(Welcome, readers of Michelle Malkin!)
I saw the interview with Varela on Globo talking about this this morning, while I was getting ready for work.
Seriously, and one wonders why the stereotype exists that all chavistas are violent --I know that is not true-- but it's simply because you have some people like this.
Varela is a complete disgrace for behaving this way. While she alleges that Azócar made a comment about her deceased child, her reaction was unnecessary, irresponsible, and overdone. If Azócar did go too far, then he was in the wrong, I would not exempt him from blame; to react how she did was just plain stupid.
I have had people tell me --to my face-- that Latin Americans are barbaric, out of control, over emotional, and just plain crazy, something which I obviously dispute and vehemently fight tooth and nail. However, when people see only this kind of example, a very small part of me understands from where they are coming... :'(
Thankfully, in the midst of all of this media circus, there are still vigilant Venezuelans like my friend Julia -- a member of the student movement -- who tells us of her reality in Chávez's Venezuela. This is a site you do not want to miss if you want to get beyond what the MSM show.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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14 comments:
Thank you Kate. I saw this on Primer Impacto (show on Univision) but was unfamiliar with either of the folks. I needed some perspective on the situation and to find out if she was indeed a Chavista. I can totally use some info on the Venezuelan situation, I get the feeling I'm getting gipped by mainstream media.
-A.S. in East L.A.
chicanoguy at hotmail
Hi, A.S. I have seen this clip enemil times today on Globovision, and it is nauseating. As I said before, I do not exculpate Azocar for his probing question; to be frank, I don't know that that sort of questioning is indeed necessary in an interview which presumably had to do with the reform set for 2 Dec. However, Varela's behavior is beyond excusable. She broke any roles of diplomacy, decency, and respectability. She is niche, o sea, naca. I can't imagine most people, much less someone in public office behaving like this on live television. For me, this begs the question: "What happens when the cameras are off?"
Thanks for reading, I hope you find yourself well.
Hi Kate.
Can you tell me, what was the comment about her deceased child ?
Best regards,
Bruno, in Lisbon, Portugal
Hi Bruno,
I will be perfectly honest, I don't know exactly what was said. All the recordings I've seen start at the beginning of the altercation, without having shown the comment itself. I will try to find out, and post a response here. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Best regards.
Bruno,
In doing a quick search, Azócar wrote a book on Varela, in which he allegedly dedicated a chapter to the child, who passed away. Varela became incensed, saying: "Por que te metiste con mi hijo?"
I feel that her questioning is valid, as the death of a child must be devastating; however, I remain firm in that her behavior was absolutely reprehensible.
Wow. This looks like a political ploy to get this man removed from tv, possibly incarcerated. She holds the power, right?
Is she the equivalent of a US Senator? Is he the equivalent of a Matt Lauer?
No wonder Hollywood liberals love this Venezuelan regime. I imagine they would die to be able to walk onto a FoxNews set and do the same thing. More socialists smacking down opposing thought, not cool.
Great blog site,
Brian Goodwin
NYC, NY
Kate, the journalist who got hitted by Valera wrote a book sometime ago about dark stories of many members of the revolution. He try to research if the death of Valera's kid was truly because of the hospital negligence and to this issue he dedicated three or four pages of his book. Now I haven't read that book but he said in one interview that it was nothing disrespectfull, we'll have to find the book and see who should we believe.
Beyond that...Iris Valera doesn't belong to the Assembly, but to some mental institucion. A political analyst (don't remember who it was right now) said that in Venezuela need shrinks instead of political analyst to understand our situation... no wonder huh?
Congrats on the link and the new readers, and thanks for linking me back, hope it works... Have a great thanksgiving!
Brian: Iris Varela is a deputy (diputada) in the Constituent National Assembly, which is Venezuela's unicameral congress, completely controlled by members of Chávez's own party, or those which have traditionally sympathized with him. (I say traditionally because there are members of PODEMOS, which has come out against the constitutional reform.) To be honest, I don't know if Azócar is quite of Matt Lauer caliber, I would say no, just because his show is regional, not national (like Lauer's). Don't quote me on that; I would ask Julia, who commented right below you, as she would surely have a better idea. Thanks for the compliment, I hope you find yourself well. Happy Thanksgiving!
