Author: webuiltitblog

 This blog is a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my opinion, where indicated.

They came in the dead of night. They attacked with massive, overwhelming force, yet with surgical precision. Just like that, Maduro and his wife were captured and whisked away to NYC where they will be prosecuted for narco-terrorism and other illegal activities.

By all accounts “Operation Absolute Resolve,” as it has been dubbed, was not a spontaneous event. It was a well thought-out, meticulously planned operation. As early as August, the CIA surreptitiously deployed a small unit into Venezuela with the goal of providing “extraordinary insight” into Maduro’s movements and habits including where he slept, what he ate, and when and where he traveled. Their research was so thorough that, as Dan “Raizin” Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a post-raid press conference, “even [the names of] his pets were known.”

Elite troops had been training for months “practicing” on a replica of the presidential compound similar to the way the troops who killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 had prepared. They were ready for any conceivable unforeseen contingency. President Trump said they were even equipped with “massive blowtorches” in case they had to cut through the steel walls of Maduro’s safe room. At the same time, an exclusive Trump Administration team had worked privately on the project for months, holding regular meetings and phone calls and briefing Trump periodically. Security was unbelievably tight. The operation was so secret that details weren’t shared with most of the people in the Pentagon nor with Congressional leaders.

At first inclement weather forced a few days’ delay, however, Friday brought a full moon and the wind and cloud cover dissipated sufficiently to proceed. Militarily, the operation was a rousing success. No American lives were lost, and even a helicopter that had sustained some damage was able to return safely. With Maduro gone ordinary Venezuelans will now have the best chance for a decent life in decades. But, as discussed below, the operation’s ultimate success will depend in no small part on what happens next in Venezuela.

Prior to green lighting the raid President Donald Trump gave Maduro one last chance to step down. In a private phone call about a week ago, Trump had told him that he had to step down. “You got to surrender,” he warned. Brazenly, Maduro refused. Trump said Maduro “came close to giving in but stayed put.” He took “the gamble of his life” … and lost.

That act of defiance set in motion the final phase of the secret and risky plan to capture Maduro by force. At 10:46 p.m. ET Friday, Trump gave the final order to proceed.

Trump characterized Maduro’s lair as “a heavily fortified military fortress,” but that did not deter our military from success. Early Saturday morning U.S. warplanes filled the skies above Caracas while Delta Force commandos swooped in on the ground. At least 150 aircraft flew toward Caracas from 20 different locations on both land and sea. The fleet included bombers, fighters and craft that specialized in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance. The attack was so swift, efficient and precise that Maduro and his wife didn’t even have time to escape into what Trump described as a steel safe room. They were taken “completely by surprise” and whisked away expeditiously. By 3:30 a.m. all U.S. forces were safely out of Venezuelan airspace, and by nightfall the Maduros were in NYC being processed for narcotrafficking and other charges.

The Maduros were expected to be arraigned today, Monday, and be indicted for a scheme in which over the last 14 years a “cycle of narcotics-based corruption line[d] the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who had been allowed to operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who had helped produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States.” Some of this cocaine was laced with fentanyl. According to the CDC there were approximately 76,000 overdose fatalities in just one recent 12-month period. A goodly portion of these fatalities were from drugs that had emanated from Venezuela. During this period Maduro’s brutal socialist dictatorship was so horrific that some eight million Venezuelans fled the country.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Maduro and others for:

1. Narco-terrorism, i. e. leading a vast drug trafficking network that facilitated the systemic transport of cocaine, fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the U.S.
2. Allegedly enriching his family and certain political and military supporters through narcotics and other illegal schemes.
3. Rampant corruption including massive embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, and theft of gold from Venezuela’s Central Bank. 

 Maduro’s treatment of his own people was horrendous. For example, he manipulated elections, imprisoned political opponents, dismantled democratic institutions, used food distribution as a means for social control, arbitrarily imprisoned civic, military, and political leaders that opposed him, and freely committed human rights violations.  Moreover, he grossly mismanaged the country’s economy, which resulted in the collapse of its oil industry and an 80% decline in GDP from 2013 – 2020, and his policies created and sustained severe shortages of medicine, food, and other basic necessities and led to a mass exodus of millions of citizens. The result was that a once wealthy country with a thriving economy based on a plethora of oil descended into chaos and ruin.

In addition, Maduro was instigating distress and anxiety throughout the region due to his affiliations with Russia, China, Cuba and Iran. Among other things, Venezuela was the primary source of oil for those countries. In particular, Russia needs the oil to supply its war machine in Ukraine. Depriving them of it was an ancillary benefit.

