Chapter 23: HANDS OFF VENEZUELA.

I write this in solidarity with the people of Venezuela. I applaud their brave resistance to the Empire, and I call on all who are reading to do the same. We may not be old enough to remember the occupations of our homelands, but we should always be brave enough to let our voices heard on the suffering of our fellow people. NO MORE COLONIALISM. NO MORE EMPIRE.

I interrupt my regularly scheduled programme to bring you this special bulletin. In one of the more audacious and openly brazen coup attempts, the United States is once again attempting to subvert a democratically elected government in the Latin American country of Venezuela.

The United States has a long history of violence and oppression in South and Latin America. Ever since the time of the Monroe Doctrine (coined by American President James Monroe), they set about a policy of installing puppet governments friendly to US capital. They see this area as a “sphere of influence” and crucial to their world domination. It is often immorally referred to as “America’s backyard”. The local area of colonisation.

The history of US subjugation of the Americas began in 1846 when they occupied Mexico and stole large swathes of land. This land now forms modern day California, Texas & New Mexico. All through the 20th century to date, they funded right-wing death squads and overthrew democratic governments in:

Chile (Salvador Allende), Brazil (João Goulart), El Salvador (Carlos Romero), Guatemala (Jacobo Árbenz), Honduras (Manuel Zelaya) but to name a few.

On the 23rd of January 2019, after several attempts to crush the people of Venezuela throwing punishing sanctions that even the UN (not exactly a leftie institution) ruled to be illegal, the US decided to “recognise” the leader of the Venezuelan assembly as the legitimate President. This was despite him not even running in the elections and 81% of the people not even knowing who he is. Unsurprisingly, this brazen act of colonialism and aggression is being cheered on by the media who are somehow pretending this is because of some love for human rights or some other self serving reasons.

The United States has long had Venezuela in its crosshairs. As the country with the LARGEST oil reserves IN THE WORLD, it has been under constant attack by the greedy capitalists waiting in the wings for a friendly puppet government. They tried numerous times to unseat Chavez and even were temporarily successful in their 2002 coup attempt. They installed a puppet, Pedro Carmona to replace him. But evidently, he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box as he immediately started to attempt to implement harsh austerity unpopular with the people and more importantly the army who subsequently kicked him out and restored Chavez.

From the inception of humanity, coups have been for one of two reason; financial and “the threat of a good example”. In Venezuela’s case, this seems to be both. Cuba & Haiti is an example of coups purely for the latter. The idea that the people of Venezuela should control and enjoy the resources of their country is something the West cannot abide. To them, foreign capitalists and investors should be the beneficiaries of a country’s wealth.

It’s amazing how they tell us that Trump is so awful and crazy yet when he does imperialism it’s the one time they agree with him. His judgement seems to be right on that. Anyone with half a brain knows these white people don’t care about human rights or any such moral ideals. This is a vapid, disgusting and immoral coup happening before our very eyes. After attempting to starve the people to death, “making the economy scream”, a direct quote from Nixon about Chile, they now pretend to care about them by imposing upon them someone they never voted for? Just decreeing it because by right they own the world?

The irony should also not be lost on us that the same people who have decried Russia’s “malign” behaviour and “interference” (whatever that means) are now doing the exact same thing so openly. The Emperor indeed has no clothes.

When we learnt of brazen colonialism as young children, many of us, especially ones from occupied and plundered countries felt a sense of anger and confusion. We ignorantly thought this didn’t happen anyone. Sadly, it does and it’s happening before our very eyes. If we are to make such criminality toxic to the overlords that rule us, we have to send a clear message that this has no place in a civilised society and that there is no peace under occupation. The time for any type of colonialism, direct or indirect has passed.