Support for Maria Corina Machado
I read today of the renewed efforts of the Venezuelan authorities to clamp down on Sumate and their leaders, in particular Maria Corina Machado. Most recently they prevented her from attending a World Economic Forum event.
One of the privileges of working in the free software community is the interaction between different groups trying to bring together social and economic change. People like Maria are inspiring leaders, because they devote themselves to a cause much greater than any one person’s life, but in the process they sacrifice many of the comforts that many of us take for granted. It would be much easier to watch from the sidelines, emigrate, or simply ignore the situation.
I know that the Ubuntu community is very active in Venezuela and I hope they will not also some day face repression. It seems the country is on a knife-edge, facing tough decisions that will have a major impact on the quality of life of citizens there for decades.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Mark,
I appreciate your linux work (and funding), but be careful who you associate with regarding politics in Latin America. You probably don’t know, but Sumate is directly financed by US agencies (including USAID, CIA, NED). Their aim is to distabilize Venezuela and bring down a democratic elected government with a strong popular support.
Remember the failed military takeover of april 2002 (with the full support and participation of Sumate). These anti-democrats are not what Latin America needs (pretty clear from their elections results).
Hunger and injustice tear the social structure of the continent apart. In this century, several Latin American governments are *finally* trying hard to do something about this (in the case of Chavez with success), while the representants of the old corrupt political culture (like Sumate) cry wolf and try to revert the process.
It is telling that Sumate has a broader support abroad than in Venezuela. This is due to the absolute control of the media by private anti-government tycons in Venezuela.
My two cents,
Claudio (M.A. History, now working on a thesis on Venezuela for Latin American Studies).
Mark Shuttleworth says:
I agree that it gets very messy when countries interfere with one another’s internal development, and that often they do this through funding political action groups. Sometimes this is insidious and destabilising (and the USA, as a major global power, has a very bad track record of interference that produces negative consequences for the societies they touch).
That said, I have no reason to doubt the integrity and the values of Maria and Sumate. I believe they are dedicated to principles of transparency, justice, accountability and governance that will benefit any society.
While we are sometimes flippant about my role as “benevolent dictator for life” in Ubuntu, it’s generally a tragic situation when checks, balances and diversity in leadership are undermined in society. That’s why we work to build teams in Ubuntu who have real authority and freedom to act in the areas of the project that they take responsibility for. While it’s sometimes frustrating to me not to get what I want (can you say “Beryl in Edgy^WFeisty^W…Gutsy?”) I think it makes the project much stronger to have a diversity of talents engaged.
So, don’t judge Sumate solely based on their sources of funding. And don’t judge Chavez solely by his opposition to America. Judge them by the values they stand for, and whether they are trying to build a society which is truly fair.
Mark
May 17th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Dear Mark:
The political situation in my country is very confusing at times. The word freedom is used often by the government and by the opposing party. now … I know of Maria Colina Machado and I can only say she was one who stood up for millions in my country and she is paying the price of millions… my heart goes out to her because I know her heart goes out to the millions of people she wishes to defend…
Mark we face a challenge… the government has turned to FOSS … and it gives the whole FOSS movement a political feel to it… I have been keen on not having political issues spring in the ubuntu LoCo team. and I am someone who is making people see that it is not only the government using FOSS. it can be anyone…
how does this affect the loCo team’s job? directly we have had no problems with our initial groundings… people are undertaking ubuntu with great interest and almost no resilience and people with common needs forget the politics that poison the mind and focus on the quality of the people helping out fix bug #1. the loCo is as strong as ever.. with people under just one FLAG… UBUNTU.
we see this happen in the priviledge schools (funded by the US government)…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87048530@N00/446394692/
We see this in the press… (non governmental press)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87048530@N00/430421607/
We see this with people that are Pro Government and are willing to help a good cause. ( a pic from a friend of mine)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87048530@N00/498160178/
We see this at private universities (not funded by the government)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87048530@N00/410825807/
TRUE, things have changed a lot in my country but the moment I loose the chance to interact with other great people from other loCo’s … and with the people in the VE loCo then … I can trully say… I lost my my freedom….
in the meantime…
UBUNTU is happening somehow…
PS: I TRULLY hope I have not shown my political “Colours”… I close my eyes ans see no color … I see people I can help…
Thanks for expressing your concern … it trully means a lot … in these times…
May 17th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Thanks Mark! When you are friendly with someone (Venezuela spear-heading OSS) it can sometimes be too easy to overlook faults. The OSS friendship with Venezuela can be a great platform to promote freedom and equality. Once the FOSS community stops doing that it fails to meet it’s most important goals.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
“So, don’t judge Sumate solely based on their sources of funding. And don’t judge Chavez solely by his opposition to America. Judge them by the values they stand for, and whether they are trying to build a society which is truly fair.”
Yes, I have been to Venezuela and have seen both “sides” at work. Chávez opposition to the USA, however loud, is not a very important part of his policies. Doctors for people who don’t have the means for pay for one, meals in schools, education, national industry, etc is what make him popular with the electorate.
I love pretty words, and in election time every party tries to sell those. However, financing is not something to be set aside because of pretty words. You can not speak of “transparency, justice, accountability and governance that will benefit any society” and at the same time be actively engaged in violently bringing down a democratic and popular government while being financed from abroad (the grants documents are available thanks to democratic Freedom of Information Act of the USA).
While I see more than pretty words - which everyone with a brain will agree with - and a real concern with the Venezolan people I would speak differently. I saw them at work while I was in Venezuela, and I was honestly chocked (I had a rather positive view on them before).
Anyway Mark, you are of course free to form your own opinion, I just wanted to point out a rather complex situation where private media distorts reality to sell their own political agenda. Some people just don’t like loosing 6 elections in a row. It’s only democracy when you win, they say.
Claudio
May 17th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Don’t go there Mark. That’s not your area and freedom is quite relative.
WSF is much more important event from them, giving voice and freedom of speech for all.
An outsider insight is very poor, specially from what you heard from the big media.
Claudio is perfect in his comment.
May 17th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Thanks Mark. Someday freedom will reign in Venezuela, and the people around the world that help us now to regain democracy will be proud for not leave us alone in this dark hour.
May 17th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Well Claudio, I respect your point of view. but since you are going in detail about the issues you only study about and I and the people in Venezuela live everyday, and the children will inherit. I give you a piece of my mind.
“Some people just don’t like loosing 6 elections in a row. It’s only democracy when you win, they say.”
I vote not to win elections. just to voice my opinions and I think you should not speak for all VENEZUELANS. the losers in an election last time reflected that there is a significant number of people that don’t go for the plan of Chavez. I respect the president. I don’t think all of his ideas as very “Servantescas”. look at the elections and tell me … are the losers not significant.
I vote so that the president knows he has my support… or I vote to tell the president maybe he should reconsider some things…
Thank you for caring about Venezuela.
May 17th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
“Hunger and injustice tear the social structure of the continent apart.”
While the so called “revolution leaders” drive million dollar rolls royce and hummers.
Have seized the best land and real estate of the country.
Have bankrupted the most profitable enterprises and torn them down.
Use the oil revenue to fund their political agenda with no accountability.
Have forgotten about the people, their poverty is worse and their needs greater.
Created an apartheid state using an infamous list of those against the revolution.
Opress the disidents and the media threatening free press.
You, Claudio, are spreading bullshit because you wear a red beret.
Mark, there is no freedom in Venezuela at the moment.
We are fighting against a ruthless dictatorship.
The people of Venezuela is suffering a lot.
We are getting closer to point break.
We will fight and we will prevail!
Thanks for your support.
May 17th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Apartheid, you know that word Mark.
Right now in Venezuela there is a political apartheid.
More than 4 million citizens and their families are blacklisted and can not intervene in any public or private initiative run by the government.
No access to basic human rights like work or food just because you signed against the president.
More than 20K employees from the Oil industry were fired for thinking different than communism.
They will use harsh words to discredit us and rosy populism to paint their revolution as god-given.
They know how to use propaganda. Don’t believe a word from them.
“Judge them by the values they stand for, and whether they are trying to build a society which is truly fair.”
More than 10 million Venezuelans live in apartheid right now and stand for every word you just said.
May 17th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Efrain,
With the risk of getting way out of topic (this is my last comment), I do really care about the Venezuelan people. Stronger, I have lived in the situation you are describing.
In the country I was born, the same things happening now on Venezuela, happened back then. The same mass media hysteria, the dangerous lies illegal in all the democracies in the world (e.g. the ones I witnessed on primetime on Venezueluan news while being there: Cuban teachers instructing Venezuelan children how to make bombs; presidential death squads; etc), the confrontation, the terrorism, the lockouts, the attacks, electoral intervention and financing of political parties and news media from abroad, etc.
Well, in the country I talk about, these tactics were successful and crowned with a military coup. Thousands were killed, especially (teachers, trade unionists, youth) and the country was converted into a laboratory for neoliberalism avant-la-lettre. This was translated in hunger and repression for normal people and free natural resources for multinationals.
That country is called Chile. The really sad part is that you can replace Chile with Argentina, Brazil and a dozen other Latin American countries where a government tried to do something about the inhuman conditions people lived in at the time. Venezuela was one of the few countries that has not experienced Latin-American facism.
I don’t speak as an historian (although seeing the obvious parallels with Chile from the 70s and Nicaragua from the 80s), but as a Latin American who found really wonderful people in your country and don’t want to to see Venezuelan children live through the traumas other have been through in the continent. I am sure there is a lot to say about Chávez’ government, and there is no law forbidding to oppose democratically to a government elected with 60% of the popular vote. However, opposition paid from abroad, spreading FUD, creating chaos and planning and executing military takeovers is not the opposition that the Venezuelan people deserve.
