US declares Venezuela a national security threat; Sanctions Top Officials

After Venezuela Says Amerians need Visa's and ban Bush and Cheney

originally posted by: MimiSia
a reply to: Anyafaj

it is starting to be very tiring
yawn sanctions
who can impose sanctions on USA ? has anyone done that? can anyone? just so we are fair

Yeah, agree there. We've had sanctions against Venezuela at least since 2011 and all it does is hurt their people in the long run. Just how do you "sanction" 7 people???? It's a joke.

Here's the sanctions back in December 2014, has anything changed?

Top Story — U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday signed a law placing sanctions on “persons responsible for violations of human rights in Venezuela,” the White House press secretary said in a statement.

The sanctions bill will freeze the U.S. assets of, and strip visas from, officials responsible for committing “significant acts of violence or serious human rights abuses” against participants in anti-government protests that have sporadically swept the country since this spring. The law would also target officials responsible for arresting or prosecuting those who either protested or spoke out against the government.

latindispatch.com...

a reply to: StoutBroux

thank u for the article
I am not from usa but I love how people in usa in past stood up against the odds ..
true freedom
I admired it!
now (I feel for Obama I see him as trying to please both sides -I wish him to remain against the odds-he used to not be not just be cool.. now it is like he is attacked and pressured from inside-kind of line keneddy I guess I don't think he is to blame) I don't understand I wish all usa real peeps well .. sanctions are ok better than military attack.. but is not ok. globe can raise standard of living for all. we don't need bankers dictating government and holding 90%(what ever it is) of world wealth . who needs $10000 worth of one pair of shoes if that gives food and shelter and education for 30 kids for a whole year . u know ?

Just crying cause they got caught trying to make a coup there and got slapped. Ha, Ha

Sanctions may be a "Godsend" for Venezuela leader

At the start of the year, a grave-faced President Nicolas Maduro promised "God would provide" after oil prices crashed by half, exacerbating Venezuela's deep recession, chronic shortages and sky-high inflation.

Now, though, it seems Uncle Sam might be the one providing an unlikely helping hand to the socialist leader at one of the worst moments for the ruling "Chavismo" movement.

The United States on Monday ratcheted up a diplomatic spat by declaring Venezuela a national security threat and ordering sanctions against seven officials.

Maduro roared back against "imperialist" aggression, promptly appointed one of the sanctioned officials as his interior minister, and said the U.S. threat justified him seeking decree powers.

Suddenly, the unpopular leader has an excuse to crank up the revolutionary rhetoric and try to fire up supporters, copying a tactic used skillfully for more than a decade by his mentor and predecessor, the late socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez.

A new fight with the enemy to the north may also help unite disparate ruling Socialist Party factions and distract Venezuelans from relentless and depressing talk about their day-to-day economic problems.

Though the impact would likely be short-term, it could still be useful with legislative elections looming, where some pollsters have forecast defeat for the government.

Seems Maduro could care less about the sanctions. To him, this justifies that he is in the right. At the moment, politically, the US is only helping him, in a sense.

Cuba throws it's weight behind Venezuela, against the US

Cuba rallied behind Venezuela on Tuesday, offering its closest ally "unconditional support" after US President Barack Obama authorized new sanctions against officials of the turbulent South American oil producer.

The Cuban reaction marked its first public confrontation with the United States since the two countries began discussions in December on fully restoring diplomatic relations.

Cuba joins other leftist regional governments in closing ranks with Caracas in the deepening US-Venezuela row.

An official statement published in the island's state-run media called Obama's executive order implementing the sanctions "arbitrary and aggressive."

"Cuba again reiterates its unconditional support and that of our people for the Bolivarian Revolution, the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro, and the heroic brotherly people of Venezuela," the statement said.

As Venezuela's economy spirals and Maduro cracks down against dissent, friendly nations said they would not tolerate foreign interference.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister warned Monday that the Southern American bloc UNASUR would not allow foreign intervention or a coup in Venezuela.

