que mi amor no se me vaya brindaremos con buen vino

Mas si muero en el empeño y Dios me llama a su lado dile que dijo su amado que buscara un nuevo dueño

Se siente el temor del enemigo; llaman y piden tregua.  Noto que están poniendo el parche antes de que salga el hueco.  Parece que la cosa va en serio: ¡nadie correrá! 

Espero, claro, poder regresar de la concentración en pleno corazón del territorio “bolivariano” con la moral bien alta y suficiente salud como para lanzar mi “alerta” de mañana.  Hoy mi musa está de descanso porque le ha dado paso a sueños de gloria.  Mañana podría ser el primer día del retorno hacia esa patria que le abrió sus brazos a mi familia, hace casi 42 años.

Los convoco a todos.  No en nombre de Acción Democrática: en nombre de Venezuela y de la Cuba que pronto será libre.  No creo que sería una batalla desigual.  Ellos – los traidores del CASTRO-COMUNISMO INTERNACIONAL -- tienen las armas de guerra y nosotros contamos con la inmensa mayoría… y los colores patrios.

Caracas, viernes 23 de mayo de 2003 (en la víspera)

ROBERT ALONSO robertalonso2003@cantv.net

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Although Americans – generally speaking -- care less for whatever happens to their next-door-neighbors, meaning the fellow citizens from other states or even from others cities or counties, it is important they start paying more attention to what’s going on in the world, just to be halfway prepared when the time comes to receive another attack from terrorist activists and other fundamentalist groups that pollute the Earth today, in part, thanks to the nearsighted vision of the foreign policies applied by the US government ever since the beginning of the last century.

When I left Cuba in 1961, someone asked me in Washington State if I came from my country to the US by car, train or plane. I answered I came in “burrito”. We laughed a little, and that was it. I can’t really say if Americans are misinformed, ignorant, or just plain stupid… many of them -- not all of them – of course.

Take for instance what John S. James wrote regarding the conference given by Rodrigo Chávez -- supposedly the national coordinator of Venezuela's “Bolivarian Circles” -- plus whatever was said by a lady that goes by the name of Pheobe Jones Schellenberg, representing an organization called Global Women’s Strike and Larry Robin, owner of Robin’s Bookstore, who sponsored the event which took place in Philadelphia on March 19, this year of the Lord 2003.

I just can very easily imagine the bunch of nonsense spoken by this “Rodrigo Chávez”, whoever he is… the such-called national coordinator of the Venezuelan “Bolivarian Circles”. It is not an adventure to assure the kind of people who attended this “conference”. I wouldn’t doubt at all if a great percentage of Mr. Rodrigo’s audience didn’t know that Venezuela IS NOT part of the Saudi Arabia territory… and that we are not an island.

What worries me is what the American senators and representatives could think of these “Bolivarian Circles”; not that I would loose too much sleep going about the subject, but it bites me to think that the only information regarding these jokers comes from these jokers themselves. The least I can do, just for the heck of it, is give the American “public” our version of these so-called circles and let them use the information the best way they could or want… if any.

Mr. Rodrigo pretends to insult the American intelligence by assuring these grassroot groups grew from zero to 2.000 by mid December of 2001, to 75.000 after April the next year to an incredible and fantastic number of 220.000 when the “conference” was held in Philadelphia last March. Hell, at that growing rate, there will be more “Bolivarian Circles” in Venezuela than people in the US… or even China! I doubt very seriously if nowadays, these “Bolivarian Circles” exist at all as an organized outfit since there is hardly any organization within President Chávez’ government. What they do is go to a section of town where poverty is high and “inaugurate” a “circle”, then, take for granted – if so -- people will join them as regular members. They offer the moon and everybody knows by now they can’t even deliver a piece of white hard and dry cheese.

It is true that President Chávez says that his main goal is to end the poverty of 80% of the Venezuelan population. But saying and doing are two different verbs for a President who says what people want to hear, and do whatever he pleases to do. You let him talk and by the end of his 8-hour speech, both your legs will be so long you can touch the starts in a clear summer night.

Now, this man “Rodrigo” did not lie when he said that in Venezuela 90 people a day die of heart disease, 80% of them with no treatment. And indigenous communities have particularly severe problems, with some having a 90% tuberculosis rate and producing no food. It is true: these people would die if the state does not give them food. The problem is the state gives them no food at all and insists on making it very hard for Venezuelan food-producer industries to continue operating. Unemployment rate rises much faster than what “Rodrigo” assures the “Bolivarian Circles” grow… and so grows poverty not only among the poorest but among the once very-much-strong Venezuelan middle class. While all this is true, our President insists on traveling the world with his 60-million-dollar jet where the flying hour costs thousands and thousands of dollars, enough to prevent a great amount of the deaths taking place among many of these indigenous communities mentioned above.

