Friday, February 08, 2019

Venezuela and us


The rapidity with which Prime Minister Trudeau recognized Juan Guaido as the new president of Venezuela left me breathless.  Wow.  Talk about shooting first and asking questions afterward.  Was there any public discussion of this, or even any warning?  If there was, I missed it.  How could our Prime Minster recognize a minor member of the Venezuelan government (Juan Guaido) as the real president of  Venezuela when there was already a democratically elected president (Nicolas Maduro).  Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said earlier this month that the recent presidential election that gave Maduro another six year term was fraudulent and anti-democratic. 


On what grounds could she claim this?  Only that on the urging of Juan Guaido and other opposition parties before the election was even held that all opposition parties and citizens in general should boycott the presidential election so their votes wouldn’t be cast or counted.  As they did not participate in the election they could now claim fraud. And they have. What jerks they are.  What twisted reasoning.  And our Prime Minister couldn’t wait even a day to cast our fortunes with those of the nation he so admires…the good ole USA.  And how did Canada get to be the junior partner of the Trump Administration’s desire to swallow the rest of the world by threats and boycotts and tariffs and bombs? What makes Justin Trudeau and his cabinet think that Canadians must do what the neocons in Trump’s cabinet say, or be dammed to crippling tariffs and starvation boycotts as they are now doing to Venezuela?  And have done to many other countries?  Are we whipped puppies who cower before even an order is given because we know so well what is wanted by the exceptional nation?

 

How can we condone throwing our support behind a violent coup of a sovereign nation, any sovereign nation, by another country or group of countries in order to remove a democratically elected head of state?   What if down the road the US decided that their neocon neoliberal government is more in step with the Conservative Party of Canada than to our Liberal one?  And more in common with say, Doug Ford, than Justin Trudeau with his odd and sinful notions on LGBQ equality.   And then let it be leaked to Mr. Ford that the warmongers on our borders are very interested in elevating him to the status of Prime Minister as they are sick of Mr. Trudeau. They would let it be known that they were very interested in coming to Canada to manage our oil supply.  And water supply.  Who would stop them?  Who could stop them?  Certainly not Canadians.  We have already accepted the proposition that it is good and right for the US to invade and manage any sovereign nation’s resources.  There would be no marshalling of Canadian forces to object.  And why would we?  We don’t seem to have the feeling for our country this would take and we may as well be Americans.