SANTIAGO. - The protests agaisnt the blackouts continued yesterday in several Cibao (north) cities, while in the municipal district La Mata, Cotuí (northeast), demolished two 69,000-volt power line towers were toppled, which left most of that region’s towns without energy.
Demonstrators in that town also set fire to the office of the energy distributor Edenorte, shattered windows and signs of some businesses and stoned the police station, forcing the Police to send reinforcements from Cotuí to confront the violent protesters and vandals.
The downing of the towers affected the electric service in San Francisco, Arenoso, Villa Rivas, Castillo, Hostos, El Factor, Nagua, Sanchez, Samaná and other Northeast communities.
The Police arrested several people for questioning, while technicians of the State-owned power companies (CDEEE), worked to restore the towers.
La Mata residents took to the streets to protest against the blackouts, which they say sometimes last longer than 24 hours, while unidentified persons downed the towers, torched Edenorte’s office and pelted businesses with stones.
Retailers said the blackouts affect them all, but deplored that unscrupulous people attack private properties which have nothing to do with the problem.
SOURCES: listin.com.do, almomento.net
Written by: buenoha, 15 Aug 2008 9:16 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
Give us more protests please! People should not give up until this mass stealing stops!
CItizens pay for a service which is never delivered. That is stealing! What an easy way to get rich!
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera, M.T.S.
I agree with the protests, but downing the power lines is a bit much. Stop traffic, publish articles, make phone calls, conduct sit-ins, but downing lines just slows the porcess down.
l
From: United States
I agree with you baldoria23, it makes no sense to take down the power towers that will be needed in the future.
Written by: buenoha, 15 Aug 2008 10:07 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
What they defenitely should do is file a mayor law suit against the electricity companies for breach of contract beacause of failing to deliver the service which is paid for by the citizens that pay for their bill each and every single month. They pay for a 24/7 service. Pro rata that money should be given back to them for all the hours which the service was not delivered. That would be the biggest blow in history for these crooks working at the EDEs. Civil organizations should unify forces and file a MEGA law suit. If the government and the EDEs do not understand it otherwise, they should feel it in their millionary pockets!
From: United States
Now that's a serious PROTEST .. but not a very clever one .. because everybody .. including the perpetrators .. will REALLY be WITHOUT ELECTRICITY for a while .. like cutting off one's nose to SPITE ONESELF.
From: Dominican Republic
Et Al;
We ALL know what is surfacing here.
The people are not only frustrated, but are VERY ANGRY, and to the point of EXPLODING into MASS HYSTERIA over a situation that has gone on for far too long.
If Leonel has ANY sense of decency and if he has ANY INTEGRITY of CHARACTER left, he waill move to solve this problem very rapidly, else he find himself (and his cronies) hiding from the general public for the next few years.
The whole situation of the greedy political parties is rapidly coming to a head, and it would appear that the public is becoming more and more disenchanted with one in whom they placed their trust to find and impliment the numerous solutions to the problems facing this country.
Leonel has tremendous power in this country. Now, if only he would exercise that power (and also demend that his political infrastructure do the same) for the common good, the country would rapidly recover and move forward into a better social order.
TB
From: United States
But how does one TOPPLE those darned things? I mean you first need to UNBOLT the BASE. Then there's the CATENARY WEIGHT of the TRANSMISSION CABLES bearing down on the vertical PYLONS. They must have used a TRUCK to PULL apart the PYLONS. Or they simply took apart the TRUSSES by removing the RETAINER NUTS and let the PYLONS collapse under the weight of the CABLES. I just don't see how else it could have been done.
Written by: Johnnyc, 15 Aug 2008 12:47 PM
From: United States
A Country that can not provide electrical power is not a Modern State!!! The question is not who is stealing.. It's who isn't stealing
From: United States
Quite true .. electricity theft is a major pursuit in the DR .. there are annual neighborhood contests held to select the best thieves for the provincial electricity theft competitions.
