An open letter to the people of the U.S.A. from President Nicolás Maduro

by Nicolás Maduro

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela delivered this Feb. 7 message to the people of the U.S. through social media.

If I know anything, it is about the people, because just like you, I am a man of the people. I was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Caracas. I was forged in the heat of popular and union struggles in a Venezuela submerged in exclusion and inequality. I am no tycoon; I am a worker of mind and heart.  Today I have the great privilege of presiding over the new Venezuela, rooted in a model of inclusive development and social equality, which Comandante Hugo Chávez forged starting in 1998, inspired by the legacy of Simón Bolivar.

Reporter’s Diary from Venezuela

by Georgy Zotov 

This is the personal view of this correspondent on today’s life of Caracas.  Translated by Scott

Day one…

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Our Air France flight was grounded in Paris for 5 hours; no one wants to land in Venezuela in the middle of the night, due to the “dangerous criminal situation.” The airliner is half empty, the passengers, judging by nervous conversations, are only Venezuelans. A taxi driver, while leaving the airport, locks the doors, and sweetly warns that after dark, bandits scatter spikes on the roads and rob the stranded cars. “Oh, don’t worry, Amigo, I have an old car. They are not interested in old cars.” That’s where you understand why Caracas is ranked first in the ranking of the most dangerous cities in the world. It’s too late for supper, but I at least want to exchange my US dollars for Venezuelan bolivars. I ask my cab driver. He violently shakes his head: “No, no, no. I do not mess with such things, it’s illegal!” “Whatever,” I laugh at him. “Tomorrow, someone will take the dollars, maybe even with my hands torn off.” I was wrong…

Canada Labour Congress with 3M members, denounces Trudeau’s support for intervention in Venezuela

teleSUR English | January 31, 2019

The CLC vehemently rejects a militarized solution to this crisis; the people of Latin America have not forgotten the brutal history of military rule in the region.

As Canada joins efforts by the Venezuelan right-wing opposition, the United States, and right-wing governments in Latin America to oust democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro, Canada’s Labour Congress, representing over three million Canadian workers, issued a statement Wednesday calling on the Justin Trudeau government to promote dialogue instead of intervention and a military coup.

How the Media Manufactures Consent for Regime Change in Venezuela

by Alan MacLeod

Venezuelanalysis.com | February 10, 2019

Juan Guaido swore himself in as “interim president” on January 23 (EFE)

The latest extraordinary chapter in the bizarre world of Venezuelan politics is playing out before our eyes. After winning the 2018 presidential elections, Nicolás Maduro was inaugurated in January, only for the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó — a man whom, at the time, less than 20 percent of the country had even heard of — to declare himself President.

Guaidó was immediately backed by the governments of the U.S. and U.K., with Vice President Mike Pence stating, “Nicolás Maduro is a dictator with no legitimate claim to power. He has never won the presidency in a free and fair election, and has maintained his grip of power by imprisoning anyone who dares to oppose him.”

Venezuela Regime Change ‘Made in the USA’

by Steve Ellner – NACLA

Venezuelanalysis.com | February 10, 2019

A Hands Off Venezuela protest in London on January 28, 2018. (Socialist Appeal/Flickr).

Since its outset, the Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela and radicalized its positions. In the process, the Venezuelan opposition has become more and more associated with—and dependent on—Washington and its allies. An example is the opposition protests slated for February 2. The actions were timed to coincide with the European Union’s “ultimatum” stating that they would recognize the shadow government of Juan Guaidó if President Nicolás Maduro did not call elections within a week’s time.

Western Media Fall in Lockstep for Cheap Trump/Rubio Venezuela Aid PR Stunt

by Adam Johnson

Morning Star | February 10, 2019

The Trump administration’s now completely overt effort to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had a very successful public relations effort this week, as major Western media outlets uniformly echoed its simplistic, pre-packaged claim that the Venezuelan government was heartlessly withholding foreign aid:

Yellow Vests Act 13: More intense confrontations

Acte 13 : Les Gilets Jaunes forcent la porte de l’Assemblée Nationale ! /

Act 13: Yellow Vests force the door of the National Assembly!

TV Patriotes

Premiered 4 hours ago

Forte mobilisation pour l’acte 13 des Gilets Jaunes. La manifestation déclarée a débuté aux Champs Elysées pour se terminer devant le mur de la paix, au Champ de Mars. Beaucoup de Gilets Jaunes ont décidé de poursuivre la marche jusqu’aux Champs Elysées. Pendant la manifestation, un Gilet Jaune a perdu une main suite à l’explosion d’une grenade de désencerclement devant l’Assemblée Nationale. A Paris le samedi 9 février 2019.

Strong mobilization for Act 13 Yellow Vests. The declared event began at the Champs Elysees to end at the wall of peace in the Champ de Mars. Many Yellow Vests have decided to continue walking to the Champs Elysees. During the demonstration, a Yellow Vest lost a hand following the explosion of a désencclement grenade in front of the National Assembly. In Paris on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

by Thomas Gautier

Acte 13 : Les Gilets Jaunes forcent la porte de l’Assemblée Nationale ! /

Act 13: Yellow Vests force the door of the National Assembly!

TV Patriotes

Premiered 4 hours ago

Forte mobilisation pour l’acte 13 des Gilets Jaunes. La manifestation déclarée a débuté aux Champs Elysées pour se terminer devant le mur de la paix, au Champ de Mars. Beaucoup de Gilets Jaunes ont décidé de poursuivre la marche jusqu’aux Champs Elysées. Pendant la manifestation, un Gilet Jaune a perdu une main suite à l’explosion d’une grenade de désencerclement devant l’Assemblée Nationale. A Paris le samedi 9 février 2019.

Strong mobilization for Act 13 Yellow Vests. The declared event began at the Champs Elysees to end at the wall of peace in the Champ de Mars. Many Yellow Vests have decided to continue walking to the Champs Elysees. During the demonstration, a Yellow Vest lost a hand following the explosion of a désencclement grenade in front of the National Assembly. In Paris on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Prepared by Thomas Gautier

THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

[THIS IS POSTED HERE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL, NON-PROFIT, EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE]

Rosa Luxemburg’s struggle and the parallels with today

by Steve Johnson

Morning Star | February 10, 2019

ON THE 100th anniversary year of the murders of the outstanding German revolutionaries Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg it is fitting that the London Morning Star Readers and Supporters Group should be having its relaunch with a screening of Margarethe von Trotha’s classic film The Patience of Rosa Luxemburg.

Jeff Bezos’ Blackmail Attempt by National Enquirer is Deeply Ironic

by Glenn Greenwald

¿Quien es más vile? Former Pentagon chief Ash Carter greets megamillionaire contractor Jeff Bezos (r).

THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER HAS engaged in behavior so lowly and unscrupulous that it created a seemingly impossible storyline: the world’s richest billionaire and a notorious labor abuser, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, as a sympathetic victim.