Juan Orlando Hernรกndez, convicted of drug trafficking, in 2024, thanked the Lord for being ‘a free man’ and then Trump for ‘changing my life’. What is it with the conversion to Griftianity seen so frequently in wealthy people accused of serious crimes? What does the historical record of US and UK drug trafficking reveal?
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ช๐ฆ: ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ก ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐
[๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ณ. ๐๐๐๐๐' ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐]
MR PRESIDENT, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS of the Security Council, the issue before the council today is not the character of the government of Venezuela.
The issue is whether any member state by force, coercion, or economic strangulation has the right to determine Venezuela’s political future or to exercise control over its affairs.
This question goes directly to article 2, section 4 of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
The council MUST decide whether that prohibition is to be upheld or abandoned. Abandoning it would carry consequences of the gravest kind.
Let me offer some background.
✳️ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐ผ๐๐๐
Since 1947, the United States foreign policy has repeatedly employed force, covert action, and political manipulation to bring about regime change in other countries.
This is a matter of carefully documented historical record.
In her book, Covert Regime Change, political scientist Lindsey O’ Rourke documents 70 attempted US regime change operations between 1947 and 1989 alone.
These practices did not end with the Cold War. Since 1989, major United States’ regime change operations undertaken without authorization by the Security Council have included, among the most consequential:
๐Iraq 2003
๐Libya 2011
๐Syria beginning in 2011
๐Honduras 2009
๐Ukraine 2014 and
๐Venezuela from 2002 onward.
✳️ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
The methods employed are well established and well documented.
They include:
๐open warfare
๐covert intelligence operations
๐instigation of unrest
๐support for armed groups
๐manipulation of mass and social media
๐bribery of military and civilian officials
๐targeted assassinations
๐false flag operations, and
๐economic warfare.
✳️ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐
These measures are illegal under the UN charter and they typically result in ongoing violence, lethal conflict, political instability, and deep suffering of the civilian population.
The recent US record with respect to Venezuela is also clear.
In April 2002, the US knew of and approved an attempted coup against the government.
In the 2010s, the United States funded civil society groups actively engaged in anti-government protests. When the government cracked down on the protest, the US followed with a series of sanctions.
In 2015, President Barack Obama declared Venezuela to be, and I quote, “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”.
In 2017, at a dinner with Latin American leaders on the margin of the UN General Assembly, President Trump openly discussed the option of the US invading Venezuela to overthrow the government.
During 2017 to 2020, the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on the state oil company Pedesa. Oil production fell by 75% from 2016 to 2020 and the real GDP per capita declined by 62%.
The UN General Assembly has repeatedly voted overwhelmingly against such unilateral coercive measures. Under international law, only the Security Council has the authority to impose such measures.
On the 23rd of January 2019, the United States unilaterally recognized Mr. Juan Gaido as interim president and a few days later froze approximately $7 billion of Venezuelan sovereign assets held abroad and gave the designated authority over certain of these assets.
These actions form part of a continuous US regime change effort spanning more than two decades.
✳️ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
In the past year, the United States has carried out bombing operations in seven countries, none of which were authorized by the UN Security Council and none of which were undertaken in lawful self-defense under the charter.
The targeted countries include Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and now Venezuela.
In the past month, President Trump has issued direct threats against six UN member states, including Colombia, Denmark, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, and of course, Venezuela.
Members of the council are not called upon to judge Nicholas Maduro. They are not called upon to assess whether the recent US attack and ongoing naval quarantine results in freedom or in subjugation.
Members of the council are called upon to defend international law and specifically the UN charter....
✳️ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐
Given that we are in the nuclear age, failure cannot be repeated. Humanity would perish. There would be no third chance to fulfill its responsibilities under the charter.
The Security Council should immediately affirm the following actions:
▪️The United States shall immediately cease and desist from all explicit and implicit threats or use force against Venezuela.
▪️The United States shall terminate its naval quarantine and all related coercive military measures undertaken in the absence of authorization by the UN Security Council.
▪️The United States shall immediately withdraw its military forces from within and along the perimeter of Venezuela, including intelligence, naval, air, and other forward deployed assets positioned for coercive purposes.
▪️Venezuela shall adhere to the UN charter and to the human rights protected in the universal declaration of human rights.
▪️
The Secretary General, I recommend, should immediately appoint a special envoy mandated to engage relevant Venezuelan and international stakeholders and to report back to the Security Council within 14 days with recommendations consistent with the charter and the Security Council should remain urgently seized of this matter.
▪️All member states should refrain from unilateral threats, coercive measures, or armed actions undertaken outside the authority of the UN Security Council.
✳️ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐พ๐
In closing, Mr. President and distinguished members of the council, peace and the survival of humanity depend on whether the United Nations Charter remains a living instrument of international law or is allowed to wither into irrelevance.