I wonder how long our "diplomatic" relations will last with Cuba with them backing Venezuela. Is Obama going to all of a sudden going to stop the diplomatic relations, somehow I doubt it.

Victory Hugo

a reply to: marg6043

Ha! Scoff all you want. We'll see who's laughing when millions of Venezuelan tanks roll through the streets of Washington, D.C.

Any minute now...

a reply to: Majic

how do sanctions add to national security if Venezuela was a real threat..
tanks against peeps with paper clips and a pen. I think the point was (correct me wrong marg6043) if Venezuela was real threat u really can leave the paperwork for another day( meaning if ur gov really considered Venezuela as a threat reactions would be hopefully very different to sanctions )I actually think u guys are saying the same thing maybe I missed something

Clear And Present Dangers

a reply to: MimiSia

A "national security threat" consists of any person or persons failing to do whatever the U.S. Government orders them to do.

Venezuela is clearly guilty of this and must therefore be punished.

Freedom depends on it!

a reply to: Majic

ok let's sort this out once and for all

!!! dance off challenge !!!

... u have been served ...

(little thirsty now.. what you mean there is no orange juice? what the hell is the point of all these concentration camps?)

Viva La Irresolución

Sorry, I'm in a silly mood, and real people are suffering through some seriously difficult times in Venezuela (and the U.S., for that matter).

Still, "silly" somehow seems to fit the subject matter, because nowhere is self-parody as self-evident as in modern political rhetoric.

a reply to: EvilBat

Your link is supporting how we came over here and evolved into Native Americans, where is the "We stole Land and got our deserved Karma?"

I am pretty sure if they came from somewhere else they aren't native to America. Hence not native Americans.

a reply to: Majic

what else can be said to tedious news

a reply to: Anyafaj

Cuba throws it's weight behind Venezuela, against the US

That's smart...put your support behind a country that has as many problems if not more than you do.

Such fears are increasingly common in Venezuela. Critics fear the deteriorating economy, forecast to shrink 4 per cent this year and racked by inflation of 69 per cent, could prompt President Nicolás Maduro and his party to stomp on democracy in a desperate attempt to cling to power. An opposition victory could facilitate a “recall referendum” that could force Mr Maduro from office.

www.ft.com...

a reply to: xuenchen


Of course there is a hidden agenda. Why is it that Obama and his administration are saying this about Venezuela and "trying to make relations with Cuba"?...

Venezuela, under Chavez and the Chavistas clearly stated that they were embracing the Cuban model of "socialism" which later turned out to be communism, but who would have thought?... Anyways, how does it make sense for the Obama administration to "try to make deals with Cuba" meanwhile claiming Venezuela is a national security threat to the U.S.?...

One of the reasons being given by the Obama administration about Venezuela is "their human rights violations" apart from the corruption... The government of Cuba is also guilty of such human rights violations yet the Obama administration want to make friends with Cuba and enemy of Venezuela?...

BTW, did you know that Raul castro went recently to Venezuela to back them up against the statements of the Obama administration?...

...
But Castro later delivered a searing defense of Venezuela at an emergency meeting of leftist Latin American governments called in response to U.S. sanctions levied on seven Venezuelan officials last week. In announcing the move, the U.S. declared Venezuela a threat to U.S. national security.

Washington has asserted that the Venezuelan sanctions wouldn't affect its negotiations with Cuba, but Castro made clear in Caracas that he sees the two issues as linked.

He described Obama's declaration of detente with Cuba as a recognition that a U.S. policy of hostility to Latin American socialism had failed.

"Nonetheless, the spokesmen of his government have made clear that the objective remains, only the methods have changed," Castro said. "The U.S. must understand once and for all that it's impossible to seduce Cuba or intimidate Venezuela."
...

hosted.ap.org...

(i do see that the op posted a link to the above story about castro backing Venezuela against Obama's statements)

Cuba and Venezuela are close allies and the same allegations made by Obama on Venezuela can also be said of the government of Cuba.
So, how does it make sense to label Venezuela a threat to the U.S. meanwhile trying to make friends with the biggest ally of Venezuela?

originally posted by: StoutBroux

Yeah, agree there. We've had sanctions against Venezuela at least since 2011 and all it does is hurt their people in the long run. Just how do you "sanction" 7 people???? It's a joke.
..