Julia: I read a bit more about the case while sitting in the airport today, though was unable to find the book --or even excerpts-- online; I'll have to do some more investigating once the holiday is over. Seriously, I was telling my aunt today, and we both came to the conclusion that Varela may very well be certifiably crazy. She is really just completely out of control, and as you know, this is hardly a first incident for her.
Anyway, hope all is well down there within the robolución bolibanana. Me echas un mail...fuiste hoy? Saludos!!!
Great site!! My Husband and I came across the video in the news. But with me being American and him being Macedonian neither one of us understood what was going on without translation. We got very good info from this site about the matter.
Hi Kate:
I just discovered your site in my search for information on the story behind Iris Varela's outburst. I don't think I have ever seen her NOT yelling at someone about something—and she turns up a lot on Venezuelan TV. I don't doubt that she needs some serious professional help—but that could be said about many of the members of the National Assembly. They don't seem to say anything that isn't edged in anger and hate. If this is characteristic of socialism, small wonder the system doesn't work.
Hi Lynda, you caught me just as I'm running out of the office :)
Varela is a nut, I don't think there's much else to say about that. I've been following her ridiculousness for a while now, and you're right. She's always angry, always shooting her mouth off, and curiously enough, always removing blame from herself and playing the victim card.
In my opinion, the woman is brainwashed by the cult that is chavismo. I was talking with a friend today, and the way Chávez behaves, his rhetoric --did you see his speech today where he blamed chavistas for not going out to vote for Sí? qué patético!!!-- which is filled with and fueled by hate...let's just say that this is much more than a simple ideology.
As far as socialism...I am hardly a socialist, as you'll find if you read other entries on this blog, but chavismo is not synonymous with socialism. I lived in Chile for a while, not under Pinochet; all of the Concertación governments have been either left-leaning or socialist, and never EVER behaved at all like many in the AN. So, that said, I hesitate to equate chavismo with socialism.
I hope you find yourself well!
Greetings from DC.
Faith: So sorry to have not responded to you, my internet has been giving me problems, and it doesn't always alert me when a new comment has been made, my sincerest apologies.
I am glad that I could provide a bit of information about the situation!
I hope you and your husband find yourselves well! :)
You're right. Chávez calls it socialism, but it certainly isn't. The latest, as I'm sure you are aware, revolves around the language he was using on daytime TV (against the ley mordaza, of course). I'm watching Alo Cuidadano at the moment and they are discussing the mental health of the president himself, especially after that thumping he took on Sunday.
It was a narrow victory, and perhaps only a victory because three million Chavistas didn't vote, not because they don't adore Chávez, but because they understood the danger of the reforms.
That is seems so easy to deceive people and turn them into scary characters like Iris, blows my mind and I shouldn't be surprised after 14 years here in Caracas.
Yeah, I saw the press conference, his behavior is repulsive, vulgar, and embarrassing. I just got back from a lecture with the Colombian ambassador to the US, and it was such a striking contrast: she is the epitome of dignity and decorum. While at work, I leave a live stream of Globo on all day, so I constantly see the latest antics of Chavez, members of the AN, Robert Serra (que borrego ese!!!), etc. My point in mentioning Her Excellency is that it was so refreshing to see representatives of governments who still regard and respect diplomacy and proper behavior on both the national and international fora.
I am continually surprised by the chavista argument, especially after today. While he admitted that he lost Petare, and it was much closer than he probably anticipated in 23 de enero, he didn't really seem to grasp why. The man is a narcissistic megalomaniac who can't see past his own nose. As I've said before, the poor of the barrios and ranchos in Venezuela are one thing: poor. They are not stupid. I am very confident that many realize the dangers of the reforms, and per the results, one can see their increasing disenchantment with the dizque Bolivarian revolution. To me, at the end of the day, if people cannot feed their families, clothe their children, despite --or perhaps in spite-- of the promises of a populist president, something is utterly wrong. I really think that Chavez underestimated the power of rising expectations. When he came to the presidency in 1999, he gave a lot of people material and immaterial things, specifically hope for a better future. However, since then, his inability, or maybe lack of desire, to fulfill the promises he's made are extremely detrimental. And certainly, his absurd, bellicose behavior does not help. We shall see tomorrow, when supposedly the CNE will publish the second bulletin...
Just out of curiosity, what do you think about Baduel calling for the constituent assembly already? Feel free to respond here or shoot me an e-mail at rolita816@gmail.com.
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