Debunking Western
Governments & Media on Venezuela
Western governments and mainstream media have been constructing an
alternative Venezuela for decades in a 21st century update to the
colonial 19th century justification for the pillaging of entire
continents: "bring them civilization."
Max Blumenthal debunks corporate media lies
about Venezuela at United Nations, 3/19/2019
I am skeptical about it 3/19/2019 Tweet from Arturo Lopez Levy: "I read the
article of @nytimes accusing Cuban doctors of withholding services 4 partisan
purposes in Venezuela to favor Maduro. I am skeptical about it. As a Cuban, I
have never seen something like that. In #Cuba and other places I have seen or
heard about exactly the opposite."
I never saw or heard of Cuban drs withholding meds for Vzln votes. 3/18/2019 Tweet
from Dr. Amy Cooper: "As a researcher who spent 15 months observing Barrio
Adento clinics, dr-pt interactions, and house calls between 2006-2009, I never
saw or heard of Cuban drs withholding meds for Vzln votes." [followed by
numerous comments, including from the author of the NYT article.]
Cazando mentiras: The New York Times frente a la ética de la salud cubana 3/18/2019 Cubadebate: "Ningún
verdadero médico cubano niega el servicio y mucho menos arriesga la vida de un
paciente para lograr fines políticos. No lo hacen en Cuba con los mercenarios
financiados por Estados Unidos para intentar destruir a la Revolución, ni lo
hicieron con los mercenarios que nos invadieron por la Ciénaga de Zapata en
1961; menos lo harán en el extranjero, a donde han acudido decenas de miles a
brindar su solidaridad y su conocimiento."
Attempt to assassinate Venezuela’s Maduro was planned in Colombia: CNN 3/17/2019 Colombia
Reports: "An assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was
planned in Colombia by Venezuelan oppostition figures who were in touch with US
authorities, CNN reported Friday. The reports add credibility to Maduro’s
longtime claim that Colombia is being used as a base for attacks against
Venezuela. Both Colombian and US authorities have long denied the claims were
false, but appear to have been lying to the public."
US Regime Change Blueprint Proposed Venezuelan Electricity Blackouts as
‘Watershed Event’ for ‘Galvanizing Public Unrest’ 3/11/2019 Greyzone: "A
September 2010 memo by a US-funded soft power organization that helped train
Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaido and his allies identifies the potential
collapse of the country’s electrical sector as “a watershed event” that “would
likely have the impact of galvanizing public unrest in a way that no opposition
group could ever hope to generate.” The memo has special relevance today as
Guaido moves to exploit nationwide blackouts caused by a major failure at the
Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant at Guri dam – a crisis that Venezuela’s
government blames on US sabotage."
Venezuela under attack: 7 notes on electric shock (special report) 3/10/2019 Mision
Verdad: "The creation of hacker armies and cyberwar materials by the CIA and NSA
has been documented by this website: we reviewed a documentary explaining the
origin of the Stuxnet virus, which should point to the corridors of these U.S.
intelligence agencies. That cyberattack instrument aimed both at sabotaging
nuclear research facilities in Iran and at installing a circumstantial picture
that could lead to an attack on Iran's automated national electricity network
(analogous to the Guri system), in the event of a declared war between
Washington and the Islamic Republic."
96% del internet apagado y Maria Corina tiene 10.000 RT 3/10/2019 @jvzla18: "96%
del internet apagado y Maria Corina tiene 10.000 RT en un tuit que pide
intervención militar. Conclusión: quienes piden intervención en su mayoría viven
afuera de Venezuela."
delincuentes pagados por Voluntad Pupular 3/10/2019 @ElMele4F: "en el
Luvebras de La Florida los delincuentes pagados por Voluntad Pupular solo se
llevaron licores y algunos refrescos, doritos, rufles, pero dejaron articulos de
primera necesidad! ¿HAMBRE? Eso no es hambre, eso es terrorismo que ha generado
el AUTOPROCLAMADO!"
Another
Failed Coup in Venezuela? 3/7/2019 Venezuela Analysis: "Desperate for any
pretext to justify foreign intervention, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) even
blamed Maduro when an opposition lawmaker and his aide were “poisoned” on the
Colombian side of the border. Despite an utter lack of any evidence, the
international press ran with the story. But it turned out the assemblyman was
apparently drugged and robbed by sex workers he had brought back to his room
after a night of partying. And when long-simmering tensions between the
Venezuelan military and indigenous Pemones on the southern border with Brazil
led to violent clashes and several deaths, their longstanding concerns were
opportunistically folded into the opposition narrative about aid deliveries.
Opposition parties had been stoking dissent among indigenous groups for years,
and many of those involved in clashes were less concerned with aid shipments
than with what they perceived as years of corrupt military activity in the
region."
Who is Guaido? 3/3/2019 Orinoco
Tribune: "Apparently he was one of the five Venezuelan students sent by the NED
to Belgrade in 2005 (Guaidó was then 21 years old) to be trained by CANVAS. The
latter is a training group for “nonviolent protests” responsible for various
“color revolutions” such as that of the neo-Nazis of Ukraine."
