Miguel writes to the King of Norway.  [John Robb's Radio Weblog]

10:59:29 PM  What do you think? ( Thoughts) Who linked? []   

Was Chavez' march that big?.

There is no question that Hugo Chavez' Government knows how to manipulate the media, in particular the international media. Reports in most newspapers abroad say that Chavez' march was as large as that of the opposition. Nothing is further from the truth. The proof is in the sneaky ads published by the Government in today's newspapers (Who paid for them?) claiming Government supporters are a majority with a fuzzy picture of Bolivar Avenue filled with people. Curiosly, in the era of digital media, the picture was extremely fuzzy (but in color!) in all local newspapers. The reason? simple, beyond a certain point Bolivar Avenue was simply empty. In contrast on Thursday during the oposition march, not only was the full avenue completly filled with people, but there were people still marching Kilometers away.

According to Alejandro Freites, who is the most serious person in Venezuela when it comes to counting people in marches, Chavez' march had 93,000 people calculated in various ways, while the same technique yielded 1.2 million for the Government's march.

What's curious is that while Chavez maybe fooling the international press, Venezuelans either went or know someone that went to Thursday's march and can't be fooled by the President's statements. If Chavez really believed that his supporters were a majority, he would hold a referendum and just get it over with. The problem is, he knows he would lose and will do anything to stop it, just watch the next few weeks.

[The Devil's Excrement]

My brother agrees with me. I don't believe the calculation on the size of the marches is correct. It is simply hard to measure these things. I believe the opposition march was larger... But I agree that the most significant proof that the majority does not support Chavez is the fact that they refuse to hold an election. Let's have an election now... What he got to loose? Even if he looses he can go live in Cuba which he calls the sea of happiness. Common Chavez put your money where your foot is! (i.e., your mouth)...

10:54:06 PM  What do you think? ( Thoughts) Who linked? []   

Chavez supporters claim the march yesterday was, at least, comparable to the one last thursday. I doubt ir, but I see no point in debating it. Let's do elections...

Why do they refuse to hold elections? Because they know, in their hearts of hearts, they will loose. If not Chavez would have called for elections a long time ago. If they do it now, the opposition will immediately complain that the electoral colleges are wrong. Then Chavez could say, well let us reform them in six month time, but no marches or strikes in those six months.

The reason they won't look at this scenario is that they know they will loose and they don't want to live in Cuba. They know life there sucks!

Let's do elections now!
This government is lying and creating too much hunger!

2:31:19 PM  What do you think? ( Thoughts) Who linked? []