Also, Maduro had threatened to invade Guyana at some point. The rulers of his neighboring countries might not say it publicly, but I suspect they will not miss him.

Some geopolitical analysts have expressed concern over the ramifications of a regime change. The major ones are internal rather than external. Currently, there is a significant power vacuum, which is an invitation for chaos and anarchy. In that event the current drug and refugee problems would be exacerbated with dire consequences for the security of the region. Trump acknowledged this danger by remarking that “we have a group of people running [the country] until such a time it can be put back on track.”

Delcey Rodriguez, the former vice president and now acting president, has long been a supporter of Maduro’s (although Trump has warned her “if she didn’t cooperate, she would suffer the same fate as Maduro, or worse.”) Furthermore, at the moment, there does not appear to be an opposition leader strong enough to govern the country effectively. Establishing a legitimate governing authority quickly is critical for the long-term success of Operation Absolute Resolve.

Predictably, the usual suspects, both internal (Dem politicians, Trump-haters, and most of the mainstream media) and external (countries such as Brazil, China, Colombia, Mexico, Russia and Iran) have condemned the action. The common criticisms were to characterize it as an unwarranted attack on the sovereignty of another nation, a violation of international law, and a move to gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. The first two are overly simplistic and patently false. With respect to the oil reserves American companies were developing it originally. Maduro seized them unlawfully, and better we should have control over the oil than Russia, China and Iran.

Many Dems also complained that they weren’t consulted beforehand, and some opined that such an action required prior congressional approval, although some privately admitted they were happy to see Maduro deposed. To me, these criticisms are disingenuous to say the least. Where were these critics when Muslim terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, or when Russia annexed Crimea and invaded Ukraine?

To me, a legitimate case can be made that Maduro was an illegitimate president. Let’s not forget that he seized the office on January 10, 2019 after declaring himself the winner of what was widely condemned as a rigged election.

Conclusion

In my view despite the criticism in some quarters Trump did the right thing. Once again, the Dems are positioning themselves to be on the wrong side of an 80-20 issue. The perception will be that they are defending a heinous narco-trafficker who abused his people and ruined a once-thriving state. Good luck with that.

Venezuela was, in essence, a failed state that was increasingly falling under the influence of Russia, China, Iran and other bad actors. We couldn’t allow that to stand under any circumstances. The security of the US was at stake. The US has a long history of protecting the Americas from foreign powers’ exerting any influence or establishing any control in the region. It has been a cornerstone of our foreign policy since the Monroe Doctrine was articulated in 1823. Trump’s decisive action debilitated Russia’s, China’s and Iran’s influence in Venezuela, which has been growing, and also served as a warning to other wayward countries in the region that they could be next.

A note of caution: removing Maduro was merely the first step. To ensure success of Operation Absolute Resolve it will be critical to establish a legitimate democratic government in Venezuela without the US getting bogged down. Otherwise, we will be no better off than we were last week. 

The content of this blog is a compendium of publications from various media outlets supplemented by my own opinion, where noted.

Last year I wrote a series of blogs describing the prevalence of antisemitism. In the interest of time and space I will not regurgitate all the information in those blogs at this time, except to denote how antisemitism has been an integral part of society for thousands of years. I compared it to a volcano. Sometimes it remains dormant, covert, bubbling just below the surface, and then some occurrence will cause it to erupt violently and indiscriminately. Some examples would include the pogroms, the Holocaust and the current situation in Gaza. One of the most visible manifestations is what we’re seeing on various college campuses.

The term “pogrom” means “wreak havoc.” There were hundreds of pogroms against European Jews from the Middle Ages through the early 20th century. Typically, they occurred in response to a dreadful event, such as an assassination, a famine, or the Black Death Plague. The masses needed to blame someone for these events. The Jews always made a convenient scapegoat.

In the last few years, we have been experiencing a period of overt, violent antisemitism, particularly on college campuses. I believe the origins can be traced to the Islamic terrorists’ heinous, cowardly sneak attack against Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Even though Israel and Jews were the victims it appears to have brought out all the latent hatred against Israel and Jews.

