Trump Announces 'Another Deadly Boat Strike,' Forget Who Sank the Last One
MSNBC's dutiful reporting on Donald Trump's announcement of a 'deadly boat strike' off Venezuela's coast perfectly illustrates the art of selective memory. While focusing on Trump's pronouncements, the article conveniently forgets to mention the U.S. has maintained crippling sanctions against Venezuela since 2017, intensifying under the Trump administration (Executive Order 13808, August 24,
2017). These sanctions have been widely condemned by human rights organizations like the UN, which in 2021 noted they 'exacerbated the situation leading to severe impacts on the right to food and health' for ordinary Venezuelans. One might wonder if decades of efforts to destabilize a sovereign nation—including a failed coup attempt in 2002 (supported by the Bush administration, declassified
documents show)—might just contribute to 'deadly boat strikes' as people flee conditions the U.S. created. Because when America's unwavering devotion to 'democracy' involves economic strangulation and covert operations, sometimes the only 'news' is that the boat of state is taking on water. And we're surprised?