Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro: His decision to require visas
from U.S. visitors and ban former U.S. officials for 'acts of terrorism'
is the subject of this sarcastic outburst by La Hora'sMarujaTarre.
'Tragic' Visa Restrictions on U.S. Citizens: Think Again, President Maduro!
(La Hora, Venezuela)
"The most
disgruntled of these potential adventure tourists are six unfortunates who have
been strictly banned. [George W.] Bush wanted to go to the Military Museum to
pay tribute to his most formidable adversary. He wanted to go to the mausoleum
where, rather than sulfur and formaldehyde he would smell scented lilies and left
by faithful believers. Cheney, the infirm, had prepared a list of the medicines
he would buy in our well-stocked pharmacies. Tenet, the former CIA director,
was dying of curiosity to meet all the local agents he never paid a dime. … What
cruelty not to permit them to come, President Maduro!
Think again!"
Travel agencies in the United States are in a panic: For
lovers of adventure tourism Venezuela had become a world attraction. Forget silly
adventures in a packed canoe on a Caribbean river or a glider over one of the
world's secluded mountains. No! Venezuela offers real adventure, allowing you
to witness what one can otherwise only see in the movies: urban and rural kidnappings,
robberies, beatings and assassinations - a genuine thrill ride for the board
inhabitants of Peoria or Wichita. Even I had the idea of a madcap reality show that
would take in details like the looting and sharing out of household electrical appliances,
disputes among people waiting in line and repression with real guns. Absolutely fascinating. Such a TV show would have put
Venezuela on the map as unique and favored destination. Now, with the
difficulty obtaining a visa, it will be easier to travel to Syria or Iraq and
join one of the region's militant groups.
Moreover, the most disgruntled of these potential adventure
tourists are six unfortunates who have been strictly banned from entering
Venezuelan territory. [George W.] Bush wanted to go to the Military Museum to
pay tribute to his most formidable adversary. He wanted to go to the mausoleum
where, rather than sulfur and formaldehyde he would smell scented lilies and left
by faithful believers [When speaking at the U.N. a day after George W. Bush, former
President Hugo Chavez Chavez said he smelled sulphur on the dais and called Bush "El Diablo." - video above]
Cheney, the infirm, had prepared a list of the medicines he would buy in our
well-stocked pharmacies. Tenet, the former CIA director, was dying of curiosity
to meet all the local agents he never paid a dime. As for the three lawmakers
of Cuban origin [Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio and Congresswoman Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen], they were eager to see this replica of the Sea of Happiness, convinced
now that they were wrong to oppose Castro and his followers. What cruelty not
to permit them to come, President Maduro! Think
again!
[Editor's Note: Last weekend, the Maduro government removed the United States from a list of 65 countries exempt from tourist visa requirements. President Maduro said that U.S. citizens would have to pay the same consular fees as Venezuelans traveling to the United States, currently from $300-$350. The order also contains a list of U.S. political figures barred from
entering Venezuela for having committed "acts of terrorism and grave human
rights violations," including former President George W. Bush, former Vice
President Dick Cheney, former CIA chief George Tenet, Senator Marco Rubio,
Senator Bob Menendez, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and Congresswoman Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen.]
