the updates a the end of the comments reflect the alt-trioka of tyrrany (bolton, pompeo (w/ elliott abram’s able assists), trump threats to let the ‘humanitarian aid’ in or face the consequences’.
First up: ‘Sir Richard Branson’s Venezuelan-Border PR Stunt’, Joyce Nelson Feb. 19, counterpunch
“On February 15th Sir Richard Branson (whose net worth is estimated at about $4 billion) announced plans for a “Venezuela Aid Live” concert to be held on February 22 in the Colombian city of Cucuta and also live-streamed on the Internet, to raise $100 million for food aid.
Founder of the Virgin Group (400+ companies), Sir Branson is setting up the concert “at the request of” Juan Guaido (who declared himself interim president on Jan. 23) “and jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to draw attention to the crisis in Venezuela. ‘Our goal is to raise $100 million dollars in 60 days and reopen Venezuela’s border so humanitarian aid can finally reach those millions who need it the most,’ said Branson.”
Juan Guaido has frequently pledged that the aid piling up in Colombia, Brazil and Curacao will enter Venezuela on Feb. 23. So Sir Branson’s concert is scheduled the day before Guaido’s deadline. Guaido has frequently taunted the Venezuelan military, trying to entice them into abandoning President Nicolas Maduro and opening a Trojan Horse aid corridor (operated by the U.S. and Guaido) that would allow direct foreign intervention in Venezuela.”
And given that the scurrilous, Eliott Abrams, appointed by ‘point man’ on VZ, Maduro knows full well what will likely really be on those planes.
But let’s check with Southern Command on Twitter Feb. 16: You can tell there are no rifles, rocket-launchers, just yanno: humanitarian aid can’t you?
CNN on the border (“A US military plane with humanitarian aid for Venezuela has landed in Colombia amid political crisis. (A previous tweet incorrectly stated the plane landed in Venezuela. It has been removed”) (Oopsie) had reported by way of the Southern Command twit account that:
“In addition to Colombia, the government of the Netherlands announced Wednesday that the Caribbean island of Curaçao would also be used as a “hub” to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid bound for Venezuela “in close coordination” with Guaido and the US. Both the US and Dutch militaries have used facilities on Curaçao.”
Back to Joyce Nelson:
“At the Saturday news conference in Cucuta, a representative for Juan Guaido told Reuters that “millions of Venezuelans” will be traveling to Cucuta by Feb. 23 to “safeguard arriving aid”. He said: “We are going to have the accompaniment of people, of hundreds of thousands, of millions of Venezuelans that our president, Juan Guaido, has called upon, who we have asked to go to the border dressed in white as a sign of peace.”
Rumor has it that Daddy Warbucks Billionaire Branson will air freight 10,000 white doves with olive branches in their beaks to be released at the same time.
Nelson then spends a lot of ink unmasking Leopoldo Lopez, who’d been jailed in 2015 for inciting the attempted coup and related violence against Maduro, but was release to house arrest by the Supreme Court as a ‘humanitarian gesture,’ citing unexplained health issues.’ She reports that Lopez is also the Chairman of the Board for Empresas Polar, the private company that controls the majority of the flour production and distribution in Venezuela, as in: why the long breadlines, Leopoldo?
But of course Lopez is free to communicate with the likes of Branson and Guaido, and just as likely Elliott Abrams. Nelson writes that as of Feb. 15, the musicians slated to perform are: Peter Gabriel, Nacho, Alejandro Sanz, Carolos Vives and Juanes, Luis Fonsi, and Miguel Bose.
Here’s the list of groups who’ve been invited, and I sure hope Maná stays away.
Roger Waters is not amused: ‘Nothing to do with aid or democracy’: Roger Waters slams ‘humanitarian’ concert for Venezuela’ Rt.com, 20 Feb, 2019
“Pink Floyd ex-frontman Roger Waters is slamming Virgin tycoon Richard Branson’s aid concert for Venezuela as a sham, warning fans and performers not to be “led down a garden path that ends in regime change.”