Regards,b
Claudio
May 17th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Dear Mark
I appreciate that you have take some time to dedicate these lines to my country and more important, TO FREEDOM. Since Augusto of last year I entered the world of Linux and have been a huge fan of Ubuntu. The free software movement here is great. Personally I’m trying to see how to use Ubuntu in the civil engineering world (no easy task since everything is close source).
I think Sumate and María Corina have done a great job. One of the biggest things is to make us believe again that is possible to build a great country where everyone could live in peace. It is so sad to see here that if you think in a different way, then you’re against me.
I do not have word to express what I feel about this administration. One word “INSECURITY”, every 30 minutes dies a Venezuelan in the hands of crime.
Mark, I wish there were more people like you and María Corina, that put aside their lives to build a better world, and more important, take responsibility on their actions, not blaming everyone else for their faults.
I hope someday you visit Venezuela, it is a beautiful country and a natural wonder, and deep inside we still are good people.
Keep up the great work that we will continue to spread the Ubuntu word. “Humanity to others”.
Best Regards
Alfredo
PS: If there is any doubt, I live in Caracas with my wife and my 3 year old boy.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
I sincerely understand.
let us share a cup and pray that the future offers better times for the world … not just Venezuela.
Efrain Valles
May 17th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
“So, don’t judge Sumate solely based on their sources of funding. And don’t judge Chavez solely by his opposition to America. Judge them by the values they stand for, and whether they are trying to build a society which is truly fair.”
Mark
I read your blog once in a while because I’m an ubuntu user since wharty, and also for your interesting points of view in the new world economy.
So, I was curious about this Maria Corina Machado and read your article and the post by Claudio.
Claudio arguments make a lot of sense, but surfing the web, I came across this:
http://www.williambowles.info/venezuela/2005/machado.html
Is Maria Corina a Free Software user? Is Chavez promoting Free Software in Venezuela?
May 18th, 2007 at 1:50 am
Yes Claudio, “you have been to Venezuela”… but do you live here day to day as we do? I can understand that your political ideas make you have an automatic solidarity with our Führer, but you have to live in my shoes to understand things on my side… how my family has been harrased and attaked just for thinking different, to the point that most of them have had to leave the country. You have to feel what I feel when all my job oportunities are cut off just because my name is in the infamous black list for being of the oposition. You have to contain your indignation when the president of the CNE (Consejo Nacional Electoral), the same one that coodinated those VERY IMPARTIAL DEMOCRATIC elections, is given the prize of the vice-presidency for his services to the revolution. Maybe you’ll fell true socialist joy when you see my relatives crying because they are told that if they don’t vote for Chavez they’ll be thrown out of their jobs without any social benefits… and that they KNOW how you vote. I can imagine you saying “that guy must be a capitalist imperialistic pig”…well, I’m not, I’m a low-middle class 50 year old man trying to survive in a country where private job oportunities are getting more scarce by the day, because the only employer is going to be the regime or one of the Hummer driving new-rich “comrades”… and by the way, I live in a low-class “barrio” where at least 50% of the people disagree with the way Chavez is giving away all OUR money (buying frienship/support) to Bolivia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriman, Brazil, etc., but are too afraid to say anything in public.
As a friend of mine says… “it’s easy to be “chavista” if you don’t live here”… and I can add that it’s easy to be “chavista” if you’re getting filthy rich working with the government.
And, another thing, the only true oposition TV channel left in the country (RCTV) is going to be closed down this month… true democracy!
Nelson…
May 18th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Dear Mark,
I second Claudios comments.
Unfortunately, there’s _a lot_ of disinformation about Venezuela (and many other things). What is currently happening there (politically and inside the civil society) is an open, participatory progress, realized by the people of this country and supported by their government.
Still (or because of that) the mass media tries to suggest that there is some kind of dictatorship by Chavez, which has nothing to do with the reality - the democratic culture is actually quite active over there. The FUD against Venezuela (and Bolivia etc.) is spread because “they” cannot accept that any kind of left politics can be successful, so it must be discredited.
I’m not quite sure who or what inspired your interest calling for “support for Machado”. Please be careful not to accidently support anti-democratic organizations - a quick Google search reveals a lot of critical information about Sumate / Machado.
All the best,
Nicolas
May 18th, 2007 at 5:41 am
Whenever someone says something bad about Chavez (Venezuela), it’s always paid by the CIA.
Viva Ubuntu!
Whenever someone says something bad about Castro (Cuba), it’s always paid by the CIA.
Whenever someone says something bad about Lopez Obrador (Mexico), it’s always paid by the PAN Party (Lopez didn’t got the presidency, so his enemies are still not paid by the CIA).
I left Cuba, my country, because it’s almost impossible to live there. Now I live in Mexico and I have a lot of co-workers from Venezuela who are also leaving their country because it’s hard for them to live in Venezuela. We aren’t rich people (In Cuba the only rich are the people from the government, they don’t have much money, but they have a lot of power), we aren’t paid by CIA, we just want to work and have a descent life. But some governments think that they lose control if people can speak freely or even travel freely. What is worst: some people think that because a government do some good things for the most poor, they have the right to do whatever they want with the rest. Maybe America should look at Europa.
Mark, wow, you impress me every month. But political topics in Latin America are complicated, keep out of them if you are worried about fanaticism. But if you keep defending good causes like this I will be with you and will also appreciate it very much, because not much people have the balls to talk about this problems. Luckily no body will said that you get paid by the CIA.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:45 am
I am a complete outsider, know nothing about Venezuele and its current situation, but I got interested because of the comments I read here.
“Still (or because of that) the mass media tries to suggest that there is some kind of dictatorship by Chavez, which has nothing to do with the reality - the democratic culture is actually quite active over there.”
Actually, the comments on this post also try to suggest there is some kind of dictatorship by Chavez, but I would definitely not regard them as mass media.
“I read today of the renewed efforts of the Venezuelan authorities to clamp down on Sumate and their leaders, in particular Maria Corina Machado. Most recently they prevented her from attending a World Economic Forum event.”
Even if Sumate would not be an impartial organization, so what? That’s not a reason to prevent her attending such an event. It looks to me like democracy is far to be sought. As I’m reading up on Venezuela now, I also come to think way too many power is in the hands of the president, and a six-year term also seems a bit long to me.
Don’t take up my comment too high, I just considered it might be nice to read an outsider’s thoughts.
May 19th, 2007 at 2:07 am
You can see for yourself what Sumate is about:
http://web.sumate.org/vzlacifras.asp
This is a “report” they published on their website. You do not need to be familiar with Venezuela’s situation or statistical methodologies to understand what is going on.
Cheers,
Mark Shuttleworth says:
But you do need more Spanish than I have at my fingertips
May 19th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Mark, do you even know who Maria Corina Machado is? http://www.williambowles.info/images/machado_bush.jpg
Do you happen to know what Sumate has done in our country funded by the current US Government? http://venezuelafoia.info/
By siding with them, you are essentially siding with George W Bush; and you are siding against the left of the world; and one of the few governments who is commited to support Free Software. Richard Stallman is welcome here, but you will not.
I think you have made the worst choice in your life by choosing to pick sides against our country and our choice of Democracy. God help you if you gave any financial aids to them.
In the future, try to think a and do a little research Mark. This is a very serious issue you are interfering with. You are supporting people who have already hired snipers to kill their own supporters. Claudio is telling the truth, and at least you should have come here first to check the reality before jumping to conclusions. Mark, this could ruin your life, it is that bad. It would suck a lot to see ubuntu, and canonical go down just because you did one stupid personal mistake, but this stuff is no joke. At the very least, you should have politely refused to involve yourself in matters of a foreign country you have not even been. Have you ever been here Mark? I don’t think so, otherwise you would have not done this.
Since you decided to involve yourself, you should watch these ASAP:
Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9wU0OIIEmY
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gRUrQCTtNI
There is still time Mark, if you don’t want to support Chavez, thats fine; but don’t support these people, they will ruin you.
Mark Shuttleworth says:
I don’t think a picture of Ms Machado shaking Mr Bush’s hand is sufficient to characterise her work as that of an agent of Mr Bush. These affairs are never as simple as left vs right, good vs evil. Large organisations and small countries are quite capable of having good and bad ideas at the same time. We should judge the specific initiatives, specific policies, and specific decisions that our leaders make.
I’m deeply opposed to the policy foundations that underpin the Bush Administration, and the blithe arrogance with which they have carried forward that narrowminded agenda globally. I sadly think the people of America, who are some of the nicest people I know, will be paying for those choices for a very long time. But I’m not certain that I disagree with EVERYTHING they have done, and am quite certain that there are people and organisations who have been allied with the Bush administration who nonetheless do quite excellent work.
In voicing my support for Ms Machado, I am in no way “siding with Mr Bush”. The worst kind of thinking is the “you are either with us or against us” kind of thinking. And the enemy of my enemy is NOT necessarily my friend.
May 19th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Appreciated Mark,
May be you don’t know it, but the political organization Sumate is under investigation in Venezuela, because they infringed a law that forbids to political organizations to receive funds from governments and organizations of other countries.
Unfortunely, it was proven (using the american Freedom Of Information Act, FOIA) that Sumate received funds from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and other organizations related with the american government. That infringes many venezuelan laws, and Maria Corina Machado and other members of Sumate have forbidden to travel to other countries as they are under investigation by the venezuelan courts.
For example: How would you feel if you know that a political party in your country is being finnanced by Mahmud Ahmanideyad? If that breaks the laws in your country, will you call to support that party? Will you make a campaign defending their rights to be finnanced by Ahmanideyad?
There is nothing wrong to Sumate for defend the venezuelan opposition and publicly being an anti-Chavez organization. The problem is that they broken the law when they accepted funds from american organizations, and they are being investigated for this reason. If a court declares her innocent, she surely will travel outside Venezuela as she do regulary.
