By Douglas V. Gibbs
As incoming President, Donald Trump states he plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America (a consideration back during the 1800s when America had its eyes on Cuba and was paid a visit from a delegation from the Yucatan Peninsula) as China has been throwing around threats regarding Taiwan, North Korea has sent troops to Ukraine, and the war in the Middle East continues despite hints that a ceasefire might be on the horizon. While the weak presidency of Joseph Biden gets within a week of ending, Venezuela has issued a threat against Puerto Rico. I have a feeling it will be withdrawn by the time Trump is in the Oval Office (as will all of the other wars and threats of war initiated under the Biden Administration’s watch).
According to the Washington Examiner: “The governor of Puerto Rico requested that President-elect Donald Trump take a stand against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s threats to invade the U.S. island territory. Maduro made the threatening statements in question during the International Anti-Fascist Festival in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, where he invoked the revolutions sparked by former Venezuelan leader Simon Bolivar that liberated swaths of Latin America from the Spanish Empire.”
Anti-Fascist Festival?
Communists claim that fascism is the opposite of communism, even though it isn’t, hence, the reason we are told that communism is far left and fascism is far right. Problem is, they are essentially the same thing, but performed in a different way. Both seek to control the means of production, but communism does it by owning the means of production, and fascism accomplishes the feat by heavily regulating the means of production.
Maduro’s threat is a last-minute attempt to stick his chest out while his public is watching (perhaps also to avert everyone’s eyes from his questionable reelection); a safe gesture (I am sure he believes) while Biden is still in office.
“Just as in the north they have a colonization agenda, we have a liberation agenda,” Maduro said at the event. “And our agenda was written by Simón Bolívar. The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops […] leading the way.”
Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon responded with a letter to Trump, explaining, “This is an open threat to the United States, our national security, and stability in the region. “I trust your incoming administration will swiftly respond and make clear to the Maduro regime that, under your leadership, the United States will protect American lives and sovereignty and will not bow down to the threats of petty, murderous dictators.”
“As Governor of Puerto Rico, I am ready to work with you and your administration to counter this and other threats posed by the illegitimate Maduro dictatorship and support the people of Venezuela in their quest for freedom,” she continued. “I also look forward to engaging in meaningful discussion on how to best enhance Puerto Rico’s national security role and take a strong stance against the growing presence of our adversaries in the region.”
Maduro is now serving a third term as a result of a recent election, though his opposition claims the election was rigged, indicating that voting data collected from approximately 80% of machines used in the July election show their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, received twice as many votes as Maduro.
Venezuela’s opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, was briefly kidnapped by the regime after emerging from hiding to attend a protest against Maduro’s inauguration.
The abduction drew a rebuke from Trump, who warned that Machado “should not be harmed, and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!”
She was released several hours after her kidnapping.
One thing is for sure: our enemies are cowards when faced against strength in the White House. With Trump in office, the release of prisoners, hostages, and the end of wars will happen quickly thanks to his strength as a leader, and Trump’s willingness to engage if necessary even though his primary hope is to end conflicts and end our involvement in wars around the globe.
A new kind of peace is on the horizon…just watch.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
