Friends, usually Saturday is a slow news day. Well, not today! The U.S. military has executed a precision raid on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's compound, spiriting him and his wife away to face justice here. Meanwhile, President Trump has declared that the U.S. will "run" Venezuela until such time as a proper transition can be assured, presumably meaning free and fair elections and an end to gangster socialism. Wow! My first thought is that the leaders of Iran, Denmark, and possibly New York City must be saying to themselves, "Oh, crap! This guy means business." Indeed he does! My second thought is that I am very happy for the long-suffering people of Venezuela, many of whom no longer live in Venezuela, because Maduro has wrecked it. My third thought, however, is that our nation-building exercises in Iraq and Afghanistan began with similar bravado, and ended on much more somber notes, so we should be careful about "running" any foreign country, especially against the will of a large fraction of its inhabitants. I would hope the "transition" that Trump discussed will be measured in months, not years. That would be prudent. In the meantime, let's make the Americas Great Again!!! Woo hoo!
Dr. Waddy from Jack: The antiAmerican far left, regimented as it is on typically totalitarian lines (I mean, all those perfectly orchestrated parades we've seen in commie hellholes were not because their regimes are dearly loved); that reflexively insidious rump in our democratic civilization , is, characteristically, shaming itself beyond measure with rehearsed spontaneous castigation of our President's leadership in this yet another American blow against inhumanity.
ReplyDeleteThis old world is still a hard, hard place. Great powers have always obtained and always will.Perfection in humanity is unobtainable and any attempted imposition of it on credulous unfortunates is conclusively proven catastrophic. But the world has never been as fortunate as it is to have America as its dominant power. America's often repeated record of deliverance of terribly oppressed peoples is historically unprecedented. It has been reaffirmed even twice this year: first when we defanged the viciously antisemitic Iranian regime. And it is again now , when we have done what was necessary , yes, to alleviate our wrongs at the hands of a murderous thug but , not of only incidental credit for America too, of transcendent justice for a people terribly plagued by Marxist established and heartlessly prolonged oppression. Maduro, who probably cannot define the word Marxism and much of anything else except mucho dinero and its infinite sensual delights, nevertheless cynically employed the organs and institutions of absolutely typical marxist tyranny set by his predecessor , Comrade Chavez. And using them he ran a really keen game for himself and his beneficiaries, including China, Russia and Iran.
Well gee, the U.S. , led by the best President I've seen since Presidents Eisenhower and Reagan has just blown up his game! And perversely so. He used FORCE to do it even when he was facing unapologetic evil endorsed by our radical domestic "judges." Well! That means he and we are unforgivably imperfect and not up to the lofty and unreachable standards of the "American" far left. And their detestable reaction is fully to be expected.
Dr. Waddy , your concerns about what our ebullient President sometimes hazards in his predictions are well founded. The inauguration of an apparent strong supporter of Marxist Chavez as the new Venezuelan President is not promising for our intention to return that beleagured people to the vibrant economy of which they have proven themselves fully capable in their prosperous past. Of what may our "running" of Venezuela consist? We must hope and we have good reason to think it possible, that like this relatively limited military action, our stewardship will be brief and redound both to our favor, that of Venezuelans and a South America which may be experiencing a bloom of considerate and productive government. Oh my, the reestablishment of a thriving Venezuelan oil industry, with all the material well being it guarantees ,is anathema to our now scalded climate addled far left. De nada! Let them stew!
". . . rehearsed 'spontaneous ' castigation . . . ' rather. Jack
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: It always disgusts me when "American" far leftists condemn our use of military or police force. History proves their exemplars to have been fully willing to use force in any foreign adventure they pleased and domestically to use a police force radically different from our lawful public servants to regiment "the people". They have forfeited all moral authority and can rely only on deception and coercion to advance their effete agenda.
ReplyDeleteJack, you are quite right that Democratic presidents have freely used force beyond our borders against anyone and everyone they found threatening or disagreeable. That, for better or worse, is "precedent", and thus President Trump is merely following where others have led. Now, to use force to capture Maduro may or may not be justifiable on humanitarian grounds, but surely it is as a form of self-defense, given the harm that "narcoterrorists" have done to American citizens.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know what talks are now taking place between the new Madame President of Venezuela and the Trump Administration. How this "transition" will take place, and what the role of U.S. forces in it will be, are burning questions that I want answers to.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I wasn't thinking of U.S. Presidents as exemplars for the far left in that respect but you make a good point.
ReplyDeleteNaturally the"American" far left spurns national defense of any kind, of their despised country, which this action surely was. Any country with backbone defends itself from invasion and Columbia, through Venezuela, and China have invaded us with deadly drugs (China ought to know about that; opium forced on them by the Brits was a key factor in China's terrible degradation in the 19th century, for which China retains intense and decisive resentment to this day). Those opposite countries have gotten used to spineless U.S. leadership; but our hombre President is disabusing them of this the only way it can be: with ACCION!
BTW , it can be argued that we invite the "importation" of destructive drugs by our failure to control drug abuse and that the "solution" is for us to accomplish domestically. That may be plausible but its OUR business and not foreigners' to profit by (again China knows this; they have never forgotten the shame of the advantage taken of their domestic dissolution by amoral and opportunistic aliens in their dreadful 1820 -1945 ordeal). And this President, instead of lamenting, and apologizing , kicks ass! Good for him and us.
The new dynamic now established between us and this significant S. American country will have to be carefully managed. Let's hope our Administration has learned from mistakes made in Afghanistan and Irag and successes worked in Panama and Grenada. The apparent renewed emphasis in our policy on the potential or actual use of our power to deny nations outside of the Western Hemisphere influence which threatens our national interests is very good. We have never renounced the Monroe Doctrine and we almost went to nuclear war in its spirit in 1962. That prescient measure has long worked to the advantage of the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere. Eg. the summary dispatch of seasoned Union troops to Texas just after our Civil War "persuaded" Napoleon III away from his haughty dreams of empire in the North American West through Mexico. His ambition might even have encouraged the Confederacy to continue its fight. No country with any common sense wanted to tangle with Union Army at that point and Americans were very happy to see just the threat of its use end the possibility of a prolonged war.
That of course brings up the Administration's suggestions of our attention being paid to Cuba. My understanding of present day Cuba is that their senescent leadership is not long for this earth and that Cubans have wearied of an economy which has them driving Edsals and '57 Chevys around. I mean , if you choose to , ok, but to have no choice? Russians had their fill of communism after 74 years. Cuba's ridiculous , counterproductive commie imposition has oppressed Cuba for 67 years.
Some commentary has been made to the effect that China and Russia may "express" displeasure at our action in Venezuela as a threat to their interests. Eg. Russia may find potential denial of Venezuelan oil to their effort against Ukraine to be objectionable. China may see obstruction of their increasing strategic influence in S. America. As long as DJT or JD are in the White House they had best be very wise.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Perhaps renewed American assertiveness in the Caribbean/ Gulf of America may inspire common sense , freedom loving Cubans to rise just as so many oppressed peoples in Russia and Eastern Europe did in the late 80s and early 90s.
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