Venezuela is a poor country.  It is poor because of the somewhat socialist policies that have been enacted there.  It is also poor because of sanctions, courtesy of the U.S. government.

The “leadership” in Venezuela has not been obedient to the U.S. empire.  This was the case under Chavez, and it continues to be the case under Maduro.  The U.S. empire doesn’t like it when others aren’t obedient.  They really don’t like it when there is oil and also a lack of obedience.

Therefore, it has been the policy of the U.S. government to topple the government of Venezuela.  This is especially true of Trump, who tried to topple the Venezuelan government in his first term.

Less than a year into this term, Trump and his war hawk advisors are at it again.  They have blown up several boats in the water off of the Venezuelan coast.  Now they are threatening even more.

Drug Dealers?

Where is the proof that the people murdered in these boats were drug dealers?  Did they get charged with this offense?  Were they brought to trial?

Even if they were drug dealers, since when does that deserve the death penalty?  According to Trump, it deserves death, but this is meaningless.  Trump is funding a mass slaughter in Gaza.  Trump is funding a war in Ukraine.  Trump has no problem dropping bombs on Yemen or Iran or anywhere else that is convenient to his war making.

The fact that Trump is ordering these boats to be blown up off the coast of South America is even worse.  Not only is he murdering people, but he is doing it in a foreign country.  It is an act of war.

What would Americans say if Russia blew up a boat off the south shore of Long Island because they suspected the boat had drugs?  In fact, what would Trump say about that?  You can picture us going into a nuclear war over it.  But somehow, it is ok for the murderous Trump to kill people arbitrarily in Venezuela.

Peace Prize?

Trump is trying to make a case that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.  This is the bizarro world we live in.  Trump doesn’t deserve any credit for stopping a war that he started or funded.  He doesn’t deserve credit for stopping conflicts that weren’t really wars or that he really had little to do with stopping.

Trump does deserve “credit” for starting wars in Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela.  He deserves credit for continuing to fund conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.  He deserves credit for continuing conflicts in Somalia and other countries in the world.

Trump will sometimes talk about peace.  But most of his time in office in 2025 has been about making war or threatening war.  Trump is solidifying his place in history as another war criminal president.

What Trump and his administration are doing in Venezuela is murder.  They can call people narco-terrorists or whatever they want.  They have no moral authority to do what they are doing.  It doesn’t matter that they are government officials.  It is still murder.