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The United States never seems to learn from its past mistakes. We have attempted regime changes in Iran (to steal their oil), sold weapons to Iraq in their civil war with Iran, invaded Iraq with bogus claims of WMD’s, sold weapons to Saudi Arabia resulting in the devastating famine in Yemen, overthrew Kaddafi in Libya resulting in complete chaos . . .John Bolton, National Security Advisor, admitted that a regime change would benefit US oil. In our latest effort to maintain our impeccable record of regime change failures, the Trump administration is beating the war drums to replace President Maduro of Venezuela with his unelected contender, Juan Guaidó. 

Secretary of State Pompeo’s appointment of Elliot Abrams to lead the US imposed changes is an exceeding bad choice. He is a right-wing hawk whose resume is full of dark deeds. In 1991 he was convicted for lying to congress during the Iran-Contra scandal and narrowly escaped the “orange suit and shackles” by a pardon from President H.W. Bush. He defended mass murderer and torturer, Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt, who was later convicted of genocide of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Abrams was also deeply involved in the attempted coup of Hugo Chávez and supporting the right-wing government in El Salvador. 

The Democrats should speak up against this administration’s effort to draw us into another civil war. The crippling sanctions should be lifted and Venezuela must accept the offer of Uruguay, Mexico, and the Vatican to mediate in the crisis and request the IMF’s help in bringing down hyperinflation. For more go to http://callforsocialjustice.blogspot.com/