Holy Week: Release of U.K Hostages, Pope Warns Bullies, No Whiskey for Venezuela

Holy Week for many is the persecution, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity. In Eastern cultures other religious beliefs are celebrated. This time of the year celebrates the birthday of the revered Prophet Mohammad. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. This year Easter Sunday is April 8.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has restricted the sale and distribution of alcohol during Holy Week. This ban is in part due to President Chavez's personal abstinence of alcohol consumption. It is according to reports by various news sources a period when alcohol consumption is at its highest. Holy Week had become Party Week. Nearly 100 people were killed and more injured in alcohol related accidents last year. The excess in alcohol consumption is largely in the poorest areas of the cities. While President Chavez's socialist agenda has made in roads into improving overall welfare of the citizens of Venezuela, there remains inequities for many. It is these gaps in the Bolivarian manifesto where the despair of alcoholism, unemployment and crime exist.

According to critics of President Chavez, the ban on alcohol is just another manifestation of his super ego. The censored news papers report that many in the country do not intend to follow this latest edict from their leader. For others it is reminiscent of the U.S. Prohibition on Alcohol. The prohibition simply added another illegal strata to the economy. President Chavez was raised a Roman Catholic as was his close ally Fidel Castro.

President Chavez refers to Jesus Christ as the first socialist in history. It is the difference between the ideal of Christ and the practical implications of governmental socialism where the comparison fails. Carrying out wide spread equal distribution of goods and services is a task every socialist, communist, democratic and Utopian society has failed miserably. Somebody and their friends always end up at the top.