‘[Trump] can say whatever he wants!’ Live Wire buckles up as Young backs Maduro in Venezuela crisis

“[US president Donald Trump] can say whatever he wants,” said National Security Minister Stuart Young yesterday. “At the end of the day, as far as I am aware, Venezuela is a sovereign country.

“[…] I certainly would not wish for any country to have a coup. We stand ready to assist in whatever way we can, but we certainly don’t think that one government calling for another government to fall is the right thing.”

Tell Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro doh study the mighty United States Army. Eh, Trinidad and Tobago’s got your back!

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley (second from left) and Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro (right) dance to calypso after a meeting at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on 5 December 2016.
(Copyright AFP 2017/Federico Parra)

It was a commendable show of loyalty by Young to a besieged neighbour that might have left Maduro teary-eyed. And possibly had the National Security Minister’s former step daughter, Christina Sankar, rolling her eyes.

So you mean Stuart ‘fraid Gary Griffith more than ‘The Donald’? That Dragon Gas Deal must be a damn sight sweeter than anything Butch Stewart’s Sandals was prepared to put on the table.

Whichever way you look at it, yesterday was freaking bizarre.

First, on a public street in Caracas, the 35 year old Juan Guaidó—the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly—swore himself in as interim president of Venezuela without the inconvenience of ever actually running for president.

Guaidó, an engineer by trade, was only elected head of the National Assembly on 5 January. At this rate, he might annex Guyana before Machel Monday.

The young Venezuelan’s power-play, according to some partisan observers, was an act of bravado and patriotism in the face of electoral shenanigans by the fiendishly, dodgy Maduro.

Or, as ‘The Donald’ put it, Guaidó’s National Assembly is the “only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people.”

And if there is one man who knows a suspicious electoral process when he sees it, surely it is ‘The Donald’. Not so Robert Mueller?

Photo: Venezuelans have a right to free and fair elections without unfair meddling.
Right Putin?
(Copyright Getty)

“If the Maduro regime choose to respond with violence, if they choose to harm any of the national assembly members,” stated a US official, “all options are on the table for the United States to respond.

“[…] The US will not allow an individual, Nicolás Maduro, and his cronies to continue to loot the Venezuela state.”

It was big talk from a US government that could not even get chefs out to work—due to an ongoing Trump-inspired government shutdown—and had to offer fast food to their national football champions, the Clemson University, on their obligatory dinner at the White House.

Maybe ‘The Donald’ plans to give Maduro dangerously high cholesterol.

Seriously though, if Maduro was wondering what the ‘Yanks’ might do about the visit of two Russian strategic bombing aircraft—capable of carrying nuclear weapons—to Caracas last month. Well, now he knows.

Mr Live Wire hasn’t seen Americans this upset since Trinidad and Tobago right back Alvin Jones strung up Tim Howard to dash USA’s 2018 World Cup qualifying dreams at the last hurdle.

Maybe Young should send the Soca Warriors over to Caracas as a first line of defence. True, Venezuela—with an inflation rate recorded at 830,000% last November—is an economic basket case and the boys may struggle to get their wages on time.

But then that couldn’t be much worse than life under TTFA president David John-Williams.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago left back Kevon Villaroel (left) tackles USA midfielder Christian Pulisic during 2018 World Cup qualifying action at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 10 October 2017.
I95.5FM was paid to cover all of Trinidad and Tobago’s football matches, inclusive of travel and accommodation, rather than the other way around.
(Copyright AFP 2017/Luis Acosta)
More from Wired868
Live Wire looks on as US Embassy tries to re-write ‘live history’, after Capitol calamity

Enraged by election results that did not go his way, outgoing United States president Donald Trump incited—indirectly or not—thousands of Read more

Snitches get Yankee riches? Live Wire weighs in as Opposition goes ‘Full Moonie’

Some things can be difficult to comprehend. Take the scene at a shopping mall in Atlanta—just a week after stay Read more

Live Wire chronicles: School prefect Deyalsingh, cheery Colm and storytelling PM hold court

“We are trying to walk a tightrope between fighting off a virus that can kill us,” said Prime Minister Dr Read more

It. Just. Got. Real! Live Wire explains coronavirus ‘dos’ and ‘donts’—read if you want to see Carnival 2021

So it turns out Kenneth Petty-man was not Trinidad and Tobago’s most unwelcome overseas visitor this Lent after all. The Read more

Live Wire Chronicles: Al-Masih appears in PoS with profound message; be still and know…

In the blistering heat and with dust everywhere, a mysterious figure trudges onward—followed by dozens of persons carrying knapsacks. One Read more

Game of Groans: Stewie and Gary-ios get unwelcomed help from Easter visitor as invading force grows in numbers 

Scene: Westeros, Diego Martin. The rulers of the seven kingdoms meet for an uneasy alliance in the face of an Read more

About Mr. Live Wire

Mr. Live Wire is an avid news reader who translates media reports for persons who can handle the truth. And satire. Unlike Jack Nicholson, he rarely yells.

