I see it...and so does bo.

it bewilders me that after everything Chavez did, the Venezuelan people elected protégé Maduro. of course, its likely the election was rigged. in a country where vandalism and blackmail of local businesses is openly accepted and the norm, everything corrupt is acceptable. I knew someone in college who visited Venezuela over a summer and was kidnapped and held for ransom. she gave a speech of her experiences that left everyone stunned. that was just one story of many I heard from international students at school. at one point, I was hearing another friend talk about what protests he'd like to organize next time he went home to Caracas. by the end, he just shrugged and said, "but if I did that, I'd just be killed by the police or military. still, someone has to try, don't they? they shouldn't be able to get away with everything." we were both 21. I was concerned about finals and Christmas shopping, and he was concerned about dying when he went back home because he knew he wouldn't keep quiet. that's a hell of a scary place to be. it's incomprehensible what tactics and measures are taken to keep the dissenters quiet while stealing their money. they are seeing people now dying of what is otherwise treatable. yet, the majority continue to support an ideology that is largely responsible for the country's demise. capitalists over there are scared for their lives.