Readers Write: Venezuela and Maduro, elections

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Congress must immediately reassert its constitutional role as the branch of government that decides whether the U.S. will go to war. It is ludicrous for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to assert that the actions undertaken in Venezuela and the Caribbean did not and do not require approval of Congress because they are acts of “enforcement” and not acts of war, even though they were and are being carried out by military forces under what this administration now calls the Department of War.

If President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Rubio are allowed to act with impunity without the consent of Congress, then next we may see the U.S. undertake military missions to control Greenland and Panama, or bomb alleged drug factories in Colombia, calling these actions not invasions but acts to protect U.S. national security, not requiring that Congress even be informed, let alone give congressional consent and oversight.

While the rest of the world may have been willing to overlook Hegseth’s extrajudicial killing of sailors in the Caribbean, they will not ignore U.S. incursions into Venezuelan soil, nor Trump’s warning leaders of Colombia and other nations to watch their backs. China’s interests in invading Taiwan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests in continuing his invasion of Ukraine are only emboldened by Trump’s actions and statements.

We must all urge Congress to immediately take action to rein in the lawless and reckless actions of our current executive branch.

Bill Kaemmerer, Edina

Wow! We’re back to the era of unabashed U.S. gunboat diplomacy in Latin America. This time it’s the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on drug-smuggling accusations by the same Trump whose full pardon allowed Honduran ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández to walk free after serving scarcely the first year of his 45-year sentence by a U.S. court on a similar charge.

Or could it be that drugs are just a pretense? I recall a placard carried by a demonstrator against former President George W. Bush’s Iraq invasion in 2003: “How did our oil get under their sand?” Now Trump is speaking of “our oil” having been stolen from us by Venezuela. If it weren’t so frightening, this would be first-class satire.

Chip Peterson, St. Paul

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After Trump ordered military strikes on Venezuela, he defended his actions by invoking the national interest, specifically taking back oil operations that were run by U.S. companies before they were seized by the Venezuelan government. Some Democrats criticized the president on his own terms, arguing that this intervention actually contravenes U.S. interests. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned Trump’s declared intent to “run” Venezuela as “another nation-building quagmire.”

Nonetheless, arguing about our nation’s geopolitical interests misses the bigger picture. More than 2,000 Americans died fighting in the Iraq War, and the number of Iraqi deaths could stretch into the hundreds of thousands. In evaluating potential military actions, leaders should keep in mind that human lives are worth more than oil rights.

I am not arguing that it would never be acceptable to take military action to defend the national interest. But, to quote General William T. Sherman, war is hell. Human life should only be taken in the most extreme circumstances, and the present situation in Venezuela does not justify it, regardless of the national interest.

Sean Ericson, Minneapolis

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How does this invasion of a sovereign country make us any better than Putin’s Russia? How would our president react if Ukraine kidnapped the indicted dictator of Russia?

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Who knew that the campaign promise of “drill, baby, drill” was intended to be on foreign soil.

Phil Stoick, Roseville

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Watch out, Canada! Watch out, Greenland! Watch out, Mexico!

Is this really the role model we desire for our children and grandchildren? Is this any reason to be proud to be an American? When a conscienceless bully endangers the entire U.S. simply to get his own way? Can Trump sink any lower?

Of course he can — and will.

R.I.P., America.

D. Kingsley Hahn, St. Paul

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Emmer and Stauber both know that this is about oil. Trump’s confirmed it by saying the U.S. is going to take over Venezuela’s oil production and sales. If capturing Maduro was about drugs, why didn’t Emmer and Stauber speak up against the Hernández pardon? I’ll tell you why: They are cowards who find it easier to lie to their constituents than stand up to Trump. Accountability is not in their bailiwick. Come to think of it, I can’t remember one time either representative has stood up to Trump. Just ask Minnesota farmers.

Chuck Holden, Eden Prairie

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Today Trump can celebrate the capture of Maduro. Maduro has not yet been convicted of anything, and I am having difficulty seeing his charges ever coming to trial. I am also having difficulty seeing an impartial jury impaneled after all the president’s negative publicity. And I have doubts that Trump can or should run the country of Venezuela.

There are so many legitimate concerns about what Trump has now done. But I would like to raise this concern: What if a powerful nation, or coalition of nations, decides that Trump and his tariff policies are a danger to the economies of the world? Would they be justified in acting to remove Trump from power? Has Trump set a precedent to impel us into a dangerous new world order?

My son’s girlfriend is a Democrat and lives in New York City. Over the holidays, my brother asked her what she thought about a democratic socialist becoming the mayor. Her response was, “The current system is broken. We’re trying something else, and we will see how it goes.” I am certain that most conservatives would agree that the current system is broken, and we need to try something else. But trying this as “something else”? The track record of communism and socialism is beyond obvious. As economist Thomas Sowell said, “Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.” If liberal democrats want to try something new and see how it goes, perhaps they should try voting for a conservative.

Chris Edwards, Edina

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Now would be the time for Dean Phillips to come out of the woodwork (“Gov. Tim Walz drops bid for third term,” StarTribune.com, Jan. 5).