What “Rodrigo” kept himself from saying is where these “circles” really come from. He didn’t say, for example, that they pretend to be exact copies of the Cubans’ “CDR” (The Revolution Defense Committees) and their main object is to keep an eye on each neighbor to see what goes on in every community. He also didn’t say how many of these so-called “Bolivarian Circles” are really cells of armed criminals to be used in the opposition’s demonstrations to massacre unarmed Venezuelans marching to protest – among other things -- against President Chávez’ life-time intention and dream to make Venezuela sail on the same so called “sea of happiness” Cuba has navigated during the past forty years.

Now, whether American politicians believe me or “Mr. Rodrigo” makes no difference. What they really should mind about is what would happen if democracy goes out of control in Venezuela. Believe not in “pregnant birds”… raise no crows that could later on pick on your own eyes. Remember Osama Bin Laden, Noriega, Sadam Hussein, etc... Keep on sleeping with these “Bolivarians” and I can assure you all that you will wake up wet.

Caracas, May 23rd, 2003

ROBERT ALONSO robertalonso2003@cantv.net

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<a href=www.busrep.co.za>Business Report May 15, 2003 By Quentin Wray

SA drops in competitiveness index, but it's just technical Johannesburg - South Africa dropped from 16th to 18th place in the IMD world competitiveness ranking in 2003 of economies with populations of more than 20 million people.

However, the change was due to the introduction of two regional economies - Sao Paulo in Brazil and Zhejiang in China, which were ranked 13th and 14th.

The US, Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Germany led the big economy rankings. South Africa was the only African country ranked. Finland, Singapore, Denmark, Hong Kong and Switzerland led the rankings of economies with less than 20 million people . Venezuela and Jordan were the least competitive countries in the two categories.

The Swiss-based IMD aggregates more than 320 competitiveness criteria in 51 countries and eight regional economies.

The report warned that the US current account deficit, budget deficit and proposed tax cuts could increase foreign debt and lead to a further weakening of the dollar in 2003. This would make it harder for developing nations to raise capital. - Quentin Wray

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, MAY 14, 2003 (<a href=www.zenit.org>Zenit.org).- The Catholic Church under attack in Venezuela is not alone, the president of the Venezuelan episcopal conference says "there is a persecution of the whole of Venezuelan society."

In the following interview with ZENIT, Archbishop Baltazar E. Porras of Merida spoke about the ways President Hugo Chavez's government exerts pressure on the Church and trims democracy in the country.

Chavez, who staged an unsuccessful military coup in 1992, came to power in 1999. Among other things, he is noted for his harsh attacks against the country's bishops, and for reducing the public funds allocated to the Church's evangelizing and humanitarian work in the country.

Q: Perhaps the most acute moment of tension was lived a year ago, with the unsuccessful attempt to remove Chavez in April of 2002. You were with Chavez at that time.

Archbishop Porras: At that moment there was an explicit recognition of the role of the Church. Cardinal Ignacio A. Velasco, archbishop of Caracas, and I were among those being attacked the most.

However, when he was about to go under, the president of the Republic himself called me to see if I was prepared to defend his life and to help him leave the country. I told him: "Of course. Let me see what I can do." As a priest, it is one of my first obligations. With the guarantee of my person, Chavez was prepared to confirm his resignation. But the military then did not accept this condition; they obliged him to stay in the country and then, as we know, he was able to return to his post.

What is interesting is that now, a year after the event, the president has tried to change the version. He has said: there were a few "little bishops" who were with the coup participants. He knows very well, as I told him on one occasion, that "I appeared on the scene because you called me." I think all this has to be seen in the context that any institution which can cast a shadow on him has to be erased, impaired, or divided.

Q: Has he succeeded?

Archbishop Porras: The government has always tried to divide. As with other institutions, Chavez has said: the leaders are at the top, and the top is divorced from the base.

I think that given the characteristics of the Church in Venezuela, its configuration and presence, his plan has failed. This does not mean that there are not a few elements, priests and a few groups calling themselves Christians, who hope to relive in Venezuela the history of Guatemala's Sandinismo. If there was to be in Venezuela a division between religious and the diocesan clergy, or between their presence in popular and other areas, it would have been different, but this situation does not exist.

Q: What is the situation in Venezuela?

Archbishop Porras: There is a populist, authoritarian, militarist government; it is no accident that a military coup leader is at the head. It is not accidental that the models proposed are Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba, Colonel Muammar Gadhafi's in Libya, and Saddam Hussein's in Iraq, although we don't know where he is now.

Q: Aren't you afraid to speak with such clarity?

Archbishop Porras: The best way to maintain the people's hope in face of this situation is to keep the truth before them.

Q: Have their been bomb attacks against the Churches?

Archbishop Porras: Of course there are limits to situations that some of us Bishops have to live in a particular way. But there is a characteristic of this process that is being seen in Venezuela: the people are not afraid. It is very interesting, because it also denotes a series of values.

