Posting as someone with direct family ties to Venezuela.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP AGAIN:
Two things can be true at the same time.

Yes, this is about human rights. About political prisoners, sham elections, protesters run over by armored vehicles, and families forced to flee or rely on remittances just to survive.

And yes, it’s also about international security and oil.

Venezuela sits on enormous resources. The U.S. helped build much of that oil infrastructure decades ago, when Venezuela was a functioning partner with one of the most advanced energy systems in the world. That system wasn’t “sanctioned into collapse”—it was gutted by corruption, politicization, and a regime that rewarded loyalty over competence.

Pretending China and Iran embedded themselves there out of altruism is laughable. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage, and influence in the Western Hemisphere. That matters whether you’re progressive or conservative.

This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Biden continued Venezuelan oil dealings despite repeated human-rights warnings. Trump taking action doesn’t magically erase the reality on the ground.

For families like ours—sending remittances, shipping boxes of food and medicine, hoping one day it’s safe to return—this isn’t abstract. It’s lived experience.

You don’t have to deny strategic interests to care about human rights.
And you don’t have to ignore human suffering to acknowledge strategic interests.

Refusing to admit both is exactly how the conversation gets dumbed down.

What's confusing me about your post (and many comments from Venezuelans) is why are you feeling so optimistic about human rights? I understand that Maduro was a monster, and in that sense his abduction at least offers a glimmer of hope. But nothing I've heard has suggested that conditions will improve in Vz after his departure. The same people are in power. The Chavist paramilitaries are still blocking roads and enforcing loyalty. The economic system is the same.

This isn't "Trump will get the oil in exchange for an improved human rights situation on the ground". Trump doesn't give a rats ass about human rights, and he'll make no demands on the new government to improve the domestic situation in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t about drug trafficking or drug smuggling or corruption. It’s about oil. Power vacuums rarely lead to peaceful transitions of power. I hope your wife gets to visit her family sometime soon, but Trump doesn’t actually care about the people of Venezuela. See the hypocrisy of pardoning the Honduran president.

This is what you don't seem to understand, to the people of Venezuela, WHO CARES if Trump doesn't care about them. WHO CARES if Trump is out to enrich himself. Maduro didn't care about them either. Maduro was not making them rich off their country's resources. All the ills and complications that will come with Trump are not a loss to Venezuelans, they were already losing! Change in any form is a gain at the moment. It may prove not to be over time, but right now in the immediate moment, the only thing that matters is that their oppressor is out. Yes, even if that means welcoming another oppressor with open arms.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have a good list of countries that we can invade to help overthrow oppressive regimes? While we are at it, maybe even add those countries that are committing human rights violations too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP AGAIN:
Two things can be true at the same time.

Yes, this is about human rights. About political prisoners, sham elections, protesters run over by armored vehicles, and families forced to flee or rely on remittances just to survive.

And yes, it’s also about international security and oil.

Venezuela sits on enormous resources. The U.S. helped build much of that oil infrastructure decades ago, when Venezuela was a functioning partner with one of the most advanced energy systems in the world. That system wasn’t “sanctioned into collapse”—it was gutted by corruption, politicization, and a regime that rewarded loyalty over competence.

Pretending China and Iran embedded themselves there out of altruism is laughable. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage, and influence in the Western Hemisphere. That matters whether you’re progressive or conservative.

This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Biden continued Venezuelan oil dealings despite repeated human-rights warnings. Trump taking action doesn’t magically erase the reality on the ground.

For families like ours—sending remittances, shipping boxes of food and medicine, hoping one day it’s safe to return—this isn’t abstract. It’s lived experience.

You don’t have to deny strategic interests to care about human rights.
And you don’t have to ignore human suffering to acknowledge strategic interests.

Refusing to admit both is exactly how the conversation gets dumbed down.

What's confusing me about your post (and many comments from Venezuelans) is why are you feeling so optimistic about human rights? I understand that Maduro was a monster, and in that sense his abduction at least offers a glimmer of hope. But nothing I've heard has suggested that conditions will improve in Vz after his departure. The same people are in power. The Chavist paramilitaries are still blocking roads and enforcing loyalty. The economic system is the same.

This isn't "Trump will get the oil in exchange for an improved human rights situation on the ground". Trump doesn't give a rats ass about human rights, and he'll make no demands on the new government to improve the domestic situation in the country.

