By Hedelberto López Blanch *
Pirates of centuries past were newborn babies compared to the convicted president and megalomaniac, Donald Trump, who threatens wars, imposes “sanctions,” accuses sovereign and democratic countries of drug trafficking without evidence, and even hijacks oil tankers in his quest to seize and control all of Latin America and the Caribbean.
History records that perhaps the most famous pirate of those times, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, sowed fear in the Caribbean Sea, as did other privateers of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries such as Bernardino de Talavera, El Olonés, François le Clerc (Peg Leg), Jacques Sore, Henry Morgan, Martin Cote, John Hawkins, Francis Drake, and Thomas Cavendish, the vast majority supported by the English, French, and Dutch metropolises.
But now, in the 21st century, pirates have faced a far more dangerous and aggressive adversary, no longer seeking fortunes in the Caribbean waters, but rather the desire to seize all the mineral, aquatic, and biodiversity riches of Latin American nations, in an attempt to impose the annexationist Monroe Doctrine of “America for the United States.”
Over the past four months, Washington has launched aggressive operations against Venezuela, orchestrating a barrage of fake news that includes accusations against its leaders of being drug traffickers. Simultaneously, it has filled the Caribbean Sea off Caracas with numerous warships, including a nuclear submarine and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which have bombarded boats allegedly carrying drugs and killed approximately 90 people.
The main objective is to portray the country as if it were a place of only death and destruction, and that the arrival of US military forces would restore peace and democracy.
Furthermore, it has offered millions of dollars for the capture or assassination of President Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and other Bolivarian leaders, based on accusations of leading a “narco-state” without any evidence. Meanwhile, it recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking and serving a 45-year sentence.
Hernández was convicted in New York courts for exporting more than 400 tons of cocaine to the United States. The New York Times described in a lengthy article how Juan Orlando “boasted that they were going to shove the drugs right under the Americans’ noses, and accepted millions of dollars in bribes from El Chapo Guzmán to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras.”
During the federal trial, testimonies and evidence demonstrated how the former president maintained Honduras as a stronghold of the global drug trade. He orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy that, according to prosecutors, earned millions for the cartels.
Now, with Trump ordering the attack and seizure of a massive Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean, it has become clear that the fight is not against drugs (his country is the world’s largest consumer and has more millionaires than any other, who made their fortunes through this nefarious business) but rather the desire to seize control of Venezuelan oil.
A statement from the constitutional government of Venezuela affirmed: “It’s not migration. It’s not drug trafficking. It’s not democracy. It’s not human rights. It has always been about our natural wealth, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Bolivarian people.”
For his part, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the attack on the oil tanker as an act of piracy, a violation of international law, and an escalation of aggression against that sister nation.
But let’s examine the moral authority with which this convicted US president can attempt to impose his dark laws on Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Democratic Party recently released several photos showing Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (who either committed suicide or was murdered in prison). It was also confirmed that he flew on Epstein’s plane seven times, along with Epstein, to organize his parties.
The magnate has invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent on 97 occasions in response to various accusations. He has been convicted 34 times for serious crimes and has been charged with 91 criminal offenses.
His record includes 26 accusations of sexual assault; he has declared bankruptcy six times to avoid paying debts and is credited with five exemptions from military service.
He also faces two impeachment trials during his previous presidential term; two companies have been convicted; a fake university has been shut down; and a fictitious charity has been closed.
He paid $25 million in a fraud settlement; $5 million for a sexual assault verdict; $12 million for misuse of a fake charity; $93 million in a sexual assault sentence; and $400 million in another fraud sentence.
As this extensive and infamous inventory of misdeeds will show, Trump now wants to continue accumulating “honors” and try to outshine the pirates of centuries past.
(*) Hedelberto López Blanch is a renowned Cuban journalist. He writes for the newspaper Juventud Rebelde and the weekly Opciones. He is the author of “Cuban Emigration to the United States,” “Secret Stories of Cuban Doctors in Africa,” and “Miami, Dirty Money,” among others.
IMAGE CREDIT:
Cartoon: Taken from the Internet, by Ylli Haruni
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE AUTHOR: Hedelberto López Blanch
[ SOURCE: RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL TERCER MUNDO CUBA / EN RESUMEN ]