Los camiones quemados 2/26/2019 Webguerrillera LaComandante: "El fuego no
consumió todo el contenido de las gandolas quemadas en la frontera
colombo-venezolana y encontraron un arsenal."
The Global Left and the Danger of a Dirty War in Venezuela 2/25/2019 Mint
Press News: "Hetland claims, “Maduro banned Venezuela’s leading opposition
parties and candidates – most prominently, Henrique Capriles Radonski – from
running.” He, of course, omits the critical fact that the three largest
opposition parties, Democratic Action (AD), First Justice (PJ), and Popular Will
(VP), had boycotted the December 10, 2017 municipal elections, obliging them to
re-validate their party status by collecting signatures from 0.5 percent of the
electorate – a requirement not uncommon in many states of the US. AD
successfully renewed its status, PJ failed to collect the necessary signatures,
while VP boycotted the procedure outright."
Former UN Expert on Venezuela: U.S. Government “Weaponizing Aid” 2/25/2019 Institute
of Public Accuracy: "“It would be appropriate to recognize the fact that the
government of Venezuela has put into effect some of the recommendations
contained in my report … Indeed, first the Venezuelan government released 80
detainees — including Roberto Picón and 23 others whose release I had
specifically requested — that was on 23 December 2017, followed by other
releases in the course of 2018. Alas, there has been practically no information
about this in the mainstream media, although it is easily accessible in the
internet. … “Another item of information that is sorely missing from the
mainstream media is the delivery last week of 933 tons of food and medicines at
port La Guaira — coming from China, Cuba, India, Turkey etc.”"
Esto había en los camiones quemados con "ayuda humanitaria" 2/25/2019 teleSUR: "Un
funcionario de la Guardia Nacional, en declaraciones a TeleSUR, explicó que "la
mitad de la gandola que traía ayuda humanitaria tenía material para fomentar las
guarimbas, puesto que traen pitos, cables, máscaras antigas y clavos"."
Venezuela Coverage Takes Us Back to Golden Age of Lying About Latin America 2/22/2019 FAIR: "That
demonstration showed considerable support for the government of President
Nicolás Maduro and widespread rejection of Donald Trump’s choice for president
of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó. Guaidó, who proclaimed himself to be president of the
country and was recognized minutes later by Trump, even though a public opinion
poll showed that 81 percent of Venezuelans had never heard of him, comes from
the ultra-right faction in Venezuelan politics. The pro-Maduro demonstration
suggested, not surprisingly, that Guaidó had failed to win much popular support
outside the wealthy and upper-middle class. But Guaidó couldn’t even win support
from many of them."
The War on Venezuela Is Built on Lies 2/22/2019 Global Research: "The
Guardian correspondent, Tom Phillips, has tweeted a picture of himself in a cap
on which the words in Spanish mean in local slang: “Make Venezuela fucking cool
again.” The reporter as clown may be the final stage of much of mainstream
journalism’s degeneration. Should the CIA stooge Guaido and his white
supremacists grab power, it will be the 68th overthrow of a sovereign government
by the United States, most of them democracies. A fire sale of Venezuela’s
utilities and mineral wealth will surely follow, along with the theft of the
country’s oil, as outlined by John Bolton. Under the last Washington-controlled
government in Caracas, poverty reached historic proportions. There was no
healthcare for those could not pay. There was no universal education; Mavis
Mendez, and millions like her, could not read or write. How cool is that, Tom?"
An Ocean of Lies on Venezuela: Abby Martin & UN Rapporteur Expose Coup 2/22/2019 Empire
Files: "On the eve of another US war for oil, Abby Martin debunks the most
repeated myths about Venezuela and uncovers how US sanctions are crimes against
humanity with UN Investigator and Human Rights Rapporteur Alfred De Zayas."
The U.S.-Venezuela Aid Convoy Story Is Clearly Bogus, but No One Wants to Say It 2/21/2019 Truthdig: "A
second matter to consider is how our government has weaponized the public’s
sense of morality. Since the Spanish-American War, the U.S. has used
humanitarian concerns as a shield against criticism or skepticism, and it has
more or less worked every time. It’s why “aid” organizations like Air America
used food transports to ship guns to anti-Communists in Indochina in the 1960s
and ’70s. (Weapons were code-named “hard rice.”) And it’s why Elliott Abrams—the
current quarterback of this latest affair in Venezuela—used humanitarian aid
shipments to smuggle weapons to the Nicaragua’s Contras in the ’80s. Ultimately,
these shipments allow for massive military buildups, without anyone in the media
or Congress asking too many questions. After all, what kind of monster is
opposed to helping starving people?"
Andrew McCabe claims Trump wanted war in Venezuela because “they have all that
oil” 2/20/2019 Vox: "In a July 2017 private briefing with intelligence
officials, President Donald Trump apparently asked why the US wasn’t at war with
Venezuela, noting that “they have all that oil and they’re right on our back
door.” If true, it calls into question why the president has focused so intently
on overthrowing the country’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and if he plans to send
troops in the future."