There is much uncertainty surrounding the near future in Venezuela and especially so with an incompetent American POTUS running the show but the first step in getting people out from underneath an oppressive dictator is to remove the dictator. There will be inevitable challenges with steps 2 and 3 but Venezuelans celebrating step 1 is completely understandable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are wasting your breath on DCUM’s rich white progressives.

Again, progressives aren't the problem. Our problems are the hyper-partisan Republicans and Democrats.

It’s the tribalism that leads us to the slaughterhouse.

-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP AGAIN:
Two things can be true at the same time.

Yes, this is about human rights. About political prisoners, sham elections, protesters run over by armored vehicles, and families forced to flee or rely on remittances just to survive.

And yes, it’s also about international security and oil.

Venezuela sits on enormous resources. The U.S. helped build much of that oil infrastructure decades ago, when Venezuela was a functioning partner with one of the most advanced energy systems in the world. That system wasn’t “sanctioned into collapse”—it was gutted by corruption, politicization, and a regime that rewarded loyalty over competence.

Pretending China and Iran embedded themselves there out of altruism is laughable. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage, and influence in the Western Hemisphere. That matters whether you’re progressive or conservative.

This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Biden continued Venezuelan oil dealings despite repeated human-rights warnings. Trump taking action doesn’t magically erase the reality on the ground.

For families like ours—sending remittances, shipping boxes of food and medicine, hoping one day it’s safe to return—this isn’t abstract. It’s lived experience.

You don’t have to deny strategic interests to care about human rights.
And you don’t have to ignore human suffering to acknowledge strategic interests.

Refusing to admit both is exactly how the conversation gets dumbed down.

What's confusing me about your post (and many comments from Venezuelans) is why are you feeling so optimistic about human rights? I understand that Maduro was a monster, and in that sense his abduction at least offers a glimmer of hope. But nothing I've heard has suggested that conditions will improve in Vz after his departure. The same people are in power. The Chavist paramilitaries are still blocking roads and enforcing loyalty. The economic system is the same.

This isn't "Trump will get the oil in exchange for an improved human rights situation on the ground". Trump doesn't give a rats ass about human rights, and he'll make no demands on the new government to improve the domestic situation in the country.

There is much uncertainty surrounding the near future in Venezuela and especially so with an incompetent American POTUS running the show but the first step in getting people out from underneath an oppressive dictator is to remove the dictator. There will be inevitable challenges with steps 2 and 3 but Venezuelans celebrating step 1 is completely understandable.

I am hopeful that by removing maduro business and tourism will return to Venezuela, providing stable economy and an opportunity for future prosperity for the people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are wasting your breath on DCUM’s rich white progressives.

Again, progressives aren't the problem. Our problems are the hyper-partisan Republicans and Democrats.

It’s the tribalism that leads us to the slaughterhouse.

-OP

+1

We've been divided by those with an agenda to conquer us. Let's not fall for it. We're better than this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t about drug trafficking or drug smuggling or corruption. It’s about oil. Power vacuums rarely lead to peaceful transitions of power. I hope your wife gets to visit her family sometime soon, but Trump doesn’t actually care about the people of Venezuela. See the hypocrisy of pardoning the Honduran president.

This is what you don't seem to understand, to the people of Venezuela, WHO CARES if Trump doesn't care about them. WHO CARES if Trump is out to enrich himself. Maduro didn't care about them either. Maduro was not making them rich off their country's resources. All the ills and complications that will come with Trump are not a loss to Venezuelans, they were already losing! Change in any form is a gain at the moment. It may prove not to be over time, but right now in the immediate moment, the only thing that matters is that their oppressor is out. Yes, even if that means welcoming another oppressor with open arms.

I am the OP and I agree with you completely. People just want to hate for no reason other than the stupid donkey or elephant…

[Anonymous]

A lot of people who have been to boarding prep schools from the 1970s on can claim to have friends they lived with for 1-4 hears who are from Venezuela.

It is/was very regular to send girls from Asia, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to US boarding schools. Often schools in other places stopped at 9th grade. The US would pay for children of US foreign workers to complete grades through 12 here.

