Monday, April 18, 2005

Presidente Quixote



You want to know something? There's good magic, too. Venezuela's decision to print and distribute a million free copies of Don Quixote strikes me just that way: a banishing ritual of beautiful dreams that are only said to be impossible.

"To some extent, we are followers of Quixote," said President Hugo Chavez, as he encouraged Venezuelans to "feed ourselves once again with that spirit of a fighter who went out to undo injustices and fix the world."

I'm awaiting now Donald Rumsfeld to weigh in, as he did a couple of weeks ago regarding Venezuela's recent arms purchases, and say "I'm just asking, what in the world is the threat that Venezuela sees that makes them want to have all those books?"

One of the most heartening things of the Venezuelan miracle - and let's call it that - has been the symbology of the 1999 constitution. The sight of a mobilized populace, largely dark-skinned and underclass, waving copies of their own constitution, must make the hearts of oligarchs quail. It's easy to forget that history's most celebrated constitutions are revolutionary documents, but it's easy to see that the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is making living history.

Dawn Gable writes:

Article 132 states that everyone has the duty to fulfill his or her social responsibilities through participation in the political, civic, and community life of the country with the goal of promoting and protecting human rights as the foundation of democratic coexistence and social peace. Article 133 repeals forcible recruitment into the armed forces, but recognizes everyone’s duty to perform civilian or military service as may be necessary for the defense, preservation, and development of the country.

Article 135 says that the state’s obligation to the general welfare of society does not preclude the obligation of private individuals to participate according to their abilities. These duties describe participation much beyond the electoral process. They compel the public to see themselves as not so much the governed masses, but as active builders of their own society.

Meanwhile, the multi-generational campaign of intentionally dumbing down the populace, of encouraging public disengagement with the processes of governance, continues apace in the United States. There's something about a literate and educated citizenry that frightens tyrants even more than the right to bear arms. And when an informed and mobilized people compose a militia, it's the inclination of tyrants to back down.

Americans retreating from the public square and inhabiting purely private space has been called "cocooning." But cocoons are temporary utilities of metamorphosis. If you never come out to unfold new wings, and dry them in the sun, it's not a cocoon. It's your tomb.




By the way, to whoever purchased a copy of TechGnosis off my Amazon wishlist, thank you very much. It just arrived, totally unexpected. I wish I could thank you personally, but I hope you know that I am surprised, delighted and grateful.

21 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right On!

2:28 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What will the Fortunate Son's response be? Two million copies of My Pet Goat?

2:55 p.m.  
Blogger jsb said...

4 million people can't be "oligarchs". And you might ask yourself why poverty is up in this land of a "miracle" even while oil prices are at record highs.

4:35 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

.

The closer comparison is to Costa Rica rather than Cuba. If Venezuela wasn't sitting on huge oil reserves, their populist ground swell would merit nary a ripple in the National Propaganda
Press.

Everything in San Jose makes clear that Costa Ricans are a highly literate people : the country boasts of 93% literacy in those 10 years or over, the most literate population in Central America. Many of the country’s early fathers like the first president, Jose Maria Castro, were former teachers who were concerned about the education in Costa Rica.

http://www.infocostarica.com/education/education.html


Oil Reserves

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2178rank.html

Venezuela is a tremendously fortunate country with an extraordinary potential for economic growth. It possesses immensely rich natural resources, has a large, sparsely populated territorial expansion, and is already one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America in per capita terms.

These factors, combined with Venezuela’s proud democratic system of government and vigorous, stable economy, constitute the base for what is one of the most attractive dynamic markets, and potential supplier of industrial goods on this continent.

Venezuela has been an oil producing and exporting country. It is traditionally and in all circumstances been one of the principal suppliers of petroleum to the United States, being at the same time Venezuela’s best customer. It holds the largest oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere and is the only producer with long-term export potential outside the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.


http://www.embavenez-us.org/kids.venezuela/economy.htm

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/venez.html


Of course, it's always heartening to see a genuine populist groundswell, but don't hold your breath on it's continued longevity.
The history of Northern intervention in Southern Hempisphere affairs has a long & bloody history.

Good post, Jeff

..

4:41 p.m.  
Blogger Juke said...

No one can be an oligarch there are no oligarchs there never were any oligarchs there never will be any oligarchs, it is a bad word only used by bigots of a certain type.
Or.
The only book that will or can be distributed in response to the Bolivarians' coup de livre a la Cervantes will or would be the Bible. Especially the Old Testament, with its emphases on vindictive retaliation and elevation of the chosen and the elect.
On the other hand there are no oligarchs, so what's the problem?
On the still other hand, Chavez and Lula both look like Indians.
So maybe that's the problem, eh?
Good magic outside the dome of authority.

4:50 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff- My heart leapt with joy when I read your post. There are heroes in this world!Chavez may be tilting at windmills, considering this administrations apparent evil designs upon his country, but I salute him, and wish someone would do something similar in this country-literature could literally save the world from the BFEE!

5:07 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

chavez MUST be brought down.

not because of oil but because he is showing people wide and far that resisting the empire IS viable.

that is an idea too dangerous to let germinate and grow in the minds of the brown peoples whose sole purpose in the eyes of the imperial masters is that of a herd of cattle.

7:07 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Viva Hugo Chavez!

Thanks for the uplifting post, Jeff!

Mary R. C.

8:11 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Best recent article I have read on Venezuela was Douglas Valentine's "surrealist" piece:

http://www.counterpunch.org/valentine12182004.html

Definitely in the tradition of Don Quixote.

8:42 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The more I read of Chavez the more I am convinced he will not be allowed to survive the year. Various US gov't officials have already labelled Venezuela as one of the "outposts of tyranny" which is code for "won't allow us access to all their resources"

Expect another "accident" as that which befell the former president of Panama. His plane will go down myteriously and the coutnry will quickly revert to the access demanded by the oil companies.

8:00 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chaves is not some populist saint. He is a tool of the Bush administration. You people are idiots.

Did it ever occur to you 'How Chavez got the Oil to flow during the strike? U.S. Oil companies sent their 'foreign; technitions to keep them running.

The Chavez election was a fraud, just like the one in the U.S. You need to pull your heads out.

The U.S. knew darn well, it was a fraud. An american vote tabulating company did it. The state department put its stamp of approval on it right after it was announced. So did Jimmy Carter. Of Course the Euro's had nothing to do witht he process, because it was obviously fraudulent to them.

Chavez will survive as long as he sells oil. And he will continue to sell oil. No hero here, just another caudillo.

4:43 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And if you doubt that. Ask yourself why Chavez opened up the Venezuelan oil fields to U.S. companies? All those fields around the Orinoco were off limits to foreigners before Chavez.

Another reason Chavez will not go down 'mysteriously' in a plane. If he does, Venezuela might just 'revert' to the 'access denied' policy to U.S. oil.

4:47 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

might ask, scott?
might ask if you really gave a shit

8:02 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WHOA... you want to know something weird? last night i pulled out my copy of techgnosis just on an absolute whim. ive never read it before, but started just last night. freaky ....

11:25 p.m.  
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Just Pub, a dumb return to castle wolfenstein enemy territory comic strip by feuersturm.

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