Venezuela (updated)

Reflecting on the Recent Dramatic Developments...

{This is an update of my first post, which listed six reasons for this incursion. This now has ten (10). This formal emailing seems necessary as some people read the Substack email notices, but not the online version, which is the latest. Another reason to read these online is to see the insightful comments (e.g., here). Please make some!}

Like almost everyone else, I was surprised to wake up Saturday morning to find out that there was a US military engagement in Venezuela overnight.

I, like most Americans, am opposed to violence and wars, but the reality is that in rare cases, these are the lesser of evils. Since the mainstream media is unlikely to explain any possible justifications, I’ll speculate on a few.

To begin with, most of us know little about Venezuela. I found this article to be revealing: Facts about Venezuela. For example, one of these points out that Venezuela is about 1.5 times the size of Texas.

So what are some possible justifications for this incursion? (This is not a war any more than the US military incursion on Iran’s nuclear facilities was.)

1 - We are good to our word. For months, the US has sent Leftist Venezuelan leader Maduro (a former bus driver!) a wide variety of messages and diplomatic warnings. He did not appear to take these seriously. If similar messages are now sent to other country leaders (e.g., most recently Iran), there is a good chance that they will be taken much more seriously. If so, future conflicts could be reduced.

2 - Trump is concerned about the impact that Venezuelan criminal gangs are having on the health, safety, and welfare of US citizens. It’s one thing if their criminality stays within their borders, but quite another when it has adverse, lethal consequences to Americans. This action will likely save the lives of many, including US citizens.

3 - Trump is concerned about our neighborhood. There are considerable indications that Venezuela is sanctioning criminal gangs. Trump is concerned that if this goes unchecked, this disease will likely spread to other countries in the Americas. That is not in our interest (or anyone else’s). The thinking might be: the sooner this is stopped, the easier it will be to do it.

4 - Help regarding immigration. A large number of immigrants to the US over the last few years came from Venezuela. These people had good reason to flee the deplorable conditions there. By removing Maduro, the hope is for Venezuela to get back on track, so that fewer citizens will want to leave, and many who have already left will want to return to their homeland.

5 - To restore democracy to the Venezuelian people. They are now under a dictator, which is not what they have wanted or deserve. These poor people were inflicted with an “average inflation rate of 3527% from 1973 until 2025!”

6 - There is evidence that China and Russia are effectively running Venezuela. Looking the other way sends them a green light to take over other countries in the Americas. In a way, this appears to be somewhat akin to what happened in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Unfortunately, many people today (mostly younger folks) are unaware of many aspects of history.

7 - Rather than the US take on China directly, Venezuela is a proxy. China gets the message that Trump (unlike several prior Presidents) is not “all hat and no cattle.” This action may prove very valuable when China is deciding how far to push things with Taiwan, for example.

8 - This development will put a stop to China siphoning off oil from Venezuela. It was well documented that China was sending tankers to Venezuela. By doing this now the US avoided any possible unexpected consequences with Chinese oil tankers in some Venezuelan port.

9 - Capturing Maduro should have major benefits. He is likely going to be a treasure-trove of information on a wide variety of topics. He will likely spill the beans when he is threatened with severe prosecution, which he already is.

10-Venezuela has a disproportionate influence on elections in countries who use voting machines. This is a bit convoluted, but here is a sample story about some of the connections. Watching Lara Logan’s interview with Gary Bernsten is eye-opening…

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I’ll add other thoughts if and when they come to me. Note: I am not saying that I agree with these justifications, but just enumerating them.

Watch President Trump’s Press Conference Saturday morning.

We will resume our normal programming when this settles down a bit…

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