Also, the international students were all full pay. At that time it was like "only 15K a year" but I got 100% scholarship to that school. Today I think it's like 70K+

I didn't pay a dime for my whole education at that school. I had work study. I wiped down some classrooms on the off hour and clapped some erasers and washed some blackboards. I lackadaisically patrolled books in the library on the Dewey Decimal system to see when kids had put back books in the completely wrong place.

The international students from Venezuela, Asia and Saudi Arabia financed my education.

Now I'm thinking of the kids from Venezuela because they all live in Caracas

[Anonymous]

OP I personally have not seen anyone defending the Maduro regime. I see right wing social media make fun of “leftists” who are “defending” Maduro. Everyone agrees he had to go. The concerns are that 1) it was done in a very illegal way and opens the doors for more power grabs/corruption from Trump et al and 2) Never has a US intervention of ousting the bad guy led to a better situation for citizens of whatever country. I say that as someone who comes from a country that had US intervention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t about drug trafficking or drug smuggling or corruption. It’s about oil. Power vacuums rarely lead to peaceful transitions of power. I hope your wife gets to visit her family sometime soon, but Trump doesn’t actually care about the people of Venezuela. See the hypocrisy of pardoning the Honduran president.

This is what you don't seem to understand, to the people of Venezuela, WHO CARES if Trump doesn't care about them. WHO CARES if Trump is out to enrich himself. Maduro didn't care about them either. Maduro was not making them rich off their country's resources. All the ills and complications that will come with Trump are not a loss to Venezuelans, they were already losing! Change in any form is a gain at the moment. It may prove not to be over time, but right now in the immediate moment, the only thing that matters is that their oppressor is out. Yes, even if that means welcoming another oppressor with open arms.

I am the OP and I agree with you completely. People just want to hate for no reason other than the stupid donkey or elephant…

In defense of the donkeys and elephants; they don't know any better, it's how they've been brain trained. They aren't necessarily bad people. We all can be gullible at times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My wife is Venezuelan. She desperately wants to be able to go back someday—to visit safely, to see family, to recognize her own country again. Right now, that’s not possible. Much of her family is current or former military, and they want exactly what civilians want: freedom from an oppressive regime that destroyed their country from the inside.

She does not like Trump. Let’s get that out of the way. But let’s also stop pretending Venezuela is a Democrat vs. Republican issue. It’s not.

Under Maduro, people were run over by armored vehicles. Protesters were shot. Elections were a farce. The country became a narco-state while ordinary people starved or fled. That reality didn’t change depending on who was in the White House.

And for those suddenly clutching pearls about U.S. involvement—Biden continued dealings with Venezuelan oil despite repeated warnings from human-rights organizations. So please spare us the selective outrage.

China and Iran didn’t embed themselves in Venezuela out of goodwill. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage. Everyone knows this. Acting shocked now is disingenuous.

Here’s what’s missing from most of these takes: the majority of Venezuelans want the regime gone, even if that comes with hard compromises. They understand the cost because they’ve already paid it.

This isn’t about loving Trump.
It’s about wanting Venezuela back.

Trump is there to take the oil and he is not going to give Venezuela any royalties. He does not give a rats ass about the Venezuelan people. Listen to what he is saying.

US military and contractors occupation of Venezuela will be brutal. The US military has no rules of engagement. Look at Gaza that is what is coming.

Oh and your wife will be rounded up and deported. Stephen Miller played a big part in this.

[Anonymous]

OP Again:

I’m cautiously optimistic about what comes next. This could end worse, or it could end better. But the part many seem to miss is that under Maduro, the trajectory was already only “a lot worse.” There was no stable status quo—just continued decline.

Hope doesn’t mean certainty. It means recognizing that doing nothing guaranteed more suffering.

The dancing in the streets sight will be short lived if the conditions don’t stabilize. I hope that the VP (and now acting president) remains in power until the next election. My wife on he other hand wants a special election right away. I’m not sure what the US will do and understand that the more tinker with things the more it feels like we are installing a government. I definitely want to feel a sense of protection of American interests…oil and minerals…and potentially even US bases…but at the same time I want the people to have their own fair and true elections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP AGAIN:
Two things can be true at the same time.

Yes, this is about human rights. About political prisoners, sham elections, protesters run over by armored vehicles, and families forced to flee or rely on remittances just to survive.

And yes, it’s also about international security and oil.

