How bad is it in Venezuela? Soldiers are stealing goats

[longknife]

It gets worse by the day. There has to be a revolution in the near future unless Cuba or some other country steps in to prop up the socialist dictatorship.



Over the weekend, six members of the Venezuelan military were detained by local authorities for stealing goats, the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported Sunday. It said the soldiers confessed to stealing the goats and said they did it to feed themselves, since they had no food left in their barracks.



Story w/links @ Venezuelan troops going hungry, steal goats to feed themselves

 

[Bleipriester]

Could be Germany..

Germany: Ramshackle Barracks offer terrible conditions for soldiers

 

[waltky]

Venezuelan crisis raising concerns in the U.S....

Venezuela president declares emergency, cites US, domestic 'threats'
14 May 2016 - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a 60-day state of emergency on Friday due to what he called plots from within the OPEC country and the United States to topple his leftist government.

Maduro did not provide details of the measure. A previous state of emergency, implemented in states near the Colombian border last year, suspended constitutional guarantees in those areas, except for guarantees relating to human rights. Earlier on Friday, U.S. intelligence officials told reporters they were increasingly worried about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela and predicted Maduro was not likely to complete his term. Venezuela's opposition is seeking to recall the unpopular leader, 53, amid a worsening crisis that includes food and medicine shortages, frequent power cuts, sporadic looting and galloping inflation.

But the former union leader and bus driver has vowed to stick out his term, and accuses the United States of fomenting an undercover coup against him. He pointed to this week's impeachment of fellow leftist Dilma Rousseff in Brazil as a sign that he is next. "Washington is activating measures at the request of Venezuela's fascist right, who are emboldened by the coup in Brazil," Maduro said during a Friday night broadcast on state television. Washington has had an acrimonious relationship with Caracas for years, especially following U.S. support for a short-lived 2002 coup against late leader Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela's ruling Socialist Party has long been a strong ally of Rousseff's Workers Party, however, and her departure adds to Maduro's isolation in Latin America. Flanked by his ministers and a statue of Chavez, Maduro signed a state of emergency and extend a state of economic emergency to protect the country from foreign and domestic "threats," without providing details. Venezuela's opposition, which scoffs at Maduro's accusations of coups-mongering, quickly condemned the measure. "Today Maduro has again violated the constitution," said opposition lawmaker Tomas Guanipa. "Why? Because he is scared of being recalled."

Venezuela president declares emergency, cites US, domestic 'threats'

US concern grows over possible Venezuela meltdown - officials
Saturday 14th May, 2016 - The United States is increasingly concerned about the potential for an economic and political meltdown in Venezuela, spurred by fears of a debt default, growing street protests and deterioration of its oil sector, U.S. intelligence officials said on Friday.

In a bleak assessment of Venezuela's worsening crisis, the senior officials expressed doubt that unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro would allow a recall referendum this year, despite opposition-led protests demanding a vote to decide whether he stays in office. But the two officials, briefing a small group of reporters in Washington, predicted that Maduro, who heads Latin America’s most ardently anti-U.S. government and a major U.S. oil supplier, was not likely to be able to complete his term, which is due to end after elections in late 2018. They said one “plausible” scenario would be that Maduro’s own party or powerful political figures would force him out and would not rule out the possibility of a military coup. Still, they said there was no evidence of any active plotting or that he had lost support from the country’s generals.

The officials appeared to acknowledge that Washington has little leverage in how the situation unfolds in Venezuela, where any U.S. role draws government accusations of U.S.-aided conspiracies. Instead, the administration of President Barack Obama wants "regional" efforts to help keep the country from sliding into chaos. “You can hear the ice cracking. You know there’s a crisis coming,” one U.S. official said. “Our pressure on this isn’t going to resolve this issue.” Maduro hit back on Friday night, blasting what he said was a meeting "to conspire against Venezuela" in Washington. "Washington is activating measures at the request of Venezuela's fascist right, who are emboldened by the coup in Brazil," he said during a televised broadcast in reference to this week's impeachment of fellow leftist Dilma Rousseff in Brazil.

