Mr. Chávez vs. the Jews/ Chávez vs. los judios

El matutino dice hoy, jueves, que Hugo Chávez ha reemplazado al ahora ex presidente George W. Bush por la comunidad judía como su “adversario preferido”.

En su principal comentario editorial, “El Sr. Chávez vs. los judíos”, el diario recuerda las más recientes acciones del gobernante en su “asalto a la comunidad judía venezolana”, incluyendo la expulsión del embajador de Israel por el “genocidio” que estaba cometiendo ese país en su ofensiva militar en Gaza, la confiscación de bienes y la profanación de una importante sinagoga en Caracas.

Dice que los medios de prensa gubernamentales se plegaron a esas acciones “rápidamente y a coro”: un conductor de televisión hizo notar que las manifestaciones de oposición eran responsabilidad de dos estudiantes con apellidos judíos; y una página en internet pedía “enfrentar a cada judío” que encuentren los venezolanos y boicotear los negocios administrados por judíos.

El diario afirma que Chávez no parece preocupado por los “temas internos mundanos” de Venezuela, como que la economía del país estaba en ruinas, la inflación del 30% es la más alta del continente, la escasez de alimentos se agudiza, aumenta al triple la criminalidad que ha hecho de Caracas una de las ciudades más peligrosas del mundo y el nivel de corrupción que ha puesto a Venezuela en el lugar 158 de un total de 180 en los índices globales de transparencia en el gobierno.

“Si el señor Chávez pierde el referéndum (del domingo), puede muy bien unirse al eclipse de la nación, que todo parece que se acelerará en el próximo par de años”, dice The Washington Post. “Aparentemente, ya ha decidido a quién culpar”, finaliza.

Fuente: AP

Mr. Chávez vs. the Jews

With George W. Bush gone, Venezuela's strongman has found new enemies.

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chávez, who says he intends to remain in office for decades to come, lost a referendum 14 months ago that would have removed the constitutional limit on his tenure. When he announced another referendum in December, the first polls showed him losing again by a wide margin. Yet, as Sunday's vote approaches, his government is predicting victory -- and some polls show him with a narrow advantage.

How did Latin America's self-styled "Bolivarian revolutionary" turn his fortunes around? Not through rational argument, it is fair to say. Mr. Chávez's regime has mounted a propaganda and intimidation campaign of a ferocity rarely seen in Latin America since the region returned to democracy 25 years ago. Pro-Chávez rhetoric dominates the national airwaves, from which opposition voices have been almost entirely excluded. Pro-government thugs have targeted student demonstrations, the home of an opposition journalist and the Vatican's embassy, which gave shelter to one student leader.

Then there is the assault on Venezuela's Jewish community -- which seems to have replaced George W. Bush as Mr. Chávez's favorite foil. After Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip last month, the caudillo expelled Israel's ambassador and described Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide." Then Mr. Chávez turned on Venezuela's Jews. "Let's hope that the Venezuelan Jewish community will declare itself against this barbarity," Mr. Chávez bellowed on a government-controlled television channel. "Don't Jews repudiate the Holocaust? And this is precisely what we're witnessing."

Government media quickly took up the chorus. One television host close to Mr. Chávez blamed opposition demonstrations on two students he said had Jewish last names. On a pro-government Web site, another commentator demanded that citizens "publicly challenge every Jew that you find in the street, shopping center or park" and called for a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, seizures of Jewish-owned property and a demonstration at Caracas's largest synagogue. On Jan. 30 the synagogue was duly attacked by a group of thugs, who spray-painted "Jews get out" on the walls and confiscated a registry of members. Mr. Chávez denied responsibility; days later, the attorney general's office said that 11 people detained in connection with the attack included five police officers and a police intelligence operative.

It is fair to infer that Mr. Chávez doesn't care to dwell on more mundane domestic issues in Venezuela. The oil-based economy is crashing; inflation, at over 30 percent, is the highest in Latin America, and shortages of basic goods are common. Venezuela ranks 158th out of 180 countries in a global corruption index, and its murder rate has tripled under Mr. Chávez, making Caracas one of the most dangerous cities in the world. If Mr. Chávez loses the referendum, he could very well join the country's eclipse, which appears likely to accelerate in the next year or two. Apparently, he's already decided whom to blame.

The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/11/AR2009021103313.html?sid=ST2009021103358&s_pos=list

“Primero, vinieron por los judíos, y no protesté porque no era judío;
Luego, vinieron por los comunistas, y no protesté porque no era comunista.
Entonces, vinieron por los católicos, y no protesté porque no era católico;
Luego vinieron por los de las uniones sindicales, y no protesté porque no era sindicalista;
Finalmente vinieron por mí, y no quedaba nadie para protestar por mí.”

Pastor Martin Niemöller