I know a few years ago there were daily street protests going on with basically "full time" protestors and one or two people dying semi-regularly with essentially no news on it in the US. Have those protests continued as a regular thing through the recent past, if anybody knows? The way it was portrayed to me seemed like basicaly "1968 DNC Chicago protest/Kent State Massacre" seven days a week for months on end and very limited coverage in the US.
Oh, well I tried. Sorry Hillary probably will not run, but Biden might yet run. No big thing to you that a couple of million new houses replaced shack of tin and card board. Millions learned to read etc. before oil prices collapsed. Long for the oligarchical paradise that existed before Chavez. Support a prolonged civil war to reinstitute the old guard. BTW ever wonder why the US is acting like they want to send humanitarian aid to the Venezuela now but favored embargoes and economic sabotage. I assume you have been proclaiming the need for humanitarian aid every since oil crashed. Frankly you are not to blame. All of your mainstream sources have formed you.
Is it maybe, potentially possible that Venezuela is NOT facing a simple binary of choosing between an exploitative right-wing junta and an incompetent left-wing dictator?
Well, yes. Moderate conservatives have tried to negotiate with the government. The guy who has proclaimed himself president does not come from that faction. Talking about binary (ism) Another problem is that many powerful folks in the US political establishment have preached pretend that we as Americans have only have two choices: 1) You can have nice things like healthcare for all, tutition free college, higher minimum wages etc or you can have Stalinism without freedom of speech etc. or 2) you can have those nice things, but be dirt poor like N. Korea. The most threatening thing to powerful folks is for Americans to see what goes on in say Sweden or to see Venezuela have a twentieth century form of socialism. They would prefer a brutal left wing dictatorship and poverty in Venezuela to a left wing social democracy which might inspire other countries. As chance would have it , I actually talked with a Venezuelan Spanish interpreter today for about 5 minutes. He is against Maduro, but admitted that Chavez initially stood for some good change and that it would have been the easiest thing for him to actually have been a dictator if he wanted to be. Chavez was very popular with the people and with the army from which he had come as an officer. The NYT and the American media is giving the public the same constricted coverage that led to the Iraq War or American acquiescence to a century of oppressing Latin America..
You can get free college right now by agreeing to spend a number of years in service (in this case, I'm thinking about the ROTC). I have heard of other cases where more rural communities have paid for a student to attend medical school in return for a commitment to return to the community and practice there. I have also seen a lot of people graduate from college after spending 4-6 years obtaining their degrees and being essentially unemployable in their chosen fields. Except for the experience, the investment was wasted. Would you be in favor of a program that provided free college for those who were willing to agree to provide service for a period of time (in one form or another -- not military) in return? Or do you believe everyone deserves a 4 to 6 year post high-school break, no matter the effort level, no matter the results and think others should pay for it even if the recipient simply has his/her own self-interest in mind?
Are you really carping for .A totalitarian leadership who have stolen a lot of the oil wealth? I mean why are all of the people protesting if everything is honey and roses?
No, you supported a corrupt government because you desperately wanted to ignore the endless warning signs that everyone but you could see. Now, you're stuck between admitting you were completely wrong and admitting that this government has been a total failure and destroyed the lives of an entire country. So you're lashing out and blaming everyone else to avoid accepting that your entire worldview might just not hold up the way you think it could. You're literally acting like Trump does on a daily basis. Yes, you can do all sorts of great things when you spend fake money that you know won't last and don't worry at all about the consequences of when the bill comes due. I don't disagree with that at all.
The EU Parliament has recognized him: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...as-venezuelan-interim-president-idUSKCN1PP1HQ I know lots of history. And non-intervention has led to the deaths of millions as well. Millions of people die lots of different ways due to government actions, unfortunately - that's been the reality of world history. This is ... stupid. Read about Rwanda. If you still support non-intervention, then it's an admittance that you agree with genocide. See how stupid dumb statements like this are? If a brutal government destroys its own people, I hope the US will always stand against that - it's what made the US the world's beacon of hope for the last century. And when the US intervenes to support a brutal government, I hope our people stand against our government in that regard - that's what makes for a great democracy. But our many mistakes does not mean I think the world's most powerful and influential country should stand by and simply do nothing while tens of millions starve and suffer due to corrupt leaders.
Do nothing and military intervention are two opposite sides of the spectrum. Yeah great beacon of hope. Like how the CIA almost murdered our prime minister because they didn't like him being a socialist, right? Like how the americans supported financially and politically the dictators and generals abolishing democracy, and running tanks over university students, torturing everyone who was a communist or socialist with pulling out their nails and having them sit in ice columns, and exiling them into islets to die under the sun from starvation. We know better what is best for you, right? We will save you from communism even if it kills you! That is for your own good. Good thing we had the american people protesting against their government. Oh wait, it didn't happen.
I'm hoping that military intervention is not in the cards for the US, that the Venezuelan military will ignore their corrupted high command and move over to the side of democracy and the legally elected government. Not the charade Maduro has put on. If military intervention does occur, however, it should be by Latin American countries, with the US providing logistical support, transportation, funds, etc., and not combat troops, in my opinion. Glynch is wrong about a whole bunch of things relating to Venezuela, but he's right about our terrible history of intervention in the region.
@glynch. I don't know a lot about Venezuela. I'll preface with that. But the Bolivarian Revolution is 20 years old now. I understand a little about the fear of what will happen if the conservatives come back. And I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater re the advances Chavez had brought. But, I don't think one can go home again. No matter what happens with the government now -- and who knows it might be bad -- they can't simply go back to the old days as if Chavez never happened. I agree with you (and glynch by extension) that our history of intervention is not something we should want to revisit. I like that the Trump Admin is recognizing the Gaido government. I even like them handing control of Venezuela's American assets to the government they recognized. I don't like that its slinging veiled threats of intervention. If Columbia or Brazil or other neighbor (or better yet, a consortium) intervene, okay. I'd really prefer it was all Venezuelan. We really should not be involved in that level at all. I would even say logistical support, financial support, transport are too much as well. We can't have our fingerprints on it at all. The one exception -- we need to keep the Russians and the Chinese out of our hemisphere. No Russian advisors for Maduro, no Russian equipment or logistical support.
Just don't give Valero gas stations your money. Shop elsewhere. I say no to invading. War isn't the answer.
I like Guadio. The Venezuelan people want that change then they deserve it. But the U.S needs to keep its dirty paws out of Latin America.
Guadio was NEVER nominated as the president. This coupe that the the government is attempting to do is just funny. As someone who has real estate in colombia i can promise you that no venezulean wants to see us boots on the streets. If you ask most locals there they hate americans and do not trust us. Muduro was chavez right hand man and the locals there knew what they were getting themselves into. They signed up for this and let them ride it out. On a semi related note, I dont think theres a better country to invest in right now then venezuela. You can find some sweet beach houses on magharita island for literally pennys right now.
You sound like you get your news from american media. Go to South America and see first hand how much the usa is loved. Let them clean up their own mess. Venezuela is a failed state and needs to hit the reset button itself. We have absolutely no business sticking our noses in a country that we arent liked in
