Trump: Keep Your Bloody Imperialism Off Venezuela –Charles Barron

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Maduro holding portrait of the late Chavez. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

1998 Hugo Chavez was democratically elected president of Venezuela by an overwhelming majority of the Venezuelan People. He immediately launched the “Bolivarian Revolution” named after the great Latin American Liberator Simon Bolivar and renamed the country “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”.

President Hugo Chavez replaced the American backed right-wing capitalist oligarchy and returned Venezuela’s rich oil revenues to the people for social programs and combating poverty.

Chavez’s government achieved the following: reinforced a constitutional ban on privatization of oil companies; enrolled over one million students in school who were previously excluded; increased the minimum wage and public sector salaries; introduced a credit program for women and the poor; reformed the tax system to benefit the poor; reduced unemployment; redistributed land from the oligarchy to the struggling people; lowered infant mortality; lowered illiteracy; halted the privatization of the Venezuelan social security system and established a new progressive constitution with grassroots peoples participation. This is only a partial listing of his successes.

We must remember that it was President Chavez by way of Venezuela’s Citgo oil company in America that provided extremely low cost heating oil for the struggling families in New York —Harlem, The Bronx and Brooklyn– Boston and numerous cities across America. It was President Chavez that provided free cataract eye surgery for families of America.

America’s response was to impose economic sanctions against Venezuela and finance a coup d’etat by the racist right-wing capitalist opposition in April 2002 that briefly ousted Chavez from the office of President.

However after just two days out of office President Chavez was returned to the presidency due to millions of his supporters demonstrating in the streets and strong support from his military. President Chavez was elected for another term in December 2006 and re-elected for a third term in October 2012.

Sadly, after a nearly two year fight with cancer, President Chavez died on March 5, 2013 while in office.

Nicolas Maduro was democratically elected President by a majority of the Venezuelan people on April 14, 2013 to fill the vacancy left by his longtime beloved comrade in struggle Hugo Chavez. Before being elected President, Maduro served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2012 and Vice President from 2012 to 2013 under President Hugo Chavez.

Despite claims by the capitalist oligarchy opposition and Trump that the election of President Maduro was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court of Venezuela validated the election of President Maduro and so did the Venezuelan Congress; Asamblea Nacional. There is only one President of The Bolivarian Republic Of Venezuela and that’s President Nicolas Maduro.

It is America’s pro capitalist pro oligarchy economic sanctions against the people of Venezuela that are creating the shortage of food and medicine in Venezuela.

These shortages lead to hunger and death causing some Venezuelans to migrate to other countries. Socialism is not the culprit, it is American imperialism.

Trump’s attempt at creating civil unrest and regime change in Venezuela for capitalistic imperialistic hegemonic greed must be condemned and defeated.

Long live the spirit of Simon Bolivar.
Long live the spirit of Hugo Chavez.
Long live the presidency of Nicolas Maduro.
Long live the people of Venezuela.
Long live the Bolivarian Revolution.

Barron is a New York State Assembly Member from Brooklyn.

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