Errr, the problems in Venezuela started LOOONG before the Obama administration put any sanctions against them...

But this is something not many people want to understand or agree with.

The problems with Venezuela started because of the economic polices being implemented by the government of Venezuela.

Before Venezuela turned socialist and then communist there weren't fights in supermarkets because of a lack of food items there. I know some people have claimed that the lack of food in Venezuela has been because "capitalism" or "the private sector"... But the truth is it was a government employee in Venezuela who found that the government of Venezuela had tons and tons of food rotting in GOVERNMENT warehouses meanwhile Venezuelans were going hungry...

EL UNIVERSAL
Friday June 25, 2010 12:02 PM



June 21

Opposition leader: Venezuelan govn't has a strict control over food items

Julio Borges, a candidate to the National Assembly for the state of Miranda, insisted on June 21 that the Venezuelan government must take responsibility for the discovery of containers with rotten food. The government should not try to transfer the responsibility to the private sector, the opposition leader added.

Borges said in an interview with Venezuelan radio station Unión Radio that the government is responsible for the case of rotten food because it created the Integral System of Agrifood Control (SICA), a supervision system that monitors all the stages of food imports and production in Venezuela.

Venezuelan authorities aware of spoiled food cases since 2008
Since 2008, Venezuelan authorities were aware of complaints about spoiled food in government-run food distribution network Mercados de Alimentos (Mercal), but the information was disclosed only in June 2010. In fact, in 2008 local authorities discarded 471.22 kilos of spoiled food in Los Mangos, a low-income neighborhood in Caracas, as they were unfit for human consumption.

According to a report prepared by the Control Quality Management, Mercal in Los Mangos neighborhood, the fact was recorded in a document dated June 30, 2008. The report was forwarded to then coordinator of food distribution network Mercal in Caracas Metropolitan District.
...

www.eluniversal.com...

You see, under the socialist/communist economy implemented in Venezuela they also implemented rationing. in the same manner that the Cuban government implemented rationing in my country of birth Cuba.

On another note the government of Venezuela also recently stated that they have the right to use deadly force against civilians to quell protests in the country. The use of force precipitated Chavista government forces shooting a 14 year old boy in the head while he was hiding under a car to get away from the chavista police and the protests.

Teenager’s shooting death in Venezuela sparks rallying cry by opposition

A day after a 14-year-old boy was shot to death by police forces in Venezuela, new details emerge from the protest where it took place — shining…

Por:
Daniel Lastra - VOXXI
PUBLICADO: Feb, 25, 2015 11:36 pm EST

A man tries to help an injured youth lying on the ground in a pool of blood after he was shot in the head during an anti-government protest in San Cristobal, Venezuela, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015. Identified by Venezuela’s Ombudsman as 14-year-old Kluiverth Roa, his death has sparked a rallying cry for anti-government protesters.. (AP Photo)

A day after a 14-year-old boy was shot to death by police forces in Venezuela, new details emerge from the protest where it took place — shining a light on rising tensions in the extremely volatile South American country and the arrests of the alleged gunmen.

In light of a new law passed this year that gives the Venezuelan government the right to use deadly force to quash public demonstrations, opposition activists are calling attention to the wave of violence in the country. One university student who asked to not be identified for fear of her safety, came forward to Univision news, detailing how she witnessed the boy’s shooting death on Tuesday.

The young woman says Kluiver Roa wasn’t involved in any of the demonstrations that took place in San Cristobal, rather he was trying to make it home from school when he got caught in violent street clashes: “The boy couldn’t enter the house, and managed to hide under a car, but the police noticed and dragged him out and almost a point blank range they shot him, a bit more than above his neck – it entered one side and exited the other.”
...

www.laopinion.com...

So, like I was saying the problems in Venezuela have nothing to do with U.S. policies.

The US are the ones who went in there and fkd up Venezuela in the first place. Wtf is Obumma on about?