Check Also

Noble: Is Griffith positioning himself as T&T’s J Edgar Hoover? Or Donald Trump?

“A lawless, indisciplined and corrupt nation cannot fight crime.” Pastor Clive Dottin, The People’s Roundtable, …

52 comments

  1. So …. I distinctly remember someone not believing me when I said that the US already had ships out in the Caribbean Sea just waiting. Confirmed by officers in T&T too.

    Why do you think Russia landed their jets during that time?

    Lol

    People forget so easily. Don’t come complaining next time when there’s another Iraq. Oh I forgot, next is Iran. Lmao

  2. It’s not Trump I’m worried about, it’s John Bolton. His ideologies are way off……Trump just agreeing imo

  3. “If the military stays broadly loyal to Maduro, Trump and his hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, who has led the charge for regime change in Caracas, will have failed to meet the first, elementary requirement for successful coup-making: ensure the guys with the guns are on your side…”
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/24/donald-trump-venezuela-nicolas-maduro?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

  4. What does Article 233 actually say? Does anyone know ?

    • This is all I saw and ironically it is from the same source:
      Article 233: The President of the Republic shall become permanently unavailable to serve by reason of any of the following events: death; resignation; removal from office by decision of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice; permanent physical or mental disability certified by a medical board designated by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice with the approval of the National Assembly; abandonment of his position, duly declared by the National Assembly; and recall by popular vote.

      When an elected President becomes permanently unavailable to serve prior to his inauguration, a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be held within 30 consecutive days. Pending election and inauguration of the new President, the President of the National Assembly shall take charge of the Presidency of the Republic.

      When the President of the Republic becomes permanently unavailable to serve during the first four years of this constitutional term of office, a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be held within 30 consecutive days. Pending election and inauguration of the new President, the Executive Vice-President shall take charge of the Presidency of the Republic.

      In the cases describes above, the new President shall complete the current constitutional term of office. If the President becomes permanently unavailable to serve during the last two years of his constitutional term of office, the Executive Vice-President shall take over the Presidency of the Republic until such term is completed.

      • lolz ,,,

        So ,, when do you have elections for vice president ? are those elections separate from the elections of the President ? Or isn’t the post of vice president ALSO vacant , when the President’s term expires ?

        The president was not incapacitated , his term expired and when his term expired so did the term of his vice president

        What shit is venezuelaanalysis on ?

        Wait ? did anyone fall for their bull shiet ?

    • Lasana Liburd in the first instance it does not seem that the supreme tribunal of justice ( who comes up with these names) has deliberated and rules with reason that he be removed … and even if they had ruled then it is the Vice President that should serve out the term and not Guaido .

    • Angel and I don’t suppose Guaidó’s swearing-in ceremony was done by the book either.
      He best hope the Yanks don’t leave him high and dry. The consequences for his actions could be dire.

  5. I love how the dashing Pence using US staff in Venezuela as pawns by ordering them to stay in Caracas since he doesn’t recognize Maduro’s authority to expel them.
    How brave and noble of him to do so from the safety of Washington.
    If I was at the US embassy at Caracas and I had some ‘sick days’ to use…

  6. Can you imagine Hillary Clinton saying she doesn’t recognize Trump’s electoral win and swearing herself in as president on a street in Washington?

  7. One cannot argue that intervention is not the right desicion. But what the US is doing sets a dangerous precedent. ANybody else for whom its an abstract issue can pick a side. we share a border and a gas deal with a country that is on the brink of civil war and where we shelter more than 100k people indifferent ways. Its complicated and TT needs to be careful. Lets remember a flight of Bear bombers can carry enough conventional bombs to level the east west corridor in a single pass.

  8. T&T can’t make a penniless football organisation stick to a Constitution

  9. China are pretty quiet too. Although that’s their way I guess. You have all three global superpowers interested here. China, Russia and USA.
    Well, four. Trinidad and Tobago too! Lol.
    Doh touch our Dragon Deal!

  10. A lot of chest thumping until Putin says stand still…

  11. […] I certainly would not wish for any country to have a coup. We stand ready to assist in whatever way we can, but we certainly don’t think that one government calling for another government to fall is the right thing.”

    This being in quotes, I have to believe this was actually said.

    I think Jack Warner is training the present politicians in the art of yesterday was yesterday and today is today.
    That can be the only logical conclusion. Because surely Mr. Young is aware of the history of emailgate. Smh.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.