THE AMERICAN DEATH SQUAD
By
Richard Davis
The last time I checked U.S. military murderers had killed about 40 or so presumed Venezuelan drug dealers. It is not only a shocking escalation of Trump’s mania for power, but it is also one of the more immoral and illegal actions he has taken so far.
No proof has been provided by the U.S. government of what has been in these boats they have blown up. Trump wants to play with his military toys and his lust for power knows no end. Never mind the rule of any law. Never mind due process. Who needs evidence when you are building a dictatorship and flaunting domestic and international law with abandon?
Venezuela is thinking over its options about retaliation and Trump is talking about a ground invasion. Do you really think that Trump cares that much about the movement of illegal drugs that he wants to start a war? He is looking for an excuse to play international bully and he has picked Venezuela as his target.
According to an October 9 New York Times report, “But Mr. Trump’s focus on Venezuela is at odds with reality: The vast majority of cocaine is produced and smuggled elsewhere in Latin America, according to data from the United States, Colombia and the United Nations. And Venezuela does not supply fentanyl at all, experts say.”
This entire new mess is another example of Trump and his team not letting the facts get in the way of a chance to activate the military. The Times makes it clear that most of the drug smuggling done on the water goes through the Pacific. Many smugglers use air routes to deliver their goods to Mexico. Fentanyl is made in Mexico with ingredients from China and other Asian countries.
The fact that Trump has not said what drugs he has supposedly been destroying is another indication of factual ignorance. The Times notes that, “Mexican cartels, including some designated as terrorist organizations by the United States, largely control how drugs like fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine cross the border. (The substances mostly come in by land, sometimes concealed in cars or trucks, not by sea.)”
Some people believe that this entire operation may have nothing to do with drugs but is an attempt to oust the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Trump has gone as far as saying that Maduro is running a drug cartel and that he is an illegitimate leader.
If that is the real reason for this action then Trump is showing his total disregard for the value of human life, willing to use anyone as a pawn in his unrelenting quest for power. What makes him think that the U.S. should decide who runs Venezuela?
If Trump is not stopped by the international community what good are any of the world’s institutions that were created to maintain peace and order in the world? Will they let this little war play out until it’s conclusion and allow more people to be killed without due process just because Trump wants it so?
Trump has crossed a new line. He is now an international criminal and should be held responsible for the murder of all the people he has killed in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The World Court needs to make him accountable for his actions and he should be tried for crimes against humanity and the myriad violations of international law that he has committed.