Open Letter to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez on Venezuela 2/20/2019 Medium: by Stan
Goff - "The only thing most of the Venezuelan elite hate more than indigenous
Venezuelans are Afro-Venzuelans . . . and Chavez was both. So are the poor
majority in Venezuela. Nicholas Maduro is the legitimately elected President of
Venezuela. The United States government, in coordination with the racist
Venezuelan ruling class, is the “opposition.”"
Everyone Has Fallen for the Lies About Venezuela 2/19/2019 Truthdig: "Furthermore,
the U.S. “humanitarian aid” that we claim to be sending is not what it seems.
Even NPR took a break from its traditional role as State Department
stenographer-in-training to reveal that the “humanitarian aid” is actually meant
to create regime change. And McClatchy last week uncovered that the North
Carolina-based private freight company 21 Air LLC has made 40 secretive flights
to Venezuela from the U.S. in the past month, and the Venezuelan government
claimed the flights were filled to the brim with assault weapons and ammunition
destined for opposition forces. (Apparently we thought the Venezuelans were
going to cook up a fresh pot of bullet stew to ease their hunger pains.) To make
matters worse, two executives at the company have ties to an air cargo company
that helped the CIA “rendition” supposed terrorists to black sites for
“interrogation” (read: torture)."
US Media
Ignore – and Applaud – Economic War on Venezuela 2/19/2019 Venezuela
Analysis: "In contact with the popular communities, we consider that one of the
fundamental causes of the economic crisis in the country is the effect [of] the
unilateral coercive sanctions that are applied in the economy, especially by the
government of the United States."
Sir Richard Branson’s Venezuelan-Border PR Stunt 2/19/2019 Counterpunch: "Sir
Branson has stated that his Venezuela Aid Live concert has been set up at the
request of Juan Guaido and “jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez”. Actually,
Lopez isn’t in jail but is under house arrest – very lenient treatment, as we
shall see. While there is much mainstream media reporting about lengthy bread
lines in Venezuela and the lack of flour for making bread, such reporting
overlooks a crucial fact. Leopoldo Lopez is the Chairman of the Board for
Empresas Polar, the private company that controls the majority of the flour
production and distribution in Venezuela. To my knowledge, there’s been only one
English-language report of this fact: FAIR (Feb. 8, 2019) reported,
“Conspicuously, it’s the products that [Empresas] Polar has a near-monopoly in
that are often in shortest supply. This is hardly a secret, but never mentioned
in the copious stories (CNN, Bloomberg, Washington Post, NPR) focusing on bread
lines in the country.” [7]"
INVASION DESHUMANITARIA Y LA REPÚBLICA DEL ESTE 2/17/2019 Afro
Ideologia: "Esta semana que culmina el congreso de los Estados Unidos, mas allá
de coincidencia o divergencia con el presidente legitimo de Venezuela Nicolas
Maduro, llegaron a la conclusión que una intervención militar a la Republica
Bolivariana de Venezuela, no seria viable por las consecuencias que esa acción
traería no tan solo para el pueblo venezolano sino para la region entera y en la
geopolítica mundial."
Venezuela – Media Find Trump’s Coup Plan Does Not Work 2/16/2019 Popular
Resistance: "If the U.S. does not do more than it has done so far the government
under President Maduro can sit this out. The sanctions and the lack of oil
revenue will create many immediate problems. But in a few weeks Venezuelan oil
will have found new buyers. Fresh money will come in and new sources for imports
of medicine and staple food will have been found."
WHAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DOSEN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT VENEZUELA 2/16/2019 Freedom
Rider: "Thanks to Solomon Comissiong for inviting me to join Ajamu Baraka, Glen
Ford, Netfa Freeman, Danny Haiphong, Daniel Patrick Welch and Erica Puentes
Martinez. We all discussed various aspects of the U.S. coup attempt against the
Venezuelan government." -- Margeret Kimberly, Black Agenda Report
Starving Venezuela Into Submission 2/12/2019 Unz Review: by Israel Shamir -
"A bigger problem is that Venezuela had become a monoculture economy: it exports
oil and imports everything else. It does not even produce food to feed its 35
million inhabitants. Venezuela is a victim of neoliberal doctrine claiming that
you can buy what you can’t produce. Now they can’t buy and they do not produce.
Imagine a democratic Saudi Arabia hit by blockade. In order to save the economy,
Maduro should drain the swamp, end the black market and profiteering, encourage
agriculture, tax the rich, develop some industry for local consumption. It can
be done. Venezuela is not a socialist state like orderly Cuba, nor a
social-democratic one like Sweden and England in 1970s, but even its very modest
model of allowing the masses to rise out of misery, poverty and ignorance seems
too much for the West."