Recent reports and surveys have disclosed that the bigotry on college campuses is as pervasive as ever. Reports from various organizations and government bodies highlight widespread concerns and varying institutional responses. For example:

1. There was an increase in antisemitic incidents, ranging from harassment and hostile environments to name calling and violence.
2. The omnipresence of an indifferent administration that tolerates an atmosphere of antisemitism.
3. Active groups of professors and students that espouse anti-Israel activism.
4. Demonstrations that often turn violent. I maintain that many if not most of the demonstrators don’t have the foggiest understanding of the issues in the ME. They have no conception of the historical context. Many of them could not even find Gaza on a map. Some of them are probably not even students but professional agitators. Also, some may have entered the country on a student visa or illegally through the open border provided by the Biden Administration.
5. Some 39% of Jewish college students had to conceal their identity on campus. Many have tried to remove telltale signs of Jewishness such as yarmulkes and Star of David chains.
6. Approximately 62% reported being blamed for actions taken by the Israeli military, which, of course, is absurd on its face.
7. 58% of Jewish students reported that they had personally experienced antisemitism.
8. Only 12% reported that the incidents were properly addressed by the school they attended.
9. What is being done? The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened investigations into dozens of universities for alleged antisemitic (and Islamophobic) discrimination and harassment. The Justice Department also formed a task force to combat antisemitism and has visited several schools.  That is a good beginning, but so far, I have not seen much empirical evidence of progress.

Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and StopAntisemitism have conducted studies grading universities on their handling of antisemitism and disseminated a sh**list, if you will. Most of these colleges have stellar reputations of academic excellence, however, Jews should think twice before enrolling their child there. Recently, StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez averred “Antisemitism on American college campuses is systemic and tolerated, and in many cases enabled by the very institutions tasked with protecting our [children].”

The current list of colleges that received an “F” from StopAntisemitism include:

• Brown University
• Columbia University
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Northwestern University
• Pomona College
• Portland State University
• The New School
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Davis
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Oregon
• University of Washington
• Yale University 

On the other hand, the following schools received an “A” from ADL based on data from March 2025:

• Brandeis University
• CUNY Queens College
• Elon University
• University of Miami
• Vanderbilt University 

In addition, many other institutions including Stanford, Rutgers, Tufts and USC are currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. On the plus side it should be noted that many universities that have consistently enforced their policies and mandated education on antisemitism have seen improvements in their campus climate ratings. 

In my opinion Columbia University still exhibits one of the most extensive, pervasive antisemitic cultures. As denoted by these surveys CU is by no means the only offender, just one of the worst. Below please find some examples of what Jewish students have been enduring there to illustrate the point:

1. A CU public health professor addressing a group of students “denied the existence of a Jewish State” and asserted that Jewish donors were donating “blood money.”
2. Another CU professor singled out a Jewish student who had served in the IDF ranting that the IDF was “an army of murderers and “pointing a finger at the student” proclaiming she was one of the murderers.
3. In another instance when a student denoted to a CU professor that the Gaza War was being portrayed one-sidedly the professor embarrassed her by reading her email before the entire class and giving a line-by-line refutation of her points.
4. Former CU graduate and co-founder of Jewish Alumni Association, Ari Shrage cited these as examples of how “deep and pervasive” antisemitism still remains at the university. He added that “few of the professors [who have exhibited antisemitism] have been held accountable. He opined that tenure does not give carte blanch to harass and demean students or to “violate [their] civil rights.” His overall assessment is that CU “clearly [still] has a lot of work to do.”
5. One professor asserted that the reports of Hamas’ heinous crimes, such as murder, rape and mass destruction were either “exaggerated or fabricated.” Barnard student Shoshana Auszien, who heard these comments, reported she was “incredulous.” How could a professor, who is supposed to be objective say a such thing? Did he actually believe them? She concluded that the school is “overrun with historical revisionists.”

I repeat my earlier comment. Why would any Jewish parent send their child to these schools. Why pay tuition of up to $100,000 per year to subject him or her to this atmosphere of intolerance, ignorance and bigotry?

Conclusion

To state the obvious, people are not born bigots. Bigotry must be taught, learned. In my view in today’s world there are three primary sources of bigotry: (1) the home, (2) schools, and (3) social media. Those are the root causes. That’s where it all starts. As an example, recently, the NY Post published a story that eight high school students laid down on a football field in the shape of a swastika. As if that were not sick enough, they posted a picture of it on social media and attached a quote from Adolph Hitler!

Once the child reaches adulthood bigotry is engrained. Once it takes hold, it is very difficult to dislodge. It metastasizes, like a cancer. Obviously, we, as a society, must replace bigotry with tolerance, which given the foregoing, is a very tall task.