Vzla: The long slow death of democracy

Venezuelans are discovering, to their great dismay, that democracy does not necessarily die with a bang. In Caracas today, democracy is dying in the whimper of a tangled web of seemingly hum-drum bureaucratic decisions. Little by little, over five years, these have squeezed out the rights of ordinary citizens and left the government with control over almost every institution in the country and entirely unchecked power. Over five years, the government has pealed away at the citizens' democratic freedoms like an onion, layer by layer, until there is nothing left.

Make sure and read Back to the Future, all three parts of The Petrostate, Venezuelan Oil Policies, The Venezuelan Story.

Why is Venezuela so important? Is it just about oil? It's about terrorism first and oil second. No, oil is not a bad thing on this blog. Only hypocrites and idiots caught up in the horse and buggy age believe that oil is evil. We live in an increasingly dangerous world that's about to become more so. We cannot ignore the Muslim Triangle at the nexus of Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Nor can we ignore Lula making socialist noises in Brazil. Nor can we ignore the rumors of Islamic jihadists hiding out in Venezuela. Nor can we ignore the Venezuela-Castro connection by which Chavez is propping up the Castro regime. If Chavez falls, Castro is not far behind. From Brazil to Cuba, we have a connection that might end with terrorists infiltrating the U.S. either via Cuban boat people (thank you Coast Guard for interdictions at sea) or through the coyotes in Mexico. No, Mexico is not our friend. Venezuela is significant because Chavez is the potent voice that expresses the anti-Americanism that dominates that part of the world. The powerhouse is no longer Castro; it has shifted south to Chavez. He is the spear-head.