From Chavecito’s procession to his final resting place today, a little clip that should melt all but the hearts of the oppos (yeah, I know…WHAT hearts?):
A little dog decided to run alongside the funeral cortège transporting Chavecito’s coffin to the Cuartel de la Montaña. Venezuelan tweeters promptly noticed the parallel to another fallen hero of the nation:
The dog who spontaneously accompanied the funeral cortège of President, Comandante Hugo Chávez, was adopted by the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB).
The dog joined the march that spanned more than 12 kilometres of the streets of Caracas, and kept going until it reached the Cuartel de la Montaña, the resting place of the Maximo Leader of the Bolivarian Revolution.
The social networks immediately took note of the canine feat:
@Josealejandropg: That dog who accompanied Hugo Chávez’s coffin is loyal to his eternal friend.
@gjsg: Just like Bolívar, Chávez was accompanied by a dog.
@moramaldonado: The little dog who accompanied the President and was adopted by the GNB should be called Nevado [Snowy], like Bolívar’s pooch.
@RemlawiEnrique: A little white dog with black markings accompanied the funeral caravan of President Chávez from the moment it came out on the highway! #Curious
@WillmarAlvarez: Even a dog accompanied CHAVEZ on his final journey! #HastaSiempreComandante
@angelyessy: The doggie who accompanied Pres. Hugo Chávez to the February 4 Barracks was adopted by the GNB.
Translation mine.
BTW, Chavecito’s final resting place is truly lovely. Here’s a picture of it:
And here’s the story:
The Comandante, Hugo Chávez, now rests in the Cuartel de la Montaña, where he will remain atop the Flower of the Four Elements, as supreme leader of the Bolivarian Revolution.
The flower represents the rebirth of the new homeland, which Chávez forged with Bolivarian dreams as insignia. The eternal flame, which will burn alongside the monument, designed by the architect Fruto Vivas, is a symbol of the intensity of the immortal ideals of the Comandante.
The Father of the Nation, Simón Bolívar, will stand guard over the resting place of the socialist leader. To the left, Simón Rodríguez will accompany him, and on his right, the general of the people, Ezequiel Zamora, as representation of the Tree of the the Three Roots, which Chávez set forth as the ideological foundation of the Revolution.
In tribute, the officials who accompanied Chávez in the historic uprising of February 4, 1992, also carried him to the place constructed for his eternal rest. One of them took the flag that had covered the leader’s casket, and handed it to the acting president, Nicolás Maduro, with the following words:
“I give you this flag of our nation today, full of people, made up of people, dignified and sovereign, the tricolor we carried 21 years ago, on February 4, with our Commander in Chief forever, Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, to dignify a people.”
Maduro replied: “This tricolor revived, vindicated, returned to the people once more this Comandante, redeemer of the new homeland. Each one of you is a Comandante Chávez. In every second that we live, let us assume him thus, and let us educate the cadets to come, the young people to come, with the values of our Comandante Chávez, his morals and his love.”
The historic flag ended up in the hands of Doña Elena Frías, mother of the immortal president, who was elected four times by the majority of Venezuelans and ratified in his powers by referendum, recognized as a figure of inspiration for millions around the world who believe in the viability of a system more just for the majorities, and more harmonious with the preservation of the planet.
Translation mine.
By the way, it appears that Chavecito will not be embalmed and placed in a glass casket in the National Pantheon, as was initially suggested. Information minister Ernesto Villegas announced as much today. It turns out that the process that would have preserved him in a displayable state like Lenin would have taken 7 or 8 months (!), and would have required the transportation of his body to Russia for that time. Not good in the event that he might need to be exhumed if there is a public inquiry into the causes of his death. And not a very desirable circumstance for a people that don’t want to part with him ever again.
PS: Here’s a slightly longer version of the video, in which we see the dog, running in and out of the motorcade:
And here’s another. The dog appears at approximately 1:30 minutes in:
Note the crowded streets and all the cheering as the motorcade goes by. Quite the outpouring of love for a so-called “strongman” and “dictator”!
And the same dog, it appears, later got to ride with one of the officers in the motorcycle contingent:
He’s in good hands now. And there’s no doubt he’ll receive lots of love from the loyal soldiers of the national guard, too.