Branson’s “Venezuela Aid Live” concert “has nothing to do with the needs of the Venezuelan people, it has nothing to do with democracy, it has nothing to do with freedom, and it has nothing to do with aid,” Waters declared in a video released on Tuesday.
The musician and political activist tore into the western media narrative depicting Venezuela as the victim of a humanitarian crisis created by socialism. “There is no civil war, no mayhem, no murder, no apparent dictatorship, no mass imprisonment of opposition, no suppression of the press” under President Nicolas Maduro, he said, citing friends “on the ground” in Caracas who could confirm this.
Waters reserved special scorn for Branson himself, “with his bleeding heart worn openly upon his Virgin Airways t-shirt,” claiming the magnate has bought into US propaganda. A spokesperson for Branson told the National Post that the US was “not involved in any aspect of this” and that the concert was “not a political statement.”
Waters finished his speech with a warning to friend and fellow musician Peter Gabriel not to fall for the US line, reminding him how US-backed regime changes have turned out in the past.
“Do we really want Venezuela to turn into another Iraq or Syria or Libya? I don’t, and neither do the Venezuelan people.”
Reuters is reporting:
“Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday that the government was also planning concerts on Feb. 22 and 23, on the Simon Bolivar bridge connecting the country with Cucuta, with the slogan “nothing for war, hands off Venezuela”.
The government would also hand out food to poor residents of Cucuta this weekend, he said in televised statements – a “cynical” move, according to opposition leader Juan Guaido, given shortages of food in Venezuela.”
No news yet on the VZ bands, but I sure do hope a lot of them are salsa bands like this one covering Santana’s Oye Como VA!. Okay, it gets a bit jumbled toward the end, but at least you can dance to it, como no?
Let’s rewind to Feb. 18: Venezuela kicks out ‘interventionist’ team of European MPs coming to meet with Guaido’, Rt
“A six-member European delegation that sought to meet with self-proclaimed Venezuelan ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido is being expelled from Venezuela after being accused by Caracas of coming with “conspiratorial purposes.”
European MPs arrived in Venezuela on Sunday and were supposed to stay until Tuesday to carry out a series of meetings, including with Guaido, the leader of the opposition recognized by a number of European governments as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
These plans, however, went awry shortly after they landed, when the MPs received a cold welcome from the Venezuelan authorities, who are now deporting them back to Europe, according to delegation member Esteban González Pons.
Pons tweeted that upon arrival their passports were seized and deportation procedures was launched. The politician, who hails from Spain’s liberal conservative Peoples’ Party, said that he was part of the “first international delegation invited by president Guaido.”
And from telesurenglish Feb. 19, ‘Venezuelan Military Head ‘Amazed’ by Trump ‘Celebrating Terrorism’ (with video)
“The Venenzuelan Armed Forces contested Trump’s Tuesday speech at Miami’s Florida International University where Trump reaffirmed his administration’s support for Juan Guaido who declared himself interim president of Venezuela Jan. 23. The U.S. head of state went on to attack socialism in Latin America.
“A new day is coming to Latin America. … The end of socialism has arrived in our hemisphere and in all parts of the world, not only in Venezuela but also in Nicaragua and Cuba,” Trump said Tuesday during his 35-minute speech at the campus.
In direct response, Padrino said during his speech from Caracas, “Donald Trump believes he can order around Venezuelan soldiers, but his political advisors should check their facts because to be a commander of the FANB (Bolivarian National Armed Forces), he must be Venezuelan by birth, be of this country.”
“Congress already rejected Trump’s proposal to intervene militarily in Venezuela, however the president has continued his attempts to violate international law and to send unsolicited “humanitarian aid” to the “poor Venezuelan boys and girls,” which he once again proposed Tuesday in Miami.
For his part, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro once again criticized the humanitarian aid that many are calling a ‘Trojan Horse’ to intervene in Venezuela.
“What is it that Trump loves from Venezuela? Oil, coltan, diamonds … The (international) humanitarian aid is a show. (U.S. sanctions) rob us of US$30 billion and they offer us US$20 million in rotten food,” Maduro said during a Monday televised response just after Trump concluded his Florida speech.”