I sincerely hope you can change your mind about the support to Sumate; this will cause many flames and divisions between members in the open source and free software communities in Venezuela. Most of the members of the communities have their political position about President Hugo Chavez (supporting him or being against him), but they always tried to keep the political out of the technical. The political discussions in Venezuela are VERY radicals; you should remember the problems in 2002 and 2003, when the coup of state and the 63-days oil-strike; that leave many hurts in the pro- and anti-Chavez people.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Hi,
No one prevented her to assist, she is just a lier, no one here in venezuela trust in sumate, neither the goverment or the opposite, they are a bunch of liers that used a group of venezuela trust to do whatever they want and lie to us, she is also a criminal, she stole people money and she used to make others murder people and take down the goverment, distabilize is her favorite word. I dont know why you think she is a nicely person, do you know her in real life? cause I do, she hate poor people, she doesnt like to be with the people of venezuelan, she likes to be with the rich people and she is careless about the rest of the poblation.
If she is prevented for assisting to an event outside of venezuela is because she must go to jail for breaking the laws here in venezuela. Everybody have their freedom to travel in and outside the country, and everybody have the freedom to SPEAK whatever they want, but when you use your power to break the laws there is something bad about this person.
Do you know there is a law in the goverment to use Linux everywhere? how a “dictatorship” goverment can be so Free? why a dictatorship goverment fight so hard for the freedom of their people? Why we have one of the greatest economi in the region for the last 2-4 years? Why our schools and hospital are free for everybody ? Why this dictatorship let the people that are against him to talk whatever they want? is that really a dictatorship? why this dictatorship have about 3 elections per year to let choose the people we want to govern us? is there any other democracy in the world with a president so good that have won 9 elections in a row? This is the only country of the world that if you don’t like what the president is doing, you can vote against him before he ends his president period.
This lady, Maria Colina Machado must go to jail, she stole to the people of venezuela, she lied to the people of venezuela, she LAUGH at people of venezuela, she hates the people of venezuela, she is nothing more than a criminal.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Mark, Venezuela is a champion on free software, severely limited by it’s own social reality of inequality, but it has more government support towards free software than any other latinoamerican country (http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/professional_services_venezuela). ¿Do you think that a authoritarian government could be interested on a massive digital literacy program based on Linux?
Venezuela situation is simple: classes struggle.
When you heard about “apartheid” in Venezuela, listen carefully, they are people that have very high living standards. To them apartheid means that they have to pay taxes, reasonable wages, or be worried about environmental impact. Means that they have closed the doors to gain huge amounts of money from dishonest and irresponsible business. Precisely they, live in “exclusive” zones of Caracas where there are discotheques and bars that do not let enter black people o indigenous people. They live for decades in a country with serious poverty problems, but they never complain about that, only now when they are losing privileges.
You want to judge by values?, Values of Sumate are that Venezuela upper classes regain power and control (this is their idea of democracy and freedom). Values of President Chavez are equality of opportunities for venezuelan society, tighten latinoamerican bonds, and balance global geopolitical map.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Viva Chávez.
May 19th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
And this will turn into a flame war between opposition and officialism.
Case to the point, the red cross in Venezuela receives money from the government of many countries, and nobody is checking the red cross.
Sumate did, and since it’s more in the political arena checking what the electoral council does (or does not) and how the electoral council can IMPROVE the process; then, they are under investigation.
Stop the political persecution, and the apartheid in Venezuela.
May 19th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I’m writing from Brazil. I’ll I can say is that it makes me sad to see people so narrow minded that for them the real world is binary.
“If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy”. That’s what I read from the pro-Chaves comments here.
“I’m afraid to express what I think”, That’s what I read from the Chaves opposers coments here.
I guess I can understand why democracy is such a valuable asset. More than oil.
May 19th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
KOSHrf don’t be a liar. Chavez is a dictator that wants that Venezuela go the same way Cuba is right now, misery everywhere. You talk “good” about goverment because you work for goverment, and you have become almost rich with it, you brought an apartment, etc.
Win 9 elections in a row? don’t fuck me, even you belive that bullshit. Of course he is going to win 9 in a row, and 20 more if they want.. Chavez controls ALL in Venezuela. Jorge Rodriguez who was part of CNE directive, is now the vice-president of the country.. Make your own conclusions…
And now, with the PSUV that is the same shit than Cuban’s PPC, Government is forcing that public employees register in it.. WHY? doesn’t Chavez says that he won with “7 millions”? so why he needs to force public employees to do that?.
You talk about an US invasion.. which is totally a fake.. the only invasion where are being product of is about Cubans who are here taking jobs that should be for Venezuelans, and earning more money than Venezuelans.. is that fair?
Artemis3:
That documentals are handled by Chavez to sell a different image about him, to other countries. Everything they say there is false.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3378761249364089950&q=chavez++Mentira
Look how with that everything is discovered, how they manipulate information.
Venezuela’s president is so democratic, that he is closing a TV Channel because it doesn’t adjust to its line. For Chavez, Fidel Castro is a “god-like” person, and everybody with brain knows that is an assasin dictator that has Cuba in misery from over 40 years.
Francisco Palm:
“Precisely they, live in “exclusive” zones of Caracas where there are discotheques and bars that do not let enter black people o indigenous people.”
WTF!?, what is your resentment? If they people live like that is because many of them (maybe not all), worked HARD to achieve that. Nowdays, it’s more “exclusive” things in Venezuela, where if you are not agree with Chavez strategies, you have to “die”, because that of “Patria Socialismo o Muerte”. Where if you signed in favor of Chavez’s revocatory you are kind of 2nd citizen, you can’t get to work in PDVSA, or many state’s Institutions
Mark, i really appreciate your thoughts on Sumate, and YOU’RE RIGHT about it, Maria Corina is a brave woman, and i’m glad you support her organization and its intentions about have a better country.
PD: This link was announced in a venezuelan mailing list about free-software where most people registered there, are Pro-Chávez (many of them have wrote here saying that Chavez is well supported in Venezuela, WHICH IS NOT). Go with your work and keep doing it well, we support you!
With 3.390 is a fake in many goverment institutions in Venezuela, i know many people from goverment that STILL uses, and make bussiness with people like Microsoft, Adobe, etc.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Mark, Luigino Bracci forgot to mention that Mr. Chavez received funding for his campaign from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya, a Spanish bank, also a foreign organization (it was a lot lot more money compared with what Sumate got form NED). Ah and the NED is an organization related to the American Congress, not the executive branch. To me, they (Chavez et al.) are just using all sort of legal means to shut down a very uncomfortable political foe.
I also think that Maria Corina is a very brave woman defending what she thinks is right. I don’t agree 100% with Sumate political agenda, but I defend in principle their right to say whatever they want. Freedom of expression and freedom to act politically in a free society should never be restricted to point of views of which one approves.
May 19th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Think very well waht you are doing when you are defending people that have none moral in receiving thousands or milions of dollars from the White House, in many countries around the world that is against the law, our country is not the exeption, Corina Machado is reciving money from organizations that financed cups, dictators, masacres, tortures, around the world in the name of freedom. The NED, USAF, and many others ONG´s are arms of the State Department of USA, you can know about them with a shortly GOOGLE search. I hope that you take the time to do that search.
May 19th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Dear Mark,
In 2002 an organized coups d’état took place in Venezuela where the military took control of the state. Backers of the coups immediately signed a decree you can find here on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carmona_Decree
In the context on your South Africa experience, you might appreciate the following part of the coups d’état decree:
“Article IX: Suspended 49 decrees from the Ley Habilitante (Enabling Act), that did everything from giving properties held out of production for more than two years by big plantation owners to the landless poor, to doubling the royalty funds that big oil companies pay to Venezuela for oil.”
The coups took place after the Chavez government started redistributing unused land to poor people, poor people in the Venezuela context means people with a different skin color than the ruling white elite.
And to get to the matter: “According to El Nacional, among almost 400 signatures is the signature of María Corina Machado, a pro-democracy advocate and co-founder of Súmate. She denies signing the decree itself, but rather a signature roll. ”
Having a coups d’état organizer and backer, here María Corina Machado, freedom of movement slightly limited (as the letter indicates, she’s been allowed out of the country multiple times) is not something that makes Chavez a dictator (any less than our western democracies do these days).
You might want to read more about Venezuela on the following blog in english:
http://www.oilwars.blogspot.com/
It is pro-Chavez, but has much more detailed information on economics and politics in Venezuela than the mainstream medias. And anti-Chavez come and discuss there with links too.
Note thatthe Chavez government has started again to redistribute land to the poor, it was reported on medias like the International Herald Tribune. Let’s hope María Corina Machado and their friends do not try to reestablish a dictatorship through a coups d’état again.
Sincerely,
Laurent
Laurent, I think it is important that capital is used efficiently in society, for the ultimate good of all. So I agree, we want to tune the rules of society to ensure that all forms of capital are well used. Human, intellectual and physical capital all play a role in the creation of jobs and wealth. And land is in many cases a hugely important form of physical capital.
So I agree, it is perfectly reasonable to improve the efficient usage of land in a country.
But don’t get that confused with the blunt “redistribution” of land.
The key test is whether the program of action, or regulations, or taxes imposed will actually increase the productivity and value of that asset to society as a whole, on balance, or whether they will decrease it. That is not the same as saying “it should be more fair, everyone should get a piece of it”. It is saying “we need to make sure we get the most out of it for society, in the short, medium and long term”.
I don’t want to harp on Zimbabwe, because they are a country of wonderful people with appalling leaders that they do not deserve, and there are probably other countries that could provide a similarly useful example. However, I know the Zimbabwe case better so can speak to it more accurately.
In Zimbabwe, there was a process of “land reform” or redistribution. This was, supposedly, to give land to the landless, to restore indigenous ownership of an indigenous asset (ignoring of course the fact that people who dedicate themselves to a nation are its true asset, regardless of their skin colour, accent or country of birth). That sounds like a very fair idea, right? Tragically, though, it has failed in every sense.
