Stephen Lendman

Jimmy Carter calls Venezuela’s electoral process the world’s best. It’s a model democracy struggling in the face of US economic and political war.

It shames America’s sham process - a democracy in name only, rogue state governance by any standard, waging war on humanity at home and abroad.

Pence is a deplorable character, part of Washington’s lunatic fringe, a right-wing extremist, representing undemocratic US governance, humanity’s greatest scourge. On Thursday, at the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America in Miami, he disgracefully lashed out at Venezuela, saying:

“We need only look to the nation…to see what happens when democracy is undermined. That once-rich nation’s collapse into authoritarianism has pushed it into poverty and caused untold suffering for the Venezuelan people.”

“We must all of us raise our voices to condemn the Venezuelan government for its abuse of power and its abuse of its own people, and we must do it now.”

Weeks of US-supported violence caused scores of deaths and many injuries - part of a diabolical US regime change plot, wanting Venezuela transformed into another imperial trophy, its oil wealth stolen, its people exploited, fascist rule replacing Bolivarian fairness.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez responded sharply, blasting Pence for “dar(ing) to condemn democracy in Venezuela without noting that the US does not respect or govern by the will of the people” - calling Pence an “insolent imperialist.”

President Nicolas Maduro said it “provokes nausea that a man who doesn’t know where Venezuela is on the map gives his opinion about our country.”

“I tell the vice president of the United States, get your nose out of Venezuela. There will be no gringo, Yankee, imperialist intervention in Venezuela.”

Bolivarian fairness is threatened by US viciousness. Under Bush/Cheney, Obama and now Trump, US-orchestrated right-wing coups toppled governments in Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay and Brazil.

Is Venezuela next? Several attempted US coup attempts failed. Its huge oil reserves are a prize Washington covets.

Before taking office as secretary of state, Rex Tillerson said if confirmed, he’ll “seek a negotiated transition to democratic rule in Venezuela” - code language for regime change.

He called US-orchestrated street violence “largely a product of its incompetent and dysfunctional government” - blasting Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro irresponsibly.

US Senate legislation authorized $20 million for regime change in Venezuela, another $10 million for “democracy promotion” Washington abhors.

The Trump administration and Congress may impose sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, including state-owned PDVSA, possibly banning imports from the country.

Goldman Sachs was criticized for buying Venezuelan bonds for $2.8 billion. In response, anti-Bolivarian right-wing National Assembly president Julio Borges accused GS of “extending a lifeline (to a) dictatorship (by) funding human rights abuses” - a bald-faced lie.

In December 2014, Obama signed into law the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act, imposing illegal sanctions on targeted government officials - for nonexistent human rights violations.

The Trump administration threatens Venezuelan sovereign independence. Coup-plotting in Washington may try toppling its government again.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html