The results of the referendum were far from what I forecasted a few days ago: 50.50 % in favor of the No; 49.29 in favor of the Yes. It is now almost 2:00 a.m. that I am writing this so I will leave my reflections for another day.

For those who read this and feel saddened by this news, it would be well to remember February 4, 1992, when President Chávez said, “For now….” Tonight he said again, “For now.”

During the past two days, I have observed the demonstrations of both the opposition and of those who support the government. My guess is now that the results on Sunday, December 2, will once again show about 60% to 40% in favor of the government.

Recently I couldn’t sleep one night and I have to blame President Hugo Chávez for that. In Venezuela, one can blame everything on Hugo Chávez.

Can you imagine: the Bushes and Clintons in the White House for fifty-two years; or, a janitor at a local university voting for whom the next university president will be; or, the U.S. invading Spain to bring democracy to the country? As the Four Jacks and a Jill sang in the late 60s, “It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.”

When people ask me about the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, I respond that the Church is very supportive of him.

In the October 15 issue of the Venezuelan newspaper, Ultimas Noticias, I noticed an advertisement sponsored by the government that had a dark skinned woman as the principal figure. I decided check the ads in the full color magazine that accompanies the newspaper on Sundays. Not one dark-skinned person appeared in any of the commercial advertisements.

The following is something I wrote for Venezuela Analysis, a website that I would recommend for keeping up on what is happening in Venezuela.

Five years ago Juan and Maria were tired of the dust that filled their barrio home day after day. One evening at supper they decided that it was time to do something about it. They visited their neighbors and called a meeting to discuss how to pave the street that ran in front of their houses.

Everyone at the meeting agreed that the work was the government’s responsibility. The question was: who knew someone that could hear their plea? Only Martha knew of a neighbor who worked at the city hall: Ramon, a janitor. He seemed to be their only contact with power.

In the last six months, three books have appeared on the market that I believe form an excellent introduction to recent Venezuelan history.

A few months have now passed since I returned to Venezuela after having been in the United States for most of April and May, giving presentations and signing books. During that time I traveled from coast to coast, visiting thirteen states and the District of Columbia.

I didn’t do much writing while traveling but I did have a lot of time to think about my native country and the world.