First, the real beneficiaries of the land were largely the privileged families in power, and not the landless. If you look at where that land went, a hugely disproportionate amount was put in the hands of people connected to the high government, and not to people in need, or people with ability.
Second, the productive capacity of the land has been devastated. Farms which employed, fed and housed hundreds of Zimbabweans and their families now lie fallow, the jobs are lost, the food is lost, the value of the land to society is essentially zero. And the cost to wildlife, which were subject to sudden and devastating poaching by desperate families, is astronomical.
So, while it is easy to assume that redistribution is fairer, and therefor better, for society, I would say that is only true if the redistribution actually results in better use of the land for society. Ownership is less important than effective employment, or preservation for the future in the form of conservation. This is a very tough lesson for the Zimbabwean nation to have to have learned - it has come at a very high cost in life and liberty. It would be sad for other countries to repeat the mistake. Sad, but sadly inevitable, if you think of how easy it is to sell a “program of redistribution of unused land” to a hungry nation. It *sounds* like a great idea.
If you really believe that the wealthy few are sitting on land and using it inefficiently, then there is a better way to redistribute it. You ask people to pay a certain tax per square meter of land. It can be very low, but it becomes painful for people who just have land lying around, unproductively used. Those people then usually choose either to invest in the productive capacity of the land, so as to be able to pay the tax and make a profit that benefits all of society, or sell it to someone who can. As long as that new owner also needs to pay the same tax, they will only buy the land if they think they can make more efficient use of it than the current owner.
In this way, you do not forcibly take the land from anyone, you force all of society to evaluate it and put it to its most efficient use.
Mark
May 19th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Mark, I am very sad for this situation, you had to keep yourself in a neutral position, specially because of who you are, and what you represent for the free software community. please do not take a side in this political dispute. They (sumate) are going to use you as a politic weapon without your approval. Could you imagine one day if you see Richard Stallman holding bill gates hands in the name of freedom? promoting Microsoft ? well that is what I just felt today.
thanks.
May 19th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I am only going to say a few things:
1. How such dictatorial regime can support Free Software? Do you know that?
2. May be you think Corina Machado will support Ubuntu in the schools after she finish her work. But I swear to you this: Mr. Bill Gates will be very happy if and when the Venezuelan government changes hands thanks to Corina Machado’s “unselfish” work.
3. Don’t forget Mr. Shuttleworth that all that the United States government is interested in is oil. This is the reason why they invaded Afghanistan looking for a ghost, and then went to Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. Now they are planning to go against Iran and they finance the SUMATE organization with the guise of the USAID.
These are not rumors; you can obtain the documents that prove this fact from the US government under the freedom of information act.
Don’t fool yourself Mr. Shuttleworth, have all the doubts you want about president’s Chávez government, but you can be sure that to support Maria Corina Machado is to support a movement that wants to install a dictatorial system in our country and the last thing that they have in mind is the wellbeing of the Venezuelan people.
For my part be sure that Ubuntu is no longer in my list of distributions that I promote. I’m sure many of the people who support Opensource software in Venezuela, think in same way. You’ll better ask the community.
Mr. Shuttleworth, you are a programmer, to be sure you probably studied logic and know the procedures used to reduce everything to absurd levels. Be logical please.
Sincerely.
(Thanks M4nDr4k3)
May 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Wow, it’s great, don’t believe the others comments, they’re goverment-driven zombies, we (the real venezuelan people) know that she needs support, thanks for supporting her too!.
Probably someday get can get rid of the communism in Venezuela, and it’s most likely she’ll help :).
May 19th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Mark,
thanks for your support i just hope that this nightmare ends soon, communism/socialism has taken over our country at the same time tha Cuba have invaded us. we are taking an death tool because of delincuency greater than irak on US soldier (we had more than 500 muders in april).
I just find sand that the Free Software community in venezuela (mostly being paid by the the dictatorship of Chavez) is now going to switch of distro because of this. Yes. this is with what we have to deal with here. if you are not with the goverment you can not work, eat or go to school as you should
in some cases.
here is what is being propagated in some IRC channels in irc.unplug.org.ve: “Los que usen Ubuntu y estén con Chávez a cambiarse de distro: http://www.markshuttleworth.com”
so basically they will most likely ditch gentoo because of your right to speach and said out loud what you think. most likely this post that i am making will imply me getting kick/banned from the server and my site getting hacked. I am sure that there will be more than one stating that what im saying is a lie.
PD: here is a screshot http://picasaweb.google.com/orvtech/Screenshot/photo#5066416753131890914
May 20th, 2007 at 12:28 am
“Here be minefields……and only the perverse or unwitting choose to play in them.”
May 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I’m definitely not pro-SUMATE — and I surely don’t want to control what people thinks or says. But from the previous 24 comments I must agree with ryts: we’ve reached a minefield.
The topic which Mark has raised, in a completely valid way, is definitely causing itching in .ve. And that’s because most people here think that FLOSS is about communism and revolution. No, I don’t think it’s FLOSS related. Yes, I do think politics and FLOSS have some relationship, but it’s not the most important part. It has happened before when a FLOSS activist posts a pro-Chávez topic, and now it’s happening with one of the most relevant figures in the FLOSS ecosystem
So what’s the difference? Do everyone a favor: let Mark speak for himself, let people alone with their political views and do the best for FLOSS: develop, improve and promote.
May 20th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Please Mark you are in a error.
This people that you defense are very far of ideals that you announce.
They are individualists, only defend the monopolies benefits that always showed, in damage of great masses impoverished and only are looking for the international interest, wiht a false freedom sense, that is only freedom for they, a minority group that want stay yours privileges. The free software is colectivity, knowlegdes for all regardless social condition.
Please don’t fall in her play. Is very dificult for the poor people speak english, the feelings of the poor classes in my country only are in spanish you must learning spanish to listen to them, to have one more ampler vision of the problem.
Many Bolivarians that supported the government, believe in free software by its similarities with the political ideals of the revolution: free technology within reach of all, (see 3390 law), not only for a small group of privileges people. This people are very far to this feelings.
You are in a serious error.
May 20th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Mark, many thanks for your detailed answer.
Another reason why the 2002 coups happened is because Chavez started applying the tax laws, that is actually collect money from people supposed to pay taxes. The process is described here:
http://oilwars.blogspot.com/2006/03/what-really-pushes-their-buttons.html
As you might know, a working tax system is no small work for a developping countries.
Even if mainstream media routinely associate Mugabe, Castro, and Chavez in the same paragraph one of those has won twelve pluralist and fair elections in a row, not the two others. If Chavez had wanted to establish a dictatorship (he tried once before getting elected), he would have done so after the 2002 coups, yet he didn’t and went on campaigning to win votes: their was a presidential”recall” election after a petition as made possible by the constitution Chavez helped set up. Then he went on to win the next presidential election.
And redistribution is to the poor in Venezuela, there is not the slightest doubt about it, even mainstream media say it:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/17/america/17venezuela.php
Unfortunately violence is still common, as the International Herald Tribune notes: “The violence has gone both ways in the struggle, with more than 160 peasants killed by hired gunmen in Venezuela, including several here in northwestern Yaracuy State, an epicenter of the land reform project, in recent years. Eight landowners have also been killed here.”
In Venezuela in 1998, 60% of farmland was owned by 1% of the population. Growing agrobusiness exports are good in some sense, but the social consequences can be devastating. Even with the tax redistributive system you propose, what will people do with tax redistributed money, no skills (yet) and no land?
Bootstraping an economy out of poverty and fighting the “ressource curse” and oligarchy is no matter of simple macroeconomic approximation, and the worldwide best economists in international institutions have widely recognized their own failure at this task. (And remember Mugabe was IMF poster-child when he led the dismantling of his country public education system, 20 years later you can see the results.)
Hopefully investment is currently booming in Venezuela, with time and no other coups d’etat things should get better:
http://oilwars.blogspot.com/2007/04/investment-to-good-to-pass-up.html
And BTW, Chavez has personnaly met Richard Stallman, and learned the hard way the evil of proprietary software lock-in as described here:
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2006/01/12/venezuela/index.html
I hope Canonical, Ubuntu and the people of Venezuela will collaborate positively in the future and please do not let the mainstream media litany push you in summary judgment of decades of history of a not-so-well-know country and governement based on a very limited set of “facts” cast in a very particular way and without context.
Free software needs deeper understanding of each other and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Laurent
PS: I do not know Venezuela or Venezuela people. I started investigating after the reporting by media of the 2002 coups d’etat because it was clearly impossible that they were saying the truth, as it was made clear much later.
May 21st, 2007 at 1:48 pm
“First, the real beneficiaries of the land were largely the privileged families in power, and not the landless”
The corruptions is something very dificult to fight. It would lie if it said to you that it does not have corrupt in the government of Venezuela, it come to the light cases corruption possibly
. And although still this threat is not finished, i can say, honestly, that the President Chávez has done something on the matter that before did not do any of the Presidents who governed this country: In his televising program “Aló Presidente” he asks the people directly who would have to receive the benefits if it is truth that received these. And although it seems to you that they can be “trained to respond” in more than an occasion the Ministers, in charge to give these benefits, have been treated hard by the President, by not to fulfill them, to those who the President gives the power to evaluate Ministers publicly. You know that it passes something similar in some place of the world?
More than a Minister has left the government by the putting in practice of this “contraloría social”.
May 21st, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Thanks Mark for you support, we (all Venezuelans) need all help in this world for take again our freedom and democracy. God bless you.
May 21st, 2007 at 4:53 pm
[...] La nota está publicada en su blog personal: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/117 [...]
