Maduro’s arrest was clearly justified

I should’ve bet some good money on what was going to happen once the news got released last week involving the capture and arrest of Venezuelan politician Nicolás Maduro. While some networks showed the people of that nation gathering to rejoice he was no longer in power, it took barely any time for other news networks to start crying out in protest regarding Maduro’s arrest.

The question is why and, more important, who was the one that immediately launched all of those protests across the United States.

All of the information presented by our nation’s leaders clearly emphasized that Maduro was one of 15 Venezuelan officials charged with narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking in addition to a myriad of other crimes against humanity back in 2020. Last August, the U.S. Department of Justice raised the reward for his arrest to $50 million.

Simply put, Maduro represents one of a number of people in that part of the world who continue to illegally create and distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics into our country, all of which continue to harm and, in some cases, kill the citizens of the United States.

I’m betting good money these drug cartels never pay one penny to cover the sales taxes the United States requires its own citizens to pay every time they purchase something. If anything, that clearly illustrates a form of federal felony tax evasion that should lead the people in all of these cartels to wind up in prison for the rest of their lives.

The one thing most people protesting Maduro’s arrest seem to forget is the fact that their lives don’t matter when it comes to these drug cartels and those who illegally deliver those narcotics into the United States. After all, when someone dies as a result of their addiction to these narcotics, the cartels will simply find someone else to get addicted to these same drugs so they continue receiving money from these individuals instead.

Simply put, these cartels don’t care about your health and safety as long as these drug dealers continue making money.

With regards to people’s health, here’s something I suggest you do when time allows this week. Look at the people in our community that clearly show signs of addiction to alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

It’s not that hard to find them. Changes to their skin cause them to clearly appear much older in addition to these addictions leading to hair loss as well as tooth decay and gum disease.

In many cases, it’s just a matter of time for their health to deteriorate and land them in the hospital or, even worse, the morgue.

Looking back on my life, I’m thankful that I never fell prey to the various dangers associated with alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. A lot of that involved the times I witnessed how those addictions took their toll on people I knew.

During my early days in the Air Force, for example, I watched as some of the airmen I served with ended up getting dishonorably discharged because they were unable to break free from their addictions to alcohol. In each case, they made the unfortunate decision to drink plenty of alcohol at the enlisted club on base before they got in their car and started driving back to their dormitory before they got stopped and arrested for driving under the influence.

Then there’s my one cousin, who easily fell prey to these same types of addiction, which I’m guessing began since she didn’t live in a home where she never felt safe due to the abuse she likely dealt with. I started to notice those warning signs after I caught her smoking at my parents’ home while we were still teenagers.

My cousin’s problems continued to worsen after she fell prey to methamphetamine and other narcotics years later. While I did hear from her from time to time on social media, there were times when I didn’t see her post anything for months at a time.

The reason involved the fact that she had relapsed and got addicted to these narcotics once again. She ended up going back to jail after she got arrested on drug charges once again.

This is why I want Maduro and the leaders of all of the drug cartels on this planet to get held accountable for their actions against society. However, from what I see appearing in the news lately makes me wonder if this will ever happen.

Consider this: One thing that seemed to stand out in the news broadcasts involved the number of protests that “suddenly” began following Maduro’s arrest. As people in Venezuela expressed their relief that this dictator was no longer a threat to their health and safety as they gathered on the streets of their nation expressing happiness and joy, we had groups of people gathering in cities across the United States voicing their opposition to his arrest, despite the fact that his actions were in blatant violation of international law.

Here’s something else I needed to highlight with regards to these protests, all of which seemed to “suddenly” happen right after these news crews arrived. If you look at the photos and videos taken during these protests, pay close attention to the signs these people hold above their heads.

In many cases, it’s easy to see that most, if not all, of these signs were professionally produced due to the way they appear along with the same messages nearly all of them displayed. So the question remains is who was the one who helped pay to have those signs mass produced and handed over to these protestors.

I seriously doubt any of these protestors spent time creating these posters on their own, especially since most of them clearly appear identical in their appearance.

This seems to prove we have others out there looking for ways to launch various protests, all of which point toward our current president – a man who seems dedicated to protecting the citizens of our nation.

However, the one thing these protestors seemed to have forgotten involves the way that Maduro rose to power. He assumed the presidency after Chávez’s death and won the 2013 special presidential election.

Maduro continued to rule Venezuela by decree after 2015 through powers granted to him by the ruling party legislature.

Yes, you hear that right. At no point over that 10-year period were the citizens of that nation allowed to decide whether he deserved to remain in that political office.

Sound familiar?

It’s the same type of political oppression that prevents people from North Korea a chance to decide who should lead that nation. At the same time, we saw something similar happen in Russia in which Vladimir Putin drafted a constitutional amendment back in 2020 that allowed him to remain president for two more terms. That amendment “zeroed out” his previous time in office and will likely keep him in charge until at least 2036.

Looking to our nation’s future, it seems clear the United States needs to limit people’s access to power. This includes our federal lawmakers, many of whom have remained in office for decades, unlike our president, who remains limited to serving no more than two, four-year terms.

If anything, term limits would ensure we don’t end up dealing with the same problems that led to the oppression of people in Venezuela until they gained a chance to set things right once and for all.

– Brian S. Orban