The gullible have been duped again.
Venezuela.
Once again America goes about overthrowing another sovereign country with the military, all the while abandoning Ukraine and placating Russia. But at what cost? America has a poor record of administering the results of invasions (Iraq and Afghanistan being recent examples).
In the summer of 2002 Colin Powell warned President George W. Bush of the consequences of his planned military action in Iraq: "You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people," he told the president. "You will own all their hopes, aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all." Privately, Powell and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you own it.
Trump says the US is going to "run the country" after Maduro's capture. In the ensuing discord brought on by America's invasion of Venezuela massive amounts of money will be spent, many lives will be lost and hatred of America will increase.
Was there a clear and articulable reason for overthrowing Maduro? Was there a plan for what this will cost American taxpayers? Was there a plan for who will govern after Maduro?
The deception started with the murders of so-called drug smugglers on the high seas in international waters. But what are the facts about drugs coming into America?
While Venezuela is a player in cocaine manufacturing and trafficking, drug seizure data shows that it's not as prominent a supplier of cocaine to the U.S. as other South American and Latin American countries.
There is also no evidence that any significant level of illegal fentanyl — the primary killer in U.S. overdose deaths — is produced in South America, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Most illegal fentanyl enters the U.S. from Mexico, per UNODC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Illicit fentanyl can also be diverted, or stolen, from legal sources as medical professionals use the drug.
Venezuela is not among the primary direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S.
Like fentanyl, most cocaine enters the U.S. from Mexico and typically gets to Mexico via maritime transportation on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides, according to UNODC research officer Antoine Vella. Some also arrives in Mexico via land transportation.
While the Trump administration's early September attacks targeted Venezuelan boats, there is no known direct cocaine trade route from Venezuela to the U.S. via sea. The only known direct Venezuela to U.S. trafficking route is via air, according to drug seizure data from UNODC. Cocaine could still arrive from Venezuela to the U.S. through intermediary countries.
Colombia, Ecuador and Panama are among the main direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S. via boat. (KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento)
The gullible have been duped again.
Minnesota.
Minnesota child care centers at the heart of widespread fraud allegations fueled by a viral video were operating as expected when visited by investigators, the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families said in a news release Friday.
The report comes days after You Tube creator Nick Shirley, who has created anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim videos in the past, posted a viral video in which he claimed to find widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers.
The video, which includes limited evidence for the creator’s allegations, has received 3 million views on YouTube as of Friday and gained traction after being reposted by Vice President JD Vance and former Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk.
The conservative activist’s 42-minute video posted the day after Christmas quickly spread, prompting stepped up immigration enforcement, frozen federal funds and more biting rehtoric against the Somali community from President Donald Trump.
After the video’s release, Health and Human Services froze all child care payments to the state for review, as the FBI and Department of Homeland Security investigate allegations of fraud. CNN on Friday reached out to the FBI and DHS for comment on the preliminary state findings.
HHS, through a spokesperson, did not respond directly to the state findings Friday and reiterated its call for a more robust verification process to prevent fraud. “The onus is on the state to provide additional verification,” said Andrew Nixon, HHS deputy assistant secretary for media relations.
The Trump administration has given Minnesota officials until next Friday to provide verifying information about providers and parents who receive federal funds for child care, according to an email sent Friday by DCYF to child care providers shared with The Associated Press. CNN has reached out to HHS and state officials for clarification. (CNN)
Once again the Trump administration uses the hammer of retribution to a blue state and ethnicity entirely based on false and misleading information.
How much longer will Americans be duped by a corrupt and despicable administration? How much longer will Congress sit on their hands and acquiesce to the injustices and abrogation of the Constitution and Rule of Law?
Resist! Defiance!
