Venezuela belongs on the state-sponsor of terror list


The U.S. has pretty much tried everything it could to dislodge the corrupt, brutal socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. One thing it hasn’t, though, is putting Venezuela on the state sponsors of terror list, which would be easy to do, given that it actually fits the ticket.


Does it issue passports to terrorists affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah and others from among the Mideast’s gamiest players? Sure does.



Does it succor these people and provide them a safe landing pad any time they are in the regional neighborhood? It rolls out the welcome mat.


Has it allowed vast swathes of its country to be taken over by the Castro-founded Colombian guerrilla group known as ELN? A recent report says that more than half the country is controlled by these inhuman thugs.


Has it succored Colombian terrorist group FARC? Yep. And the Spanish Basque terrorist minions, too.


The whole creepiness of the Venezuelan regime runs the gamut of terror-sponsorship, and oh, don’t forget to mention that the country is pals with these other state sponsors of terror, starting with Iran.


The Chavista socialist regime has created a humanitarian nightmare for Venezuela’s neighbors as human rights violations flow something fierce and people are starved for food, water, medical care, transport and housing. According to a column in Forbes today, the socialist regime’s odds of getting its act together in the coming year are exactly … zero. USA Today reports that the Maduro regime is consolidating its power to go Full Castro, and if there’s no intervention, he will get away with it.


The only real question to ask is why it hasn’t been done already, given the thuggery and threats we and our regional neighbors are enduring.


The non-pro-Trump press is all for it, starting with the Weekly Standard, as is President Trump’s political rival, Sen. Marco Rubio.  According to an editorial calling for it from the Miami Herald:


The designation would place Venezuela on a list reserved for governments repeatedly accused of being “a state sponsor of terrorism,” like Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan. Cuba fought and won removal from the list in 2016 during the Obama administration.


Does Venezuela really qualify as a top danger to America? Yes, according to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has led the push to label Venezuela as such. Indications are that the administration is acting on Rubio’s expert advice. The senator has long been a thorn in Maduro’s side. We commend Rubio for his tenacity against a power-hungry dictator who has made a mockery of his country’s democracy.


In a letter, Rubio and two Senate colleagues lobbied Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to put the designation on Venezuela, highlighting the regime’s links to U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the National Liberation Army, Basque Fatherland and Liberty, and Hezbollah supporters.


“The crisis in Venezuela is dire and worsening every day,” the senators wrote. “The United States must use all available tools to protect the American homeland and our people from the Venezuelan dictatorship’s egregious support for terrorism and narcotrafficking. We strongly believe that the Maduro regime meets the criteria necessary to designate the current Venezuelan government as a state sponsor of terrorism.”


Give it to them.


The U.S. has pretty much tried everything it could to dislodge the corrupt, brutal socialist regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. One thing it hasn’t, though, is putting Venezuela on the state sponsors of terror list, which would be easy to do, given that it actually fits the ticket.


Does it issue passports to terrorists affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah and others from among the Mideast’s gamiest players? Sure does.


Does it succor these people and provide them a safe landing pad any time they are in the regional neighborhood? It rolls out the welcome mat.


Has it allowed vast swathes of its country to be taken over by the Castro-founded Colombian guerrilla group known as ELN? A recent report says that more than half the country is controlled by these inhuman thugs.


Has it succored Colombian terrorist group FARC? Yep. And the Spanish Basque terrorist minions, too.


The whole creepiness of the Venezuelan regime runs the gamut of terror-sponsorship, and oh, don’t forget to mention that the country is pals with these other state sponsors of terror, starting with Iran.


The Chavista socialist regime has created a humanitarian nightmare for Venezuela’s neighbors as human rights violations flow something fierce and people are starved for food, water, medical care, transport and housing. According to a column in Forbes today, the socialist regime’s odds of getting its act together in the coming year are exactly … zero. USA Today reports that the Maduro regime is consolidating its power to go Full Castro, and if there’s no intervention, he will get away with it.


The only real question to ask is why it hasn’t been done already, given the thuggery and threats we and our regional neighbors are enduring.


The non-pro-Trump press is all for it, starting with the Weekly Standard, as is President Trump’s political rival, Sen. Marco Rubio.  According to an editorial calling for it from the Miami Herald:


The designation would place Venezuela on a list reserved for governments repeatedly accused of being “a state sponsor of terrorism,” like Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan. Cuba fought and won removal from the list in 2016 during the Obama administration.


Does Venezuela really qualify as a top danger to America? Yes, according to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has led the push to label Venezuela as such. Indications are that the administration is acting on Rubio’s expert advice. The senator has long been a thorn in Maduro’s side. We commend Rubio for his tenacity against a power-hungry dictator who has made a mockery of his country’s democracy.


In a letter, Rubio and two Senate colleagues lobbied Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to put the designation on Venezuela, highlighting the regime’s links to U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the National Liberation Army, Basque Fatherland and Liberty, and Hezbollah supporters.


“The crisis in Venezuela is dire and worsening every day,” the senators wrote. “The United States must use all available tools to protect the American homeland and our people from the Venezuelan dictatorship’s egregious support for terrorism and narcotrafficking. We strongly believe that the Maduro regime meets the criteria necessary to designate the current Venezuelan government as a state sponsor of terrorism.”


Give it to them.




via American Thinker Blog

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