en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/344809 Comments by Tambopaxi http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/hondurans-go-rogue.html#IDComment45331086 Well, finally, Quico, you get it (regarding Honduras, that is). Honduras did the right thing from the get-go with Z, and they stuck to their guns through all the sturm un drang, the breast beating from all sides on this. The Catrachos were right, and fortunately, their courage wasn't an inch deep, to use HalfEmpty's phrase. Everyone seemed to think (and some bloggers continue to think, even as I write) that Honduras is just a dirtbag little country that can be pushed around by anyone, gringo, Brazilian, whatever. Pues, not so, now, as we've seen. I appreciate Quico's comments on the tough state of affairs in Venezuela at the moment, but I want to express my hope that someday, somehow, Venezuelans will say, basta, and take action as the Hondurans did, to set things straight... Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:29:44 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/hondurans-go-rogue.html#IDComment45331086 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/q-atharsis.html#IDComment44927115 Huh. I stopped writing about Ecuador over a year in my blog because I was tired of expressing frustration and anger over the cheating and lies of Correa and his crew. In my case, I was just tired of the negative attitudes the whole thing generated over time. I admire the sheer, bloody obstinancy of you guys' writing; the worse it gets, it seems, the more you guys write (well, and the Daniels, too). You guys are the EverReady bunnies (blog-wise). Suerte, T Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:57:59 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/q-atharsis.html#IDComment44927115 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/war-games.html#IDComment42659728 I dunno, from afuera, it looks like this guy is getting stranger and stranger, and as he does, so do his accusations/threats. What are we going to hear next? Stories of American submarines sneaking in to steal oil platforms, or better, just the oil itself? It's clear that he's looking for more ways to distract Venezuelans' attention from what's going on at home... Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:02 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/11/war-games.html#IDComment42659728 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/10/real-winner-of-honduran-crisis.html#IDComment41334673 I agree with Mike E.'s comments and others like it: Micheletti and his crew didn't lose; they got exactly what they wanted, which is no more Zelaya, ever, after January, 2010, and perhaps never, if the Honduran Congress votes against Zelaya, as they did earlier this year. JC is whistling in the dark if he thinks someone's going to bring charges against Micheletti. If anything, he should have a statue done of him, as someone suggested earlier in the comments. Micheletti and his allies stood up for their Constitution, enforced it, and in process, ensured that Honduras won't be cursed with a Chavez wannabe. Venezuela never had the luck to have someone like Micheletti in country, someone who faced down a bully and made the system of government work; Venezuela, JC, and Quico should be green with envy... Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:11:25 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/10/real-winner-of-honduran-crisis.html#IDComment41334673 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/link-between-iran-and-venezuela-crisis.html#IDComment33966307 I agree with jgd's comments; very sensible with respect to Chave, Venezuela, Morgenthau and this blog as well. Juan Cristobal's comments at the end (assuming Intense Debate hasn't wiped out other comments or changed the thread entirely, right, Quico??!!) make sense too. Chavez is the biggest threat to his own people, unfortunately for them. The Morgenthau piece looks like another floater for the idea of Israel bombing Iran (while the U.S. would apparently do the same to Venezuela, Morgenthau seems to suggest). Not logical, not credible, thinking insofar as options for Venezuela are concerned... Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:39:48 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/link-between-iran-and-venezuela-crisis.html#IDComment33966307 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/view-from-your-window-prior-lake.html#IDComment33646148 Thanks, Syd. I think you're overly optimistic (regarding my abilities) but I'll give it a try. Tue, 8 Sep 2009 15:37:44 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/view-from-your-window-prior-lake.html#IDComment33646148 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/view-from-your-window-prior-lake.html#IDComment33628222 Ok, ok, I finally took a photo through my study window that meets your specs EXCEPT for the file size. I've got a 12mp camera and the photos are about 3MB in size. Mayby you know: how do I get the photo to be 400KB? Tue, 8 Sep 2009 10:37:42 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/view-from-your-window-prior-lake.html#IDComment33628222 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/richard-blancos-death-sentence_01.html#IDComment32794163 This is just comment on the "Intense Debate" comments tool: It's awful. It handles sign-ins only on occasion, comments are lost, and sometimes it seems to have trouble with log-in names, why, I don't know. I managed to get in a comment on the Richard Blanco posting, at which time, Intense Debate showed 22 comments (which I think was correct). Now, Intense