Venezuela sits on enormous resources. The U.S. helped build much of that oil infrastructure decades ago, when Venezuela was a functioning partner with one of the most advanced energy systems in the world. That system wasn’t “sanctioned into collapse”—it was gutted by corruption, politicization, and a regime that rewarded loyalty over competence.

Pretending China and Iran embedded themselves there out of altruism is laughable. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage, and influence in the Western Hemisphere. That matters whether you’re progressive or conservative.

This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Biden continued Venezuelan oil dealings despite repeated human-rights warnings. Trump taking action doesn’t magically erase the reality on the ground.

For families like ours—sending remittances, shipping boxes of food and medicine, hoping one day it’s safe to return—this isn’t abstract. It’s lived experience.

You don’t have to deny strategic interests to care about human rights.
And you don’t have to ignore human suffering to acknowledge strategic interests.

Refusing to admit both is exactly how the conversation gets dumbed down.

What's confusing me about your post (and many comments from Venezuelans) is why are you feeling so optimistic about human rights? I understand that Maduro was a monster, and in that sense his abduction at least offers a glimmer of hope. But nothing I've heard has suggested that conditions will improve in Vz after his departure. The same people are in power. The Chavist paramilitaries are still blocking roads and enforcing loyalty. The economic system is the same.

This isn't "Trump will get the oil in exchange for an improved human rights situation on the ground". Trump doesn't give a rats ass about human rights, and he'll make no demands on the new government to improve the domestic situation in the country.

There is much uncertainty surrounding the near future in Venezuela and especially so with an incompetent American POTUS running the show but the first step in getting people out from underneath an oppressive dictator is to remove the dictator. There will be inevitable challenges with steps 2 and 3 but Venezuelans celebrating step 1 is completely understandable.

I am hopeful that by removing maduro business and tourism will return to Venezuela, providing stable economy and an opportunity for future prosperity for the people.

Okay, I sincerely hope that you are right and that improved conditions come to pass. Unfortunately my suspicion is that Trump struck a deal with Rodriguez: let us in to overthrow Maduro and de-nationalize the oil industry, and you can run Venezuela any way you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP AGAIN:
Two things can be true at the same time.

Yes, this is about human rights. About political prisoners, sham elections, protesters run over by armored vehicles, and families forced to flee or rely on remittances just to survive.

And yes, it’s also about international security and oil.

Venezuela sits on enormous resources. The U.S. helped build much of that oil infrastructure decades ago, when Venezuela was a functioning partner with one of the most advanced energy systems in the world. That system wasn’t “sanctioned into collapse”—it was gutted by corruption, politicization, and a regime that rewarded loyalty over competence.

Pretending China and Iran embedded themselves there out of altruism is laughable. They wanted oil, minerals, leverage, and influence in the Western Hemisphere. That matters whether you’re progressive or conservative.

This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Biden continued Venezuelan oil dealings despite repeated human-rights warnings. Trump taking action doesn’t magically erase the reality on the ground.

For families like ours—sending remittances, shipping boxes of food and medicine, hoping one day it’s safe to return—this isn’t abstract. It’s lived experience.

You don’t have to deny strategic interests to care about human rights.
And you don’t have to ignore human suffering to acknowledge strategic interests.

Refusing to admit both is exactly how the conversation gets dumbed down.

What's confusing me about your post (and many comments from Venezuelans) is why are you feeling so optimistic about human rights? I understand that Maduro was a monster, and in that sense his abduction at least offers a glimmer of hope. But nothing I've heard has suggested that conditions will improve in Vz after his departure. The same people are in power. The Chavist paramilitaries are still blocking roads and enforcing loyalty. The economic system is the same.

This isn't "Trump will get the oil in exchange for an improved human rights situation on the ground". Trump doesn't give a rats ass about human rights, and he'll make no demands on the new government to improve the domestic situation in the country.

There is much uncertainty surrounding the near future in Venezuela and especially so with an incompetent American POTUS running the show but the first step in getting people out from underneath an oppressive dictator is to remove the dictator. There will be inevitable challenges with steps 2 and 3 but Venezuelans celebrating step 1 is completely understandable.

I am hopeful that by removing maduro business and tourism will return to Venezuela, providing stable economy and an opportunity for future prosperity for the people.

Trump kidnapped Maduro but left the Chavista power structure in place, so I'm not sure I see how anything has been solved.