The Real Reason the U.S. Wants to Overthrow Venezuela 2/12/2019 Truth
Dig: "A logical person would look at these U.S. initiatives—the attempted U.S.
coup in 2002 and the FTAA—and conclude that the U.S. government has more concern
for corporate interests than for the interests of the poor. After all, what
bothered the United States with Chávez was that he demanded that oil companies
pay higher royalties for the oil that they sucked out of Venezuela. Such
audacity has to be repaid with a coup attempt."
Red Cross, UN
Slam ‘Politicised’ USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Venezuela 2/11/2019 Venezuela
Analysis: "USAID is an arm of the US State Department, and has been involved in
a number of scandals in recent years which have led to its expulsion from Russia
for political meddling and Bolivia for conspiracy. The press release explains
that the plan is to supply Venezuelans with vegetable oil, flour, lentils and
rice which they claim will feed 5,000 Venezuelans for 10 days. Also reportedly
included in the shipment is ready-to-use food supplements for 6,700 Venezuelan
children for two months and high energy bars for 10,000 children for one month."
Western Media Fall in Lockstep for Cheap Trump/Rubio Venezuela Aid PR Stunt 2/9/2019 FAIR: "Despite
dozens of media outlets giving the impression (and sometimes explicitly saying)
that the Venezuelan government shut down an otherwise functioning pathway into
the country, the bridge in question hasn’t been open for years."
Did Venezuela’s President Really ‘Steal’ the 2018 Election from an Unknown Who
Didn’t Run? 2/8/2019 Haiti Analysis: "Guaidó didn’t even run in the 2018
presidential election. Henri Falcón was the opposition politician who finished a
very distant second in that election, over four million votes (47%) behind
Maduro. Nobody has shown or even attempted to show that any votes, never mind
millions of votes, were stolen from Falcón. In Venezuela’s electoral system, a
very small amount of ballot stuffing is detectable in any contested election.
That’s why, in 2012, Jimmy Carter said the electoral system was the best in the
world. That soundness of the electoral system helps to explain the vitriol
Falcón received from other Maduro opponents over his decision to run in the
election. US officials threatened Falcón with sanctions if he ran. During the
campaign, one of Falcón’s top advisors became exasperated enough to publicly ask
the opposition party Voluntad Popular (Guaidó’s party) to “stop spreading lies”
that a secret pact existed between Maduro and Falcón."
Juan Guaidó: The Man Who Would Be President of Venezuela Doesn’t Have a
Constitutional Leg to Stand On 2/7/2019 COHA: "The Venezuelan news outlet,
Ultimas Noticias, reported that prominent opposition politician Henrique
Capriles, who had run against Maduro in 2013, “affirmed during an interview that
the majority of opposition parties did not agree with the self-swearing in of
Juan Guaidó as interim president of the country.” Claudio Fermin, president of
the party Solutions for Venezuela, wrote “we believe in the vote, in dialogue,
we believe in coming to an understanding, we believe Venezuelans need to part
ways with the extremist sectors that only offer hatred, revenge, lynching.” Key
opposition governor of the State of Táchira, Laidy Gómez, has rejected Guaidó’s
support of intervention by the US, warning that it “would generate death of
Venezuelans.”"
Diosdado Cabello to Marco Rubio: Las Tienditas Bridge has Never Entered into
Operation 2/7/2019 Orinoco Tribune: "In his Twitter account, Republican
senator Marco Rubio tweeted that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro allegedly
moved containers to the bridge to “block the entry of humanitarian aid for the
people of Venezuela,” while the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, tweeted the
same photo saying that “the Venezuelan people desperately need humanitarian aid.
The United States and other countries try to help, but the Venezuelan military,
following orders from Maduro, is blocking the passage with trucks and fuel
tanks. ” In this regard, Cabello explained during his program Con El Mazo Dando
that “the Venezuelans and Colombians who live around that bridge know that this
bridge has never been used. It’s closed since 2016. ”
Venezuela in Crisis: G. Ciccariello-Maher on the challenges of the bolivarian
process 2/7/2019 Marginalia: "Alongside that we have of course a deepening
economic crisis that originated in the deep structures of the Venezuelan
economy, on the one hand, long-term oil and import dependency and, on the other,
a rigid and outdated currency control-system that should have been changed right
at the beginning. That’s what created the devaluation crisis that we see today,
in terms of hyperinflation. This began back in 2013 and 2014 and unfortunately,
for political reasons, the government tried to delay resolving that problem,
which now undermines the standards of living of many Venezuelans and tragically
undercuts many of the social gains of Chavismo."
Roger Waters’ Response to a Venezuelan Expat 2/6/2019 Orinoco
Tribune: "Roger Waters, the legend of Pink Floyd, just published a note on his
facebook account responding to a letter received by a Venezuelan expat friend of
his (whom he prefers not to identify) criticizing him for his stand on the
current situation in Venezuela. Waters’ answer is memorable in terms of showing
his level of social consciousness and clarity to identify what really happens in
the South American country. When referring to the criticism he received after
standing in defense of President Maduro, he wrote : “I got the usual hail of
flak from every one who speaks for the Venezuelan people, most of them are
white, middle class, and live in New York City.”"