That is the choice before this council today.
--------------------
[๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ป ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ธ๐ถ๐ธ๐ผ]
Some of the most important available data on health care and public health are as following [iv],[v],[vi]:
*infant mortality dropped from 25 per 1000 (1990) to only 13/1000 (2010);
*An outstanding 96% of the population has now access to clean water (one of the goals of the revolution);
*In 1998, there were 18 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, currently there are 58, and the public health system has about 95,000 physicians;
*It took four decades for previous governments to build 5,081 clinics, but in just 13 years the Bolivarian government built 13,721 (a 169.6% increase);
*Barrio Adentro (i.e., primary care program with the help of more than 8,300 Cuban doctors) has approximately saved 1,4 million lives in 7,000 clinics and has given 500 million consultations;
*In 2011 alone, 67,000 Venezuelans received free high cost medicines for 139 pathologies conditions including cancer, hepatitis, osteoporosis, schizophrenia, and others; there are now 34 centres for addictions,
*In 6 years 19,840 homeless have been attended through a special program; and there are practically no children living on the streets.
*Venezuela now has the largest intensive care unit in the region.
*A network of public drugstores sell subsidized medicines in 127 stores with savings of 34-40%.
*51,000 people have been treated in Cuba for specialized eye treatment and the eye care program “Mision Milagro”; has restored sight to 1.5 million Venezuelans.
The Venezuelan Government built 5.1 million social housing units between 2011 and 2024, in spite of the US sanctions.
The Great Housing Mission (GMVV), launched in 2011, has built or delivered close to 5 million social housing units by late 2024, with official figures nearing this milestone (around 4.9 million by May 2024) and a target to reach 7 million by 2030, providing homes for working families through state support, community self-construction, and sometimes pre-fabricated methods, though facing criticisms regarding transparency and quality.
~
The two main waves of emigration from Venezuela.
1. The first wave was Colonial Wealth middle class fleeing to preserve their wealth, almost as soon as Chavez won his second election. This group took their wealth with them to set up in USA and EU. They support the US Sanctions and the undermining of the Bolivarian Revolution.
2. The second wave was after the illegal US sanctions crashed the economy by 60%. It was mostly young impoverished, educated people who went to find work in neighbouring countries. Others, who had less education undertook the long trek through Mexico to the US Border to find labouring work. American construction and agriculture uses cheap South American labour to run its factories.
A large majority of those people would likely return if the sanctions were lifted and Venezuela was then able to rebuild its economy using Oil revenues to build infrastructure, Healthcare, Education, Public Services and continue the successes of the past 25 years.
Trumpo characterised those people as 'they are sending the worst of their people, muderers, rapists, drug dealers to destroy America.'
Venezuelan Elections.
Venezuela built the one of the most transparent democratic electoral systems anywhere.
'Oppression' in Venezuela.
The covert and overt operations run by the US UK and EU caused chaos, violence was deployed, criminal networks were deployed and the Venezuelan government had to respond to that internal threat, and they did so, robustly. That was characterised by the US UK and EU as generic oppression. It probably was very messy in places - responding to people willing and capable of doing violence is a messy business. The source of that violence and its impacts is always ignored by US UK and EU Ruling Class. Their objective is to prevent Venezuela proving that a country with Oil reserves that manages those reserves independently can succeed in build democratic social contract economy.
If Venezuela was allowed to do so, it would disprove the claims if US UK EU NeoLiberal Ruling Class that NeoLiberalist Economics is the best of all current possible systems. It would show others that there is a viable path away from US UK and EU Neoliberalism.
Trump is not Hitler, the System is.
Hitler emerged out of the European Warring Competing Powers dynamics.
He was NOT an anomaly, he was an expression of that dynamic...
Did those Competing Warring Powers hold themselves accountable?
They did not, they laid it ALL on Hitler. None of it on themselves.
SO here we are a century later and the exact same dynamic of competing warring European states is driving the world to a precipice.
Comparisons with Hitler are feeble - comparisons with the inter state warring rivalry of history are on point.
That kind of system will ALWAYS breed more warfare, kill more children, eat more flesh.
There's too much wealth and power to be made for them to stop it of their own accord.
The dominance of such system relies on the majority never attaining a level of human solidarity that builds bridges across borders, languages, genders, creeds, orientations and socio-economic comfort or discomfort.
It is on us, you, me, your mother, your neighbours, the lads down the pub, your golfing buddies, etc, to build that solidarity.
That's on us. No excuses now.
Corneilius
Thank you for reading this blog.
"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."
This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.
https://patreon.com/corneilius - donations gratefully received
https://www.reverbnation.com/corneilius - .mp3 songs
https://www.soundcloud.com/coreluminous - .wav Songs
https://www.corneilius.net - Archive
#folkmusic
#singersongwriter
#blogger
#music