Written by: Truth, 15 Aug 2008 12:55 PM
From: Dominican Republic
The Dominican people have been abused to long by silly, Ego Centric Greedy, Racist politicians who think they are immune to accountability, the people are showing a small taste of what is to come in the near future.
Those in government who know history will understand and get their collective asses moving, if not then they to will be consigned to the garbage heap of broken trust and dreams. The president bears full responsibility and thus far he has DONE NOTHING but make NICE SPEECHES, well MR PRESIDENT, Speech TIME IS OVER and so will be your presidency. MR PRESIDENT FIX THIS DAM PROBLEM.
You have made sure that the RICH AND FAMOUS have power, So what about the millions of other Dominicans of modest means, You have ignored them and NOW they will IGNORE YOU.
Should the leaders fail to honestly address this issue and continue to MOON WALK around it, there will be revolution in Dominican Republic, sooner than you think.
Written by: Johnnyc, 15 Aug 2008 12:58 PM
From: United States
I remember a time when an Uncle of mine in Santo Domingo had his power rigged up and it rurned out that the meter was so off that the Power company owed him money!!! LOL
From: Dominican Republic
Truth;
You have just verified what I have been saying all along; HISTORY is the key to understanding!
Evidently, the present day politicians believe themselves to be immune to thewill of those whom they are supposed to serve.
Tell me WHICH Latin American Country has NOT had a REVOLUTION because of the BASIC ARROGANCE of their former/present leaders?
In all of those revolutions, the root cause was the greed and avarice of the politicians who were so self-centered and egotistical that they thought themselves above the common decency and laws of the land.
I'm not sure that this government has ANY idea of just how much they and their policies are out of touch with the common people.
Arrogance does strange things to those in power, leading them to believe they are omnipotent.
TB
From: United States
Texas Bill, i love your straightforward way of stating your case, which gets right to the meat of the matter. the biggest factor in all of this is the arrogance of the political directorate. they have such contempt for the common man, they believe that they can tell people things and make it so. not more than a few weeks ago, if that much, we saw this government press release , telling us that all had been resolved, and that we were going to be flush with electricity. immediately thereafter, all hell broke loose, and nobody has power, anywhere, unless, like GC, you live next door to influential people. (sorry, GC, nothing personal).people have just about had it. not everybody can afford 4 batteries for the obligatory inversor, and, if you only have 2, it is a waste of money and time. people are scraping a few pesos together to buy overpriced products, and lose them in the refrigerator. businessmen are trying to invest, only to find that they cannot operate in an environment such as
From: United States
this, because the recurrent outages damages their equipment and plays havoc with their computers. their electronics burn out with the spikes, and they cannot plan for services. hairdressers cannot put clients under a dryer with any degree of confidence, knowing all the while that the electricity could go off in mid-dry. NY4LIFE might not like to hear this, but , without regular and predictable energy delivery, you do not have a modern country!!!
From: United States
Herr Doktor Johann .. did you hear that .. we will soon be moving into your neighborhood .. next to that Cardinal .. so get ready for a major drop in real estate prices .. just kidding .. I like my slum .. Jawohl Herr Doktor Johann ..
From: Dominican Republic
Dread;
I'm not backing down on any of my previous assessments of the government, I have to say that the arrogance isn't confined to just the politicians; it seems to permiate the entire society and is attenuated by the "machismo" attitude of far too many in Latin America. That attitude has evidenced itself in the mass murders so recently reported in the Latin Press.
We are all guilty of haveing a degree of arrogance in our expressions on this board, myself included. But, I would hope that we have used it to emphasize the importance of thesubjects being discussed and in the solutions being identified as possibilities of immediate application.
In reference to the comment aI made about the President of Georgia, I would refer all of you who are interested to CNN's Beck and his reference, today, to a recent interview with that person.