US Media Ignore—and Applaud—Economic War on Venezuela 2/6/2019 FAIR: "The
US government acknowledges that it is knowingly, consciously driving the
Venezuelan economy into the ground, but US media make no such acknowledgment,
which sends the message that the problems in Venezuela are entirely the fault of
the government."
What’s the Deal with Sanctions in Venezuela, and Why’s It So Hard for Media to
Understand? 2/6/2019 Orinoco Tribune: "It appears as though there is
increasing acceptance of the basic fact that the US sanctions on Venezuela will
have a negative impact on the people of Venezuela, but all this analysis misses
two important points. First, the Trump administration had already imposed broad
economic sanctions in 2017, though apparently both The Wall Street Journal and
New York Times were unaware of this development."
'Yiiiiikes': John Bolton Threatens to Send Venezuela's Maduro to Offshore US
Prison at Guantánamo 2/1/2019 Common Dreams: "It is a campaign aimed at
regime change and it's being promoted openly as an opportunity to steal
Venezuelan oil for the benefit of U.S. corporations," Scahill noted on the
podcast. "This is not some insane Twitter thought spewed by Trump after guzzling
down gallons of Fox and Friends. It's an open imperialism that is being embraced
not just by Republicans and Trump supporters, but powerful Democrats as well."
Donald Trump and the Yankee Plot to Overthrow the Venezuelan Government 1/30/2019 The
Intercept: "Let’s be clear here, Elliott Abrams is an unrepentant war criminal.
He played a central role in the mass-slaughter of tens of thousands of people
across Central and Latin America in the dirty wars of the 1980s. He was a player
in the Iran-Contra scandal. But we’re told Abrams is an adult. Abrams is an old
Latin America hand. It’s sickening. This administration brought in Abrams
because of his immorality and his willingness to support mass murder. It’s the
only reason he is there and no one with even a flimsy grasp of morality should
be welcoming his appointment as special envoy on Venezuela."
86% of Venezuelans Oppose Military Intervention, 81% Against US Sanctions, Local
Polling Shows 1/29/2019 Greyzone: "English-language media outlets
frequently ignore local polls done inside Venezuela, and if they do report on
them, they tend to publish the results of polling firms run by pro-opposition
figures. The Grayzone has translated the findings of a Hinterlaces study
conducted between January 7 and 20. The following data is based on direct
interviews with 1,580 Venezuelans from all across the country, and was reported
on the program José Vicente HOY on January 27."
The Making of Juan Guaidó: How the US Regime Change Laboratory Created
Venezuela’s Coup Leader 1/29/2019 Grey Zone: "While Guaidó is today sold as
the face of democratic restoration, he spent his career in the most violent
faction of Venezuela’s most radical opposition party, positioning himself at the
forefront of one destabilization campaign after another. His party has been
widely discredited inside Venezuela, and is held partly responsible for
fragmenting a badly weakened opposition."
Cutting through the lies about Venezuela 1/26/2019 Liberation: "The
reactionary opposition is not starving for “democracy.” They’ve have been
invited to collaborate and dialogue by the Chavista movement for decades to
resolve problems, but they’ve refused, saying that this huge movement that
commands the respect of Venezuela’s workers and poor should have no voice, and
should be silent and acquiesce to U.S. corporate domination. The opposition
affirm this whenever they purposefully burn foodstuffs and use financial
mechanisms to manufacture artificial scarcity for commodities and necessities,
in a cynical effort to diminish support for Maduro’s government and punish his
support base. The class character of the opposition is also affirmed, when in
their guarimbas, right wing thugs belonging to the opposition commit hate
crimes, including lynchings and other forms of torture against Afro-Venezuelans
and other supporters of the Chavista movement."
John Bolton Says Ultimate Goal In Venezuela Is To Take Their Oil 1/26/2019 Crooks
and Liars: ""Venezuela is one of the three countries i call the Troika of
Tyranny," Bolton told Trish Regan. "It would make a difference if we could have
American companies produce the oil in Venezuela. It would be good for Venezuela
and the people of the United States." Why would it be good for us and them, you
ask? FREEDOM. Sweet freedom from the tyranny of socialism, he explains."
The US’s “Economic Blockade” Paved the Way for Venezuela Coup Attempt 1/25/2019 Truth
Out: "But, Juan, in addition to that, there is a major impact in terms of
discouraging commercial and financial interests throughout the world from any
kind of transaction with Venezuela. There is a list of 70 — approximately 70
Venezuelan officials who are being sanctioned. And that translates into a
situation in which the US government, and specifically Steven Mnuchin, the
secretary of the treasury, has undertaken different investigations, workshops
with representatives of Japan, Europe, Latin America, in order to find out where
the shell companies are. In other words, he has created a situation in which
commercial interests throughout the world are afraid to have anything to do with
Venezuela. That amounts to virtually a block — an economic blockade."
