Fellow travelers (Pendejos sin fronteras) become active in defense of the criminal Venezuelan regime

http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/19/

Whoever reads the profile of Professor Steve Ellner (see above) cannot fail to see that he is a dedicated supporter of the criminal regime that has destroyed Venezuela during the last 15 years. Since I have no reason to accuse him of being a mercenary I will assume he is just ideologically blind to the evidence that is right before his eyes (he lives, at last partial time, in Venezuela). His eyes are afflicted by ideological glaucoma and by his adoration of the despotic Venezuelan regime. As you can see in his profile above, Ellner has been a consistent admirer of the manner in which the diseased satrap and, now, his imposed succesor, have run Venezuela into the ground, while allowing the Castro brothers to become the real power behind the throne in Venezuela.

Now Ellner delivers, in a pro-Maduro website www.venezuelanalysis.com  (also pro-bono?)  a new pack of lies that I would like to comment. I will show graphic material at the end of this article that proves how criminally wrong this man is. Ellner teaches at the Venezuelan Universidad de Oriente and in Columbia University. I say: Universities, be not proud about Steve. Academics is the arena of truth and intellectual honesty. 

   

This is what he says:

Unlike What the Media Says or Implies, the Violence in Venezuela Is Being Perpetrated by the Opposition

By Steve Ellner, February 20th 2014

The slant of the Venezuelan private media and the international media on what is happening in Venezuela is clear: The government is responsible for the violence. In the first place government-ordered gunmen are shooting at pacific demonstrators and the violence generated by the opposition is just a response to the brutality of police and military forces. But there is considerable evidence that shows that the violence, including that of unidentified motorcyclists against the demonstrators, is being carried out by the opposition. 

Gustavo Coronel: Says who? Ellner? As Brian Nelson has documented in great detail in his book on the Venezuelan events of 2002 (reference below) , the events of 2002 that forced the military to ask for Chavez ‘s resignation were triggered by Chavez ‘s criminal order to unleash the army against the peaceful protesters. The Puente Llaguno massacre, never investigated by the regime, was led by people later decorated by the government, such as the assasin called Richard Peñalver, the one  shooting in the photo. 

Here is Peñalver, embraced by Chavez. 

Another gangster, Rafael Cabrices, became the leader of one of Chavez’s armed militias.

Says Ellner: 

2.    On April 11, 2002, the day Chávez was overthrown, the Venezuelan and international media and the White House used juxtaposition of images of Chavistas shooting pistols in downtown Caracas, on the one hand, and peaceful anti-government demonstrators, on the other to justify the coup. However the Irish-produced documentary “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and other documentaries demonstrated by the flow of the camera that the demonstrators were far away from the Chavistas and that they were shooting in response to sniper fire against them.

Gustavo Coronel: The documentary “The Revolution Will not be televised” has been found to be full of intentional errors and manipulation, as shown by journalist Phil Gunson, a writer for The Economist (see page 265 of Brian Nelson’s book; The Silence and the Scorpion”) , who says that there were omissions of key facts, invention of others, twistingof  the sequence of events and the use of archive images in replacement of actual events. All of the murderers of Puente Llaguno were set free by a accomodating justice system. The documentary telling the truth about the events, that of Luis Fernandez and Julio Rodriguez,  won the King of Spain’s Award for journalism.

Says Ellner: 

6. The term “salida,” which has become a main slogan of the protesters, implies regime change.  

Gustavo Coronel: This much is true. This regime has to go. It is illegitimate, inept and corrupt. Originally Maduro could not be candidate according the constitution. The corrupt Supreme Tribunal of Justice allowed him to be. He did not win the elections. But his illegitimacy derives essentially from his inept and corrupt government. Even the poor are fed up with this disaster and this why the civic rebellion in Venezuela includes the poor neighborhoods, see The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/20/venezuelas-poor-protests-chavez-revolution .  

Says Ellner:  

 8. The government has nothing to gain by the violence because the media is largely on the side of the opposition and present a picture of the violence which directly and indirectly blames the government,

Gustavo Coronel: Ellner lies when he says most of the media are in hands of the opposition. Precisely, what exists right now is a total blackout of the news about the Venezuelan events. Maduro blocked twitter, threatened CNN with expelling them from the country, has shut TV stations down,  does not allow opposition newspapers to import paper. To say the opposite is dishonest.  

Says Ellner: 

9. The Venezuelan government has shown great restraint in the context of opposition- promoted violence and disruption.

Gustavo Coronel: In stating this obvious lie Steve Ellner is accompanied by other fellow travelers like Larry Birns, from COHA, who recently produced a piece along the same lines, see http://lasarmasdecoronel.blogspot.com/2014/02/cohas-disgraceful-report-on-venezuela.html .

The fellow travelers of the Maduro-Castro regime  are getting active in their  disinterested (?)  defense. Julia Buxton, Mark Weisbrot and Miguel Tinker Salas are probably next in line.

 Says Ellner: 

10.   Governments, particularly undemocratic ones, which lack active popular support and completely control the media effectively use repression against dissidents. This is not the case in Venezuela. None of the non-state channels and newspapers (that the vast majority of Venezuelans get their news from) supports the government and most of them are ardently anti-government. As Smilde says, the use of violence by the government makes absolutely no sense. 

Gustavo Coronel: Listen Ellner. This is, precisely the case in Venezuela. Or are you blind and deaf? There are no opposition TV channels left in Venezuela! The Colombian TV channel trying to cover events in Venezuela was expelled by the Cuban puppet, Maduro. CNN was threatened by expulsion by the puppet. Globovision was bought by the regime. RCTV was cancelled. VeneVision is owned by a pro-government or, at least, a silent businessman. The press is being left without paper due to the lack of paper. What are you talking about. Who are you trying to deceive? What kind of member of academia are you?

I agree with Smilde that the use of violence by the regime makes no sense. But, the problem is that they 

have no sense!!

You want to see proof of the violence?

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Ih5B6iKDyow&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIh5B6iKDyow%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&app=desktop

And here: http://lasarmasdecoronel.blogspot.com/2014/02/venezuelans-are-fighting-for-freedom.htmlhttp://lasarmasdecoronel.blogspot.com/2014/02/venezuelans-are-fighting-for-freedom.html

Ellner: There are hundreds of photos and videos that will demolish your lack of intellectual honesty. You should be ashamed of yourself.

 You figure!