Journal 91 Venezuela, Prosecuting Wives, God’s Judgement

What a time. Lately the news has been too unbelievable to look at, but one couldn’t ignore the American attack on Venezuela.

I almost want to say I am embarrassed, but would that make sense? Normal American people do not get a say in America’s foreign policy.

I remember being around ten years old, and seeing those horrible photos from that Iraqi prison night after night on the news. We had a mock election in school, and I didn’t know anything about politics, so I asked my friend, “Which one is against the war?”

And while watching Iraq, I’m sure many people remembered Vietnam.

But we are told this time will be different! There shouldn’t even be a this time!

I learned that most of the fentanyl that enters the U.S. is from Mexico. Amongst other issues, Mexico has a horrendous femicide problem. Where is the hoopla regarding those girls and women? Why don’t we “send in the troops”? Don’t they need extrajudicial help more than oil companies need to get their oil equipment back?

There’s another thing. Maduro’s wife was arrested with him in this terrifying night raid. They released a photo of him in earmuffs, blindfolded and handcuffed. Why didn’t they release a photo of his wife also in a state of covered ears, blindfolded, and handcuffed? Would that look too bad?

I heard that they will be tried in the Southern District of New York. Which reminded me of Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez. They were also tried in the Southern District of New York. When the Menendez saga started, it seemed almost like a cartoon. They were on trial for gold bars, a Mercedes, and something do to with Egyptian halal meat. It was almost comical.

But they were heavily investigated and found guilty. I thought it was a little heavy-handed. Considering the higher range of crimes politicians and officials can be found guilty of, such as sex crimes, secret arms deals, and foreign loyalties, the scandal of Halal meat and some gold bars seemed relatively minor. Politicians everywhere take bribes. I would be almost happy to hear that a local politician took bribes for something as stupid as gold bars and meat instead of committing sex crimes.

But the Menendezes were both found guilty. I do not agree with the verdict of Nadine Menendez, and I think the sentence on Bob Menendez was way too harsh.

During my life, whenever I saw a politician (usually a man) get in trouble for a crime, I never saw the spouse (usually a woman) get in trouble also. Why should she? Why should the spouse also get in trouble? Nadine Menendez was not the senator for New Jersey! If a male politician transgresses, naturally the wife might know about it, or play some tiny role, but she could also be put in that position simply by being his wife, without much active action on her part. Traditionally, in this case, I don’t think Nadine Menendez would have been put through criminal charges.

Now, another politician and his wife are being tried in the Southern District of New York. Audaciously, this is a kidnapped foreign politician and his wife. Even if Cilia Flores was a politician, she was not the head of state. So why stop there? Why not arrest his children and relatives while you’re at it?

I do not like this new trend of prosecuting wives along with their politician husbands.

There are proper (non-flashy, slow, ethical, difficult, thought-out) legal and moral channels if the safety and interests of both American people and Venezuelan people are truly at heart.

I do not want my country to be a bully. No one in my family wants America to be a bully. People voted for America to not be a pushover, but not a bully! Imagine the character of a person who is both a pushover and a bully!

Right now it is known that eighty Venezuelans, civilian and military, died during the raid. What did the civilians do? Venezuelan lives are not worth less than American lives. Palestinian lives are not worth less than Israeli lives. Or Ukrainian, or Russian, or Somali, or Thai, or Cambodian, and so on.

No human life is worth more or less than any other human life.

Only God can point the finger.

Asya Carrino