My all-time favorite perpetual villain is the U.S. government. It’s not just because they’re so evil; they’re just so predictable. As the American public, we should expect the government to enter another sovereign nation, delusionally assuming they can pluck their president and run their country. President Trump has lied, saying that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is part of narco-drug gangs. This complete and utter propaganda reminds me of George W. Bush, who screamed in front of thousands of podiums that Saddam Hussein and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. What happened after one million people died in the Iraq war? No one, sans America, actually had weapons of mass destruction.
I’m so curious how these people sleep at night. From Bush, to Obama, to Biden, to Trump; it’s almost as if partisan lines are a facade, and each administration does the same thing as the last, the same story but a new tune. From Iraq and Afghanistan, to Libya and Syria, to Ukraine and Palestine, people died. Innocent people. I love this country. And because of that, I will not watch Venezuela join this list without confronting and vehemently condemning the duplicity in our government. And I just can’t help but notice how each of the countries listed are swimming in rich resources like oil.
“America primarily uses oil for profit. In the past, America’s gone to Afghanistan and Iraq, primarily for crude oil…Going into Venezuela is a matter of securing the biggest oil companies in that area,” says Sophomore and Speech and Debate student Anadita Upadhyaya. I swear I’m not just yapping. I did my research, and let me tell you (once again) why the government is lying to you. On January 14th, Trump concluded his first transaction of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million, according to CNN. When asked what Trump would be doing with 1.9 million barrels of oil, Trump responded, “We’re gonna keep it. Maybe we’ll sell it…maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserves…” It’s only been a few weeks since the U.S. invaded. What does the country’s oil have to do with Maduro’s alleged narco-trafficking crimes? How does this address the imaginary threat the Trump administration has purported? In a BBC interview, Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife, confidently said, “We look forward to reviewing and challenging the evidence the government has.” As of now, all incriminating evidence is nonexistent, and all charges are hearsay. But hey, isn’t it all just Saddam all over again?
“Though I don’t believe Venezuela has escalated to the point of the Iraq War…there are civic inequities that are happening right now, similar to Iraq…Though we did say we were helping with regime change, it ended up resulting in [the] capture of oil.” says Upadhyaya. Iraq was the most ridiculous folly in American history. As a patriot, I’m ashamed that our government killed Iraqi civilians and our own troops. Guess why? Oil. Money. Avarice. Dick Cheney was the most powerful Vice President to have walked this Earth, and probably one of the richest. Haliburton, a massive oil mining company, saw him as CEO and board member for decades, including close contact for the entire duration of the Iraq War. All amenities and aid for troops were provided for by Haliburton, who received full government compensation + tax benefits + interest for their “generosity.” Guess whose office all these checks passed through? Guess how many weapons of mass destruction were found? None! Zero! Zilch! Haliburton walked away with $39.5 billion, Cheney a $1 million bonus from Haliburton, 4,000 dead troops, and zero remorse (Michigan Daily).
Mainstream media has ignored the suffering and injustice that our fellow human beings face everyday. Mainstream media is complicit in the dissemination of false information, and for deceiving the public. Mainstream media has financial ties to all the people and countries they’re covering for. We’re at a point where no one can trust each other, and we must seek the truth out for ourselves. Please, don’t let Venezuela be the next Iraq. Don’t let the government fool you into thinking the Middle East is dangerous, when they are just puppet governments controlled by the U.S, with millions of innocent civilians. The world will remain in this state unless we speak up, and prevent the War on Oil, and the War on Truth. This isn’t 1984–it’s 2026, and unless we speak up, we will plunge further into this Orwellian future.