Maduro, 53, then declared a 60-day state of emergency which includes the "necessary measures" to protect Venezuela in the event of a foreign attack, he said, without providing details. Mobs in Venezuela have stolen flour, chicken and even underwear this week as looting increases across the crisis-hit OPEC nation where many basic products have run short, and the U.S. officials said this could spiral into widespread unrest. Soldiers fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters on Wednesday as Venezuela's opposition marched to pressure electoral authorities into allowing a recall referendum against Maduro. Maduro has sworn he will not be forced out before his term expires in 2019 and accuses the opposition of seeking a coup against him to destroy the socialist legacy of his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. Washington has had an acrimonious relationship with Caracas for years, especially following U.S. support for a short-lived 2002 coup against Chavez. The U.S. officials insisted that the United States was not “rooting against” Caracas but just wanted to see the crisis defused.

They expressed concern for a possible spillover to its neighbouring countries, especially Colombia, but said most of the instability would be "self-contained" to Venezuela. Such intelligence assessments help U.S. policymakers decide on how to respond. There was no immediate comment from the White House. The administration quietly sought last year to improve relations but the imposition of new U.S. sanctions and drug-related indictments stoked fresh tensions. The officials cited the risk of a Venezuelan debt default. Maduro's government has consistently paid its debt on time and has slammed market fears of a default as an international smear campaign. Weak oil markets and an unravelling socialist economy have fanned concerns that the Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA will be unable to make nearly US$5 billion (3 billion pounds) in bond payments between now and the end of the year.

US concern grows over possible Venezuela meltdown - officials

Related:

US officials: Venezuelan president’s hold on power weakening
May 13,`16 | WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence analysts are increasingly convinced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is likely to be pushed aside by members of his own socialist movement before finishing his term.

Senior American intelligence officials said Friday that as Venezuela’s economy spins out of control, Maduro’s grip on power is more fragile. They briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss their assessments by name. Since December, when the opposition won legislative elections by a landslide, the country has been wracked by growing political confrontation at a time of triple-digit inflation, widespread food shortages and almost daily hours-long blackouts across much of the nation. On Friday, Maduro decreed a “state of exception and economic emergency” giving him expanded powers to deal with the economic crisis.

In such a combustible environment, the circumstances under which Maduro could be forced to leave office before his six-year term ends in 2019 are varied, according to the officials. One described it as being able to hear the ice cracking without knowing where the floor will collapse. But the analysis, based on intelligence they did not share, points to a period of potentially violent political turmoil that will have consequences for international bondholders, oil markets and Venezuela’s neighbors, especially Colombia. The officials said the main concern for the Obama administration is that the deep political divisions and mounting economic hardships could trigger mayhem of the sort that Caracas experienced in 1989, when at least 300 people were killed during riots, looting and clashes with police against the backdrop of another collapse in oil prices.

The officials said they’ve seen no evidence a military coup is in the works and say it would be unlikely to succeed, but they cautioned that nobody envisioned in 1992 that an unknown junior officer named Hugo Chavez would lead a barracks uprising — an event that made him famous and eventually led to his election as president. The most likely scenario, they said, would be a sort of “palace coup,” probably in the form of a recall vote next year that would draw support from socialists concerned Maduro is wrecking Chavez’s legacy of reducing poverty. Potential turncoats include former National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello, former Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres and Tarek El Aissami, a powerful state governor. Like Maduro, all were Chavez loyalists.

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[Manonthestreet]

It's worse than that ...people are hunting cats and dogs and foraging for anything they can find all because some jackass thinks he's more important than anyone else Talk about crimes against humanity.

 

[longknife]

Blackouts, looting and murder:

Power cuts, food shortages and rising violent crime are contributing to an economic and political crisis in Venezuela that has left its embattled president Nicolás Maduro with ever-decreasing options. For a country reliant on oil revenues, the lengthy global oil price crash has been catastrophic. Maduro blames private ‘bigwigs’ and threatens to take control of idle factories

American media seems to be ignoring the situation in Venezuela but it's going to hit us smack in the face before long.

