I ask that question because of what has been happening in that country for more than four days.
When night falls on Venezuela’s ghostly capital, an unnerving hush grips the streets of this once-bustling South American metropolis.
“You feel a profound silence all around you,” said Alejandro Guzmán, a 26-year-old lawyer and one of millions of Venezuelans left in the dark after their country was hit by an unprecedented blackout some believe could have dramatic implications for its political future. “It’s like a city of shadows.”
Which has added to the suffering of its people.
And when I look at this graph looks to me to have some of the characteristics of a cyber attack.
The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denies that the Pentagon is responsible.
But along with other members of the trump regime, he also claimed that Venezuelan security forces had torched this aid convoy on the Colombia Venezuela border last month.
And it now seems he was wrong.
The narrative seemed to fit Venezuela’s authoritarian rule: Security forces, on the order of President Nicolás Maduro, had torched a convoy of humanitarian aid as millions in his country were suffering from illness and hunger.
But there is a problem: The opposition itself, not Mr. Maduro’s men, appears to have set the cargo alight accidentally.
Unpublished footage obtained by The New York Times and previously released tapes — including footage released by the Colombian government, which has blamed Mr. Maduro for the fire — allowed for a reconstruction of the incident. It suggests that a Molotov cocktail thrown by an antigovernment protester was the most likely trigger for the blaze.
Which makes a neutral observer like me wonder once again whether the U.S. is just looking for an excuse to invade Venezuela.
And the blackout is just another weapon in its arsenal.
Even if that means further disrupting that country's shattered economy, and leaving even hospitals plunged into darkness.
With desperate doctors and nurses forced to operate ventilators by hand, with patients dying all around them.
There were unconfirmed reports that dozens of newborn babies had died in a hospital in the western city of Maracaibo as a result of the blackout. At least 13 patients were reported to have died in a hospital in the city of Maturín, 540km east of the capital.
Which if the blackout was deliberate would be a war crime, even if no war has been officially declared.
And should serve as a warning to the Canadian government:
Be careful what you say and do. Make providing food and medicines to Venezuela's stricken population a priority. Demand a peaceful solution.
Or we might find ourselves going down a very dark road, and regret it forever...
Trump wants a good-old-fashioned oil war to keep his ass in office. We've run out of desert countries in the Middle East to blow up, so have pivoted to South America. If there was no oil in South America he'd invade Alberta, and the rig pigs would welcome us as liberators. Al-Qaeda, Al-Berta, sounds like a religious fundamentalist terror group one way or the other, white? I mean, right?
ReplyDeleteThe Canadians just got sucked into it because the hosers in Yanquiland still control the hemisphere and will drag everything down in their last death throes. Trudeau isn't the type to fight a war to remain in office. If anything that would turn EVERYONE against him as that's pretty much a Harper tactic. And Trudeau is not Harper, no matter how much the "both sides are the same" fauxgressives make him out to be. Harper threw that kid Khadr to rot in Gitmo and the Cons yelled at Trudeau for settling his case out of court because they felt he deserved it. Now they want Trudeau to take his place, LOCK HIM UP LOCK HIM UP. But Trudeau "has no moral authority to govern." Gimme a break.
The one to really watch out for is the impending holy war between Israel and Iran, as Bibi gets desperate for something to save his own tuchus. Irrational American religious interests have been salivating for that for decades, and it looks like they're going to get it. Note also that Antipope Andy wants to move the Canadian embassy in Jerusalem to follow Trump. So fine, let him have the blood on his hands. Harper was Canadian Bush, if Andy's auditioning to be Canadian Trump or Canadian Pence, let him wear it and be stained with sin.
The planet has little time left anyway, and the stupid among us are only going to hasten the process of its demise. Justin should call up Marc Garneau and ask if he can hitch a ride to the moon on the Canadarm, because there's a dwindling amount of intelligent life here on Earth. I'd like a ticket too, for that matter. Beam me up and thanks for all the fish.
Hi Jackie...I agree that Trump would prefer a war with Iran, if only to try to save his crooked buddy Benny. And that would be an absolute catastrophe. But Venezuela with all its oil, and relatively small army must be a tempting target for Trump, especially with Mueller breathing down his neck. And while that might not start the Third World War, it would still be a catastrophe. And no I'm sorry you can't ride the Canadarm to the moon. I bought my ticket long before you did..,🚀
DeleteThank you for drawing attention to the suffering of the people of Venezuela. But unfortunately your words are wasted on Canadians. They don’t care about any country further south than Mexico.
ReplyDeleteYou could not be more wrong, Anon! Canadians don't give a shit about Mexico (as long as the resorts are still functional).
DeleteHi anon....I share your frustration. Canada has always had a tendency to ignore Latin America. But since we are now part of the so-called Lima group, Canadians can play a role in helping the Venezuelan people, and working for a peaceful resolution of the crisis...
DeleteSimon,
DeleteI'll break it to you gently.
Canada set up the Lima group because the OAS would not go along with condemnation of Maduro's Venezuela.
That's why the little Caribbean countries have not recognised Guaido, they formed the majority of the OAS.
They benefited from the largesse of Venezuela as did poor people in some cities in the US.
Canada was one of the first countries to recognise Guaido, a man unknown to most Venezuelan to most accounts.
The Canadian diplomats in Venezuela have been working to unseat first Chavez, and now Maduro, for years.
Paul Jay, ex CBC, has an interesting story on Canadian diplomats promoting Venezuelan opposition politicians, interfering in the internal affairs of another country, which is against the UN Charter.
Given the Venezuelan government's incompetence, probably very similar to our own and many other countries governments incompetence, coupled with low oil prices, which have also hammered Western Canada, the US has imposed incredible sanctions causing hardship for the Venezuelan people.
Now with the Special Envoy Elliot Abrams, pardoned liar to Congress and accessory to War Crimes in Nicaragua, Guatemala and other countries, leading the Venezuela coup attempt, with Chrystia Freeland aiding and abetting as Canada did in Ukraine, as well as Canada leading the charge in Libya under the Harper regime, Canada is associating with known war criminals and coup facilitators, against international law.
Is it Foreign Affairs mandarins wanting international, or US recognition for Canada, Glory?
Or is it corporate Canada pushing this?
80% of the world's mining companies are listed on Canadian stock exchanges.
Regardless of the party in government these companies want to exploit other countries riches.
While most of the rest of us are trying to pay our bills and enjoy our beautiful country, a cadre of Canadians are hard at work plotting how to aid and abet the US in another illegal regime change.
Even Irwin Cotler, the Canadian Allen Dershowitz, is in on the act, referring Maduro to the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Not a peep about Fridays in Gaza though.
What is the body count now?
I'd bet the next pension cheques the American murderers are behind the black outs. The Americans want that oil for themselves, so they don't have to worry if the middle east goes to war with itself.
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing that Canada is not only getting sucked into Venezuela, but that JT and Freeland have been actively pushing for a show-down with Maduro for years. Something to do with mining, not oil. I don't know how to confirm this first-hand though.
ReplyDeleteA, 5:13 p.m.
ReplyDeleteIf Rio Tinto is in Venezuela, then yes, it could be true. Rio Tinto is a Canadian mining company, the largest in the world. They may look semi respectable in Canada, but else where, not so much--allegedly.
Canada needs to stay out of it. We could play a better role as mediator or some such thing.
Trump might want to shut up also, because if Venezuela has a civil war, a million or more from Venezuela might want to move to the U.S.A. and without a wall, what is a poor boy going to do with all those "brown" faces coming into the country?