TB
From: United States
hey , Goulet, do you know of a small studio or convenience near you? my laptop is driving me crazy, what with all the jolts to my router. and Texas Bill, and others, please do yourself and click on the link which Jander provided in another thread. it is very enlightening
From: Dominican Republic
I might add, tounge in cheek, that all of thepeople at the Ministrial level seem to have taken Post-Graduate courses in "Damage Control" of stupid, ill thought-out , remarks by current incumbents.
What they all fail to realize is that there are those of us in society that have been exposed to this modus operendi very frequently in the past and are impervious to it's current effects on our ability to "seperate the wheat from the chaff", so to speak.
Evidently, they have all read "The Prince" and area trying to immulate the author, however ineptly. That publication must be their "Bible' instead of the one we all hold in reverence.
I just couldn't resist that snide remark, it was just too relevant.
We can only hope these idiots have gotten the "wake up !" call from society.
TB
From: United States
fear not , Texas Bill. the chickens will soon come home to roost if people do not take a long and close look at the suffering of the poor!
From: United States
Ghoulish, do you notice that GC has gone silent immediately after i asked about an apartment in his neighborhood? he is probably on the phone with his realtor as we speak, making preliminary and precautionary moves for an alternate domicile , should the unthinkable come to pass!
From: United States
I noticed that Herr Doktor Johann took off right after that little scare .. I was just kidding with him .. too expensive in the Zona for a cheap skate like me .. besides I like living in my little slum .. rents are low .. gunfire and burning tires are all included.
From: United States
hey Goulet, you can come out now. i was just kidding. besides, you probably would be bored in Bonao ,anyway.
From: United States
Herr Doktor Johann likes Bonao .. TIPICO with it's thatched roof and cute rustic furniture .. he would do well there .. Jawohl Herr Doktor Johann?
From: United States
GC, are you in Bonao, or its immediate environs? you can stop payment on the rent cheque. i have no plans for the Zona Colonial. besides, those bomberos cant play dominoes , anyway!
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
government after government year after year same old shit how do they get away with it.....I am truly fortunate
From: United States
Herr Doktor Johann .. I tell you it's a different universe here .. a different galaxy as you said .. but hey .. look how far we have gotten .. NOWHERE really FAST.
From: United States, Spring Valley, NY
Now if this was Haitians, they would be labled as backwards.
Written by: Trujillo, 16 Aug 2008 1:44 AM
From: Dominican Republic
These violent protests make no sense. The ones protesting this way are probably the ones that don't even pay for the electricity that they demand. Also, all these blackouts is not fare for those that actually pay their bills and those companies should be fined and sued for that, or more. I wonder if we'll hear anything from Soto on the 16th.
Written by: jose_NYC, 16 Aug 2008 7:10 AM
From: United States
Trujillo **** that's probably who the DR really need now days. Now the blackouts ore part of the Dominican culture, when they don't happen ppl miss them is ****ed up but that's the way it is. Now doesnt the DR produce more energy than what it consumes so I ask myself whats the problem? They need to start burnig federal buildings
From: United States
Sure .. that is how "advanced" we have gotten .. no electricity .. no water .. no Trujillo .. no nothing .. that's how "advanced" the world has gotten pal .. soon blackouts will become a part of American culture as well .. unless you think Arab oil is going to last forever .. or you think the US is sufficiently "advanced" to dump oil .. any "advanced" ideas?
Written by: mrios, 16 Aug 2008 2:11 PM
From: United States
I'm not against protest...........People should stand up for what's right and have there voices heard but......Why in the HELL would you topple the very thing needed to deliver the electricity in the first place and then destroy your own Neighborhood stores by burning and looting local businesses who have nothing to do with the problem, besides the locals depend on them for there every day needs.
I can see it now....
Local businesses raise food and product prices in order to repair and make up for the damage caused by the burning and lotting.
I can see it now....
"The power will take another week to restore due to the downing of 2 towers" and prices will increase........PASS THE BILL TO THE CONSUMERS.
WHO WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THE DESTRUCTION ???
WAY TO GO......
