The Faux Dictatorship of Maduro
This essay explores a dual-mandate that I have; a general repudiation of the socialist tendencies that many on the Left are so fetched by, as well as offer whatever insight or attention I can to a pressing geopolitical concern. In that vein, let's turn our gaze to Venezuela.
I will do my best to maintain a respectable amount of indignation throughout.
Bus driver turned much-disputed President Mr. Nicolas Maduro has amassed an impressive litany of crimes against humanity since assuming office back in 2013.
Despite plunging his own country into misery, desolation and bankruptcy, Mr. Maduro has ordered the expansion of an entirely civilian militia by one million members. This army has come to be called the National Bolivarian Militia and will be a reserve force to complement Maduro's "official" cadre. The announcement was made during a ceremony honoring late President Hugo Chavez's return to power after a failed attempt at a coup d'etat. This seems fitting enough. I've often described Mr. Maduro as Mr. Chavez's dauphin, proud to carry on Chavez's tradition of avarice, subversion and poverty.
In fact, late last year, no less than five South American countries as well as, oddly enough, Canada have asked that Venezuela be placed under international investigation for crimes against humanity. The request has been submitted to the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for various offenses dating back to 2014, less than one year after Maduro succeeded Chavez.
I would like to add a few offenses I myself have noticed for the ICC's concern on the off chance their President, Chile Eboe-Osuji happens to come across this humble essay.
My gorge first began to rise toward Maduro as I read of the horrible atrocities committed just last year when it was reported that Maduro and his ilk were ordering that doctors withhold oxygen from patients who needed it. As Nicolas Casey reports in a rather insightful article (link below), "The Cuban doctors said they were ordered to go door-to-door in impoverished neighborhoods, offering medicine and warning residents that they would be cut off from medical services if they did not vote for Mr. Maduro or his candidates".
In fact, I would like to quote a full paragraph from a 400-page report that was generated by the Organization of the United States (OAS). This paragraph is from page 5 of its executive summary. Full link below:
"With more than 12,000 Venezuelans arbitrarily detained since the election of President Maduro in 2013,
equating approximately seven people, per day, every day since his election, Part I, Chapter VII, details
the use of arbitrary detention or the severe deprivation of liberty on both a mass and targeted scale to
terrorize and silence the population. The number of political prisoners in Venezuela is the highest it has
been since the military dictatorship of the 1950s, with close to 676 political prisoners at the height of the
2017 protests. After stabilizing at around 220 in the first four months of 2018, the number of political
prisoners spiked again in the weeks leading up to the fraudulent presidential elections of May 20, 2018. As
of May 13, 2018, there were 338 political prisoners behind bars. Since 2013, more than 1,300 people have
been held as political prisoners. Detention facilities operate autonomously, regularly ignoring court orders
to free those in detention. The evidence also disclosed the criminal complicity of judges and prosecutors in
ordering these arbitrary arrests, imprisonments, and deprivations of liberty."
I don't want to be accused of relying too heavily on this report but I want to share one more paragraph commenting on the unfortunate relationship between the drug crisis and government. This is from page 31:
"In addition, the government’s involvement in organized crime and drug trafficking has become an
increasing concern whereas the Vice President of Venezuela was designated a “Narcotics Trafficker” by the
US Treasury Department in 2017,with allegedly billions assets frozen; two nephews of Venezuela’s First
Lady have also been convicted of drug trafficking in a New York federal court; as well as a growing number
of indictments against senior government and military officials. Recent reports also describe the threat of
a growing presence of terrorist groups engaged in money laundering and drug trafficking networks. As
the security situation worsens, it increases the threat against peace and security in neighboring countries."
That final sentence in my view was a major factor in those five neighboring countries reporting Maduro's Venezuela to the ICC to begin with.
Now one cannot mention Venezuela to an American reader without commenting on its Socialistic campaign. Oscar Wilde in his essay "The Soul Of Man Under Socialism" famously said that Socialism "frees us from the sordid necessity of having to live for others".
Venezuela was once famously the richest country in South America, with the largest proven fossil-fuel reserves in the world. In 2017, the per capita GDP has shrank 40% since 2013 when Maduro took office.
Venezuelan defector Giannina Raffo said it best, “Socialism not only takes away from people the access to basic food and medicines, but also creates an environment in which life is worth nothing.”.
The whole mess in fact started with Hugo Chavez, who in 1992 known as Lieutenant Colonel, led several units against the government in a failed coup attempt. After the government released him from prison and unwittingly made him a martyr, Chavez started promulgating the courageously stupid idea of Socialism and went into terrific tantrum over the matter after winning the presidency in 1998. By the way, immediately after he won the election, many Venezuelans sent their valuable property to Miami to avoid possible confiscation. One would struggle to think of a more perversely amusing and apt metaphor for socialism in its true form.
In 2006, after winning re-election, Chavez began widespread seizures of his constituent's personal property. Thousands of private businesses were nationalized – including media outlets, oil and power companies, mines, farms, banks, factories, and grocery stores.
My parting appeal to you, dear reader, will have to take two forms:
1) Follow our VP as well as 50 other countries worldwide to appeal the United Nations to "dethrone" Maduro's seat and formally recognize Juan Guaidó as the country's true leader and
2) Repudiate Socialism, domestically and embrace the wonderful and surprising altruism that springs forth from Capitalism. Trust that Adam Smith's invisible hand will show in full force as it will more often and not.
Sooooo recognizing the atrocities there. Are you in favor of those people seeking asylum here in the US in mass? And speaking of taking away health services for a vote, didnt the Platform of Trump and Republicans everywhere ran on destroying Obama care? How many people would lose their medical services and care with pre existing conditions? Here in this country with the highest incarceration rates and drug use both legal and illegal and as many puppets the US has set up in other countries...is it a wonder someone seizes power with a vision of doing something different? Often times with disastrous effects. Maduro probably like you studied or looked at this capitalistic model, how it affected his country, looked at the fucked up hypocrisy in this country and was like HELL NO
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