US BEATING WAR DRUMS AGAINST VENEZUELA!

Headline: “‘Time for action’: Pence whips up Venezuelan crowd in Doral, pledges continued support”
Speaking to a rally in the largest community of Venezuelan Residents in the US in Doral Florida on Friday 1 February, the US Vice President declared “Let’s be clear. This is no time for dialogue. This is time for action. And the time has come to end the Maduro dictatorship once and for all”.
The US continues to beat the war drums in their efforts to lay the groundwork for military intervention in Venezuela.
A week ago, as the Wall Street Journal confirmed, Pence called Juan Guaido and gave him the signal to proceed to declare himself “President” of Venezuela and promised full US support.
On the eve of the anniversary of the first election of Chavez to the Presidency of Venezuela and another call by Guaido for mass demonstrations on the anniversary, Saturday, Pence was beating the war drums to an audience of Venezuelan immigrants.
The attempt to finally crush the Chavista regime after 20 years of a “crusade for democracy” including military coup attempts in 2002, 2009 and the latest coup in 2019, as well as numerous attempts to assassinate Chavez then Maduro, the US declares NO MORE TALK!
THE DEMOCRACY THAT THE US WANTS FOR VENEZUELA
The democracy that the US wants for Venezuela is like what we are told is democracy in TT and so-called Western countries.
The nature of this so-called democracy that we live under is this. 
The political parties, on behalf of the rich and powerful 1%, use their party-in-Power status to deprive the Majority of the body politic, We the People, of any role in decision-making. We are reduced to voting cattle to support one or the other of their 2-party monopoly PNM-UNC.
That is the “democracy” that the US and the elite in Venezuela have been trying to restore since the Chavistas began giving decision-making power to the people in the communities in Venezuela. 
That is the real sin of the PSUV which built on the Barrio Assembly of Caracas which emerged in 1991 in organisational forms including the communal councils in the communities, co-operative councils in the workplaces  and social programmes known as “missions”.
Whether you like or support Chavez or Maduro or not, the fact is that the empowering of the people which they began to introduce is what the US and the rich and powerful elite in Venezuela have tried to reverse over all the years since Chavez was first elected, with coups in 2002 and 2009 and now in 2019 and assassination attempts – perhaps the tools of ‘democratic freedom’ that the anti-Chavistas claim they are about.
The empowerment of the people is what those who claim to be champions of democracy NEVER WANT TO HAPPEN!
CONSTITUTIONAL COUP  
This time they have used the claim of constitutionality and legitimacy by having the President of the National Assembly declare and install himself “President” at a demonstration that some claim is really a Cabildo.
Hiding behind Article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution and falsely claiming the “Right to declare himself President “, Guaido under the direction of the US administration, claims ‘legitimacy’.
But examination of Article 233 shows the President of the National Assembly CANNOT replace a sitting President in Venezuela AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. Once the President was inaugurated, it is only the Vice President who can replace a President who is ‘permanently unavailable’ according to the Article 233.
See analysis of Article 233 here: http://clydeweatherheadsite.net/…/the-unfolding-situation-i…
Whether one supports Chavez Maduro or the Chavistas or not, NO ONE can support the IMPOSITION OF ANY GOVERNMENT IN ANY COUNTRY BY THE US OR ANY OTHER BIG POWER.
THE TIME FOR TALK AMONG THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE TO CHART THE WAY FORWARD FOR THEIR COUNTRY CANNOT BE ENDED BY US PRESIDENTIAL DECREE!!
 
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Fighting for
Democratic Renewal of
Our Society
 
2 February 2019

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