May 21st, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Ubuntu Linux no es para chavistas…
El presidente de Canonical y creador de la distribución Linux más famosa de todos los tiempos el astronauta Mark Shuttlework, ha mostrado su abierto apoyo a Maria Corina Machado y su fundación SUMATE, y lamenta que Venezuela haya caído en manos de …
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:49 am
I can se that Goebbels’s “11 Principles of Propaganda” are working 100% for our “Führer”. Chavez’s billion dollar masive brainwash has taken it’s toll… When you have to spend such enourmous amounts of time and money just to make everybody think that everything is marvelous… something must be wrong! When things are going OK you don’t have to rub it in 24 hours a day… they stand out by themselves! I’ll just wait and see how long this “revolution” lasts with an oil barrel at less than 40$!!!…
Nelson
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 am
Very well. Victor Herrera says everything we say is a lie; how is then he qualified to be telling the truth? I didn’t told Mark to become pro Chavez, i just told him to at least come here and see the reality by himself, let him come and let him visit all groups so he can build his own conclusion. Let him watch what you call “dictatorship”; let him watch the very same private media channels who can’t stop insulting and spreading lies of our government 24 hours a day and at the same time crying of “not being free”; i’m sure Mark will have a laugh at this type of “dictatorship”, coming from Africa and all, where thats no joke.
If there is something opposition groups like Sumate can’t stand, is letting the reality be know. Sure, while they are in a foreign country, it is easy to fake a reality and simply manipulate someone like Shuttleworth who knows nothing about our country.
The documentaries are not fake, anyone who sees them, even opposition groups know they are true. Not all the opposition is with the coup, the ones with the Private media tycoons and Sumate are, but the liberals and some others are not. Why don’t you let Mark talk with them, what are you afraid of?
When Mark comes and sees the reality by himself and talks with whoever he wants, he can then make a more educated choice and choose to support Sumate or not. Its his choice. He can support Bush for all i care, but being clear and open about it is a good trait of honesty.
What i do not accept is people like Victor who tries to convince without any argument to believe in him and the opposition, usually adding a lot of lies or half-lies in the process. We do not say Chavez government is perfect, but we are the majority here, and you are not respecting what the majority wants. So you hate Socialism? That doesn’t give you the right to point a gun to us and force us to obey your ideas of what a democracy looks like. Nobody is forcing you to stay in the country (if you really are, which i highly doubt).
Our nation has had plenty of voting events in the past 8 years, with so much international observation it reaches the absurd. Yet no major issues have been found in any of the events. In all the elections the pro Chávez ideas win. So what? It is called a Democracy, you are no more than 40% in the opposition. What? words are cheap, just like in Citizen Kane you yell “fraud! fraud!” but you can never provide any evidence; in front of the whole international community of observers from all countries and groups. Yes, Mark can research that on his own and discover the truth, Mark could ask at the EU parliament if there were observers from them here or not, and if they found any issue.
Then you will come with a weird theory that this is a formal democracy that looks, feels, is kinda… but not just yet, but sure enough will (oh scare; scare…) Your private media spooned lies are so boring you fail to convince anyone anymore, except innocent people like Mark who happen to know not much (yet) about Venezuela.
I have provided Mark some links where he can begin his research; after that he could also watch “your” documentaries. Will you accept the challenge? I know your beloved private media tycoons tried to make a documentary to counter “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Only to later be crushed when “Llaguno Bridge: Keys to a Massacre” came out. People there, taking in video something different to what the private media told the world. The Revolution Will Not be Televised wasn’t even meant to be in the first place. The Irish who filmed it were doing a whole different type of work, thats why they have the domain http://chavezthefilm.com/ as this was probably the title they had in mind, a much more laid back film. Your friends in the coup just happened to move right when they were filming in the presidential palace, and remained in there when the coup took place. Of course, looking foreign (and blond) your friendly Coup d’etat ers though they where with the international media so they were able to document the amazing events that took place.
The Carmona decree… If Mark reads this, and he will find Maria Corina signature in there, he will not believe it. Yet he will find more evidence, pictures, videos, facts… Just you wait until he learns what your “pacific” and “democratic” opposition and private media tycoons did to Venezuela on december 2002, january, and february 2003. What the US backed (and this is not rhetoric, solid evidence found by the excellent work of Eva Golinger) opposition groups do each time is so low you can’t help sinking deeper in the swamp, even losing your own followers. Many remain anti-Chavez, but sure as hell won’t follow you or what Sumate and Maria Corina represents.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:58 am
I just have to say, visit http://www.urru.org/ there’s a huge archive about the truth behind the “pacific but armed revolution” (like the same Chavez call it).
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:20 am
In web site “Meneame.net”, from Spain (it’s a sort of Digg in spanish), someone entitled: “Ubuntu Linux no es para chavistas” (Ubuntu Linux is not for Chavez supporters). The person that posted the notice, “mantrax”, wrote:
“The president of Canonical and creator of the most famous Linux distribution, the astronaut Mark Shuttlework, has given their open support to Maria Corina Machado and their foundation SUMATE. He is sorry that Venezuela falled of in hands of a tyrant that is finishing with the freedom and the democracy in out country”.
http://meneame.net/story/ubuntu-linux-no-para-chavistas
Fortunely the note received just 4 diggs.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 am
The free software is alone for big, democratic, pluralistic nations, in venezuela we suffer of pluralism who not this with the dictatorship is thrown outside. Big contradictions, the free software has been tramped strongly, and it is that in a dictatorship it doesn’t fit the free software, it doesn’t fit the thought freedom. In venezuela we are in a process of general deterioration, we are not free.
Thanks Mark you are good man, please not forget us, we love Maria Corina and the free software..
Four Freedoms are the venezuela medicine
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:00 am
Mr Mark, many of the folks commenting here are Chavistas of all flavors. Chavez runs a world-class PR machine. Propaganda and disinformation are the order of the day. Luigino for example is a professional shill. You can figure it out … check out http://www.venezuelatoday.net … the top resource on the net.
BTW, Sumate is mostly privately financed by Venezuelan individuals and businesses. The NED funds in question are a pittance at around USD $34K. These Chavistas bitch and moan and try to deflect the issues… no hiding the fact that what you have in Venezuela is a Fascist Military Regime.
The closure of RCTV is just the first step. The regime is hell bent on taking over all choice businesses and industries. This is a Totalitarian regime. All hell to break loose at the end of Chavez’s rule by decree term in little over a year. That is when (on the last days of decree rule) they will announce the new laws of the land and the largest exodus in Venezuelan history will begin.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:43 am
Hello everyone
Did you noticed that Claudio is trying to convince people that a rich military government is the victim in this situation?…. i only can imagine that Claudio and his ¨new friends¨ are also supporting Microsoft in the war against those miserables rats bastards with cheap lawyers that don’t let them work (make money and become incredible powerful) in peace.
-by military goverment, i meant: too many ex-military people on key positions (including the president)
-by rich goverment i meant: record oil prices and record whisky and luxury cars importation in the region (google it)
Saludos
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:15 am
you see ? opposition is already using you to promote themselves and attack the officialism in your name. Do you agree with that? Free Software community is getting separated in two groups.I respect your Ideas Mr Shuttlelworth, and I think every body here does, but we (the F.S.commmunity) will pay the price of it. because you didn’t understand our today’s political reality. I invite you to come here so you can see with your own eyes, see what is going on here, make your own conclusions. we are all Venezuelans. we are not killing each other, but we do have a serious political and social dispute. because people who always had the power to humiliate the poor people are not going to let it go so easy. unfortunately your comments politicize you in one side, remember that you’re UBUNTU’s father, F.S. and freedom defender, -humanity to others- right? so why to add gas to the fire?.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:44 am
Yeah Rogmar, invite Mark to a state sponsored visit to Venezuela so you can plug him into your revolution Matrix and show him your side of the tale.
I know it’s cool for a open source advocate to visit a country where there are people pushing OSS into the government institutions, but sadly, poor kids in Venezuela do not eat with linux distributions nor the people being killed daily in the major cities of Venezuela can defend themselves against the murderers throwing Ubuntu discs.
Begin to the realize that you cannot longer use the excuse of “the previous governments” when you actually have been in power for the last 9 years with record oil prices. The incapacity of this regime is visible at every level of the society. And even without an organized opposition is crumbling itself due to its inefficiency.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
[...] Bueno qui tienen el link de su blog para que lean el articulo mas detenidamente, me indigna en cierta forma los comentarios que han escrito en dicha pagina, pero me agrada mucho las respuestas de Mark. RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI [...]
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Very well mark. Congratulations…you are a great man
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Mark, I really apreciate your work for the Free Software Movement, I’m a faithful Ubuntu’s user and it’s good can talk about politics and other stuff with you.
You say in Original Post that “I know that the Ubuntu community is very active in Venezuela and I hope they will not also some day face repression”.
I’m glade to tell you that the Ubuntu Comunity is far to be victim of repression, in fact, The Venezualan government it’s impeling the use of Free Software in his institutions to preserve the rights of the citizens to not be slaves of mayor corporations.
About Maria Corina Machado and SUMATE, they are sorounded by a efficiency myth, but I’m a witness of the fraud made by this organization. The identity of my dead grandfather was used in a signature campaing of sumate to claim for the presindential referendum. I can’t trust in a person who can take advantage of a dead person.
P.S. Sorry for my crappy english
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Viva Maria Corina Machado, una mujer valiente.
Fuera Hugo Chavez dictador de Venezuela.
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Mark, take a look a this web site. You will learn many things about Venezuela that you don’t know and Sumate’s leaders won’t tell you either.
http://www.cowboyincaracas.com
Greetings.
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Right now, 05/22/2007 02:15 pm local hour in Venezuela, ONCE AGAIN!!! President Chavez has stated his support for Free Software.