From: United States
can you say " misdirected energy"? more often than not, these people do more harm to themselves than to the people with whom they have a beef. they tear down the equipment which serves their own neighborhood, to protest the deficiencies of the power providers. meanwhile, they remain in darkness, while the principals of the company they despise are watching their big screen TV in air conditioned comfort!
From: United States
can you say " misdirected energy"? more often than not, these people do more harm to themselves than to the people with whom they have a beef. they tear down the equipment which serves their own neighborhood, to protest the deficiencies of the power providers. meanwhile, they remain in darkness, while the principals of the company they despise are watching their big screen TV in air conditioned comfort!
Written by: Jander, 16 Aug 2008 7:17 PM
From: Dominican Republic
If you keep the lights off, then more people are going to be out spending money at the colmados , Cine, Cabana's , Shopping centers etc. It appears to be an economic stimulus. If you keep the lights out students can't study so that keeps the population ignorant.
See it is all part of the Bizzaro World Theory or well thought out Conspiracy theory perhaps?
Knock all the powelines down what the hell it's good for the economy..
From: United States
Pent up frustration .. it can lead to a lot of foolishness .. including jumping into a leaky "YOLA" and heading out across shark infested waters .. straight into the arms of awaiting US Coast Guard cutters .. I don't know which one is worse.
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
Jander By jove I think you have it ....the explanation ....Bizzaro World it is brilliant
From: United States
Leo: Santiago, DR
What a bunch of morons -- let's down the towers that facilitate the the little bit of power we do get -- whew!! That makes allot of sense. Pay the bill and stop stealing the electricity and see how things improve. At some point we Dominicans have to realize that not all services in life are free. Skip a "pequena" everyday, and drink one less Brugal on a weekly basis and you'll see how the money for the electric bill accumulates. I love the country of my roots but these idiots just make me crazy.
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
You see sang it is as simple as skipping those 8 jumbos every day and you will have light
From: United States
montesino, i am sad that i have to agree with you. unfortunately, such behavior presupposes a sense of personal responsibility, which was never allowed to ingrain itself within the spirit of the common man. because of decades of strong man, father figure, leaders, the populace sees life as something outside their control, and sees themselves as the wards of the state. so, if they eschew buying a headlight bulb for their motorcycle, and use that money for one more jumbo cerveza, paternal providence will protect them from calamity. why do you think that one of the most overused phrases in the vernacular is "si Dios quiere"?
From: United States
8 jumbos? 8 jumbos is "barley" enough for a quick gargle .. I need at least 12 jumbos to wake up for DESAYUNO .. 12 jumbos for DESAYUNO .. 12 jumbos for La COMIDA .. 12 jumbos for SENA .. without ME .. there would be no PRESIDENTE BEER COMPANY.
From: United States
Dreadlocks,
Appreciate your concurence -- while I generally post very little, I read a great deal of what is posted here and recognize what a tough crowd this can be. With respect to the issue of personal responsibility you touched on -- that's just it: why have we lost such a phenomenal trait? My grandparents had it, my parents had it, I have it. I'm from the most remote campos of campos, did not have a pair of regular daily shoes till I was 10, which also coincides with about the time I realized that electricity was something that could be obtained by paying for it. And while I may have been born a fool, I'm certainly not foolish enough to think that I'm going to get electricity service, or any other service for that matter, without paying for it. We have got to get our people to understand the critical nature of making choices between needs and wants -- and the impact that such choices will have on collective society in General. In my lifetime I dream of a DR without apagones
From: United States
montesino, not only are you not a fool, you are posting extremely sane viewpoints. the zeitgeist of the country is set by the leadership, especially in a state with paternalistic overtones. the most critical need for people in a society in which people do not take personal ownership of their life issues is "a good example". when you are some poor guy from San Jose De Ocoa, and you witness the daily theft of the national treasure by the people who can give you orders and materially affect your life, then you get the idea that stealing is acceptable, too. if they do it, without adverse consequences, why shouldn't you?