In my diocese of Merida, in the two weeks preceding Holy Week, there were 12 robberies. But they weren't real robberies, because their objective was to destroy. Tabernacles were destroyed. If there had been sacred golden vessels, one might think it was robberies. But they were ordinary chalices of no value. In recent months, the Cathedral has been the object of robbery. They have stolen the chairs from the Presbytery and also pictures. The Cathedral always had normal police protection -- that of the Square. It was removed, because the authorities said it was a privilege that the Catholic Church should not enjoy. The houses of some priests have been looted, but the delinquents are never identified, no one ever knows what happened.

This creates an atmosphere of fear, which is not exclusive to the Church. I want to highlight this. It would not be right to say that there is a persecution against the Church. There is a persecution against the whole of Venezuelan society. Efforts are being made to create fear so that people will get paralyzed. One should hear some of the speeches which state that no one will stop this Revolution, and that if it cannot be carried out by fair means it will be carried out by foul means, with violence.

Q: Has the government not promised you greater well-being if you give in to its demands?

Archbishop Porras: Yes, there have been cases. When this government was newly elected, in one of the first meetings that President Chavez had with the presidency of the Episcopal Conference, he said: I propose that you give me the name of two or three priests, of two or three Bishops, so that they can be ministers. And tell me what ministry you want them to have. It was up to me to answer him and I explained that we are not seeking any posts; that it is not our role. "Think about it," he said. "We don't have to think about it," we replied.

Then he said: "as I am convoking a Constituent Assembly, I can create a Constituent Assembly with 60 military men and 40 priests. Give me the names of 40 priests and we will create the Constituent Assembly."

I answered: "President, you think that with the 60 best military men, luminaries in all orders, and with 40 of the best priests, a Constitution can be drawn up? Whose representatives are the military men and the priests? With what right can we represent journalists, homemakers, businessmen, workers?"

It is somewhat indicative of the totalitarian mentality.

Q: What effect does the crisis in Venezuela have on the American continent and on the world?

Archbishop Porras: It is important to realize that it is not just a problem of Venezuela. A plan is underway in Venezuela for which Venezuela is too small. It is a plan that in the first instance has continental projections and then world ones.

Indeed, what OPEP has done in recent years follows along that line, or the contacts with the "Bloc of the 72." The fact that it is called a Bolivarian Revolutionary Plan, is not just simply to exalt Simon Bolivar, but because this allows for an enclave with the Colombian guerrilla groups, who also call themselves Bolivarian, with certain native groups of Ecuador, of Bolivia ... It is a plan designed as an alternative to the imperialism of the First World, of the United States and Europe.

It is a curious and explosive mixture, which includes populism, militarism, totalitarianism, outdated Marxism, and others "isms." This is why it is important, from the point of view of our faith and of our religious role, that we believers have very clearly in mind the values we work for and serve, so as not to fall prey through naivete.

14 May 2003 22:13:51 GMT (Adds general's comments, background)

CARACAS, Venezuela, May 14 (Reuters) - Venezuela's Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for the trial of a dissident general charged with rebellion for taking part in a protest against President Hugo Chavez, his attorney said.

National Guard Gen. Carlos Alfonzo would be the first dissident officer to go on trial following the April 2002 coup that toppled left-winger Chavez for 48 hours and triggered months of political turmoil over his rule.

"It's a political decision bent on sending an innocent man to a prearranged trial," his lawyer Alberto Arteaga said.

Alfonzo, who was sacked as Inspector General of the National Guard for his alleged role in the coup in the world's No. 5 oil exporter, told reporters he did not accept the Supreme Court ruling and would appeal.

"I am innocent of the charges they are trying to pin on me," he told reporters.

The court ruled the attorney general had presented enough evidence for Alfonzo to be tried for rebellion and incitement for participating in an anti-Chavez protest in December 2002.

The general has been under house arrest since security police detained him at the Caracas rally.

Alfonzo had also joined scores of other officers who camped out for months in a Caracas plaza after launching a civil disobedience campaign against the president in October.

"I don't believe in the revolutionary project President Chavez is trying to implant," Alfonzo said Wednesday.

Since last year's coup, former paratrooper Chavez has purged from their posts more than 150 senior officers, including Alfonzo, who were allegedly involved in the short-lived uprising against him.

Chavez's opponents accuse him of trying to introduce Cuba-style communism in Venezuela.

"I am a democratically-minded officer. I am not, have never been, nor ever will be, a coup monger," Alfonzo said.

Last year, radical Chavez supporters rioted in Caracas when four other senior officers were allowed to walk free after the court ruled they could not be tried for rebellion for their alleged leadership of the April coup.

In April six lower-ranking dissident military officers asked for asylum in Peru, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic, saying they feared persecution and death threats.

Chavez, who led a failed uprising himself six years before his 1998 election, has threatened to jail foes who organized a general strike in December and January meant to pressure him out of office. No trial date has been set for Alfonzo. (Additional reporting by Silene Ramirez)