Currently, in Venezuela, in Latin America, in the Caribbean, for the sake of independent, authentic journalism, in the daily process of deepening the Bolivarian Revolution, of educating ourselves, and our compatriots, praxical precision and theoretical incision in our popular "missions" and universities have become top priorities.

Always the New, the Original and the Authentic logically necessitate corresponding concepts and notions. Furthermore, in a virulent revolutionary atmosphere, the social contents of concepts like the "workers", the "working classes", "revolution", "proletariat", "process", "democracy" or "ideology" permanently change.

The Strange Ways of Anánke, of Fate, of Necessity

Many of us, especially in Venezuela, ask ourselves what is happening on this planet, in the universe. Everyone has her/its/his own answers; very often, we follow the road of least resistance. In a Roman Catholic world, we place our fate, our future, in God, in his hands, and therewith the problem is partially solved for ever more.

En Venezuela se hace y se dice mucho para profundizar, para intensificar la revolución social, para llevar a cabo la “revolución dentro de la revolución

Después de la gloriosa victoria de la Batalla de Santa Inés, con esfuerzos anti-imperialistas, ahora Venezuela está profundizando la revolución. Una teoría y práxis profunda involucra medidas radicales, haciendo cosas nunca antes hecho y reflexionando sobre procesos sociales nunca antes aparecidos en nuestro horizonte intelectual. Los cambios y procesos profundos tocan a lo Nuevo, lo Original, lo Auténtico. Lo siguiente quiere ayudar a germinar la semilla del alimento para el pensar revolucionario y para la acción emancipatoria.

In Venezuela, very much is being done, and said, to deepen, to intensify the social revolution, to perform the "revolution in the revolution". Although this is imperative, it implies sailing into unknown, stormy, human seas, over whose surface mighty, practical hurricanes sweep, and in whose dark, profound waters are lurking all kinds of ideological rocks and fascist man-eaters.

Concerning the above, in previous Latin American social revolutions, in the turbulent revolutionary epoch of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Régis Debray, a similar situation had generated very complex questions, still unresolved, unanswered till today. Nonetheless, what we should avoid in Venezuela, is to end up in total tactical, strategic and "ideological" confusion. To us, by now, the concept of "Revolution" should be crystal clear. After all, we have been studying, acting and thinking it, ever since the 12th Century in Northern Italy.

Les promoteurs de la démocratie et des libertés se font souvent écho d'une démocratie et d'une liberté réservées aux privilégiés. Vaclav Havel, ex Président tchèque, a qualifié Cuba d'immense prison. La réflexion qui suit parle de la prison de la solidarité et de celle de l'exclusion.

Pendant qu’une seule compagnie capitaliste (le manufacturier de tabac JTI McDonald) peut éviter de payer 1,4 milliards en impôts provinciaux (imaginez ses revenus…), la pauvreté dans laquelle vivent des millions de personnes au Canada elle, a encore augmenté. Selon un rapport du Conseil national du bien-être social (CNBS)* paru en juillet dernier, les prestations accordées par l’aide sociale confinent une partie de la population dans l’extrême pauvreté partout au Canada. Le CNBS, dans un article publié dans Le Devoir du 8 juillet, va même jusqu’à dire que « les prestations sont si faibles qu’elles ne peuvent être considérées autrement qu’un forme de punition cruelle ». En effet, l’organisme constate que les revenus de bien-être social étaient bien inférieurs au seuil de pauvreté dans toutes les provinces et tous les territoires en 2003.

 
Friends,
Listen to the following interviews concerning the present situation in Venezuela: BLACK OP RADIO, Vancouver, Canada.

Interview with Franz Lee & Jutta Schmitt.
THE CURRENT SITUATION IN VENEZUELA
SEPTEMBER 17, 2004.

After the glorious victory of the Battle of Santa Ines, with anti-imperialist efforts, now Venezuela is depening the revolution. Profound theory and praxis concern radical measures, doing things that we have never done before, thinking about social processes that never have dawned on our intellectual horizon.

Profound changes, deep processes concern the New, the Original, the Authentic. What follows intends to germinate revolutionary food for thought, for emancipatory action.

What is the trouble with capitalism, with capital, money, profits and power?

Of course, across the ages hundreds of thousands of authors seriously have tried to explain this planetary blessing or scourge. Even the Christian Holy Bible points out that "Money is the root of all Evil." Also many erudite scholars have warned that currently capitalism is developing from "bad to worse."

Some directly blame Bush, others prefer to attack the "Fourth Empire." Marxists explain the economic exploitative essence of higher forms of capitalism, "neocolonialism," "neo-capitalism," "neo-liberalism," "late capitalism" and "corporate capitalism."

But, on this planet, what is really going on?