The story with stark video is @ Blackouts, looting and murder: Venezuela's state of emergency – video explainer

New York Times Editorial: Venezuela’s Downward Spiral

The most amazing part of this piece is the acknowledgment that socialist policies forced on the people by dictators are to blame for this. And it does refer to the support the regime has received from China. The full piece is @ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/opinion/venezuelas-downward-spiral.html?_r=0

 

[Bleipriester]

Maduro accuses private companies to boycott the country in order weaken his government. The majority of the parliament is opposition and threatens with a Putsch after special authorities were granted to Maduro and the army, that also can affect the opposition. These are like a 60 days state of emergency that can be extended for another 60 days and are supposed to grant security of supply.

 

[waltky]

Venezuelans desperate for food...

Venezuela's desperation grows as the nation struggles for food
June 29, 2016 - Crowds are pillaging supermarkets and protests are becoming more frequent; As the middle class makes do with less, the wealthy are shopping online for food from the U.S.; About 87 percent of people say they don’t have enough money to buy food, according to a recent study

In the darkness, the warehouse looks like any other, a metal-roofed hangar next to a clattering overpass, with homeless people sleeping nearby in the shadows. But inside, workers quietly unload black plastic crates filled with merchandise so valuable that mobs have looted delivery vehicles, shot up the windshields of trucks and hurled a rock into one driver’s eye. Soldiers and police milling around the loading depots give this neighborhood the feel of a military garrison. “It’s just cheese,” said Juan Urrea, a 29-year-old driver, as workers unloaded thousands of pounds of white Venezuelan queso from his delivery truck. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The fight for food has begun in Venezuela. On any day, in cities across this increasingly desperate nation, crowds form to sack supermarkets. Protesters take to the streets to decry the skyrocketing prices and dwindling supplies of basic goods. The wealthy improvise, some shopping online for food that arrives from Miami. Middle-class families make do with less: coffee without milk, sardines instead of beef, two daily meals instead of three. The poor are stripping mangoes off the trees and struggling to survive. “This is savagery,” said Pedro Zaraza, a car oil salesman, who watched a mob mass on Friday outside a supermarket, where it was eventually dispersed by the army. “The authorities are losing their grip.”

What has been a slow-motion crisis in Venezuela seems to be moving into a new, more dangerous phase. The long economic decline of the country with the world’s largest oil reserves now shows signs of morphing into a humanitarian emergency, with government mismanagement and low petroleum prices leading to widespread shortages and inflation that could surpass 700 percent this year. The political stakes are mounting. Exhausted by government-imposed power blackouts, spiraling crime, endless food lines, shortages of medicine and waves of looting and protest, citizens are mobilizing against their leaders. In recent days, Venezuelans lined up to add their names to a recall petition that aims to bring down the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and put an end to the socialist-inspired “revolution” ignited 17 years ago by Hugo Chavez. “This can’t continue,” said Angel Rondon, a mechanic, who now sometimes eats just once a day. “Things have to change.”

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[waltky]

Venezuelan military had big role in economic woes...

Analysis: Venezuelan military had big role in economic woes
Jul 15,`16 -- President Nicolas Maduro's announcement this week that the military will lead the battle against widespread food shortages overlooks one key fact: The armed forces have played a big role in Venezuela's economic mess.

Since Maduro took office in 2013, he has named a number of active and retired generals to run the economy. All five of his food ministers who manage one of the government's largest budgets have come from the armed forces. And they in turn have placed dozens of their military cohorts to lead everything from a state-run chain of supermarkets to an agency overseeing food imports. None of those moves, however, can match the scope of Maduro's promotion this week of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino to head what is called the Great Mission of Sovereign Supply.

The goal is to boost production and guarantee the smooth distribution of food in the face of what Maduro sees as economic sabotage by his opponents. As part of the overhaul, all ministries will take orders from Padrino, and the nation's ports will fall under the "total control" of the military. That has led some to compare the move to a discreet power grab by the armed forces, the historical arbiter of Venezuela's political disputes.