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
The Venezuelan government has made a state policy to label people that oppose it as conspirators. I personally don’t like many opposition leaders, that doesn’t make them dishonest or criminals. You can buy the so called “Tascon list” on the streets, write their Venezuelan ID number and check if they “signed” against the president in a referendum that was clearly constitutional. Such list has been used to deny services and access to employment. I was several times surrounded by Chavez supporters because I was buying an opposition newspaper, long before the demonstrations started in 2002. I simple went to buy it somewhere else and the kiosk that I used to buy my newspaper only has the Chavez media nowadays. I believe that there are a lot of people tolerant to such totalitarian practices if such bias agrees with their own political views. Some people see injustice only when we sympathize with the oppressed. Have you even try to put yourself in the position of someone that democratically is trying to disagree with Chavez? Do it for a couple of months and you will suffer Chavez idea of “democracy”. You could simply check the insults that two governors received these days because they refused to join Chavez new party. Using the poor as an excuse to generate a new political class that like to drive luxury cars and drink 18 year old whisky is nothing new in this planet. We are living our own form of fascism, with its symbols and its old practices. You may like to called “light” because they are not shooting people on the street… but is simply supported by fear and lies.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 pm
“Right now, 05/22/2007 02:15 pm local hour….has STATED his support for free software”…. yes, that’s true, he STATES his support… he DECREES his support, but it’s only politics and demagogy. Go any time to one of the “working” DIEX (Identification and Immigations) office and take a look at their brand new multi-million dollar Identification and Immigration sytem working over brand new HP machines running Windows XP professional! Man, if you would trully support free software, would’t you be very interested in something so estrategically important as your country’s identification database?… man, the guy doesn’t even care about free software, he uses it politically!!!… come and see for youself, I’ll personally take you and show you how big of lie is this free software support.
Nelson Delgado (yes, I already know I’m in the Tascon and Maisanta list!)
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 pm
I was going to say something long and rational here.
I decided it was too much effort.
Mark: Thanks for supporting homicide. Tirany and terror.
- Thanks for supporting the people who helped orchestate a massacre of Venezuelans.
- Thanks for helping opress horrible people like my Father In Law who was jobless for years, and was given, as his, lands that HADN’T been used in years, where not cultivated and where left to rot, lands he has put to produce with his own hands now, his own tools and sweat and effort.
- Thanks for supporting people in here who not only call Luiggino, a friend of mine for a long time a shill (however misguided or not his views might be or not), btu have started pages like http://www.reconocelos.com where they collect photos and descriptions of “Chavistas” to write venom about them, and help identify them for assesination.
- Thanks for possibly supporting propaganda used by the media to help instate an extreme right dictator for 3 days, in the same vein as what happened with Allende in Chile, did you know then the good, nice opressed forces of Chile latter rounded up “socialists” or anyone labeled as such, and massacred them in stadiums and camps? great ethnic cleansing!
- Thanks for taking the word of some people in here at face value, (well I could be asking for the same, I frankly don’t give a sh.. anymore). Rational people like Ed who says not to trust “Chavistas” for their possition itself, then those people run to the streets hitting their chest and screaming “Chaves is dividing us!!”
- Thanks to everyone who has pointed how much the “Tascon” list has been “used” to “deny” access to X or Y, and yet look at the ceiling and whistle when the turn comes to talk about the countless people fired from their jobs for not wishing to join a strike designed to overthrow a “dictator” that had been democratically elected. Or for example the shows of violence, screams, insults or discrimination many public pro-chavez figures suffer when attending a private or elitist restaurant.
- Thanks for prefering to support the people who burned tires and garbage in their neighborhoods, who stringed a wire with NAILS in it side to side in a major avenue to “defend themselves” from attacks and people that never came. Home grown elitist vigilantes who demanded a safeharbour pass from me to let me go to MY HOME.
- Thanks for supporting the politics that starved our people so much “to improve economy” that it caused a generalized riot in 1989, and that chose the right response to that was to send the military on the streets to kill as many people as possible. Many of which still lie in unopened tombs.
And to everyone that might or possibly will comment in here after me (even Mr. Mark himself) about me being maybe a shill or another Chavist PR engine, or at best a deluded person, my only happyness is that you’re SO disconnected from reality, so far from what is really going on in the country and the world, and SO dellussional and based on your own mythos and alternate reality, that soon you’ll be all functional schizophrenics and by your own inability to comprehend or interact with the world around you, you’ll become a null threat to anyone decent, you will have secluded yourselves in your alternate reality, and leave us decent people alone.
-
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 am
Thank you Mark for your post.
The persecution of Sumate is one of the most despicable things that Chavez goverment has been doing.
The goverment used an old law that dates from the time of dictator Juan Vicente Gomez to accuse the
Sumate directive of..treason, because they received 30k from the NED. If found guilty, they risk up to 16 years
in prison!
The real reason is to nstigate fear. Chavez does not accept dissent of any type and he wants to make sure that
there is no organized entity like Sumate that can ask the right questions and organize people to defend
their electoral rights. And, of course, it is there to make sure that there is no other Sumate to compile
signatures for another referendum.
Meanwhile, Chavez uses the goverment money to finance whatever he wants in any way he wants. I compiled
during the campaign a series of ads that appeared in local newspapers, paid by the goverment with public
funds. The official election entity never condemned those ads.
Now, if the persecution of Sumate is despicable the Tascon list and the Maisanta program is political marcarthism of the XXI century.
The persecution of Sumate and the Maisanta program go hand to hand to insure even more that nobody in his right
mind would ever attempt to collect signatures against the President.
The names, ID numbers, personal adresses, voting centers and goverment program affiliation of
14 million voters were, with goverment approval, extracted from the databases of the electoral entity, that
is supposed to protect personal information. It was then published in a web page by deputy Luis Tascon and
is now used by the goverment to know who signed to ask for a Referendum to remove Chavez. People have been
fired and are denied jobs or contracts because of the list.
It has created a climate of discrimination that had never existed before in Venezuela.
….and this is the goverment that persecutes SUMATE for getting 30K from the NED and wants to put Maria
Corina and her collegues in jail for 16 years!
About Ubuntu programmers being REAL Chavez supporters (many civil servants are FORCED to support him)…if they really exist, there is definetely a contradiction. Free software means freedom, openess and democracy and those are the values Chavez is truly against.
My references on the illegal use of goverment propaganda:
http://cuentosintrascendentes.blogspot.com/1990/08/imgenes-para-el-cne.html
A short sotry about my impression when I checked the Maisanta program that contains the Tascon list.
The screenshot is real. It is the entry of president Chavez in the database. it gives you an idea of the type of
information that the program makes available.
http://cuentosintrascendentes.blogspot.com/2000_09_01_archive.html
The video showing the story of the List is here. It shows the testimony of those
that were fired because they signed and the amazing speeches of the
goverment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS_4TLvphW8
An English post on the list:
http://blogs.salon.com/0001330/2006/02/20.html
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:38 am
Dear Mark:
I could start telling all sort of things in response to your original post, or either any of the comments here on your page.
I could state, as a “True Venezuelan” as someone wrote before (So we do suppose there are “Untrue Venezuelans” around?) certain things about what I do see and live with every day of my life these past 35 years. I could tell you the story of this country, first hand, since I have any memory notion. And that comprehends entirely the “Personal Computer” era since its beginnings.
I could either say “I´m Pro/Against Chavez/Sumate” or whatever. I strongly believe some of the posters/commenters here would inmediately label me as they DO seem to have an inmediate need to label everyone/everything, True/Untrue venezuelan, Pro/Against Chavez, Pro/Against Sumate et al, seemingly so that is a greater force in labelling than in using some logic when giving out ideas.
I admit it. I am a well-educated Venezuelan, who had access to technology before and after Chavez, who had education before and after Chavez (stating that “before” was not even easy to get it), who had travelled and who has certain skill as to get a life on his own, making money on his own, raising a family on his own, since before any of this even started. This said, I must say I am not a wealthy man, nor a poor one. So I have no big interests to defend, except mine and my family´s.
Here in Venezuela, in the past, we experienced certain kind of friction between right-wing parties which turned in charge for more than 40 years. The Left wing was only ignored, except when making noise at meetings at the Central University in Caracas. Still, the easy-goingness once described here was still constant, even between contenders, just because there was not enough fuel to heaten up more a flame war between parties. Chavez appeared in 1992, and nobody knew about him. He was a noone, could be just about any soldier but right then he did something a lt of people was willing to do but was very afraid to. Ever wondered why? Just take a look at our history, it will talk for itself.
Then it came another presidential period, with a strange prelude which included the first trial to a president here, and a temporary presidency to fulfill the end of term, until we had elections again and re-elected a former president of our country for the second time. And then Chavez came out again, and won the next elections.
I would be lying if I said I have made a lot of money with this president. In fact, my money does not come from him, I do work for a US-Based telecom corporation with offices in Venezuela, long before Chavez won his first election. From my cubicle, though, I can see my boss every day complaining Chavez this, Chavez that, but right now he has 4 automobiles, 2 of them very expensive and luxury ones, and he does lives in one of the most expensive zones of our city. Also, I see the company I work on, growing up on plans and clients and structure, so I certainly wouldn´t say there is much of a crisis going up in here. And not, we do not work for the government neither.
I would not say I do live a luxury life, nor that I need it. I do live comfortably, though, and must admit, when I see something wrong, I am also complaining. And responsibility goes to the one who it pertains for. Up to now, though, I could´t say my way of life has felt down or been lowered or anything like that. If so, certain things are starting to ease on me.
But, fact is, nowadays debate slike this DO have something to be fueled with. A small group of people who used to have the power here for 40-plus years, which are also in control/ownership of the stablished media (Remember CNN, FOX, by any chance?) are watching certain businesses being shortened out and given back to the people (Basic industries, for an instance). The Machado Family is, certainly, one of those conglomerates. Maria Corina is, no less, their heir.
Here in Venezuela we saw Miss Machado and her group deceive those who supported her with a very suspicious management on the choosing of the presidential candidate for the opposition, and saw their organization rather randomly appear/dissapear when convenient or not, than being a steady force of work towards Democracy in Venezuela. That only makes it worse for them, since they would not fall precisely in the “Social workers” category. Makes us think rather on the “Economic Lobbyst” option, and that is why most of us Venezuelans have lost an important amount of Faith in Sumate. Their veil has fell off for most of us, long ago.
