VENEZUELA UPDATE, this from reader Jorge Schmidt, who has sent a number of interesting items:

The Chavez government is already escalating its confrontation with its opposition, despite its words of conciliation and rectification. The immediate targets are the media and PDVSA.

Remember that last week’s events originated in a strike by PDVSA’s upper management in support of executives fired for opposing Chavez’ appointees to the company’s board of directors. Said executives were later rehired. They were fired again hours ago [it’s not yet on the news, so no link]. This means that the managers will strike again. Chavez still has not retracted his attacks on the legitimacy of the elected leadership of the Federation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV). The media also continue to be intimidated and threatened.

Faced with fresh and clear evidence that all Chavez seeks is time to regroup and rearm his Bolivarian Circle thugs, a new protest is being planned for May 1st by the CTV and many sectors of civil society. This march will be larger than the one that took place April 11th.

The US Embassy, by the way, has sent all family and nonessential personnel out of the country, and the State Department issued a travel advisory warning Americans of the volatile and unpredictable situation there.

I don’t think it’s over yet.