CSI Venezuela

[Valmy]

You must not have as many actual Leftist friends as I do.  They're still out there supporting him.

Does not surprise me.  Over the years I have seen people show leftwing morons numerous stats showing Venezuela's decline into the sort of populist hell Latin America so routinely displays and they would just harp on the decrease in extreme poverty...as if the plundering of the nation's resources and buying off Chavez's base was some sort of sustainable welfare project.

[Admiral Yi]

What, if anything, do you say to these leftist friends Squeelus?

[Queequeg]

What I said to one "You are really going to use the phrase 'capitalist hoarder' as an avowed Marxist?  Do you know what the Holodomor was?"
What I wanted to say to one: "You're an ignorant cunt and I wish to God you one day understood the misery of the millions of "capitalist hoarders" who died trying to save their families."

The other is a pretty good friend that I respect and who seems to genuinely believe that this is a coup attempt.  He's misguided, but I enjoy talking to him.  The first has a lot of mutual friends with me, so I'm more politic than I should be.

[derspiess]

Apparently Madonna spoke out in favor of the opposition.  TAKE THAT SEAN PENN

[Admiral Yi]

Do you know what the Holodomor was?"

No.

[Queequeg]

Do you know what the Holodomor was?"

No.

It's the Ukrainian term for the man-made famine in the early-mid 30s.  I have nothing but contempt for anyone who believes in an economic theory that lead to the death of 8 million people by hunger on the most fertile land on earth. 

[Siege]

Wow spellus, my opinion of you have gone up by 2.8 points.

[Queequeg]

I don't know why my hatred of Communism surprises people.  I like Russia.  Communism ruined Russia.   

[The Minsky Moment]

Do you know what the Holodomor was?"

No.

Slavic for "Great Leap Forward"

[alfred russel]

There are currents of support for "bolivarian socialism" or similar throughout Latin America. Maybe it isn't awful to have one country try it out to remind the others how awful it is in practice.

That is probably not the best use for Venezuela though.

[Valmy]

It does leave me wondering if Simon Bolivar deserves having his name associated with this or not 

[derspiess]

There are currents of support for "bolivarian socialism" or similar throughout Latin America. Maybe it isn't awful to have one country try it out to remind the others how awful it is in practice.

Yeah, if enough of them pay attention anyway. 

That is probably not the best use for Venezuela though.

Yeah. 

[Sheilbh]

There were plenty of Chavez supporters.

All strangely silent now. 

A fair few saying it'd be fine if Chavez were alive.

Of course that kind of misses the point that the one thing Latin America doesn't need more of is regimes dependent on one leader.

[Admiral Yi]

A fair few saying it'd be fine if Chavez were alive.

Of course that kind of misses the point that the one thing Latin America doesn't need more of is regimes dependent on one leader.

It misses the far more important point that things would not be fine if Chavez were alive.  Inflation would be just as high, dollars just as scarce, goods just as missing, and political repression just as crude.  The only better would be the speeches.

[MadImmortalMan]

http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02/19/19f/