Now the only reference to ‘Congress already rejected Trump’s proposal to intervene militarily in Venezuela’ was this quote from Eliot Engel at global research:
“US Congress Rejects Trump’s Warmongering, Won’t Support Military Intervention in Venezuela; Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel made the comments at the opening of a hearing on Venezuela”, and it links back to Telesur.
I had been aware of the growing number of signatures to this ‘Dear Colleague’ letter to Pompeo: ‘Support a Peaceful Political Solution to Avoid a Violent Conflict that Venezuelans Oppose’ which of course contains this by now boilerplate formulae of condemnation of Maduro, then boilerplate virtue-signaling:
“The letter condemns the Maduro government’s anti-democratic actions, human rights abuses and destructive economic policies, while expressing concerns that the Trump Administration’s misguided policy could make the situation even worse for the Venezuelan people.” and “The Trump Administration has also threatened military action, which would be illegal under domestic and international law without Congressional and United Nations approval.”
Are all the names on the right sidebar signatories? I sure can’t tell. Guess they would have objected to Obomba’s R2Ps and other wars of choice, right? Would they mind if other nations and coalitions took military actions against Maduro?
In his ‘Trump declares global war on socialism’, 19 February 2019 wsws.org, Bill
Van Auken writes about DT’s speech in Florida:
“Mimicking the fascist dictators, the president’s hysterical antisocialism was combined with imperialist warmongering. Trump delivered an ultimatum to the Venezuelan military to either capitulate to US regime-change or be slaughtered. He made it clear that Washington views the coup against the government of Nicolas Maduro as only the first step in a hemisphere-wide war to overthrow the governments of Nicaragua and Cuba and eradicate the growing influence of the United States’ geopolitical rivals—China and Russia—in Latin America.”
“Trump’s speech, replete with vows of a global crusade against “communism and socialism,” reflected growing fears within the US ruling oligarchy—not of the insipid politics of the likes of Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—but rather of a dangerous challenge from below to their power and wealth. This ruling layer is rattled by a steady growth of strikes, including those breaking out in opposition to the existing unions, as well a widespread radicalization of both workers and youth. Recent polls have increasingly expressed the preference of the younger generation for socialism over capitalism. This fear among America’s billionaires and multimillionaires provides a core constituency for the fascistic agenda being promulgated by Donald Trump.”
‘Trump’s Venezuela gamble is turning out to be a beaten docket’, Finian Cunningham, Feb. 19, RT.com
“US President Donald Trump was asked by reporters at the weekend if he had a “plan B” for Venezuela if President Nicolas Maduro does not stand down soon, as Washington is demanding. With his typical bluster, Trump said he had several backup options.
But, despite his bravado, it looks like Trump’s bet on effecting regime change in Venezuela is a losing venture. The US seems to be increasingly desperate to salvage its plan to topple the government in Caracas.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who has been doing much of the bidding for Trump’s White House on Venezuela, flew down to the border crossing with Colombia where US military transport planes have been delivering food and medical aid.
The PR stunt resembled scenes from another US-backed regime change operation in Ukraine back in 2014, when the late Senator John McCain and State Department official Victoria Nuland handed out cookies to protesters.
Rubio was dangling food aid cargoes like a bribe. Speaking in Spanish, he cloyingly attempted emotional blackmail, directing his remarks at the Venezuelan military for allegedly denying food and other essentials to their “families.” Rubio also claimed if Venezuelan soldiers prevented distribution of aid supplies they would be liable to be prosecuted for “crimes against humanity.”
Fat fooking laugh, he writes (or close to that).
“But what Washington – through its arrogance and ignorance – did not count on was the resilience of the Venezuelan people. Many of them do not support a treasonous, marginal opposition which is evidently taking marching orders from “Yankee imperialists.” Washington also did not anticipate that the country’s military is professional and committed to defending the nation’s sovereignty. The Trump White House seems to think everyone can be bought for a price.