Venezuelans caught their first glimpse of the initiative in images broadcast Wednesday on state TV showing uniformed officers inspecting chicken plants and studying delivery orders for a large shipment of vegetable oil. "We're going to defeat this economic war because there's political will, from the people's power and the armed forces," said Gen. Pedro Alvarez while carrying out the inspection near the capital. But despite the media blitz, little has changed for most Venezuelans.

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[longknife]

The military just opened the frontier with Colombia and it was reported that 35,000 Venezuelans made it across to buy groceries.

 

[waltky]

Gallup rates Venezuela worst for citizens' security...

Venezuela receives worst-ever grade for citizens' security; worst for any nation since '05
July 27, 2016 -- Venezuelan citizens are in bad shape when it comes feeling safe in their country, new research shows.

In its annual assessment of perceived security, Gallup gave Venezuela the worst score in its history -- 35 out of 100 -- which is also the worst grade for any nation in more than a decade. The Law and Order Index rated 133 countries based on their respective citizens' confidence in local law enforcement, sense of security and incidence of theft. The higher the score on the index, the higher the proportion of the population that says they feel safe, Gallup said. "Gallup sees a strong relationship between people's answers to these questions and the economic and social development of a country -- reinforcing how high crime rates can suppress social cohesion and negatively affect economic performance," the research firm stated.

The low score comes amid severe economic and political uncertainty in Venezuela, with citizens enduring shortages of food and basic household items, and multinational corporations leaving the country. "Just 14 percent of [Venezuela] residents said they felt safe walking alone at night where they live and an only slightly higher 19 percent expressed confidence in their police," Gallup said. "Both percentages are not only new lows for Venezuela, but they are also the lowest scores Gallup has measured worldwide since 2005."

The 14 percent of Venezuelans who reported feeling safe in 2015 is by far the lowest number for any nation. Tied for second-lowest, Syria and Afghanistan each had 32 percent of respondents say they felt safe. Singapore received the highest score (93) and Iceland and Uzbekistan tied for second (90). The United States ranked in the upper half with a score of 77. Other notable scores were given to the United Kingdom (79), Canada (84), Japan (78), France (75), Ukraine (55) and Russia (62). Wednesday was not the first time Venezuela bottomed out on the Gallup index. It was also rated as the worst nation in the world for citizens' perceived security in 2013 and second-worst in 2014.

Venezuela receives worst-ever grade for citizens' security; worst for any nation since '05

 

[waltky]

UNICEF "Put the children first...

UNICEF calls for Venezuelan children, teens to be focus of crisis solution
July 29, 2016 -- UNICEF has called on the Venezuelan government to prioritize the needs of children and teenagers amid a crippling economic crisis that has led to shortages of food and medicine.

"UNICEF calls for any dialogue, as well as any action of the state and of society, to have the best interest of the child and the absolute priority of children at its core," UNICEF said in a statement following U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for dialogue between the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the political opposition and non-governmental organizations to create solutions.

Basic goods, food and medicines have been missing from store shelves throughout Venezuela, a country dependent on oil revenues to fuel its socialist system. Low oil prices have exacerbated an economic recession to the point the government has struggled to pay back debts. Venezuela this year has sold at least $1.7 billion in gold reserves to pay debts, which has decreased the South American country's gold reserves to the lowest level on record.

The basic goods shortages have led some Venezuelans to cross the borders into Colombia and Guyana to purchase items. "UNICEF shares the concerns demonstrated by national authorities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and relevant social sectors about the consequences of the current circumstances for children and adolescents in the country," UNICEF added. "UNICEF joins the U.N. Secretary General´s call for a dialogue between the sectors able to bring meaningful and practical solutions to society, and welcomes the integration of new actors to facilitate such a process."

UNICEF calls for Venezuelan children, teens to be focus of crisis solution

 

[waltky]

Let `em eat cake...

Venezuela Telling Hungry City Dwellers To Grow Their Own Food
November 1, 2016 • Some Venezuelan city dwellers are trying to grow their own produce to offset the country's severe shortages following socialist President Nicolas Maduro's calls for "food sovereignty."

