”BOLIVARIAN CIRCLES”
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
LO RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THIS PORTAL