Significantly, too, Washington’s hegemonic conceit has totally misread today’s global politics. Russia, China, Mexico, Iran, Cuba, Turkey – and most other nations– have refused to kowtow to Washington’s dictate for regime change in Venezuela. The preponderant majority of nations continue to recognize President Maduro and his government as the legitimate authorities.”
“Meanwhile, Venezuela is also exposing the rogue states and instigators of international conflict – primarily Washington.”
I’ll close (finally!) with this from nowaronvenezuela.org: ‘An international call for coordinated actions to oppose U.S. war on Venezuela has been issued for the weekend of Saturday, February 23 – the 1 month anniversary of the U.S. attempted right-wing coup on Venezuela.’ It contains a list and map of participating global and US cities.
(cross-posted at caucus99percent.com)
davidly
Greyson Smythe
LeMoyne
juliania2
ohiobarbarian
stephenadavis1
wendyedavis
café babylon 
I thank you, wendye, for providing always the details on important events that others miss. Especially the map and list of cities providing events relating to Saturday’s confrontation. That list is worth scrolling through and reading what will be intended to happen at the various venues – for instance the New York groups will begin at a certain congressman’s home and march to Zacotti Park, and a meetup in Serbia simply lists ‘evening graffiti’.
Sorry to see nothing in New Zealand, nor in New Mexico, but there are several livestream radio stations linked. To me it was inspiring to see the lists of organizations involved. Border Peace Presence, with explanatory text they had been in existence since 2005. And another of deported veterans for peace (sorry, not sure that is their title, just very sobering that there is such an organization.
Transposing John Lennon’s ‘imagine all the people’ – wouldn’t they all make a truly impressive March on Washington, could they magically be airlifted there?
welcome, ww, and i confess that i’d only scanned the list, as it came in late from popular resistance. i’d best read it then, eh? as you likely know, alba is ‘ Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America’ and that VZ ha gotten booted out of most of the area coalitions because: diktator maduro. i kinda like it that these actions *aren’t* in deecee, and will be more available to less wealthy folks who can’t afford to fly into deecee.
cool you’ll send the chicago one to your daughter, too. ‘Evanston Neighbors for Peace’ should add incentive for her to attend, eh?
yes, we’d been discussing that blocked bridge at c99%, but at the time i’d used the video, thinking ‘good on maduro, et.al. for not letting the fake aid in.
and just because it hadn’t ever *officially* opened, although finished, wasn’t much of a persuasive argument to me that it was a total psyop. but at the time, i didn’t know it was being used again maduro, either. that it’s clear now seems patently obvious. this is a retweet by @southcom:
Here’s Chicago’s, for instance:
Chicago, IL
No War No Coup Against Venezuela
Friday, February 22 | 4:30pm
ABC News Studio | 190 N State
Sponsored by Evanston Neighbors for Peace, Chicago ALBA Solidarity, Chicago Area Peace Action, Chicago Committee Against War and Racism, Vets for Peace- Chicago, others
I’m sending that one to my daughter who was born in Evanston Hospital. That tickled me.
Woops, I see it surfaced – sorry to be verbose here, but the following link is more interesting to me for the photo of the bridge in question than the actual who blocked when. It’s huge! I guess we could actually fly in all the protest groups on my John Lennon airbus after all!
https://www.rt.com/news/451235-venezuela-bridge-fake-news/
this was beneath the ‘share amerika’ tweet above: ;-)
Shite, comrade! Which museician is going to put himself in a false flag zone? Museicians shouldn’t find this surprising; course, the more crapito-cynical of them may have included “exclusive security” in the contract.
Hey! Extinction from AGW? Not a problem! Some socialist expropriation? Bring on the Brit salvation/invasion!
funny stuff, comrade, including ‘museicians’ as CIA. i’d seen that at democracy now, the mcclatchy dude, but telesur english had it a week or more ago, and iiirc, hadn’t attributed the find to him. but then, you know my fanatstic craptastic memory.
but hell yeah, bring in genesis to fight the baked-in sixth extinction! woooot!
our wifi was out most of yesterday, so i’ll include a few things i found last evening, maybe a few from early mornin’ yesterday:
‘Venezuela Announces Arrival of 7.5 Tons of Medicine’, telesur feb. 21
“Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros announced on Thursday the arrival of medical aid, arriving from Russia for the strengthening of the public health system.” “Fortunately we have good friends in the world and we have the support of the United Nations, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization,” he said.