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
dread this is the reason you seldom see intermarriage with Dominicans and Jamaicans
From: United States
Dreadlocks,
Trust me, I understand wholeheartedly the ills of excess corruption that plague our government officials, appointees, politicos, law enforcement, military personnel, and a host of others in positions of authority -- and that's an altogether different issue that must also be addressed in a very firm and unyielding way. There what we have is a huge problem related to a lack of professional ethics, accountability, and conscience. An acquaintance of mine that comes from politically gained wealth summarizes it this way: "in the DR it is considered dishonorable (deshonroso) to be put in a position of authority and leave that position poor." Can you fathom this way of thinking? Fixing the electricity problem is going to be a cake walk when compared to repairing such a line of thinking.
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
montesino I am afraid you are correct it is sad for the general populace that have no future for this very reason ...these are also the people who scream the loudest " I am not a thief " when they are cornered with the ill gotten gains in their mittens
From: United States
what might that reason be, Goulet?
From: United States Virgin Islands, Christiansted.from the bar at the Comanche
"they are afraid the children will be to lazy to steal.".....Dread the islands are interchangeable and I could not miss an opportunity to tell that joke
From: United States
montesino, sadly, it is not only the politicos who believe it is dishonorable to be in politics and not steal. the people also believe that any politician who leaves politics without having stolen everything but the kitchen sink, is a fool. until that kind of thinking is eradicated from the national mindset, the only way to go is downwards.the world of today is not what it used to be. even giants and conquerors like the USA are struggling to survive. what do you think is going to happen to the little guy when the world's economic fortunes go into the tank?
From: United States
Goulet, you are incorrigible. but then again, a little humor doesn't hurt sometimes, as in your case.
From: United States
Dreadlocks,
Our only hope is that corrupt government officials monitor the point of views expressed in pages similar to this one and put out some sort of unofficial decree that goes as follows: "cono, vamo a tenei que dejar de robar un poco, poique eta jente se ta dando cuenta de lo mucho que tamo robando." Wishful thinking, I know.
From: United States
montesino, that goes beyond wishful thinking. sometimes, i believe that stealing is a badge of honor with these guys, something they accomplish with pride. it is like a game, wherein the guy who steals the most wins.
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CItizens pay for a service which is never delivered. That is stealing! What an easy way to get rich!
l
We ALL know what is surfacing here.
The people are not only frustrated, but are VERY ANGRY, and to the point of EXPLODING into MASS HYSTERIA over a situation that has gone on for far too long.
If Leonel has ANY sense of decency and if he has ANY INTEGRITY of CHARACTER left, he waill move to solve this problem very rapidly, else he find himself (and his cronies) hiding from the general public for the next few years.
The whole situation of the greedy political parties is rapidly coming to a head, and it would appear that the public is becoming more and more disenchanted with one in whom they placed their trust to find and impliment the numerous solutions to the problems facing this country.
Leonel has tremendous power in this country. Now, if only he would exercise that power (and also demend that his political infrastructure do the same) for the common good, the country would rapidly recover and move forward into a better social order.
TB
Those in government who know history will understand and get their collective asses moving, if not then they to will be consigned to the garbage heap of broken trust and dreams. The president bears full responsibility and thus far he has DONE NOTHING but make NICE SPEECHES, well MR PRESIDENT, Speech TIME IS OVER and so will be your presidency. MR PRESIDENT FIX THIS DAM PROBLEM.
You have made sure that the RICH AND FAMOUS have power, So what about the millions of other Dominicans of modest means, You have ignored them and NOW they will IGNORE YOU.
Should the leaders fail to honestly address this issue and continue to MOON WALK around it, there will be revolution in Dominican Republic, sooner than you think.
You have just verified what I have been saying all along; HISTORY is the key to understanding!
Evidently, the present day politicians believe themselves to be immune to thewill of those whom they are supposed to serve.
Tell me WHICH Latin American Country has NOT had a REVOLUTION because of the BASIC ARROGANCE of their former/present leaders?
