John Montanari’s letter today was enough to get my blood pressure going. Hopefully, you will permit me to respond. John was a wonderful host on NEPR and continues to be a promoter of classical music excellence. In that role, he was and is far more ingratiating than as a conservative bloviator.
The Venezuela issue is an extremely complicated one that doesn’t lend itself to 100 words or less. One should do some serious investigation before spouting off. I have a little personal experience with a close friend who has brought in-laws out of the country and a colleague who is Venezuelan. Still, I don’t delude myself by thinking I know who is 100 percent right.
Clearly, the Maduro/Chavez regime has been disastrous for the country. It was begun with admirable goals of improving living standards and education for the poor in Venezuela and to some considerable extent it did accomplish those goals, with of course losses for the privilege once enjoyed by the elite who were used to authoritarian rule. Venezuelan society went from conservative/military authoritarian rule to an authoritarianism similar to Castro’s Cuba. When oil prices crashed, the effects of a poorly managed economy compounded.
I don’t think that the Raging Grannies were occupying the Venezuelan Embassy in support of repressive dictatorship. Rather, and I don’t know this for a fact, I suspect that they were protesting against the current Abrams/Bolton/Trump policy of maximum pressure. Reportedly, Venezuela still has some of the world’s largest reserves of oil, and, given the closeness of the Trump administration to oil interests such as the Koch brothers, we should all view our government’s efforts to oust Maduro (it would be great if there could be a peaceful transition to a government that could revive the country) and install Guaidó with a jaundiced eye.
Joe Jewett
Florence