President Maduro explained that some of the medicines that arrived in the country are: paracetamol, ampicillin, diazepam, digoxin, dopamine, sodium chloride solution, gentamicin, hydrocortisone, lidocaine, penicillin, salbutamol, among others.
President Maduro called upon Colombian President Ivan Duque to “stop serving the dark interests of Donald Trump,” stating that their objective is to create a war between Venezuela and Colombia. “The economic blockade and the persecution that Donald Trump has against Venezuela requires us to improve. That is the challenge!” He stressed.”
file under: ‘they never miss a trick for R2P casas belli’:
‘Venezuela crisis threatens disease epidemic across continent – experts
‘Collapse of Venezuela’s healthcare system could fuel spread of malaria and other diseases across region’ the grauniad, feb. 21
“Experts have warned of an epidemic of diseases such as malaria and dengue on an unprecedented scale in Latin America following the collapse of the healthcare system in Venezuela.
Continent-wide public health gains of the last 18 years could be undone if Venezuela does not accept help to control the spreading outbreaks of malaria, Zika, dengue and other illnesses that are afflicting its people, experts have warned in a report published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Venezuela was once a regional leader in malaria control, but as healthcare has collapsed there has been a mass departure of trained medics, the report says, creating a public emergency “of hemispheric concern”.
“These diseases have already extended into neighbouring Brazil and Colombia, and with increasing air travel and human migration, most of the Latin American and Caribbean region (as well as some US cities hosting the Venezuelan diaspora, including Miami and Houston) is at heightened risk for disease re-emergence,” says the paper.
“He said that the figures were probably an underestimate because the Venezuelan government had shut down the institution responsible for collecting data for the World Health Organization.
“Venezuelan clinicians involved in this study have also been threatened with jail, while laboratories have been robbed by militias, hard drives removed from computers, microscopes and other medical equipment smashed,” he said.”
‘Venezuela closes border with Brazil, may do the same at Colombia border – Maduro’, RT.com, 21 Feb, 2019
“Starting Thursday evening, Venezuela is closing its border with Brazil, President Nicolas Maduro has announced. He added the same measure may apply to the border with Colombia, though he does not want to order it.
The Venezuelan military was ordered to enforce the travel ban in airspace and on the sea until further notice, Maduro said during a televised address from a military headquarters.
Earlier on Thursday Guaido said he will personally go to the border with Colombia to get the shipment from the US, urging drivers to go with him and defy the border guards ordered to prevent the delivery.
Maduro’s government is suspicious of the US stated plan to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan opposition. US envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams has a record of using humanitarian convoys to smuggle arms to Latin American countries targeted for regime change by Washington, and Caracas says he is now trying to follow the same script in Venezuela.”
in a video at telesur, maduro hadn’t said how they were closing the border, but did say that if there were any violence at the border w/ colombia, it would be down to ivan duqué.
‘Venezuelan border guards open fire on indigenous border community – reports, RT.com, 22 Feb, 2019
“A group of opposition deputies called the shooting “a brutal military crackdown on indigenous communities” who were trying to open the border to allow aid convoys from Brazil to pass. Images shared on social media show the indigenous community blocking military vehicles from accessing the area.”
that’s correct, aaron; thanks
‘US Plans to Deliver Arms to Venezuelan Opposition, Russia Warns’, telesur feb. 22
“The Russian government warned Friday that the United States and its allies from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of planning to deliver arms to the Venezuelan opposition.
“We have evidence that U.S. companies and their NATO allies are working on the issue of acquiring a large batch of weapons and ammunition in an Eastern European country for their subsequent transfer to Venezuelan opposition forces,” the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said.