Venezuela’s US-Backed Coup Leader Immediately Targets State Oil Company,
Requests IMF Money 1/25/2019 Grey Zone: "Guaidó is attempting to fire the
directors of Citgo Petroleum, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company
PDVSA, and seeks to appoint his own new board. Reuters described Citgo as
“Venezuela’s most important foreign asset”; Bloomberg calls it “the crown jewel
of PDVSA’s assets.” Citgo is the largest purchaser of Venezuelan oil, although
crippling sanctions imposed by the Trump administration have prevented the
company from sending revenue to Venezuela, starving the government of funding."
Is the US Orchestrating a coup in Venezuela? 1/23/2019 Real News
Network: "Yeah. I’ll go back to what Greg pointed out, that according to that
data analysis poll I cited, the National Assembly had, as of October, a 70
percent disapproval rating. Which, you know, Maduro’s disapproval rating is
around 80 percent. And the Opposition parties themselves, their coalition has a
higher disapproval rating. And you know, Guaido was previously unknown, you
know, just about–you know, two weeks–a little over two weeks ago, you know, no
one knew who he was. And you know, he’s a young politician. He was educated in
the neoliberal think tank EISA, which is the home of the Chicago boys. So I
think that, you know, to say that it–I think it’s very fallacious to extrapolate
the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets today in different
parts of the city in support of the Opposition, to say that they, that is
necessarily an endorsement of Guaido as President of Venezuela, especially
because it was not–it was not known that he was going to do this, take this step
that he did."
‘US Administrations Have Been Intervening in Venezuela Since at Least the Early
2000s’ 1/16/2019 FAIR: "So what isn’t generally mentioned by the media is
that a critical factor in the outcome of the election was the approach taken by
Venezuela’s opposition. Much of the opposition, many of its parties, decided to
boycott these elections, for a variety of reasons. At any rate, the media did
not examine that fact. And we’re still not seeing it very much. I think one of
the few exceptions is the Washington Post, in the article that appeared today,
that did mention the divisions within the opposition, and their decision not to
participate that had, obviously, a huge effect on the election result."
WaPo: Trump Needs to Destroy Venezuela to Save It 12/17/2018 FAIR: "Propaganda
works primarily through repetition. The vilification of Venezuela’s government
in the Western media has been relentless for the past 17 years, as Alan MacLeod
pointed out in his book Bad News From Venezuela."
Why Venezuela Reporting Is So Bad 6/27/2018 FAIR: "Rare exceptions to this
over the last two decades would be found in the state media in some countries
that are not hostile to Venezuela, like the ALBA block. Small independent
outlets like VenezuelAnalysis.com also offered alternatives. In the US and UK
establishment media, you are way more likely to see a defense of Saudi Arabia’s
dictatorship than of Venezuela’s democratically elected government. Any defense
of Venezuela’s government will provoke vilification and ridicule, so both Alan
MacLeod and his publisher (Routledge) deserve very high praise for producing the
book Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting. It
took real political courage."
Media Delegitimize Venezuelan Elections Amid Complete Unanimity of Outlook 5/23/2018 FAIR: "Apart
from spelling the president’s name wrong, the only source that could be an
“independent” observer quoted was the Washington-based, State Department–funded
conservative group Freedom House, a rather questionable example of an
“independent observer.”" [Freedom House is well known to Cuba as a hard line
anticommunist org applying the same tactics and rationals to Cuba as to Eastern
Europe, two very different theatres.]
Exonerating the Empire in Venezuela 3/22/2018 FAIR: "The United States has
for years undermined the Venezuelan economy with economic sanctions, but US
media coverage of Venezuela’s financial crisis has gone out of its way to
obscure this. The intent of the sanctions is clear: to inflict maximum pain on
Venezuela so as to encourage the people of the country to overthrow the
democratically elected government. SUNY professor Gabriel Hetland (The Nation,
8/17/16) pointed out in 2016 that the Obama government “prevented Venezuela from
obtaining much-needed foreign financing and investment.”"
Why Won't American Media Tell the Truth About What's Happening in Venezuela? 9/7/2017 Alternet: "As
the U.S. steps up its regime change efforts in Caracas, many leftists in
progressive and social media have expressed confusion or equivocation. Their
difficulty in distinguishing between an embattled social democracy and a
violent, right-wing rejectionist opposition is a testament to the weakness of
anti-imperialism in Western politics at the moment. Progressives should have no
such difficulty. Chavismo is an incomplete, flawed, ongoing democratic
experiment. The alternatives on display are clear: terror, occupation and
austerity."
Here’s Your Guide to Understanding Protest Deaths in Venezuela 8/8/2017 teleSUR: "Right-wing
opposition leaders have attempted to portray the deaths as examples of state
repression and evidence of the "dictatorship" that they are aiming to topple.
Mainstream media have by and large echoed this version of events, using titles
like “Venezuelan Regime Has Blood On Its Hands” and “Venezuela's Tiananmen
Moment." Some outlets have even gone as far as claiming the elected government
of President Nicolas Maduro as engaging in “a campaign of state genocide.” The
reality of the situation on the ground, however, demonstrates something very
different."
