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Three powerful fleets totaling fifteen battleships left the icy Atlantic and converge toward the blazing Caribbean. Are floating fortresses. Their projectiles flying from horizon to horizon. Under their covers crowd thousands of armed men. Sailors set the course: Venezuela.
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While the gunners gauge guns, the international media fire volleys of insults against the Venezuelan president. "Dictator" calls it the New York Tribune. "Lawbreaker and international order" as apostrophizes Life. Harper's Weekly is the "minimum Bobito." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle nicknamed him "bombastic fury." The Minneapolis Journal called it a "hedgehog." The Munich Jugend "wildcat", the Philly Inquirer accused of being "lloroncito" the Tribune of Minneapolis for "mosquito" and "The American Monthly Review of" invading America. " While the Paris Charivari caricatured as "wild monkey" and the London Punch as "mono" (Sullivan, 1980). The preceding character assassination physical.
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The December 2, 1902 burst the battleships on our shores. Venezuela emerging from a terrible ordeal. Local warlords against the government herded 15,000 foot soldiers by transnational asfalteras. Cipriano Castro swept to a militia of 5,000 volunteers. Transnational corporations, rather than pay the damages they caused to finance the uprising, demanding the government damages it caused the enemy, while the creditors of the debt demand immediate payment. The new claims amount to the then enormous sum of 186,400,000 Bs, more than all the previous amount of external debt. Empires want impose cannon which disputes on matters of public interest in Venezuela are resolved according to foreign laws and foreign courts or arbitrators. That is, we believe colonies. Since 1810 the Venezuelans think otherwise.
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A sovereign decides on interest groups with their own laws and courts. For 1868 the Argentine diplomat Carlos Calvo said in his book International Law Theoretical and Practical that an independent State, by the principle of equality of States, can not be subject to interference by other States. He stated that citizens could not enjoy more rights and privileges as nationals, and should solve their disputes before domestic courts in the territorial State. Several Latin American countries including Bolivia, Honduras and Venezuela, included in their constitutions and laws a "Calvo Clause" on contracts with foreign investors, which prevents them from resolving disputes over such agreements by going to "remedy of diplomatic protection" in overseas, and forces them to settle their claims exclusively in the courts of the receiving State and in accordance with the laws thereof.
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doctrine turns from the early nineteenth century Venezuelan constitutional. The 1901 Constitution, in Article 139 guideline that "No public interest contract concluded by the Federal Government or the State, by municipalities or other public power, may be transferred, in whole or in part, a foreign government, and all of them shall be deemed included but is not so, the following clause: "The doubts and controversies of any kind that may arise regarding this contract and which can not be settled amicably by the contracting parties shall be decided by Venezuela competent courts in accordance with its laws and shall not for any reason or for no cause can be source of foreign claims. " Companies in the exercise of such contracts are formed must establish legal residence in the country, for all purposes, without prejudice to the power that you may have while abroad. " Cannon kills constitution, think empires.
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On the possible impact of handing over sovereignty to foreign court, says Rafael López Baralt, Venezuelan foreign minister by 1902, "only to natural law and leave open to foreigners the practice of law particularly exercised by the intervention of representatives of other governments, would expose countries that are set to increase as a result of immigration, to degenerate into mere factories, with shortage of the very political as states engaged in the international arena. "And in fact," wants the imperial government, as Ambassador von Holleben sentences, study and decide on their own before the nature, amount and payment rules for claims related to property or interests located in the Republic of Venezuela, and the government of Venezuela, supported by the Constitution and its regulatory provisions, contends that such procedures can not be attributed only to the respective National Authorities. " (Velasquez, 1973:293).
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Venezuela has the right, empires have guns. On December 9, 1902 British and German battleships without notice or declaration of war addressed in La Guaira, Venezuela ships "Margaret", "Zamora", "Beeper" and "May 23." The battleship "Panther" pays under threat of their guns to "General Crespo" and "Totumo" and sinking at sea. The Venezuelan vessel "Restorer" is addressed in glove. The British cruiser "Caridbys" Venezuela seizes ship "Bolivar" in Trinidad. The Venezuelan vessel "Miranda" internal leak in the Orinoco. English battleship armed sailors "Retribution" address the "Ossun" and "Margarita" and will destroy the machines. Two Italian warships, supply and support the operations of the invaders. Venezuelan ships are tiny units, some unarmed, some repairs. Armed squads of England and Germany to take on board landed at nationals. Caen masks. It is not blocking, but a war of conquest. Germany, England and Italy are trying to colonize South America.