“The batch will reportedly include heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, portable missile launchers and ammunition for light weapons and artillery systems. So this is what they mean when they talk about delivering humanitarian aid.” (RT has it that she’d added: ““The cargo is set to arrive in Venezuela in early March through a neighboring country on aircraft flown by an international shipping company,” she said.”
“Apparently, in a provocative frenzy, our U.S. colleagues, who are now preparing an outrageous and obvious provocation on the Colombia-Venezuela border, were too enthusiastic and decided to participate in hints and propagations of fake news in the Security Council,” the Russian diplomat said.
The Russian Spokeswoman also warned of the seriousness of the incidents that the U.S. government could trigger as it tries to destabilize President Maduro.
“The development of events in Venezuela has come to a critical point… On Feb. 23, a dangerous large-scale provocation is set to take place, instigated by the Washington-led crossing of the Venezuelan border with a so-called humanitarian convoy, which may lead to clashes between supporters and opponents, forming a convenient pretext for military action to remove the current legitimate president from government”, Zakharova said.”
CIA air 21 again?
There is a Spanish language short piece up at rt.com (sorry, don’t have the link yet) in which is a Venezuelan denial of the claim troops fired on folk at the border with Brazil. It says the ammunition used wasn’t theirs, so possibly a false item.
Also there is this:
http://thesaker.is/venezuelan-vicepresident-delcy-rodriguez-press-conference-feb-21-2019/
Lots of info therein.
wonder why RT would use a denial in spanish? i couldn’t find anything at telesur english, maduro’s english twitter…but telesur night had this last night:
‘Venezuela Foils Staged Attack at Border with Colombia’, feb. 23
“A group of right-wing terrorists Saturday took over multiple tanks that belong to the Venezuelan armed forces and rammed into border barriers at the Venezuelan-Colombian border in a staged operation ordered by right-wing opposition members in Colombia.
teleSUR correspondent in Venezuela said that Venezuelan immigration Police were securing the border point and that members of the Venezuelan army were deployed at the scene. “Three soldiers were moved to Colombian territory, but not all the armed forces of Venezuela.”
i couldn’t tell what dulcy had said in that interview transcript, but no matter. today at RT: ‘Tensions flare at Venezuela-Colombia border amid aid row (WATCH LIVE)’, rt.com, feb 23. who knows what’s true, including some military defections, but tear gas apparently was released by the police.
https://twitter.com/telesurenglish/status/1099305315047276544
guess the concerts on the border were a hit. 150 artists, said maduro.
branson’s live aid? not so much.
have you gotten bombed by this high-wind Quiana blizzard? yesterday we woke again to drifts, this time 4 and 5 feet high; this a.m. more snow, but less drifting. sun’s out, too but cold at dawn: 7 degrees.
the guardian (‘Open,independent journalism) is live-blogging Maduro threat-day for ‘humanitarian aid’ delivery: ‘Venezuela: tensions rise as Guaidó says first shipment of aid has crossed border – live’
‘Protesters along Venezuela’s border with Colombia have stolen a red city bus and set it on fire to express outrage over thwarted humanitarian aid deliveries, the Associated Press reports:
Flames from the bus blaze in the border town of Urena also caused nearby power lines to spark. Protests broke out early in the day as opposition leader Juan Guaidó vowed to move in emergency food and medicine from the United States over objections from President Nicolaás Maduro. But Guaidó and other opposition leaders showed no immediate signs of being able to get the aid from a warehouse in Cúcuta, Colombia to Venezuela.” (maduro made us do it!)
and the global solidarity actions ‘no war on venezuela’ have commenced (see tweets here-) https://twitter.com/nowaronve
for instance, berlin:
good-o, i wonder if roger waters had educated him a bit…
a commenter at moon of alabama offered that sputnik is live-blogging the ‘aid’ caravans. two tweets from sputnik:
the ‘who’s who?’ of it all, say the 42 defectors the guardian has reported…it’s really hard to say, isn’t it? cia actors? guaido supporters?