Unfortunately, as I am concerned it does, most of this information does not pass Venezuela´s frontiers, as I have checked myself by travelling and checking the news from other places. Friends and family spread toward other countries confirm me too, and that makes me think most of the true is just not been said. As much as people telling films like “Revolution will not be televised” or “Keys of a massacre” are a montage. These ones are not. Believe me if you care, I do happen to live nearby, so I was there that same day and hour. What I Saw is what you will see in those, but anyway.
Anyway… my concern is not whether you like us Venezuelans or not, whether you are pro or against Chavez or not. I Never liked politics, and that´s why, maybe, I chose to make my life out of Computing, a world where most of the time “undo” exists, where certain situations can be either controlled or expected, pretty much unlike real life in a country like this, where changes are happening every day. But certainly, I cannot say these are for the worst.
My concerns, however, are that I chose Linux once I got tired of big corporations such as Microsoft et al trying to take over everyone, as I see Linux as a truly viable alternative to feel free to develop and build without having to steal from anyone (In Venezuela there is a HUGE deal of software piracy on the streets, which I am VERY against since I am also a developer and would not like a product made by me with profit benefits to be stolen, so that´s why I chose to be on the OSS side) as as such I see on the whole Linux platform (And specially in Ubuntu) a world of inclusion, of possibilities. The same way I am seeing it around me, hard to perform (as once Linux was) and hard to make changes on your old-time habits (As Linux does), slow to learn (as Linux, again) but giving you tools to build for yourself, to give yourself the power to grow up, with deep roots into the core of things so it´s becoming each time stabler, more solid, more true to its principles. Just like Linux, anyway.
I am pretty sure you are not much aware of the “true reality” lived here by the “True Venezuelans”. Not those living in the east-side of the city (The wealthier one) or those who might have their daddy´s inherited fortune making businesses at risk for playing games, but those who go to work everyday, who travel acrosss the country with some frequency, who try not to live with a bondage over the eyes any longer, and who try hard to make a living in here, with or without politics, with or without Chavez. Just because was it not him, then anyone could have been, but changes needed to be made, and so it happened.
I have also read your next post, and even still it sounds logical, I will allow myself the luxury to disagree. As I said before, Our country´s events are performing way much like Linux itself, and Ubuntu seemed to me pretty much in agreement with what is happening here. Your endorsement of Maria Corina is, quite contrary, a huge dissapointemt. More than that, it is out of place.
Do not confound courage with acting.
One of the things I backed Ubuntu was precisely because of the ideology behind it. Now I am not so sure. I´d rather pay any company who remains true to their economical principles, than backing up a project which all of a sudden makes such a flip-off on their ones.
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:45 am
http://www.latinbusinesschronicle.com/app/article.aspx?id=1252
SOFTWARE PIRACY STUDY 2007: VENEZUELA WORST IN LATAM, SIXTH WORST IN THE WORLD. THIS IS A FAKE REVOLUTION FOLKS!
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Soy Chavista y uso Ubuntu. Cuàl es el problema?
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Nelson, you, more than anybody -I suppose!, know all the problems Onidex is having right now, implementing the passport request all over the country, via internet. Also, giving the ID card (cédula de identidad) to all citizens, in few minutes (Not having to wake up at 3 am to go to a queue, pay in stamps and then wait 6 more months to obtain your ID like it was when the oposition governed here). Do you think that all these things are made overnight?. If they have problems making it with the common software know by almost everybody, what can be expected with a software that is hardly beginning to be common?. It’s not only to install the software, it’s that all those people be well trained and well practiced. That takes time, lots of time. Be patient man.
Also, by the way, when the opposition governed here for 40, the word “temporary” means for them “more than 10-15 years or, in some cases, forever”, then, why with this government you don’t have patience?
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:18 pm
and as spected, 48 hours latter im banned. so basically if I am am not pro-chavez i do not have the right to ask questoins about ubuntu ro GNU in irc.unplug.org.ve which is conformed by part of the staff that supposely spread GNU linux in venezuela.
here is my previous post so that we can recall what is really going on with the revolution and how we (any one that doest not agree with the government gets excluded).
[i]
here is what is being propagated in some IRC channels in [b] irc.unplug.org.ve [/b]: “Los que usen Ubuntu y estén con Chávez a cambiarse de distro: http://www.markshuttleworth.com”
so basically they will most likely ditch gentoo because of your right to speach and said out loud what you think. most likely this post that i am making will imply me getting [b] kick/banned [/b] from the server and my site getting hacked. I am sure that there will be more than one stating that what im saying is a lie.
PD: here is a screshot http://picasaweb.google.com/orvtech/Screenshot/photo#5066416753131890914 [/i]
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Al.Go: ok I’ll try to digest this,,, let’s see, this regime has been in office since…I think … febuary 1999?… well that’s a little over 8 years!… that’s equal to 2 US presidential terms! Well, the poor guy didn’t have the time and the tools to do the work… what can you expect! right? He only had this little to his favor: elected in ‘98 with almost 70% of the votes, 3 “leyes habilitantes” (power to decree laws without the need for approval from congress), 1 “congresillo” (a small congress of his own with full powers), 1 “asamblea constituyente” (pro-new constitution assembly) conformed in 95% by his supporters, 1 shinny brand new constitution, built especially for him, a congress totally (100%) composed by his loyal supporters, a judicial power and supreme court designated by that (100% loyal) congress, the attorney general-comptrollership-general prosecutor-etc all his personal friends, 90% (21 out of 23) of all state governors and 85% of all city mayors belonging to his political party and alies, a CNE (National Elections Council) designated by that same congress, BILLIONS of $$$ to dilapidate (the highest oil prices in the history… today at almost 60$/barrel), sales tax between 16% and 11% for 8 years, IDB (bank transaction tax) between .75% and .50% for about 6 years, 3 national TV channels (the fourth one starting may 28), 1 international TV channel, several dozen radio stations and daily newspapers, about 1 hour a day of compulsory goverment propaganda in the commercial TV channels (70% of it in Prime time), thousands of hours of “cadena nacional” (all TV and radio stations transmitting simultaneously his speeches), third millenium information technology, almost total control of mass comunications… well, poor guy!… how can a man govern a 26 million people rich oil contry on those terms!… yeah, I remember back in ‘75 when I went to get my first passport, I was there before 6:00 am, and it was almost noon when I got my passport!!!… could you imagine such inefficiency!… wow!, with all that amount of computer power available in 1975!!!…. yeah man patience, and more patience, let’s give the guy some more time… how about until 2027? Could that be enough for him?.. or should we give him more power?… more technology and money?… my wife and kids?
Nelson Delgado
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Thanks for supporting us Michael!
My opinion: We need more OpenSource organization in Venezuela because the government just unlikes USA and that’s the reason for get started using Linux Software and drop Microsoft Products, is just a cheap political strategy.
With or without this Repression we still can do a lot of things with Debian/Ubuntu, we only need real democratic state. Chavez is supporting linux but that is not a good reason to let him destroy Venezuela.
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:51 pm
i do support both nelson and johan, and about your comment nels really nice review of all this 8 years that chavez has been seated there in the chair, and about johan i think chavez is not doing this open source movement because people likes linux he is doing it just because its free.
May 24th, 2007 at 12:40 am
In my opinion, i think, you people are destroying the comunity, mixing political things with Ubuntu. And all started when Mark said what he is supporting Maria Corina Machado. When we know (venezuelans) what represent Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela, her ONG is a fake, she is a fake. She poisoned the comunity and leave us with a big confrontation.
I am sorry with my english, but i had to share my opinion.
May 24th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Guachos, it is ironical that you talk about separating political from the community when you are expressing yours. the ‘tarifados’ will always find a way to brain wash the people either using ‘the community’ or in forums like this like you.
Let me tell you, it is not Mark damaging the community it is people like you who pretend to be helping the community to brain wash it. it is communities where the government have seeds like you can see in http://picasaweb.google.com/orvtech/Screenshot/photo#5066416753131890914 .
how ever i do agree with you that politics MUST be separated from the community, i should be able to go to a CNSL either with a shirt of Che Guevara or with one with the picture of Carmona o Carriles and now one should have a problem with that; sadly it isn’t so. lets just work around this with a bit of tolerance.
regards.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Ok, i have my political opinion, but the damage is there, and put yourself in our shoes. How do think we are feeling when Mark support Maria Corina Machado? when he is far away and dont know anything about the reality of Venezuela. You have your view of the reality, i have my view of the reality, each one have our view of the reality, but we are in Venezuela. If someone else like Mark said what he said, he cant expect another thing what broke the comunity in Venezuela. You cant deny us like we cant deny you, so dont tell us brain washers or “tarifados”. Maybe the comunity was broken long time ago, and the comment of mark just explode the bomb. But what moment to explode this.
May 24th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Guachos,
I think this got out of hands, Mark made this statement on his personal blog, thus making it a personal opinion. it was not a Ubuntu communicate. how ever on his next post he states why hi makes this opinion and do an analogy between Venezuela’s government and Zimbabwe and i do think that it was broken before Mark made this comment, i also do feel that ‘better sooner than latter” for this ‘bomb’ to explode. like we say “Al mal paso … darle prisa”.
May 24th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Its funny some comments mention the “Tascon” list, as so few people seem to ignore its true origin. First, nobody has been so bad for the Free Movement in Venezuela than him (Luis Tascon); he might support Chavez, but that doesn’t mean we all agree with him, or his visits to talk with Bill Gates and almost destroy the law that was meant to establish the use Free Software for the public administration.
Now where does this “Tascon” List comes from? Let’s explain it a little for Mark and non Venezuelans first.
In 2004, the supposedly “suppressed” opposition groups, led by Sumate, a political organization funded by the US Gov (something forbidden by law here), promoted the use of a constitutional right established in the constitution approved by referendum in 1999; that any elected authority might have his post revoked via referendum. Well in order to call for this, they first needed to collect enough signatures.