In all of those revolutions, the root cause was the greed and avarice of the politicians who were so self-centered and egotistical that they thought themselves above the common decency and laws of the land.
I'm not sure that this government has ANY idea of just how much they and their policies are out of touch with the common people.
Arrogance does strange things to those in power, leading them to believe they are omnipotent.
TB
I'm not backing down on any of my previous assessments of the government, I have to say that the arrogance isn't confined to just the politicians; it seems to permiate the entire society and is attenuated by the "machismo" attitude of far too many in Latin America. That attitude has evidenced itself in the mass murders so recently reported in the Latin Press.
We are all guilty of haveing a degree of arrogance in our expressions on this board, myself included. But, I would hope that we have used it to emphasize the importance of thesubjects being discussed and in the solutions being identified as possibilities of immediate application.
In reference to the comment aI made about the President of Georgia, I would refer all of you who are interested to CNN's Beck and his reference, today, to a recent interview with that person.
TB
What they all fail to realize is that there are those of us in society that have been exposed to this modus operendi very frequently in the past and are impervious to it's current effects on our ability to "seperate the wheat from the chaff", so to speak.
Evidently, they have all read "The Prince" and area trying to immulate the author, however ineptly. That publication must be their "Bible' instead of the one we all hold in reverence.
I just couldn't resist that snide remark, it was just too relevant.
We can only hope these idiots have gotten the "wake up !" call from society.
TB
I can see it now....
Local businesses raise food and product prices in order to repair and make up for the damage caused by the burning and lotting.
I can see it now....
"The power will take another week to restore due to the downing of 2 towers" and prices will increase........PASS THE BILL TO THE CONSUMERS.
WHO WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THE DESTRUCTION ???
WAY TO GO......
See it is all part of the Bizzaro World Theory or well thought out Conspiracy theory perhaps?
Knock all the powelines down what the hell it's good for the economy..
What a bunch of morons -- let's down the towers that facilitate the the little bit of power we do get -- whew!! That makes allot of sense. Pay the bill and stop stealing the electricity and see how things improve. At some point we Dominicans have to realize that not all services in life are free. Skip a "pequena" everyday, and drink one less Brugal on a weekly basis and you'll see how the money for the electric bill accumulates. I love the country of my roots but these idiots just make me crazy.
Appreciate your concurence -- while I generally post very little, I read a great deal of what is posted here and recognize what a tough crowd this can be. With respect to the issue of personal responsibility you touched on -- that's just it: why have we lost such a phenomenal trait? My grandparents had it, my parents had it, I have it. I'm from the most remote campos of campos, did not have a pair of regular daily shoes till I was 10, which also coincides with about the time I realized that electricity was something that could be obtained by paying for it. And while I may have been born a fool, I'm certainly not foolish enough to think that I'm going to get electricity service, or any other service for that matter, without paying for it. We have got to get our people to understand the critical nature of making choices between needs and wants -- and the impact that such choices will have on collective society in General. In my lifetime I dream of a DR without apagones
Trust me, I understand wholeheartedly the ills of excess corruption that plague our government officials, appointees, politicos, law enforcement, military personnel, and a host of others in positions of authority -- and that's an altogether different issue that must also be addressed in a very firm and unyielding way. There what we have is a huge problem related to a lack of professional ethics, accountability, and conscience. An acquaintance of mine that comes from politically gained wealth summarizes it this way: "in the DR it is considered dishonorable (deshonroso) to be put in a position of authority and leave that position poor." Can you fathom this way of thinking? Fixing the electricity problem is going to be a cake walk when compared to repairing such a line of thinking.
Our only hope is that corrupt government officials monitor the point of views expressed in pages similar to this one and put out some sort of unofficial decree that goes as follows: "cono, vamo a tenei que dejar de robar un poco, poique eta jente se ta dando cuenta de lo mucho que tamo robando." Wishful thinking, I know.