Nobody said it better than President Reagan...
Posted on 07/31/2024 7:03:41 AM PDT by Indy Pendance
Those of us from outside watching the brave struggle of Venezuelans have the duty to reflect and act so that our countries do not fall into the bottomless pit of socialism and never again see their misery.
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The eyes of America look towards Venezuela. Hundreds of videos flood social media showing the world the fierce and courageous struggle of Venezuelans to regain their freedom. Despite the fact that dozens of people have already been killed by the regime, and hundreds detained, thousands of Venezuelans, in different parts of the country, are in the streets defending the electoral results that show the regime's opponent, Edmundo González, to be the winner.
Venezuela has been submerged for decades in a socialism that has taken the country from being one of the richest in the world, to become one of the poorest. It has one of the highest inflation rates in the world and a high crime rate. During the last few years Venezuelans have tried several times to overthrow the tyranny of Nicolas Maduro, the struggle has been long, painful, and even today they are still fighting for their freedom, trying to remove the successor of Hugo Chavez from power.
Venezuela opened the door to this tortuous path in 1998 when they voted in Chavez, a socialist who in his first years managed to gain wide support especially in the popular sectors of the country. Chávez used the oil bonanza that Venezuela experienced to build a whole network of public servants bought by his government so that they would profess total loyalty to him. He also gained the support of millions of people by giving subsidies and extending social programs. But as always happens, after a few years, the consequence of socialism is misery.
Falling into socialism is very easy. It only takes one election to deliver a country, which can be as prosperous as Venezuela was back in 1998, into the hands of those who will not only destroy it but will cling to power no matter what they have to do. Venezuela today reminds the world how dangerous it is to trust socialists, how careful we must be when it comes to voting, and how difficult it is to overthrow a regime.
Through all these years in which Venezuelans have tried to remove Maduro from power, we have also learned that, no matter how cruel and brazen a regime acts, it is very difficult for the international community to decide how to effectively to intervene in a country. We have seen dozens of communiqués from institutions, organizations and governments condemning tyranny, but very few actions that actually move to achieving freedom for Venezuela.
Beyond the ideas that anyone has about international politics, it should be clear that it is very difficult for the international community to intervene in an effective way to help liberate a country. The people have to be clear at the time of voting that their future is in their hands and that nobody will save them if they make a bad decision. And the "aid" they will receive, for the most part, will have no real effect.
Another issue that Venezuela and its years of struggle has taught us is the importance of the right to bear arms. In Latin America, unlike the United States, many countries do not even understand the importance of bearing arms and the issue can even be seen as taboo. The Constitution of this country makes clear the importance of citizens enjoying the right to bear arms, so that in the event of a tyranny seizing power, the people can pursue freedom.
Venezuelans have been brave and have taken to the streets en masse, not only this time, but on various occasions over the years, but it is very difficult to face criminals who have squads of armed thugs, while the only thing the people have are their cries and their desire for freedom.
Venezuela is in the streets again today, seeking its freedom. It is an example of courage for all those who watch the videos of what is happening in the country, but the struggle and suffering of the Venezuelans has to make those of us who watch from the outside reflect and still have the opportunity to prevent our countries from falling into the bottomless pit of socialism.
Anyone who wants any form of Marxism is insane and greedy.
Chavez and Maduro were just protecting “democracy”. heh
We’re finding out right now in the US.
What’s the saying?
You can vote your way into socialism, but you need to shoot your way put.
out
nice. One minute.
GMTA
We still have arms, are we prepared to use them?
“no matter how cruel and brazen a regime acts, it is very difficult for the international community to decide how to effectively to intervene in a country.”
Venezuela?
North Korea has been doing it’s thang for 75 years.
And . . .?
Guess if they had oil too like Ukraine we would be more involved in Color Revolutioing that regime.
Many naive people are taken in by Marx’s famous slogan, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
It sounds nice, very humane. But what those people don’t understand is that you DON’T get to decide what your abilities are, and what your needs are.
That’s all decided by some far-away central committee. And if you disagree, you are an “enemy of the people” and will be treated as such.
Trump had a plan.
Simple Greed.
Condos and Casinos on the North Korean coast to bribe em all.
Why not try that?
Better than stacking more bodies like in Ukraine.
... and ignorant -- of history, of human nature, of any sense of morality and compassion -- beyond words.
Nobody said it better than President Reagan...
I’ve been making the rounds on this.
The only reason people on FR are raging is because they are believing the MSM about Venezuela. Just why is it we are doing this about any subject whatsoever?
This is a media and neocon manufactured narrative and has been for decades.
The vast, vast majority of businesses in Venezuela are privately owned. The one glaring, loud industry that is nationally owned is oil.
So what? You know who else has a nationally owned oil sector? Saudi Arabia. Iraq. Norway (owner of the world’s largest Sovereign Wealth Fund), Italy’s ENI, Mexico’s PEMEX, Malaysia’s Petronas, India’s Oil India, and many others. All these countries nationalize their oil sector. Why don’t we sanction them?
What Chavez did, and what Maduro has done, is flood the poor areas with rewards. They outright buy votes. And they always get confronted with enraged claims that they corrupted the vote and it was all cheated. With no proof.
How about this? They went into their slums and handed out rewards. They bought votes. And they bought enough of them. And won their elections. You always hear interviews from our MSM with opposition people and their local Swamp elite (usually called “business leaders” — never really addressing how there can be any business leaders if they are socialist) talking about the evils of Maduro.
The MSM never wanders into the slums where there is Maduro support so we don’t get interviews, and this creates the impression intended . . . that Maduro has no support.
This is just like the Middle East, people. We would not give a damn about what happens there but for one reason.
Oil. Oil is everything. Never forget it.
Better to be greedy and eat well than cook tree bark with dried wolf poo
Is this level of bull shit stupidity allowed on FR now?
Oh and btw, remember when Venezuela had no food on the shelves and Maduro and Chavez were starving the populace?
All those videos of chaos and uprising (btw I saw about 50 guys in the streets in those videos) and the horrors of the evil Maduro . . . go back to those videos and have a look at the people.
You see anyone that looks like they are from a concentration camp? Emaciated? Starving? I saw a story from our MSM celebrating the great courage of the Maduro haters who were queued up to vote, and sharing water and snacks with others in the queue.
Wait, sharing snacks? Really? They are all starving, and the shelves are empty, but people are sharing snacks?
The MSM lies perpetually. Why would they not about Venezuela?
You make very good points
I am always reminded of that old expression:
“You can vote your way into socialism, but you’re gonna have to shoot your way out!”
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