But in a country where families are going hungry as a result of government mismanagement and sky-high inflation, many view the "Great Agro-Venezuela Mission" with skepticism. "Agriculture shouldn't be a solution" to the country's shortages, said former landowner Iraima Pacheco de Leandro, 54, a well-to-do government opponent who lives in Caracas.

Critics have taken to social media to accuse the government of downplaying the country's critical situation, and ridicule Maduro for trying to solve Venezuela's dire food crisis through getting urbanites to farm small plots of land. "Urban Farming in Venezuela. Thanks to @Nicolas Maduro" read one tweet accompanied by a photograph of a man and a dog sifting through trash, a common sight in Caracas as food supplies dwindle and black market prices soar. "BBC Venezuela report has Chavistas explaining how they're going to feed people, grow medicine, through urban farming. No, really," mocked another Twitter user.

When the project was presented in February, the newly created Ministry of Urban Agriculture announced that 12,000 square kilometers - about 4,600 square miles - would be planted in the first 100 days. The government promised to invest $300,000 in seeds, equipment and educational projects, and to help with logistics. The government urged citizens to plant in every available space - private terraces, communal areas, jails and schools, among other sites - but did not itself provide the land.

A woman buys goods at a supermarket in Caracas​

Eight months into the project, only 21 square kilometers (about 8 square miles) of land have been cultivated, according to the ministry. "How are you going to tell someone with no space for a plot to grow [their own food]?" asked de Leandro, whose family-owned farm was expropriated, like many other businesses, under former president Hugo Chavez's nationalization program.

Some Venezuelans try to look on the bright side of the experiment: Producing their own food can reduce the time spent on the streets of Caracas, where crime is skyrocketing. For de Leandro, who was once kidnapped for ransom, this is a comforting thought. She grows a stunning array of vegetables on one of her terraces. But not all Caraquenians have enough land to cultivate produce, and water is also in short supply due to a drought.

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See also:

Pets starved, abandoned as Venezuela economic crisis deepens
7 Sept.`16 - Carlos Parra used to love waking up to see his pet albino boxer, Nina. Now, seeing her skeletal body on the floor next to his bed has become a daily reminder of the economic crisis engulfing Venezuela.

His other dog's thick fur barely hides her ribcage as Parra struggles to feed his pets after losing his job at a shoe store. "It's terrible to sit and eat, see them watching me with hunger, and not be able to do anything," said the 30-year-old. As Venezuela's economic crunch worsens, food shortages and rising poverty are forcing once middle-class Venezuelans to do the unthinkable: let their pets starve or abandon them in the streets. No figures are available, but activists and veterinarians say they are seeing a growing number of dogs and cats abandoned at parks, shelters, and private clinics.

An abandoned dog so skinny his ribcage is visible waits to be fed at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela​

In Caracas it has become common to see purebred dogs rummaging in the trash or lying outdoors, filthy and gaunt, in posh neighborhoods. The animal protection and control center in the capital's Baruta neighborhood saw as many as 10 animals abandoned each day this summer, head veterinarian Russer Rios said. Up to about a year ago there were almost none. "Now people just leave them here because they can't take care of them," Rios said.

Three rescued cats watch from the top of a fridge as their food is prepared at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela​

Shelters are running classes teaching pet owners to look for food substitutes in the hopes of helping them maintain their pets through the crisis. At one private shelter in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, a popular alternative for dogs that would never have been considered in better times is chickenfeed. "We have to give it to them because there's nothing else," Katty Quintas, a part owner of the Funasissi shelter, said as three skinny cats looked on hungrily from the top of a refrigerator. The shelter is now home to more than 200 cats and dogs.

Abandoned dogs gather for feeding time at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela​

One of the country's largest animal shelters is run by Mission Nevado, a government program set up by socialist President Nicolas Maduro and named in honor of independence hero Simon Bolivar's four-legged sidekick, dubbed "Nevado" for its white, snow-like fur. Program veterinarian Angel Mancilla said the shelter, which currently houses about 100 cats and dogs, has collapsed under the influx. "We're crying every day. You leave each day feeling traumatized," Mancilla said. Pet owners say the price of dog food has more than doubled in recent months to $2 a pound, more than a day's pay for those earning the minimum wage.

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