Scary thoughts about Venezuela

Image: Simon Bolivar Statue in Washington DC


​Scary thoughts about Venezuela

Bolivarian freedom from Spain to domination by America with help from Canada. And quite possibly a stepping stone to war with Russia and China.

Washington doesn't mind a reminder in its backyard that Venezuela is Bolivarian (see image above). Freedom from Spain is great, but freedom from US interference will not be tolerated.

Canada, in the person of Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland is doing its part to see that democracy rules the roost in Venezuela, even though being ruled by democracy is a logical fallacy.

​Globe&Mail: Freeland spoke to Venezuelan opposition leader two weeks before he declared himself interim president, source says

• The Canadian embassy was closed Thursday over security concerns after Canada’s recognition of Mr. Guaido, a virtually unknown politician until he became opposition leader on Jan. 5.​

At least one notable Canadian workers' union thinks that having "a self-declared leader" is undemocratic:

CUPE Statement on the situation in Venezuela

• The Canadian government was one of the first governments in the world to declare support for Juan Guaidó. In doing so, they have chosen to side with a self-declared leader over President Nicolás Maduro, who was duly elected by the people of Venezuela. They have also chosen to side with Donald Trump and US foreign policy.

About CUPE:

• There are over 680,000 CUPE members in Canada, and that number is growing. Most of our members work in the public service. We have members working in municipalities, education, health care, social services, airlines, communications, and more.

Put that whole bunch out on the street in support of Maduro and Chavez's Bolivarian dream for Venezuela, and see how free and democratic Canada really is.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers - CUPW - has so far not taken a position on the Venezuelan coup. But, to its credit, it did support one of its employees who took part in the 2018 Freedom Flotilla on behalf of Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Canada's government is officially "deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating political and economic crisis in Venezuela and reaffirms its commitment to the promotion and protection of democracy and human rights".

One might think that an election might be a good way to protect human rights, but our government favours a coup instead. That should tell us something about the future of our own "democracy".

Canada's foreign minister will be hosting "The Lima Group" on Feb. 4 who will discuss (be instructed on?) supporting "the restoration of democracy in Venezuela".

That in no way would include the possibility of reinstating the duly-elected Maduro, so it's pretty much an outright misrepresentation of the group's stated intentions to restore democracy.

The Lima Group consists of:
Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru

Notice that The Lima Group does not include the ALBA states which are, in order of joining: Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Ecuador, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Grenada and the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

(Barbuda is in deep trouble at the moment as a result of a hurricane last year and the vultures that instantly swooped in: ‘Land grab’ on hurricane-hit Barbuda could leave the island almost entirely owned by banks.)

The underlining of certain states above indicates which consider themselves Bolivarian, although it's sad that the three in The Lima Group appear to have traded the domination of Spain for that of the US (and, in this case, its proxy, Canada). There has been immense pressure on Bolivia and everyone knows how long America has itched to get its hands on Cuba.

There is a rather long, but educational, article here about the history and trials of the Chavez years that includes a worrisome paragraph on one way that the US could control Venezuela:

• Destabilizing and militarizing the Colombia-Venezuela border cannot be ruled out, with Plan Colombia and paramilitaries being the vehicles to do so.

Right now Colombia is taking the brunt of the sanctions that were placed on the Maduro government, making it impossible for him to continue to meet the needs of the people. Nobody in power in the so-called "free world" actually cares about the poor; they are pawns in the power game.

As early as last August, the Venezuelan poor were pouring into Colombia, hoping to use it as a pathway to places like Ecuador where they might find jobs.

It's the wealthy Venezuelans who want American intervention. Chavez prevented them from ruling the roost and becoming even richer at the expense of their fellow humans in the barrios. Maduro certainly couldn't do anything right as long as he could be accused of seeking assistance from entities that the US and Israel have characterized as wicked and won't tolerate.

Sympathy for the poor is vocalized all over the place, but the greater their plight the more the advantage for the US in its cynical game called Democracy.

Note that Colombia has joined The Lima Group and the fact that Canada is the only non-South American entity in that group suggests a Chrystia Freeland-Soros endeavour on behalf of the US to accompany the rumours of war with China and Russia.

All that an outright war ever takes is a focal point of some sort, a little spot on the map where "democracy" is deemed not to be served, and therefore menaces "democracy" everywhere.

Some say the US can't win against Russia and China. But top members of the military are making the case that it can. Apparently, all that's needed is yet another increase in military spending. Well, that's always the aim of the military/industrial complex that Eisenhower warned against, isn't it?

Already there are media rumblings of a direct Russian response:

GlobalNews:  Mysterious Nordwind Airlines plane returns to Russia from Venezuela

• A Nordwind Airlines passenger plane returned to Russia on Thursday after it fueled intrigue in Venezuela after being spotted at an airport amid a wave of anti-government unrest.

A video on Al Jazeera has Pompeo saying, "Pick a side".

AlJazeera has also weighed in with a video on the Russian/Venezuelan theme:
What Russia stands to lose in Venezuela

• As Washington intensifies its push to drive Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro from power, Russia's Vladimir Putin has vowed to support his Latin American "strategic partner" and warned of "catastrophic" consequences if the United States were to send military assistance to opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Chrystia Freeland, disguised as a Liberal, is the official Canadian rabble-rouser on behalf of the US (forget that Trump says he doesn't like her). Unlike forerunner Michael Ignatieff, who was too obvious as some sort of exotic, imported plant and consequently left us saddled with the Harper years and the glory of fighting for one's country, Freeland has taken over the job for which Ignatieff failed to achieve a mandate.

Ignatieff is just too obvious everywhere, it seems.

Iggy didn't have a Trudeau out in front to make Canadians think they were voting Liberal -- unlike Freeland, who was appointed as Foreign Minister (some say "Minister of Everything") to work behind the window dressing.

TheStar: How Chrystia Freeland became the (unofficial) deputy prime minister

• Over the past few weeks, Freeland appears to be everywhere — especially everywhere Trudeau is not.

There's a Canadian Society for the New Humanist Paradigm (SNHP) located in B.C. one of whose representatives has characterized Freeland as a "a neo-con war-mongerer".

So what do you think will be the ultimate upshot of the Lima Group's meeting?