Why Can’t the U.S. Left Get Venezuela Right? 7/13/2017 Counterpunch: "Instead
of denouncing rightwing violence that aims at regime change, many on the U.S.
left have stayed silent, or opted to give an evenhanded analysis that supports
neither the Maduro government nor the oligarchy trying to violently overthrow
it. Rather, the left prioritizes its energy on lecturing on Maduro’s
“authoritarianism” and the failures of “Chavismo.”"
Venezuelan Opposition Spreads Lies About U.S. Journalists, Inciting Violence,
Death Threats 6/3/2017 Alternet: "“For doing my job –– for interviewing
government officials, protesters at los guarimbas, average Venezuelans and
peaceful marchers –– I am called a spy who should be killed by the same people
called ‘peaceful freedom fighters’ by Western press,” Martin told AlterNet in an
interview. “These unsuccessful attempts to intimidate us reveals how much they
really fear accurate reporting that might undermine their narrative.”"
Debunking
Fake News on Venezuela 5/5/2017 Venezuela Analysis, YouTube: "This week,
we’re talking about fake news. We’ve see three big, bogus news stories out of
Venezuela this week, and it’s time they’re debunked for good! "
Venezuela in crisis: don’t look left or right for the real story 6/9/2016 The
Conversation: "Many of the left’s most respected voices have joined an
irresponsible campaign to dampen any criticism of leftist Latin American
governments with revisionism and relativism. The fact remains that these
governments’ redistributive policies were unsustainable not just because of
meddling by outside powers, but because most of them failed to diversify their
economies or increase productivity."
Debunking Washington Post's absurd call for (more) intervention in Venezuela's
democracy 4/14/2016 Salon: "How unpopular is Maduro exactly? There is no
need to speculate; an August 2015 poll found that positive evaluations of the
president had fallen to just over 24 percent. Yet, when compared to governments
around the world, a 24 percent approval rating is much better than it may seem.
In the U.S., for instance, a November 2015 poll found that Congress had just an
11 percent approval rating — up from a risible 9 percent in November 2013. And
the approval rating of former President George W. Bush dropped to 25 percent
numerous times during his presidency. Is the U.S.'s own putative democracy in
extra desperate need of a political intervention? The logic of the Washington
Post appears to suggest that this is the case."
CNN Doesn’t
Want You To Know The Truth About Venezuela’s Voting System 12/4/2015 Venezuela
Analysis: by Eva Golinger - "On Monday of this week, November 30, I received a
phone call from a CNN en Español producer asking me to write a column on the
upcoming legislative elections in Venezuela, scheduled for this Sunday, December
6. Pleasantly surprised at the opportunity to publish in a media outlet widely
known for its biased anti-government coverage of Venezuela, I accepted the
offer."
Tracking US Intervention in Venezuela Since 2002 11/18/2015 Telesur: "The
latest information available suggests USAID's annual budget for Venezuela was
over US$5 million, despite the fact that foreign funding of political activities
was banned in Venezuela in 2010. The banning was condemned by the U.S.
Department of State, despite the fact the United States has a similar law
against funding of political campaigns. The key factor making such a move even
more rational in Venezuela is the fact that unlike the United States, Caracas is
still facing coup attempts backed by a foreign belligerent. In early 2015, the
Venezuelan government uncovered yet another brewing coup attempt."
US Sinking 'Immense Resources' into Venezuela Spying: Golinger 11/18/2015 Telesur: "According
to Golinger, the United States has invested “immense resources” into undermining
the Venezuelan government, including through newly revealed espionage against
state oil firm PDVSA. "
How to
Grossly Misrepresent Venezuelan Reality: A Reply to Alejandro Toledo 4/22/2015 Venezuela
Analysis: "It is precisely this glaring double standard towards Venezuela that
allows Toledo and 25 other ex-presidents- including notorious human rights
abusers Alvaro Uribe, Felipe Calderon, Alfredo Cristiani, (while Toledo himself
currently faces trial for corruption)- to accuse the Bolivarian government of
human rights violations. In this twisted, orwellian world where corrupt
oligarchs and profligate desk murderers parade as human rights crusaders, the
violently anti-democratic Venezuelan Right is miraculously transformed into the
peaceful, law-abiding victim of an authoritarian regime."
Snapshot from the Economic War in Venezuela 8/28/2014 Sujatha
Fernandez: "Between October and December 2013, Moreno, along with the prosecutor
Hernan Marín Pérez, sanctioned numerous companies involved in economic sabotage
known as “guarimba” who were deliberately causing shortages through hoarding and
speculation. Moreno and Marín always clearly followed legal guidelines in their
prosecutions. But on July 18, they were arrested on trumped up charges of
extortion and conspiracy, punishable under Articles 60 and 70 of the
Anti-Corruption Act and Article 37 of the Law Against Organized Crime and
Terrorism Financing. The charges are clearly retribution for their role played
in attacking the destructive practices of regional businesses."
