We have some catching up to do so no Down The Rabbit Hole today but we’ll return to more of “Scattershot” on Monday. We’ll begin with the headliner and this is something I found quite disturbing. Going back to chapter one of Down The Rabbit Hole we saw how Chavismo destroyed Venezuela’s healthcare system. Their negligence has allowed a huge resurgence of diseases from measles to malaria…even polio. Then we recently had the reports of black fungus which,if not properly addressed,and Chavismo hasn’t shown it can properly address anything, can become a serious issue as we saw in India. Well, now we have three states in Venezuela declaring an epidemic of YELLOW FEVER! This is a disease so serious that, as international travelers know, it has it’s own immunization card. Yellow Fever was completely eradicated in Venezuela 14 years ago. Let’s just hope that the Chavistas don’t handle this problem the way they have other health issues…deny the problem and fire the Health Minister.

 As long as we’re talking healthcare how about some Covid-19 news. In order to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases the GNB (national guard) has set up check points into Caracas. You need to present a safe passage certification. No one was advised in advance this was being done and it’s unclear exactly what constitutes safe passage certification. If it’s like everything else down there these days it just means you have to pay a bribe to get through.

 In other Corona Virus news we have 15 Covid-19 patients in Miranda died Monday due to a blackout.

 There is some good news on the Covid-19 front though. PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) reports Venezuela’s vaccination rate is now 21% which is a good move up from just 11% a few weeks ago. Bravo Chavismo! Oh, FYI the Chavistas are claiming 50%.

 If you still need proof that the welfare of the Venezuelan people is not as high a priority for Chavismo as the relationship with Cuba here you go. (By the way, we’ve given many examples in the past) Translating Cuba reports that Venezuela oil exports for September were down 34%. While that’s not going to help reach their goal of tripling production by year’s end  that’s not the point. What doesn’t make sense is that with the big drop in overall exports, exports to Cuba were way up… from 40,000 bpd (barrels per day) to 58,000 bpd. How can this be? And in case you’re wondering, the fuel shortage that has been plaguing Venezuela for a few years now is still a big problem.

 My man, Leopoldo Lopez, was in the news again. Miami Herald reports Lopez calling for the need for a joint effort of democratic forces to combat totalitarian governments like China,Russia,Iran,Cuba, and Turkey.( I would contend Turkey is more authoritarian but that’s splitting hairs) All of them help keep dictators like Nicolas Maduro in power.

 Now might be a good time to quote Soviet-era dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. “It is time in the West to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.”

 As long as we’re mentioning the Soviets, or in this case Russia, we have Tass reporting that Venezuela’s presidential Envoy, on a working trip to Moscow, has announced a Kalashnikov factory will be built in Venezuela in 2022. How’s that for Chavismo’s priorities?

 And speaking of the Chavista’s priorities which first and foremost is survival we have this Chavismo quote…”There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept.” How scary is that? My translation is that they will sacrifice the well being of the Venezuelan people, as they have, to remain in power.

 We have an update on the Colombia/Venezuela border opening. Chavismo reports the border crossings will not be fully open for another two weeks.

 We also have more proof of the Maduro regime’s ecocide as NASA has released photos of the Lake Maracaibo oil spills.

 And what’s on Nicolas Maduro’s mind these days? Prensa Latina reports Maduro is railing against the US imperialists again saying that the bombing of a Cubana plane in 1976 (that’s right…1976) was a criminal act financed and executed by US imperialism.Uhhh…OK.

 On the political front we have new questions about whether or not the CNE (electoral council) has established a double criteria for monitoring the November elections. In the meantime we will have the Carter Center monitoring the October 10 electoral drills as announced by CNE.

 And in the “all Marxists are not created equal” category we have Morningstar reporting that international Communist organizations are decrying CNE barring PCV (Communist Party of Venezuela) candidates. Maduro has called them imperialists but it could just be that he doesn’t want the vote split with his party PSUV.

 Oh, and Telesur reports that Adan Chavez, Hugo’s brother and Venezuela’s Ambassador to Cuba, says the US will try to interfere with the November elections. What a surprise.

 And McClatchy DC, in an Op Ed reports the EU’s decision to validate Venezuela’s fraudulent elections is a slap in the face to democracy. What the EU election monitors will observe is irrelevant. The fraud has already taken place. Kinda’ sounds like what Leopoldo Lopez had to say.

 And all is not well for the 2015 National Assembly’s credibility. Transparencia Venezuela tells us that the AN reports are incomplete and “opaque”.

 Remember the Chavistas trying to play nice with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) ? Well, Telesur reports VP Delcy Rodriguez is upset that the IMF isn’t releasing $5 billion to Venezuela in the form of SDRs (speciel drawing rights) to which Delcy says they’re entitled. She didn’t mention that SDRs are reserved for IMF members in good standing.

 Since we’re pretty much caught up with the news feed I’ll close with this. How can it be that here in the US the federal government wants to classify concerned parents as domestic terrorists? It’s bad enough that woke culture wants to label me a racist and white supremacist because I don’t subscribe to Marxist teachings. Now I’m also a domestic terrorist? What gives?

 On that happy note…Have a great weekend everybody!!