Opinion by Allen West
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Here’s a simple question: why aren’t we hearing massive outcries from the Democrat Party against the slaughter of people in Venezuela?
The simple answer is because there are no coincidences with socialism. No matter who or where, it is all the same: wealth redistribution, nationalizing economic production (government control), expanding a welfare nanny-state of dependency, social justice equality, and secular humanism. It starts and ends the same, and we have yet another historical example in present-day Venezuela.
Yet we have the avowed socialist Bernie Sanders finding it difficult to condemn Maduro, yet people are donating money to Bernie Sanders to become president . . . candidates for our “Stuck on Stupid Saturday” recognition. We have the little Marxist princess, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claiming she is “da Boss.” We have Rep. Ilhan Omar accusing the United States of supporting an illegal coup in Venezuela.
As I have stated previously, socialist birds of a feather always flock together.
However, there is one aspect to all of this that no one is bringing to the forefront. As reported over at Townhall:
“The tension in Venezuela spilled over into violence along the Venezuela-Brazilian border that left four people dead and at least 24 wounded.
With the nation, once a beacon of so-called 21st Century Socialism, now in economic shambles, President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chavez, is facing calls to step down. The nation is broke, people are starving, and there’s a lack of basic supplies. People of all economic background are now resorting to prostitution for groceries.
The far left contingent thinks that the U.S. is orchestrating all of the economic distress. As for humanitarian aid, Maduro’s government is blocking it. On a bridge along the Colombian-Venezuela border, shipping containers have blocked the lanes, with security forces standing guard.
The U.S. and several other nations have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the leader of the country.”
Even the liberal progressive Washington Post had to report on this:
“A massive effort to break President Nicolás Maduro’s blockade of humanitarian aid descended into violence and chaos Saturday across the string of border flash points — showing both the growing defiance of Juan Guaidó and the U.S.-backed opposition but also Maduro’s willingness to fight back.
In a day of fast-moving developments at various points, anti-Maduro crowds at a Colombian border town faced tear gas fired by Venezuelan units, cheered as dozens of Venezuelan security forces switched sides and tried to rescue desperately needed aid packages from burning trucks. In all, 285 people were injured and 37 hospitalized on the Colombian side of the border, according to Colombia’s foreign minister.
At least four were killed on the Venezuela-Brazil border after clashing with pro-government militias. In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, the embattled Maduro danced at a pro-government rally, mocked the United States and broke off ties with neighboring Colombia.
Late in the day, Venezuelan navy vessels threatened to open fire on a ship carrying 200 tons of aid from Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, governor of Puerto Rico, said in a statement. He said he had ordered the vessels to abandon the area temporarily, decrying the threat as “unacceptable.”
In San Antonio, just across the Simón Bolívar Bridge from Colombia, tear gas billowed and protesters responded by throwing rocks at Venezuelan forces. Then a warning cry went up: “Colectivos! Colectivos!” — the name for pro-Maduro vigilantes. Suddenly, a group of 20 large men on motorbikes, their faces partially covered by black masks, roared into the road. They were members of the feared pro-government militias, frequently deployed by Maduro’s loyalists, and who were widely blamed by the opposition for unleashing a torrent of fear at multiple border points on Saturday.
Protesters, aid workers, volunteers and journalists began running for shelter, dashing into buildings and cars and boarding motorcycles in an attempt to escape, as the militia members opened fire.”
In response to this, were there any statements from Bernie Sanders, or for that matter, any of the announced Democrat presidential candidates? Or how about tweets from “da Boss,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? I suppose not. I presume that if Nicolas Maduro had a daughter . . . well, y’all can figure that one out.
Nancy Pelosi was down in Laredo, Texas recently. Needless to say, she did not go out on a Border Patrol operation, but she had time to deride President Trump over his national emergency declaration. Yet, the person who is third in line to the presidency has had little to nothing to say about the crisis in Venezuela. Then again, to the progressive socialist left in America, this may also be a “manufactured crisis.”
But, how did things get so bad in Venezuela? This is the ugly little thing that no one is talking about because you have to go back a few years.
The BBC reported on this back on June 1, 2012:
“Venezuela has brought a new gun law into effect which bans the commercial sale of firearms and ammunition. Until now, anyone with a gun permit could buy arms from a private company. Under the new law, only the army, police and certain groups like security companies will be able to buy arms from the state-owned weapons manufacturer and importer.
The ban is the latest attempt by the government to improve security and cut crime ahead of elections in October. Venezuela saw more than 18,000 murders last year and the capital, Caracas, is thought to be one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America.
The government has been running a gun amnesty in the run-up to the introduction of the new law to try to encourage people to give up their illegal arms without fear of consequences.
One member of the public in Caracas told the BBC: “They’re killing people every day. This law is important but they need to do more, they’re not doing enough now.”
Hugo Chavez’s government says the ultimate aim is to disarm all civilians, but his opponents say the police and government may not have the capacity or the will to enforce the new law. Criminal violence is set to be a major issue in presidential elections later in the year.”
Sounds familiar? As stated, there are no coincidences with socialists. Never forget the reason why those brave patriots took the field on April 19, 1775, at Lexington Green and subsequently Concord Bridge . . . the British were coming to destroy an armaments factory, to disarm Americans.
We recently shared with you the assertion of Nancy Pelosi that a Democrat president could use national emergency powers to combat gun violence. Well, it looks like that was ol’ Hugo Chavez’s line back in 2012.
Now, look what has happened, the socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro is now effectively able to gun down the people there because they are defenseless. He can starve them and prevent them from getting medical attention, while he dances because his thugs are armed.
There is a quote attributed to one George Santayana, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Listen carefully America, go back and study the speeches, promises, and agenda of Hugo Chavez, and compare to what we are hearing today in our America.
There are no coincidences in socialism, it’s what they do. It is who they are. They cannot truly get us to willingly vote for their insidious ideological agenda. They can only achieve domination of their tyrannical designs by way of threats, intimidation, coercion, mandates, and yes, violence. They never want to confront a freedom and liberty loving armed population.
As I often say, “An armed individual is a citizen, an unarmed individual is a subject.” How would you classify the people of Venezuela? The more important question is how do you want to live in America?
Never forget, there are no coincidences with socialism . . . it always starts — and ends — the same.
Allen West is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Mr. West is a Senior Fellow at the Media Research Center to support its mission to expose and neutralize liberal media bias and is an author of the book from Brown Books Publishing Group, “Hold Texas, Hold the Nation: Victory or Death” available on Amazon. Read more from Allen West at www.theoldschoolpatriot.com