I send you greetings of Peace and Good, so desperately needed by humanity and by those living in poverty, conflict, war and hunger. This open letter is meant to express and share some thoughts with you.
  I was surprised by your designation as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate by the Nobel Committee. It reminded me of the struggles against dictatorships on the continent and in my country, military dictatorships we endured from 1976 to 1983. We withstood prisons, torture and exile, with thousands disappeared people, kidnapped and missing children, and the death flights of which I am a survivor.

“Do not forget, Corina …”

Open letter from Nobel Laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel* to Corina Machado

  In 1980, the Nobel Committee awarded me the Nobel Peace Prize. Forty-five years have passed and we continue to work in the service of the poorest and alongside the peoples of Latin American. In their name, I accepted this high distinction not for the prize itself, but on behalf of all those who share in the struggles and hopes of building a new dawn. Peace is built day by day, and we must be consistent between our words and our actions.
  At 94 years of age, I am still a student of life, and I am concerned about your attitude and your social and political decisions. Therefore, I am sharing these thoughts with you.
  The Venezuelan government is a democracy with its ups and downs. Hugo Chávez paved the way for freedom and sovereignty of the people and fought for the unity of the continent, awakening the Patria Grande (Great Homeland). The United States attacked him constantly: it cannot allow any country on the continent to escape its orbit and colonial dependence. It continues to treat Latin America as its “backyard”. The US blockade of Cuba for more than sixty years is an attack on the freedom and rights of peoples. The resistance of the Cuban people is an example of dignity and strength.
  I am surprised by how closely you align yourself to the United States: You must know that it has no allies, no friends – only interests. The dictatorships imposed on Latin America were orchestrated by its interests of domination and destroyed the lives and social, cultural and political organisation of the peoples fighting for their freedom and self-determination. We, the peoples, resist and fight for the right to be free and sovereign and not a colony of the United States.
  The government of Nicolás Maduro lives under threat from the United States and the blockade. Just consider the naval forces in the Caribbean and the danger of invasion of your country. You have not said a word about this– or worse – you even support the interference of the Superpower against Venezuela. The Venezuelan people are ready to face this threat.
  Corina, I ask you: Why did you call on the United States to invade Venezuela? When you received the announcement that you had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, you dedicated it to Trump – the aggressor against your country who lies and accuses Venezuela of being a drug trafficker. This lie echoes George W. Bush’s claim that Saddam Hussein possessed “weapons of mass destruction”. A pretext to invade Iraq, plunder it and cause thousands of victims, women and children. At the end of the war, I was in Baghdad at the paediatric hospital and I could see the destruction and deaths caused by those who proclaim themselves defenders of freedom. The worst form of violence is a lie.
  Don’t forget, Corina, that Panama was invaded by the United States, causing death and destruction in order to capture a former ally, General Noriega. The invasion left 1,200 dead in Los Chorrillos. Today, the United States is attempting to take control of the Panama Canal once again. There is a long list of interventions and pain caused by the United States in Latin America and around the world. The veins of Latin America are still open, as Eduardo Galeano wrote.
  I am troubled that you did not dedicate the Nobel Prize to your people, but rather to the aggressor against Venezuela. I believe, Corina, you must reflect deeply on where you stand. Are you merely another pawn of the United States, subject to its interests of domination, which can never be for the good of your people? As an opponent of Maduro’s government, your positions and choices generate a great deal of uncertainty. You resort to the worst possible option when you call for a US invasion of Venezuela.
  You must realise that peace work requires a great deal of strength and courage, for the good of your people, whom I know well and love deeply. Where once there were shacks on the hillsides, inhabited by people living in poverty and destitution, today there are decent homes, healthcare, education and culture. The dignity of the people cannot be bought or sold.
  Corina, as the poet says: Wanderer, there is no path, the path is formed by walking. Now you have the opportunity to work for your people and build peace – not provoke greater violence. One evil cannot be solved with another greater evil. We will only have two evils and never a solution to the conflict.
  Open your mind and heart to dialogue, to encounter with your people. Empty the jug of violence and build peace and unity among your people, so that the light of freedom and equality may enter. •

https://www.zeit-fragen.ch/en/archives/2025/nr-22-14-oktober-2025-1/vergiss-nicht-corina

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKKAMm-8eJY

Trump has rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War, and his Secretary of War is promoting a new operation called Operation Southern S[PEAR]. The official claim is that it targets drug-running “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean to protect the U.S. homeland.

But Danny argues this justification is blatantly false. The U.S. is deploying an aircraft carrier (the USS Gerald R. Ford), destroyers, and Marine amphibious forces—massive combat power that has nothing to do with intercepting small drug boats. The speedboats shown in U.S. footage are too small and have too little range to reach the U.S., and many appear to be carrying no cargo at all. Statistics also show that fentanyl enters the U.S. mostly through legal ports of entry, primarily smuggled by U.S. citizens, not offshore boats.

The real objective, the speaker contends, is preparation for military action against Venezuela, not counter-narcotics work. Evidence includes rehearsed amphibious drills in Puerto Rico, expansion of old U.S. bases in the Caribbean, and a recent White House briefing on “kinetic options” against Venezuela. Trump previously attempted a botched regime-change effort against Maduro without military force; this time the buildup suggests he may use direct military power.

The Secretary of War has also been publicly framing the moment as akin to 1939, claiming the U.S. must move to a “wartime footing,” despite no actual threat to the U.S. homeland. The speaker argues this rhetoric is designed to justify escalatory military actions under false pretenses.

Finally, Danny criticizes the legality and morality of blowing up boats and killing crews without due process—especially when evidence suggests some vessels may not have carried drugs at all. Nonetheless, some commentators are supporting the killings without questioning the legal basis or the truth of the government’s claims.