So in 2010, Rick Sanchez got fired from CNN for making comments regarding Jon Stewart (calling him a "bigot"). The Hialeah native, who was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba, stated recently that Venezuela is not a priority of Obama's because the media does not care. I am the first to admit that I am not a big fan of Obama or his agenda. However, to say that the reason Venezuela is not being addressed is because of lack of media interest is extremely ridiculous!
In my humble opinion, this is a bit ludicrous. I am not saying that Venezuela, is at the forefront of most issues in the minds of American citizens, however, neither is Crimea, Ukraine or Russia. I am the first to admit that we have plenty of domestic issues that need to be addressed first, such as jobs, the economy, homelessness, etc. Throughout the history of the US, we have been seen as the beacon of democracy, sometimes even the police force for the world. Though democracy may not be the best form of government for every country out there, it is definitely a much better form of government than tyrannical and oppressive forms of government, such as the ones being seen in Cuba, North Korea and of course, Venezuela. This is reminiscent of the Cold War days, when Russia was trying to spread communism throughout the world and the US tried to stop it by all means necessary.
How can a Cuban born, South Florida raised individual see what is going on in Venezuela, and even what is continuing to happen in Cuba, and say that it is of no importance to the media? Rick Sanchez, you are the media, and if you are all dismissing it, it will not get the attention it deserves. If every news outlet continues to "ignore" it, then nothing will get done. Obama is not ignoring Venezuela because the media does not care, frankly he may not care about the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
Rick, as the son of immigrants that fled the Castro regime and had to start over in this country, as well as seeing the Cuban people continue to be oppressed for over five decades, I expected more from you. Please prove me wrong.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
What is really happening in Venezuela
By now, it is hard for people not to realize that there is a
civil up rest in Venezuela. With the
constant #SOSVenezuela and #PrayforVenezuela hashtags on twitter on Facebook,
plus many politicians and even actors during the Academy Awards making their
stance known, it is hard for people not to realize that there are issues going
on. But what exactly is going on? Is it just a bunch of students protesting for
lower tuition? Workers protesting for
higher wages? It goes much deeper than
that.
On January 6th, 2014, Former Miss Venezuela and
her ex husband, Monica Spear, were killed near Valencia, Venezuela. Protests began shortly after that. On February 1st, opposition leader
Leopoldo Lopez (a Princeton and Harvard educated man[i]),
asked the Venezuelan University students to peacefully protest. Students begin to be arrested and the
government accuses the protestors of being violent. The government issues an arrest warrant for
Lopez
On February 12th,
the day Venezuelans celebrate Youth Day, University students and opposition
party members took to the streets in order to protest against the current
Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, the current “elected” president of
Venezuela. The protest revolves around
the Venezuelan people demanding:
1.
Better security (According to the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime report, Venezuela’s Murder rate per 100,000 people is
45.1[ii],
the highest in South America and 4th overall in the world),
2.
Shortage of goods that are reminiscent to many
Cuban exiles in Miami of the days when they spent hours in line[iii]
on the island trying to get a loaf of bread.
3.
Freedom of speech. Over the last few years, the government has
slowly shut down TV, newspapers and radio stations. During these protests, news correspondents
have been threatened and kicked out of the country[iv]
The protests have now been going on for a little while. Venezuela is at a very crucial point. The government is getting help, as it has
been for quite some time, from Cuba and the Castro brothers. There are plenty of reports of Cuban troops assisting
the government, using their experience in suppressing the opposition and
operating as a socialist country. If the
opposition stops now, it is all over for Venezuela. Maduro and his regime have operated as a
government that has been legitimately elected, but with the opposition going as
far as they have, and making waves across the world, the government, under the
advisement of Cuba, would have no choice now but to completely keep oppressing
the opposition to ensure that they stay in power.
Keep fighting Venezuela, it will be a tough battle, but one
worth fighting for a beautiful country I once called home.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Hello everyone
I would like to start blogging again. I will use my background to do reviews on many different things, such as International Relations, politics, technology and most recently, running. Hope everyone enjoys it!
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