Behind the Lies About Venezuela’s Protests 3/14/2014 CounterPunch: "From
the first days of the protests in early February many of the demonstrators at
the improvised street blockades in Merida and Tachira were armed with handguns.
The first weekend of protests in Merida saw balaclava-clad protesters boarding
buses and wielding guns as they forced passengers to disembark. Protesters were
also observed throwing shrapnel at passing motorists. That same weekend, three
protesters held a journalist at gunpoint and threatened to kill her. Meanwhile,
protesters in Tachira beat another journalist with a lead pipe. Throughout the
past month, protesters have also used petrol bombs against government targets.
The principal targets have been government-run health clinics and food markets,
resulting in more than $1.5 million in damage to these symbols of the revolution
in the first two weeks of protests."
On
the Warpath in Venezuela: Against the Bolivarian Revolution 11/21/2013 Trinicenter: "The
Plan's 15 "action points" cover sabotage, "massive mobilizations," food
shortages, "insurrection inside the army," and control of publicity. The authors
anticipate "crisis in the streets that facilitate the intervention of North
America and the forces of NATO, with support of the government of Colombia." The
resulting "violence should cause deaths and injuries." According to Golinger,
the plan emerged from a meeting on June 13, 2013 attended by Mark Feierstein,
regional head of the US Agency for International Development and by
representatives of three other organizations: Florida – based FTI Consulting;
Colombia's "Center for Thought Foundation," linked to former president Alvaro
Uribe; and the U.S. Democratic Internationalism Foundation, promoted by Uribe."
The BBC's
'Bogeyman' Narrative on Hugo Chavez 3/8/2013 Venezuela Analysis: "Kelly
writes that Chavez was by turns ‘portrayed as a six-times elected champion of
the people or a constitution-fiddling demagogue’, implying that the polarisation
of commentary concerning Chavez’s presidency makes it difficult to perceive
where the truth lies. Perhaps if Kelly had indulged in the journalistic habit of
presenting the bare facts, it might help to dispel such confusion. It is
factually accurate to acknowledge that Hugo Chavez was democratically elected
six times, also that his base of support was amongst the poor, the vast majority
of Venezuelans. The ambiguous claim of ‘constitution-fiddling’ is in line with
the speculative approach the BBC has consistently leaned towards in reporting on
Venezuelan politics, relying on the hyperbole of the opposition, yet lacking in
facts (in a similar vein, the link to the BBC video on Hugo Chavez's life on the
BBC website has been updated and is now titled 'Life of people's hero and
villain')."
Obama authorizes covert economic war against Venezuela 1/18/2010 Wayne
Madsen Report on Milfuegos: "WMR's intelligence sources have reported that the
Obama administration has authorized an economic war against Venezuela in order
to destabilize the government of President Hugo Chavez. After a successful coup
against Chavez ally, President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, and the very thin
51-49 percent electorial win by Chile's billionaire right-winger Sebastian
Pinera on January 17, a buoyed Obama White House has given a green light for
political operatives in Venezuela, many of whom operate under the cover of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to set the stage for massive street
demonstrations to protest Chavez's devaluation of the bolivar, Venezuela's
currency… The Obama administration's assault os two-fold: economic and
political. Pressure is being applied against the gasoline chain Citgo, which is
owned by the Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, and Venezuelan investment
favorability ratings. Politically, the U.S. is overtly and covertly funneling
money to anti-Chavez groups through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED),
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and groups affiliated with
George Soros."
Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) against Venezuela 3/15/2009 Venezuela
Analysis: "A secret document of the US Army National Ground Intelligence Center,
recently declassified in part, confirms that the Pentagon's most powerful team
for psychological operations is employing its forces against Venezuela."
<== stock racist cartoon of Maduro, hinting at drugs and
repression, two themes on the right. Anyone who follows drug news
understands that the evidence is thin and that the US is a large
trafficker of drugs, along with Colombia and other allies. See
U.S. INTELLIGENCE LISTED COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URIBE AMONG "IMPORTANT
COLOMBIAN NARCO-TRAFFICKERS" IN 1991, National Security Archives,
George Washington University. President Clinton chose Uribe for Plan
Colombia, enough said.
As for repression, the violent demonstrations pioneered by the
likes of the would be president, Juan Guaido, featured lynching
blacks who were presumed to be Chavistas as well as numerous
lethal attacks on the police. See
Here’s Your Guide to Understanding Protest Deaths in Venezuela 8/8/2017 teleSUR: "Right-wing
opposition leaders have attempted to portray the deaths as examples of state
repression and evidence of the "dictatorship" that they are aiming to topple.
Mainstream media have by and large echoed this version of events, using titles
like “Venezuelan Regime Has Blood On Its Hands” and “Venezuela's Tiananmen
Moment." Some outlets have even gone as far as claiming the elected government
of President Nicolas Maduro as engaging in “a campaign of state genocide.” The
reality of the situation on the ground, however, demonstrates something very
different."