So Sumate and the rest of the opposition groups collected signatures in the streets. Desperate by lack of enough supporters, they started to fake signatures, and forging signatures of people without their permission; and lots of them… When the council received them and proceeded to check, only a fraction of the signatures could be verified, the others where put on hold and had to be either verified or removed in a second process. While in the middle of this, Sumate obtained “somehow” (stole, etc) old database records from the electoral institution; then they proceeded to cross these records with the people who signed. From this, they could “guess” who was pro-chavez (not signed but in the database) and who wasn’t (signed). Of course many people signed because of fear of losing their jobs, and Sumate encouraged bosses to make sure they check employees signed, by bringing a proof (usually a small paper with the date, place when and where they signed).
Don’t you love what Sumate does in my country Mark? Keep reading…
Sumate compiled this highly inaccurate database of “anti-chavez” or “dubious” people and started distributing it to some selected people and organizations, usually large corporations who started to use it as a filter. Then, one of the people working at Sumate sold it to a Tascon colaborator. Tascon, put this list online in his web site, to use it the other way around: to check if you did appeard as not having signed against Chavez; from this point onward, and because it was the first who made it public, it was to be referred as “The Tascon” list, when in reality it was from Sumate.
Then the opposition, seeing the conveniently named “Tascon” started accusing the government of persecution and of filtering of people with this list. Months later Chavez in public ordered the burial of this list for better of worst; it was highly inaccurate to begin with, and it has caused a lot of discrimination both in the private sector and in the state. Of course Chávez orders only affect the State owned institutions, the private sector who is still against Chavez is probably using it, despite its many mistakes, death people, wrong names, people who appears signing against Chavez when in fact didn’t, and people who signed who don’t appear… Obviously these lists were illegally obtained, are illegal to use, and unconstitutional, but don’t be mistaken, its origin is:
Sumate.
So Mark, how do you feel? supporting Sumate feels just like supporting the apartheid.
When i told you that supporting them is, essentially, supporting George W. Bush, it was not because of his short sighted “you with us are you are with the terrorists” view; its because, they do exist solely because the US Government and its various institutions built this organization here. It is not the first time the US gov meddles with affairs in other countries, if you do your research, you might find your Sumate equivalent in your own country, whenever its illegal or not, the USA gov doesn’t care about international law; they simply don’t care about sovereignty. Anything goes as long as this protects “US interests” (corporations).
Once you start ignoring pretty faces and fake acting, and start searching the truth, you will start to discover so many bad things you might wonder how did you made this serious mistake in the first place. Diplomats usually avoid involving themselves in issues they don’t know or don’t have an explicit order to do so for good reason. By supporting Sumate, without learning the facts, You, Mark Shuttleworth is now being portrayed by the right wing opposition groups as their hero in defending their “lost freedom”; and of course becoming a synonymous of Bush policies and basically becoming a bad example for the left wing groups of the world. While i might hate this oversimplification of things as much as you, you have not made enough efforts to stop it. Furthermore, some people are now saying for real that you do support Sumate.
Try to understand Mark, picture yourself among the ones who supported the jailing of Nelson Mandela. I’m trying to find examples to illustrate the deep disaster you are causing here. The damage you have done to the Ubuntu community is almost unrecoverable, unless you publicly cut all relationships with Maria Corina Machado and Sumate; otherwise you will always be linked to the opposition and, whether you like it or not, to George W. Bush. You can say 100 times you don’t support Bush, then people will point to Maria Corina Machado. You think just anyone can walk into the whitehouse and receive a warm welcome? That picture tells a lot. This organization is the product of the US Gov, not an innocent NGO who simply won the support of GW Bush administration.
Now some people are starting to say that those who use Ubuntu are against Chavez; pretty much like the groups who you should know, tell you that eating in McDonalds means supporting US Imperialism.
By this highly miscalculated act, Mark, you are causing the Ubuntu name to become equal to the US corporations (Like McDonalds) that many people hate and become the first to be bashed in demonstrations because its seen as a foreign factor destroying their own way of life.
Are you feeling a little of what my words are trying to express? You must not continue on as if you simply used your right of free speech, you are now being considered someone who is interfering with Venezuela’s right to have its own type of democracy. This is going to hurt Ubuntu PR in a way you could have never imagined, as word of Mark Shuttleworth supports Maria Corina Machado slowly propagates.
How about this Mark, go to google or your favorite search engine and type “sumate”. Start reading… How about “Maria Corina Machado”? Start reading. Pay attention when the information comes from private media, state media, or independent media. Pay attention to country of origin. Watch the documentaries, read the books (specially Eva Golinger’s “The Chavez Code” ( ISBN-10: 1567513484 ISBN-13: 978-1567513486 ) You are too involved now to back off, unless you ceased all contact with Sumate; but i think its too late now, the damage is done; all that is left is damage control, but only if you commit yourself and don’t ignore the issue.
May 24th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Artemis3, nice job on telling this story, can i read one bout cowboys now? how about one about the ‘maisanta’ application? which is available to download from many ED2K links?
May 24th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I can understand you Artemis3, you are not not Venezuelan, but if you really are I will ask you this:
Do you like Cuban Doctors bought by chavez for Oil?
Do you like a quote of only 2000$ by year and let chavez control your economy?
Do you like Civilians with guns (who likes chavez) ready to shoot you when you just say “i don’t like politics”?
Can you tell me what chavez gave you for you supporting him?
yeahh ovrtech, Artemis3 should post a cowboys story.. I will like it.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:13 am
I could reply to Johan… but I am pretty sure the loose bearings of his posting might as well excuse his purposes. Specially when cuban doctors are here covering the well needed workplaces where a vast majority of Venezuelan doctors refused to go for years. And I am old enough to affirm that. By first hand knowledge. Then it comes the Dollar quota… In most other countries, there is no real need to buy things from the outside (which could even be considered some kind of smuggling) because there are enough internal industries as to fulfill most of the needed supplies in any field. I think the point in there is, if we never stop the drainage of external smuggling and perform a big kickstart to our own industries, we´ll get stuck to what we have been in the last 150 years: An absolutely external-dependant country with no production and technology of its own. Maybe it could not look like the best way to do so, I agree, but it is a way to do so. Do YOU have another, more efficient, all-expenses-covered way to do it?
Then the civilians with guns… come on… I DON´T LIKE POLITICS. That´s why I got into computer science in the first place. And I have said so loudly and clear even in the very middle of several very-politically biased circles of friends. And I´m not shot yet. Let´s say I have spent at least 8 years “waiting to be shot at”. And still counting.
And I said before, I get not a single cent from the Government. I just try to keep objective and clever, sometimes even distancing myself from the always contaminated media to be able to understand what´s going on around me.
I just came here again, originally, to make an amend on my first statement. And that is… I just don´t give a damn fuck if Mr. Shuttleworth, with all due respect, supports or not Sumate & Co. The same way I don´t give a damn fuck about Politics. I have survived more than four long decades of right wing and now left wing governments, and still have a life, a family, a future. And certainly do not see any threat to any of them. So, back on topic… Ubuntu, as I do feel it… has already grown to be more than the sole purpose or desire of Mr. Shuttleworth (whether he likes it or not) and therefore is prone to “fall into the hands” of about anyone, which as long as the OSS policies are respected, might as well use it for whatever he/she wants. So what´s the fuzz about? That´s indeed part of the whole freedom concept, and CERTAINLY, each one´s consciousness will be rather a larger judge on everyone than whatever opinioin we might post here, even Mr. Mark´s own consciousness.
I could, or could not, keep on using Ubuntu. For I know that, sooner or later, that who acts on behalf of everyone´s goodness (and that DOES includes respecting each one´s discretion and ideology) will have his efforts retrieved back, and amplified, as much as the one acting on bad behalf will have it back too. So excuse me, Mr. Shuttleworth, for using maybe too many words to initially trying to make you change your mind. I cannot expect so, wouldn´t it be underrating your own POV? . “Boys will be boys”, and probably will never change of idea. But the good already made by Ubuntu is already on its way, and probably in some unstoppable way.
And that should be enough.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:59 am
To discuss if mark is right or wrong is to loose time. as J.C. said it “…respecting each one´s discretion and ideology…” it was his personal opinion and not a ubuntu news letter or so.
what is clear for me here is that a significant percentage of the so called free software community of Venezuela is government driven (im not saying that most of them but a significant percentage ) . they hide behind the developers and collaborators of the community to indoctrinate socialism and government interest in to young people; some of them will alienate, discriminate and offend who ever makes use of his free speech right as i have proven before (a gain… im not saying all of them).
They should be ashamed for taking this position representing a open source community, others should apologize for offending or for trying to make others to take back their words, their personal opinions.
May 25th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Thank you Mark for showing support for democracy in Venezuela.
These are very dark days here.
A TV station is being closed down because they are one of the strongest opposers of this semi-democratical regime.
People are being forced to join the new socialist party (I´m not making this up, a family member works in one of the ministrys and people there are being forced.)This socialist party is going to be the only one allowed by Chavez. Any members of the other pro-Chavez parties that do not join the Chavez proposed party are being labeled as traitors by Chavez himself.Some democracy huh?
Thank you again! I am a loyal Ubuntu user and now I´m even more proud of this fact.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Mark:
Man, this time tou really did it! You committed the worst of all sins!… REPENT!!!…Did you really think you were allowed to have your own opinions when those are contrary to the ideas of the “Revolución Bolivariana” and it’s almighty leader? How could you dare show some support to those “dirty-lowdown-imperialist-capitalist-pigs”… By the responses emitted here you can see for yourself that intolerance is the name of the game… In any moment we’ll have a long “Cadena Nacional” where our “Big Brother” (any resemblace with Orwell’s 1984 is just coincidence!) is verbally going to tear you to pieces and ridiculize and make fun of you and call you all so