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No fleet, Cipriano Castro defends resounding proclamation: "The plant insolent Abroad has desecrated the sacred soil of the Fatherland!" In his spell, the Peruvian government proposed a collective action to defend the American republics. Colombian and Chilean colonies offered to defend Venezuela as his homeland. The Argentine foreign minister Luis María Drago throws the doctrine that "the public debt may lead to armed intervention, let alone the occupation of the land of the American nations by a European power." Rudyard Kipling angry anti-government strikes with verses: "Why take the fight deceived / Allied with the Goth and the Hun false?" One hundred thousand Venezuelans enlist as volunteers. Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez was among the first.
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In Puerto Cabello, a patriotic crowd approaches the freighter "Topaze" and he hauled down the British flag. English and German squads bombed without declaring war Fortin Solano and El Vigia. The archaic Venezuelan respond without fulfilling batteries. The troops landed attackers, destroying files and historical documents, the bells were stolen, killed, burned. German battleships "Vinneta" and "Panther" no declaration of war bombard Fort San Carlos in Zulia disrupting pieces of wall. Fort responds fires for eight hours, the "Panther" strikes at the bar, runs aground, it is useless for combat.
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The apparent fiasco is a victory. The "block" has become open warfare with the landing of troops, the United States intervenes to defend the Monroe Doctrine, negotiating the withdrawal of the invading fleet and subjected to review the alleged debts. Castro considers the terms of the review 'depressive and insulting "And yet the alleged debt reduced to thirty-five million. Just one-sixth of what they claimed empires. Frustrated American expansion plans America, they should be played on a World War that will cost nine million dead. They could never overthrow the willful Cipriano Castro in open combat, they will only succeed through a messy coup. Two U.S. warships anchored in La Guaira protect encroachment.
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The blockade, the bombing, the murders were intended to deprive of guns affirming sovereignty that Venezuelan public interest contracts are not subject to Venezuelan law and courts, but referees and foreign judges. Two years after the fall, the irreducible Cipriano Castro Spain declares: "... you know how many tears and much blood has been spilled Venezuela in this century to defend its sovereignty and Independence ...? Well, the conquest of the Venezuelan side has come to throw it overboard Gomez Government, accepting U.S. ignorance of our judiciary, which is the third of the republic. His conquest, if it can be done, cost new streams of blood and tears and a host of sacrifices ... I think this more than enough for you to appreciate the true situation of the unfortunate Venezuela ... "(Manuel Carrero, 289).
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A century passes. Stateless officials are including in contracts of public interest clauses unconstitutionally seeks to subject foreign courts or arbitrators. Stateless judges pander this abdication of sovereignty, which nearly cost us recently but international reserves. Transnational corporations no longer need to bomb us to destroy our sovereignty. Officials without patriotism damage more foreign fleets. They are perennial exciting events, we will see in a movie Román Chalbaud teacher when necessary resources materializing.
PS I gave Alba Cultural Prize 2010. What pleases me most is the company: Mario Benedetti, Frei Betto, Oscar Niemeyer, Jorge Sanjines, Silvio Rodríguez ... against judges without conscience, consciences are judges.
SOURCES:
Carrero, Manuel. 2000. Cipriano Castro, Imperialism and the 1895-1908 Venezuelan national sovereignty. Library of Authors and Topics Tachira. Caracas.
Rubio Hernandez, Yajaira. 2008. Venezuela 1902-1903: Crash and national resistance. Ministry of Popular Power for Culture. Caracas.
López Contreras, Eleazar. 1986. President Cipriano Castro. Printery. Caracas.
Núñez, Enrique Bernardo. The man in the gray coat. 1980. Editorial Ateneo de Caracas.
Caracas.
Picon Salas, Mariano. The days of Cipriano Castro. (Sd). Basic Library Culture of Venezuela, Caracas.
Pocaterra, José Rafael. 1979. Memoirs of a Venezuelan of Decadence, T. I and II. Monte Avila Editores. Caracas.
Rangel, Domingo Alberto. 1964. Los Andes in power balance of a hegemony. Talleres Gráficos Universitarios. Mérida.
R. Mendoza Tello (Comp.) 1903-1996. Records of General Cipriano Castro. Vol I-VI. Typography Herrera Irigoyen & Cia. Caracas.
Sullivan, William (ed.) 1980. Cipriano Castro in the cartoon world. National Library Autonomous Institute and Foundation for the recovery of Venezuelan Documentary Collection. Caracas.
Velasquez, Ramon J. 1973. The Fall of Liberalism Amarillo. Time and drama of Antonio Paredes. Editions of the Comptroller General of the Republic, Caracas.
http://luisbritto.wordpress.com French version, thanks to smart friend help Romain Vallée: http://luisbrittogarcia-fr.blogspot.com
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media dictatorship in Venezuela: www.minci.gob.ve
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