Venezuela: A Latino Switzerland?

By Jennifer Barreto-Leyva

LatinaLista

VENEZUELA: “The Guardians of Chávez” is the name of a very controversial documentary produced and made by Spanish journalist Jon Sistaga, who also covered the American invasion of Baghdad and is ranked by Gallup as one of the ten journalists in Spain with the most credibility.

This documentary was made for CNN PLUS and it was broadcast in Venezuela on the first days of June 2010. Its content was so shocking and impressive that CNN en Español decided to broadcast it, but this time with a little twist.
It was broadcast in five parts; one on each business day of the week. After each show, there aired a debate, moderated by CNN Argentinean journalist Carlos Montero, between representatives from the two extremely different points of view on Venezuelan politics.
According to this documentary, there are about 15 million illegal guns on the streets in Venezuela. Venezuela has, so far, a population of 26 million people. So, it is not hard to do the math here and arrive at a logical explanation of why we have an estimated 42 people killed daily by violence.
Factor in the other very serious issues that this documentary revealed such as an ETA and FARC presence, guerrilla and different parallel armed groups working for Chávez to keep the population in “control” in case of a rebellion or any voting process not going in his favor, plus the division/hate among the Venezuelan population according/depending on their political beliefs, and some other issues worthy only of a three-ring circus of which we have to deal with on a daily basis.

During the televised debates, the following people served as spokespersons of the Chávez regime:
• Colombian Professor Camilo Pérez Bustillos, activist pro-Cuban regime in México.
• Venezuelan Congressman from PSUV party Manuel Villalba (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela which is the ONLY party authorized and recognized by Chávez regime)
• Venezuelan journalist Andrés Izarra, former worker of CNN and FOX from Mexico and former Secretary of Information and Communication of the Chávez regime, as well as extensive involvement in the Chávez regime.
• Freddy Bernal, former Caracas Mayor.
• Former Secretary of Defense Orlando Maniglia
• Congressman Augusto Montiel
On behalf of the people (more than 90% of the Venezuelan population who do not like, agree or voted for Chávez), the debate representatives were:
• Venezuelan Rocío San Miguel, CEO of Civil Association Control Ciudadano, a non-profit and non-government association that works and promotes among Venezuelan citizens the issue of keeping vigilant over the government’s bad actions.
• Venezuelan Diego Arrias, former ambassador for Venezuela at the United Nations
• Venezuelan Commissioner Elisio Guzmán Cedeño. Currently Director of Miranda State Police Department (one of the very few states where Chávez couldn’t cheat on elections)
• Venezuelan Sociologist Roberto Briceño Leon
• Argentinean journalist Andrés Oppenheimer
• Cuban journalist Carlos Montaner
• Mayor of Municipality of Baruta Carlos Ocaríz
• (R) General Juan Antonio Herrera Betancourt
The debates had Venezuelans on fire. Even people of other countries spoke out on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter writing that they support us and knew a long time ago we had all this tragedy going on in our country.
As a curious sidebar, CNN journalist Carlos Montero on his Twitter page http://twitter.com/monterocnn posted “How can a country live having 42 people killed on a daily basis?”
Trying to be objective here is almost impossible.
The weak and aggressive responses, dirty words and twisted opinions offered by the people representing Chávez’s regime were absolutely despicable on a literal sense.
Andrés Izarra, after several minutes laughing over and over again about Venezuelans’ tragedy said, “This documentary is a pornography of journalism.”
I bet he wasn’t laughing that loud last year when his wife, who was assaulted, had to have bodyguards to protect her, which is not the case for the rest of us — who have to deal with violence day by day and pray like lunatics that we are able to return home after work in one piece, without having to tell our loved ones that we were threatened with assault, kidnap or rape.
According to Congressman Manuel Villalba, Venezuelans are living in a “Latino Switzerland.” Congressman Augusto Montiel said this entire documentary was another attempt from the CIA to invade Venezuela and kill Chávez through a movie script.
You all have my permission to laugh right now.
Professor Camilo Perez Bustillos spoke only about former Colombian President Uribe and the country of Mexico. He seemed to be in the wrong CNN studio apparently.
CNN journalist Carlos Montero tried to have a serious debate, but it was absolutely impossible. All that viewers could see were lies, cursing, same old rhetoric of “everything is perfect in Venezuela” and the old techniques learned from the Cuban regime — deliver personal attacks against the opponents and to not let them speak and the truth be known.
On the other hand, the people’s spokespersons were trying hard to speak out and present polls, serious proof and actual knowledge of Venezuela’s reality, but it was almost impossible.
They were interrupted often (on purpose) with the methods I’ve mentioned before, still trying to be silenced to hide what everybody already knows.
Only when there’s no more money to bribe organizations, governments, politicians, Hollywood stars and directors, activists and other people in the Public Eye will finally the world notice that we don’t live in a Latino Switzerland or are on an eternal honeymoon.
Only then will the world realize that our problems are much more deep and serious than most people know. And yes, finally the word REGIME will be replaced by Government where when the talk is about Chávez in power no one will be scared to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
>Learn more about Jennifer:

Jennifer Barreto-Leyva lives in Caracas, Venezuela where when this 5″11 venezolana is not defending the rights of her clients as a lawyer or inspiring people as a motivational speaker, she is an outspoken defender on the rights of plus-size people.

Jennifer is Miss Plump Venezuela and the first Latina who participated and won the Miss Universe for Plus-size title. She is also the first venezolana plus-size model and, consequently, is credited for introducing the plus-size modeling division throughout Latin America.