Dear Editor,

Nicolas Maduro claims that nothing is wrong with Venezuela that cannot be put right if the British, the Americans, and all countries in-between holding Venezuelan funds and gold paid over such to him.

But thankfully they won’t; they have impounded it for safe keeping for the people.

I was considering something recently which I read in a comment to an article a few years ago about how well-fed Maduro looked. I suppose it is somewhat disturbing when you see him and, indeed, one of his most avid collaborators, Dr Ralph E Gonsalves, St Vincent and the Grenadines leader, looking like two barrels of lard whilst their people are struggling to feed themselves. Both have, from time to time, worn US$5,000 suits and $2,000 shoes, and are surrounded by security as they visit their bankers and brokers. Of course, they are also good at dressing down almost to the attire of homeless people when mixing with their captive peasants and ignorant supporters.

[Just for your interest, US$5,000 today with inflation is VEF1,242,605,000 Venezuelan Bolivars, 1,240,605,000 Bolivars.]

Let’s make no mistake, people are starving in Venezuela, which can be attributed directly to the failure of the 21st century socialism, which is the name applied to Marxist Leninist communism and other forms of communism since the millennium was welcomed in 2000. Maduro claims there is no crisis in Venezuela. He also says that whatever is happening there has been created by the Americans.

So I had a look at what the much-esteemed Peter Binose wrote and said in the past. I went back five years and found he had a story that almost mirrors what is happening today. So what is happening in Venezuela has been happening for yonks, it has just got progressively worse, which Maduro denies.

Read these for better understanding:

www.mnialive.com/articles/violent-protests-in-venezuela-how-does-cuba-factor-in

www.iwnsvg.com/2014/02/19/gonsalves-supports-maduro-amidst-mass-anti-government-protest-in-venezuela/

But what I can see as a variation in today’s situation is that five years ago the protesters were middle-class students who were being slaughtered in the streets, butchered and mutilated by Cuban urban warfare fighters the Avispas Negras — the “Black Wasps” a branch of the Cuban military. Today it is the peasant class from the barrios that is being targeted and slaughtered by Venezuela’s own unique urban warfare fighters, Special Actions Force (FAES) — a branch of the Venezuelan military. Of course, the Venezuelans were trained by Cuba’s military so they should be competent and well-trained. ( www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/06/venezuela-faes-special-forces-nicolas-maduro-barrios)

Here is another of Binose’s articles which showed his opinion on such matters ( curacaochronicle.com/columns/the-us-should-sanction-all-the-alba-satellite-states-as-well-not-just-venezuela/).

Hopefully soon the world will see the back of the hemisphere’s current demagogue and his apparatchiks.

Jolly Green

jollygreenandall@gmail.com