Debate says there are two comments on the same posting, when only one shows (from wlad). What happened to all of the other comments? Quico/JC have you considered a better comment tool? Tue, 1 Sep 2009 17:25:21 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/richard-blancos-death-sentence_01.html#IDComment32794163 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/richard-blancos-death-sentence.html#IDComment32789182 Patriziaf's got it right: Venezuela as a country seems to be in a passive stupor wherein Chavez is free (and he knows he's free) to do anything he wants - and he's doing it. Every time I read this blog, I think of the German cleric, Pastor Martin Niemoller, who observed the same passive, incremental elimination of all opposition during 1930's Germany; never take action or resist when it's someone else that's taken away. Cesar Perez Vivas, Richard Blanco... Who cares? Who's next? Tue, 1 Sep 2009 16:15:45 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/09/richard-blancos-death-sentence.html#IDComment32789182 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/07/here-i-come-i-think.html#IDComment28045055 Keep the opera buffa running until the elections in November when the lame duck becomes a dead duck (politically speaking). Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:24:00 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/07/here-i-come-i-think.html#IDComment28045055 http://209.85.129.132/translate_c?hl=pl#IDComment25847591 Zelaya violated the Honduran Constitution all to hell and gone. It's clear that he'd decided to go for broke on the referendum, flaunt all the Constitutional articles, laws, regs, etc., and hope for a landslide victory. There was no way in hell this guy would ever submit to impeachment proceedings, i.e., regular, Constitutional due process, and the other branches of government (including the military) could see that. The branches then had two options: 1) go along with Zelaya's referendum, and eventually subjugate themselves to this guy; or 2) play by the same unconventional rules Zelaya was using, and throw him out - which they did. While literally their actions were literally unconstitutional, I think the other branches of government did the right thing, given the extraordinary and extenuating circumstances. They now face virtually world-wide condemnation and this whole thing is not over, but I think we take consolation in the fact that a Honduran Chavez scenario has been heaed off - at least for the time being... Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:16:10 +0000 http://209.85.129.132/translate_c?hl=pl#IDComment25847591 http://caracaschronicles.blogspot.com/search?q=%22the+politics+of+change%22#IDComment25786778 Finally, we've got a country (Honduras??? This is a surprise!) where the other branches of government understood a clear and present threat to democracyfrom and the country's Constitution from the executive, and acted to defend themselves and a democratic system of checks and balances between the branches. The reactions of the U.S. and the OAS are disappointing, and they show no appreciation of the true threat to democracy, i.e.,Zelaya's bid to roll the other branches over and set himself up like another Chavez, Morales, or Correa (and Uribe, too, if he gets his way). Whether or not any of these people (Chavez, Correa, Morales, Ortega, Zelaya, etc.) are socialists or not is immaterial; they are all wannabe Presidential dictators for life, and as such are simply sad repetitions of political history and life in Latin America. I've lived down here in L.A. for over 30 years (including seven years and two military dictators in Honduras), and I despair: Will this region ever, ever, ever learn to stop breeding these righteous, arrogant, dangerous thugs? Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:01:21 +0000 http://caracaschronicles.blogspot.com/search?q=%22the+politics+of+change%22#IDComment25786778 http://209.85.129.132/translate_c?hl=pl#IDComment24620952 Watching what's happening in Iran right now, I don't doubt that some day (and it could be another 10 years in the future), Venezuela will hit a critical mass of disgustados just as in Teheran, and the scoundrels will be thrown out..... Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:30:50 +0000 http://209.85.129.132/translate_c?hl=pl#IDComment24620952 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/03/zombie-capitalism.html#IDComment16556187 Quico predicted a while back that falling petro prices would force Chavez to take the gloves at some point as he wouldn't be able to buy everything or buy off everybody, and the economy would begin to wobble. Looks like that's beginning to happen, and Chavez is trying to correct for the incipient impact of the economic shitstorm Trouble is, the corrective, zombie capitalism (you really should copyright some of these phrases, Quico!) functions just like the photo looks: not too good - in fact, it'll only make the economic wobble worse. Since Chavez doesn't seem to game play out the implications of his actions, it'll take a while for him to realize what these seizures are doing to the performance of the nationalized companies and the economy, i.e., nothing good. Then he'll either have to reverse his nationalizations or double down on them via more nationalizations while stifling any critics who try to point out he's only making things worse. Either way, he's latched on to a tar baby which won't let him go and will only take him further into the briar patch..... Sun, 8 Mar 2009 11:22:30 +0000 http://www.caracaschronicles.com/2009/03/zombie-capitalism.html#IDComment16556187