Free, Free Venezuela

It just doesn’t have the same rhythm, or at least not yet. Almost immediately after the U.S. Army’s Delta Force captured the arch-dictator and narco-terrorist, Nicolas Maduro, people took to Times Square in New York City to protest his arrest.

It was a big 180-degree turn for them. All the “Free, Free Palestine” signs had to be packed away to make room for the “Free Venezuela” and “Free Maduro” signs. Like all the food trucks at the protest rallies around the country, the sign makers seem to be doing fairly well too.

The issue that requires addressing is why anyone would be opposed to the arrest of Mr. Maduro and his wife when their activities (in addition to making them billionaires) provided funding and support to terroristic entities like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Tren de Aragua cartel, along with others that deal in deadly drugs here in the U.S., where 100,000 Americans lose their lives every day.

Over the last few days as various aspects of the case unfold, we’ve learned that Maduro provided his drug couriers with diplomatic passports so the U.S. authorities could not interfere with their travels. This includes his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, who flew drugs in a state-owned plane to Miami, where he was untouchable. Along with his parents, his son was indicted, although he remains at large in Venezuela.

So, what are these people who are protesting the capture of Maduro really protesting about? Are they in favor of drug overdoses and young people dying for some wild reason?

This week most of the Democratic Party came out in support of Maduro and against Trump. In court the other day, Maduro declared that he’s still the president of Venezuela. He also proclaimed his innocence.

In fact, his defense attorney (aside from being paid literally—and possibly actually—truckloads of money to defend him) expects a long, drawn-out trial that will take at least six months and quite possibly more.

The Democrats and the Trump-haters take the position that Trump and his administration will be focused on “America First.” To the outsiders and Democrats, America First means that the U.S. should reduce its support of Israel.

That’s why these people were incensed when the B-2 bombers obliterated the Iranian nuclear arsenal. One would think that the enemies of Israel should also be the enemies of the free democratic countries of the world. Not so fast.

It’s odd, but as things turn out these days, if you’re anti-Israel, you’re likely to be anti-Trump too. When it comes to matters pertaining to Israel, there seems to be a different set of rules of the game.

Now that Maduro has been moved out of his Caracas bunker and into a Brooklyn slammer, we also have the opportunity to analyze other similar cases. Back in 1990, there was Manuel Noriega of Panama. He was not really a president or prime minister, more like a de facto military strong man who operated behind puppet presidents, a situation that afforded him the opportunity to get into the drug trade. When he was found to be working against the U.S., President Clinton declared war on Panama and sent in the military, which captured and arrested him.

Noriega’s defense was the same as Maduro’s, that the U.S. lacks jurisdiction and he has diplomatic immunity, etc. In the end, after a long trial, Noriega was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He died there in 2017—in Panama—after being released from both U.S. and French prisons for good behavior.

On the matter of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, the big issue for Democrats is having to digest their own words. During the first Trump administration, Schumer and other Democrats were all over him for not doing anything about Maduro and the authoritarian way he ran Venezuela.

Now that Trump got hold of Maduro, the Dems are turning themselves inside out for the opposite reason. They call it a “dangerous distraction” and his actions “unlawful” and “unjust.” Schumer said that what Trump did last weekend was illegal and he needed authorization from Congress to do what he accomplished.

Of course, we all know full well that Schumer’s hero, former President Barack Obama, had Osama bin Laden killed by a force similar to those that captured Mr. Maduro. We were told that Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attack on the World Trade Center, where close to 3,000 people were killed. Did Obama have the authorization from Congress before launching his operation? Is there anyone who wanted bin Laden arrested and put on trial in downtown Manhattan and then jailed for the rest of his life?

Or was it preferable that bin Laden be hunted down like an animal and disposed of expediently? We all know the families that were impacted by 9-11 in some fashion. We know people who lost children who had achieved a high job status with important companies who just went to work one day and unfortunately never came back.

Nicolas Maduro was a more prolific killer than bin Laden. Trump and his Justice Department is giving the former Venezuelan president due process, which on the surface, seems absurd given that the facts of the case are so clear.

Obama also killed an Islamic cleric who was an American citizen—Anwar al-Awlaki. And Biden, in the aftermath of the killing of 13 U.S. military personnel at the airport in Kabul, fired a drone that errantly killed 10 innocent civilians, including seven children. No comments on either of those situations from either Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries.

In court on Monday, Maduro claimed that he’s an innocent man and a good man, and he’s still the president of Venezuela. Of course, from the Maduro perspective, he just sees himself as a very successful businessman filling a niche in an important market in the U.S.

At the end of the day, just like Noriega, Maduro will be jailed for the rest of his life in a U.S. prison. The focus of this case will be technical, that his arrest was a violation of international law. But Maduro was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department back in 2000. He was finally apprehended and justice will finally be served. More than that, it could be that the cocaine overdose and fentanyl deaths might appreciably slow down.

The Free Palestine crew looks the other way when they hear that Jews in southern Israel are murdered in their homes. Now the Free Maduro and Free Venezuela folks are following the same course and are probably the same people. Their biggest problem is the alliteration and their slogans needs some immediate work and attention. 

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.