“We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open ... no safe harbor, no easy exit, and no way out … you will lose everything.”
These are the words of Donald Trump, attempting to echo the harsh words of past presidents who have employed the likes of warmongers like John Bolton in what the New York Times suggests is Trump “... urging all military to permit aid into the country (Venezuela) advising them to accept the opposition's amnesty offer…”
My response to that is, “or what?”
What exactly does Donald Trump think he’s going to do? Invade a country that will be met with hellfire and brimstone? He, like John Bolton, and so many U.S. citizens live with the idea that our military might is all-powerful and can not be defeated. But despite all of our strength, we’ve had our asses handed to us on many levels during and since the Vietnam War.
Think about it. We’re now negotiating with the Taliban for a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan.
The Taliban.
The same Taliban that was once considered complicit for the 9/11 attacks by helping Osama Bin-Laden. The same Taliban who we were led to believe were one and the same as Al-Qaeda. The same Taliban that slaughters women and doesn’t allow girls to be educated. The very same Taliban that rules with an iron fist using their own brand of Sharia Law.
If you thought we didn’t negotiate with terrorists, you would oh so wrong. We have and still do negotiate with terrorists, dictators, and despots. And we already know how Donald Trump feels about people like this (hint: he wants to be one).
But I digress.
Here’s the thing. In Venezuela hyperinflation is insane. Yes, people are poor as the nation struggles. There are many needs in Venezuela. Too many to address in a Facebook post. Venezuelans would most certainly benefit from the aid that’s being offered. To what end though? Why now? Why not when we began to try and starve Venezuelans years ago?
What’s happening today is the culmination of years, decades of sanctions and blockades. Of tightening the noose because we didn’t like their brand of governance. Because it largely cut the United States off from all of Venezuela’s resources. And like the opiate-addicted U.S. is when it comes to resources, we were pissed at our dealer and couldn’t handle the withdrawals. So we began to wean off as the only nation still paying cash for their oil. Thus, crippling and slowly starving Venezuelans.
Sure, corruption is out of control in Venezuela and the consolidation of wealth is unimaginable. Until of course, the United States takes a look in the mirror. I mean, really. How different are we from them? How different is Trump from Maduro?
Truth is, we aren’t any different. NOT. AT. ALL.
The United States has millions of children that live in poverty and starve every single night. We have millions of homeless, many of them Veterans, that die in the streets from exposure, starvation, and poor health. Who the fuck do we think we are?
Now. NOW we have the gall to tell other nations how to act after we caused them so much harm? Are you fucking kidding me? Now U.S. citizens are looking to justify a war that will kill countless lives? How many did we kill in Iraq? In Afghanistan?
Half a million?
A million?
What about Vietnam? Yeah. Remember that piece of shit? Many of those soldiers died on our streets after the war too. Do you want to know what will happen if we went to war with Venezuela? We’ll topple the dictator in a matter of days. Maybe months. Then what? I’ll tell you. Sectarian violence. Civil War. Do you think Guaido is so innocent? News flash: he isn’t.
In many ways, he’s worse.
His appointment of several envoys, who were living in exile for terrorism, is quite telling in itself. His family being prosecuted for corruption after being assigned high ranking positions by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela’s nationalized oil company is also telling.
Then there are the “protestors” backed by him and his people. Murdering and lighting afire Black and Brown Venezuelans accused of being "Chavistas" or "thieves" by opposition militants in the streets to much laughter. All things the U.S. media conveniently ignores.
A war with Venezuela will prove ineffective. There are many factions, guerillas, terror groups, and militias in surrounding countries that would defend the country against imperialism at all costs. Whether they like Maduro or not, they hate U.S. interventionism even more. After all, it’s our brand of interventionism that led to the starving of many people in many Latin American countries throughout history.
No, Guaido is no better.
But he serves U.S. interests, so there is that.