National and International Outrage Against the Sentencing of Leopoldo Lopez

On Saturday Venezuelans, Colombians,. andDemocratic people across the globe united against last week’s conviction of political leader Leopoldo Lopez for 14 years in prison by the Maduro regime. 

The regime’s sentencing is a clear sign of it’s fear for the political outcome due to the hyperinflation, corruption, delinquency, and the extreme lack of products that the country is experiencing today. The sentencing has

re-enforced Lopez’s position as a united leader of the opposition.

 In New York City, Colombian and Venezuelans were united in an echo of the same sentiment of anger and repudiation against the Lopez conviction, and against the brutal human rights violations to poor Colombians living at the Venezuelan-Colombian borders.

Over 600 people were victims of deportations, and their homes, and properties were destroyed. In many instances, the Venezuelan Militia raped women, and girls. With the upcoming December 6 Parliamentary elections, this border incident was provoked by the Venezuelan regime to distract the Venezuelan people and to cause discord with the neighboring country. In addition, the United Nations reports that thousands of  Colombian have left Venezuela in outrage against this savage regime.

Venezuela, a country that was once considered a Democratic model of for Latin America now has the second highest homicide rate in the world.  The United States warns US citizens there about the out-of-control crime.  According to the report, heavily armed criminals have used grenades and assault rifles to commit crimes at banks, shopping malls, public transportation stations, and Universities.  The situation in Venezuela today is not sustainable and the Maduto regime is fully aware that its time is up.

Maduro's Bag of Tricks

The  Venezuelan economy  is getting worse while Nicolas Maduro is looking to create a confrontation with Colombia. This is another  Maduro's attempt  to stop the December's election, and to distract the Venezuelan people from the high inflation, and the long lines to purchase any product. Columbia is Maduro's latest trick, but the problems that the Venezuelan people are living today are too big for them to ignore. There isn't anymore tricks in Maduro's bag of distractions.

Maduro does it again!

To distract the Venezuelan people from the depressed economy where they are living, and from the illegal activities of the drug cartels within their borders, Nicolas Maduro used an oppressive and rather Nazi like tactic against the poor Colombians who live in the Venezuelan border towns.  

The tactics that the army used were very similar to Hitler’s 1938 Nazi Germany after they declared  “Cristal Night”,  a night where Jewish houses were marked and destroyed  and people were beaten and many killed by the Nazis.  Similarly, The Venezuelan Guards marked these poor houses with an R for revised or D for destruction and proceeded, with out conscience, to physically force  over a 1,000 men, women, and children back to Colombia after destroying their houses. The sad part is that these people came many years ago to Venezuela, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

Maduro who has shown to be a master of creating distraction, because he is incapable to solving his country’s basic economic problems has opted for extreme measures, ordering this disgraceful move, accusing these poor people to be paramilitaries under the direction of former Colombian president Alberto Uribe.  It took a long time for the complacent Colombian President Manuel Santos to come out and react against Nicolas Maduro’s abuse of Colombian citizens. Yet, when President Obama declared Venezuela a Threat to the United States, it didn’t take long for Santos to react, requesting the immediate repeal of the US sanctions against Venezuela. In the recent two-day Summit of the Americas, Santos argued that that the Summit was a great opportunity for the U.S. and Venezuela to clear the air and build a “constructive dialogue to make decisions on the growing deterioration of Venezuela’s political, social and economic situation.”

I wonder how constructive the dialogue between Santos and Maduro will be now that Maduro has shut down the borders and deported the many Colombian living in those vicinities

Meanwhile, the office of Tarek William Saab, head of the Organization for People’s Defense, released a statement denying that children were involved in the deportation, another lie from a Government that only lies and deceives the Venezuelan people.  The truth of the matter is that these people were horribly humiliated and the human rights of these people were violated. We hope that some Latin American leaders who had been silent  about the Venezuelan dictator have the decency to complain about this massive abuse against these poor people of Colombia.

Latin America POV: Nicolas Maduro must Follow the Will of the Venezuelan People

Nicolas Maduro should do, what any Democratic president would do, follow the will of the people. After all, that's what Simon Bolivar the Liberator of five nations did in 1828.  Simon Bolivar called for a new constituent assembly, but no one agreed to his autocratic government.  The voices of the opposition from Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador was loud and clear opposing Bolivar's ruling. In 1830, Simon Bolivar finally realized that his goal was unattainable, so he agreed to leave the country.  

Nicolas Maduro,  a high school dropout, and later Hugo Chavez's bodyguard, was selected Chavez's Foreign Minister.  He was elected President in 2014 and has not been able to solve the mounting of economic problems he inherited from Hugo Chavez. 

A new Keller survey indicates that 44% of Venezuelan believe that Maduros resignation will solve the crisis that Venezuela is living today,  and 82 % believe that the Venezuelan economic crisis is Nicolas Maduro's falt. 

According with a report from CNN Money, "The Venezuelan economy is in crisis because of the government  instability, food crisis, the fall of the oil prices, and the devaluation of the Venezuelan currency.  In addition,  the Venezuela's debt, despite the exorbitant amount of money that entered the country from oil revenues this past 15 years.  
        

A survey done by Datanálisis about Maduro's popularity, published in El Universal newspaper, concluded that 76% of Venezuelans predict even more devastating economic situation for Venezuela this 2015. In addition, 58% feel that the government should build mix business while almost the same amount of people support the privatization of businesses.

Survey after survey points out not only the discontent of the Venezuelan people but also  the damaging effect that the Maduro's inept government is having in the country, after 15 years  of Chavismo in Venezuela.

 Maduro and the later Hugo Chavez have used and abused in the name of Simon Bolivar but so far they have no follow what the liberator intended for Venezuela.  Maduro must come to the realization that the Bolivarian revolution is a big fat failure.  Instead of resigning like Simon Bolivar did, he is going to end up fleeing the country with his band of thief’s if he persists in staying in power.

LATIN AMERICA UNITED AGAINST DICTATORS?

The recent visit to Venezuela from three former Presidents, Colombian Andres Pastrana, Mexican Felipe Calderon, and Chilean Sebastian Piñeda brought a new glimpse of hope to Venezuela. During the past 14 years of the Chavez regime, Latin American countries were reluctant to criticize the abuses imposed by the late Hugo Chavez to the Venezuelan opposition, the private sector, and the media.

The decline of the Venezuelan economy, lack of food and other essential products, physical abuses, tortures and human right violations have turned the tide for the Maduro regime. Nicolas Maduro took office in 2014, less than a year ago after the passing of Hugo Chavez.

During the early years of the Chavez regime many Latin American countries, including Brazil, were initially turned off by the Chavez socialist rhetoric, but when Venezuelan oil bonanza kicked in, only a few countries stood against Chavez.  The majority of  Venezuela’s neighboring countries embarked on position of complacent silence. In the 15th year of  Chavismo power, and after  $250 billion of oil bonanza income, Venezuela has nothing to show. Those billions were pilfered or stolen - leaving the Country with a huge debt, poverty, hunger, and destruction behind.

Very different than what happened in Dubai, with their high oil revenues. They built large ports, a financial center, and a robust Tourist industry. Furthermore, Dubai, thinking about the future, plans to reduce their 55% oil revenue dependency to 33% by diversifying its economy.

Even during the United States’ Gold Rush that lasted a similar period of time, the Government helped towns grow by encouraging settlement and expanding the Country’s infrastructure, the Railroad.

It is our hope that more Latin American leaders make a bold move like Pastrana, Piñeda, and Calderon, and categorically denounce the abuses and human right violations taking pace in Venezuela.

Populism -

http://youtu.be/xkYEXS16dZA