We’ve talked before about the highly suspect Covid-19 vaccination numbers put out there by the Maduro regime,especially in light of the overly ambitious vaccination rate goal they established of 90% vaccinated by the end of the year. This is a government that never even published a Covid-19 plan regarding vaccinations or any aspect of dealing with the virus. Remember, Maduro’s Health Minister was fired one week into the job for actually publishing epidemiology numbers.These guys are not big fans of the truth.

 That said, here’s something to consider when they talk about the tremendous success they’ve had getting the Venezuelan population vaccinated.Dr. Julio Castro was pondering this one. The government says they’ve achieved an 80% vaccination rate which puts their stated goal of 90% within striking distance. Dr. Castro tells us that 29% of Venezuela’s population is under age 14. That would translate to over 100% of adults vaccinated.

 Another thing to think about is a comparison between Venezuela and another place with a similar rate,New York, which has a rate of about 82% vaccinated. We’ve covered extensively that Venezuela’s healthcare system has completely collapsed under the stewardship of 21st Century Bolivarian Socialism.Just a reminder of my wife’s (Venezolana) description of healthcare in Venezuela, “In Venezuela you go to the hospital to die.” They don’t even have reliable power and water in their medical facilities (or anywhere else) and if they did people couldn’t get to them due to the crippling fuel shortages. Compare that to New York which has a world class healthcare system and a great transportation system as well. Are we to believe that the Chavistas were able to vaccinate basically the same percentage of citizens as was accomplished on New York? …Just saying… P.S. Throughout the pandemic the WHO (World Health Organization) and the PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) have routinely published numbers for Venezuela that are typically 1/2 of the government’s numbers.

 And speaking of misdirection and obfuscation (not to mention outright lying) we told you about Telesur (government media) never publishing negative stories about Chavismo and instead trying to shift public focus elsewhere. Here is a great example. I know from personal experience that it’s common to have to detour around neighborhoods or villages that block roads and burn tires in the streets protesting lack of water. There is a lot of reporting on this from international media. There is basically none of this from the media in Venezuela as the Maduro regime has shut down most independent media and it’s never mentioned by Telesur. Well, the other day Telesur had a piece on the water scarcity crisis in…wait for it…Cameroon!

 We recently told you about the “ecocide” being committed by the Maduro regime as they continue to destroy the environment in Venezuela.NGO, Sembramos Todos, tells us that in Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela’s oldest National Park, 35% has been lost due to fire,invasions, and deforestation.

 Imparques Secretary General (National Parks Organization) tells us that they lack resources to fight forest fires and neither firefighters nor park rangers have medical insurance.

 But just to show they care (as the Chavistas constantly remind us) Argus Media reports that the Venezuelan government has announced it’s formulating a new alternative energy plan (again). They’ve tried, and failed, at wind farms as well as two big hydroelectric projects that never produced a single megawatt. There is no government policy or initiative for solar energy, it’s all done by the private sector. As we’ve said before, Venezuela relies on the Guri Dam complex for 80% of it’s energy needs and Guri is both outdated (who uses analog systems these days?) and dilapidated, for reasons we’ve already discussed. If the Chavista’s new plan incorporates the private sector an alternative energy plan might have a chance. If not, it’s doomed to failure just like every other Chavista “plan”.

 And how about that new,kinder,gentler attitude of the government? UCAB Human Rights Center reports that 69% of NGO members think no conditions exist to exercise civil rights. Fear prevents people from getting involved in political activities.

 We also have this from Freedom House.Chavez and Maduro have enacted 10 legal measures to restrict the country’s civic space. Arbitrary requirements for NGOs to enable criminalization of dissenting organizations or individuals. Remember, until recently Maduro didn’t even allow NGOs into the country. The Maduro regime makes superficial reforms to ease international pressure such as the ICC (International Criminal Court) investigation into Human Rights violations and crimes against humanity and the UN-OHCHR (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) who’s mission to Venezuela has produced scathing reports on Human Rights violations and the total lack of an independent judiciary. What they don’t reform are the laws that allow for oppression/repression, which remain in place. The offices of Azul Positivo,which provides humanitarian support for HIV positive Venezuelans, had their offices raided and staff detained. The same thing with Fundaredes, the Human Rights group, that we’ve covered here extensively. Besides the overt damage the Chavistas and their oppressive/repressive laws cause to Venezuela society the “Brain Drain” they cause endangers Venezuela’s future. Allowing this to continue also encourages similar behavior elsewhere …. Nicaragua anyone?

 Also on the Human Rights front we have Provea telling us that from 1996-2020 (encompassing the Chavista era which began in 1998) there have been 10,238 violations of the right to live and 7,893 extrajudicial killings.

 And,as if it’s a good thing, we have Venezuela’s head prosecutor telling us that Venezuela has prosecuted 820 officers for Human Rights violations with 210 convictions.This is a 25% conviction rate. Is there a prosecutor’s office anywhere that would be proud of this?

 We also have Venezuela’s Interior and Justice Minister telling us that there is “an existing respect for Human Rights in Venezuela security forces.” Are those the same security forces that threw Fernando Alban out of a 10th story window?

And in a show of Chavismo priorities we have UDO reporting they have only received 23% of their 2021 budget.Other universities report only 10%.

 On the inflation front we have BCV (Venezuela Central Bank) doing a little chest thumping. The head of BCV says the reduction in hyperinflation is due to actions by the BCV. There was no explanation nor details regarding how this was accomplished.

 And what would a news day be without something about the migrant crisis. Epoch Times reports that tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants are flooding into Guayana. This small country is overlooked by the most part with all the migrant related focus being on Colombia and Brazil. Many of these migrants are forced to leave by syndicates (organized crime) in the “Mining Arc”. Others are simply fleeing the world of 21st Century Bolivarian Socialism.

 More tomorrow….