CNN: Violence flares at Venezuela’s border; Maduro breaks off relations with Colombia
Caracas, Venezuela (CNN)Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro severed diplomatic relations with Colombia on Saturday as violence broke out along the two countries’ borders, where international aid intended for Venezuela is awaiting transport.
After opposition leader Juan Guaido named Saturday as the deadline for the aid to cross the border, Maduro vowed to stop the supplies from coming into the country, calling the plan part of a coup attempt.
[…]
At a rally in the capital of Caracas, Maduro said he was breaking relations with neighboring Colombia and threatened the United States with “the strength of the Venezuelan armed forces.”
Gabriel invitation. https://eurasiafuture.com/2019/02/23/peter-gabriel-a-no-show-at-richard-bransons-concert-for-regime-change/?fbclid=IwAR3KDkh0Rlr1_q-I7Rzd7HlfPPyj675fkE3NN7Z91tYihBe50DzXRc1LsUE
fascinating, and thanks. a commenter at moon of alabama had stuck it up as well. good Qs the author poses (as to who, how, and…we know the why), eh?
that’s quite a version of the happenings yesterday, isn’t it? but at least cnn hadn’t called guaido ‘president guaido’ as the guardian had. as far as i know, no trucks got through, although aid from russia, the red cross, and others had arrived earlier in the week. (sorry i don’t have that link.)
but yep, according the guardian:
““After the failed attempt to breach government blockades, opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared the fight would continue, and said “we must keep all our options open for the liberation of our homeland”.
He will head to Bogotá for a meeting on Monday with US vice-president Mike Pence, and other regional leaders in the Lima Group.
Florida senator Marco Rubio responded to Guaidó’s comments, saying he had spoken to regional leaders and the actions of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime on Saturday had “opened the door to various potential multilateral actions not on the table just 24 hours ago”.
Although Guaidó did not secure the mass defections he had hoped for, at least 60 border guards deserted their posts and fled into Colombia, as other members of security forces loyal to Maduro used tear gas and rubber bullets to force back protesters and halt civilian convoys escorting aid supplies.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/23/venezuela-border-latest-maduro-guaido
‘Venezuela Denounces 2nd False Flag Operation at Colombia Border’, telesur english, feb. 23
“According to witnesses, violent right-wing opposition members torched the trucks on the Colombian side with Molotov cocktails trying to incriminate Venezuelan security forces.
A new episode in the false flag operation being waged against the Venezuelan government to justify a foreign intervention, happened on the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge that links Venezuela and Colombia.
Two out of the four trucks with alleged “humanitarian aid” from USAID, which were trying to illegally enter Venezuela, were burned at the border between the two countries. The burning trucks were on the Colombian side of the Francisco de Paula Santander Bridge where Venezuelan opposition leaders have been leading protests.”
https://twitter.com/pierre/status/825818527386841090
it seems that this 4-day live-blogging of the war on maduro has come to an end. the humanitarian aid psyop was defeated, the military stayed strong, and nothing much will (hopefully) happen until after the lima group meets w/ the opposition in bogata on monday. but i’ll add a couple more things from the twittersphere, then add a closing song. thank you all for caring.
now all the while many, including nicolas maduro, had seen the western Empire’s attacks on VZ as similar to the quagmire that became viet nam, i kept hearing this 1967 repurposed electric flag song with an opening from JBJ:
MoA commentor karlof1 had a link today to an amazing article by Greg Grendin that made points about FDR’s change of policy towards Latin America I had not known – well worth a read, and I’ve bookmarked it for further study. Just one quote, which I referenced over there:
“…Henry Kissinger returned to a pre-FDR maturity/immaturity test of sovereignty to justify Allende’s ousting…”
That was ‘karlof1 at 43’ for any who would be interested, or just search on the author’s name.
thank, juliania; i had seen the grandin piece referenced here and there. i’ll delete the link on the bolton thread.
Sorry, posted this at the wrong place at first. Bedtime!
https://www.lrb.co.uk/2019/02/08/greg-grandin/whats-at-stake-in-venezuela