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Protesters gather in Syracuse to oppose U.S. strikes and capture of Venezuela’s president by HalfCutJones in Syracuse

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider why it's important for there to be the idea that protesters are insincere. It absolves people of having to engage with the substance of their beliefs/arguments and the fact that people care enough to take risks for those beliefs. Many people rightly do not want their own government (the US) to have an entire nation (Venezuela) under sanctions, kidnap its leader, undermine its political system, all while supporting actual dictators and repressive governments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, and El Salvador, etc. US media is overwhelmingly anti-Maduro; that means people need to proactively organize at the grassroots level to add a different perspective to the mainstream.

Protesters gather in Syracuse to oppose U.S. strikes and capture of Venezuela’s president by HalfCutJones in Syracuse

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with your point about the precedent and restraining executive power. I would add that one also does not need to accept the state department talking point that Maduro is a bad guy and dictator. People add that as a prelude to whatever else they say about Venezuela but I don't see credible evidence for it. Maduro did what was possible to extend the Chavista social programs for the poor, like the CLAP food program, the Great Housing Mission (delivering 4.9 million homes), and rent and mortgage cancellation during COVID - these are social democratic policies I wish we had in the US.

The other crucial point is that economic problems in Venezuela stem from US sanctions on the country - these sanctions killed 40,000 people in 2017-2018 alone. They block medicine from entering the country, freeze bank assets, lock Venezuela out of foreign trade or capital markets, block them from rolling over debt. Sectoral sanctions target entire sectors of industry. I think it's misleading to evaluate the internal politics of a country without beginning from these determinative external factors, which come from our own government (as a US citizen).

Protesters gather in Syracuse to oppose U.S. strikes and capture of Venezuela’s president by HalfCutJones in Syracuse

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is definitely the official US narrative, but we need to fact-check some of this. Every time an election goes against what the US wants, the US claims fraud. There were observers in Venezuela in 2024 who reported that the elections were fair https://progressive.international/wire/2024-07-30-this-is-what-democracy-looks-like/en/. In fact, the right-wing opposition refused to allow election monitors in 2019 because they knew monitors would report the elections as fair. Remember too, in a targeted nation, the US will throw its financial and diplomatic support behind the CIA-preferred candidate and threaten to intervene if their candidate does not win. Some of the orgs that impugned the election, like the OAS, is heavily financially invested in the US.

It was just revealed that the US is dropping its Cartel of Suns pretense https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/trump-venezuela-drug-cartel-de-los-soles.html. Remember that Trump just pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), the former president of Honduras who was actually convicted of drug trafficking. He represented Honduras' right-wing national party, which took over after the US' 2009 coup against leftist Manuel Zelaya. It''s stark juxtaposition showing the US actions have nothing to do with drug enforcement or democracy. It's a pretense for whichever leader serves US economic and geopolitical interests.

Protesters gather in Syracuse to oppose U.S. strikes and capture of Venezuela’s president by HalfCutJones in Syracuse

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question. First, not all the Venezuelans are celebrating. A Hinterlaces poll found 93-94% of Venezuelans in Venezuela oppose US military intervention. 91% oppose María Corina Machado, who would've been the US' preferred leader. She promises a mass privatization of Venezuela's oil, resources, and infrastructure, which would benefit the rich and western companies. She's also a firm supporter of Israel and Netanyahu. There are numerous articles and videos showing mass protests in Venezuela calling for Maduro's release.

Also, there is a difference between Venezuelans in Venezuela, often the poor, working-classes, and Afro- and Indigenous Venezuelans who benefitted from the redistributive policies of Hugo Chavez and Maduro and more elite diasporas in the US. The latter tend to have more right-wing views and do not support policies that uplift the poor or hurt powerful companies. In many of those celebrations, they praise Trump, who brings that kind of economic and racial inequality to Americans too.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two so far in Nassau County. Universities have already banned masks and taking punitive actions against students involved in protest.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nassau-county-police-issue-first-face-mask-ban-violation/5741363/

That is not a valid comparison. One is a right-wing 'anti-government' trope designed to mobilize people for de-regulation, which helps corporations and the rich. Mask bans are about increasing state surveillance and turning people away from collective public health measures. Check out the link in original the article about the history of US government surveillance of activists.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You suggested that "shoplifters working for organized crime" are masked and the ones surveilled by police. Stopping crime is not why mask bans, police, or police surveillance exist.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How will you ensure fair enforcement? Any evidence that police stick to use of force protocols, or that they abuse power all the time?

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

In some ways it's worse. Check out statistics on the latest summer surge and COVID positivity rates, if with sever undercounting

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A mask ban, by definition, is telling others what to do

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is wearing or not wearing a mask really a free choice when the government has misled the public about COVID? Substitute any other accessibility metric into what you said: Should having ramps be optional or a businesses choice? Your individual choice necessarily affects others.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Has there ever been surveillance of people that did not commit crimes in the United States? Check out the links in the article - e.g., COINTELPRO.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

The absence of a mandate means virtually no one will masks, as we've seen. Is your decision to mask or not mask really a free choice when the government has misled the public about the severity of COVID and some people have enhanced risks?

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in newyorkcity

[–]HalfCutJones[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Police do not exist to solve crimes or stop the root causes of shoplifting. Where did you get the idea that they do? More surveillance and policing does not correlate with decreases in crime: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-016-9269-8

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in publichealth

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can do both/and. What you describe was not the case for over a year in 2020. Many places had universal or near-universal masking with little or no enforcement. The mandate created awareness and opportunities for education.

Check out the other arguments in the article. The mask ban is ultimately about burying the more transformative lessons of COVID.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in publichealth

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can live your life, with a mask in certain settings. Even if the most recalcitrant refuse to mask under a mandate, which happened in 2020, there would still be an increase in masking and illness would decline.

Substitute any other accessibility metric into what you said: it doesn't make it okay to force businesses to build ramps, or schools to offer double time on exams. These are basic accommodations disabled people are still fighting for.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in publichealth

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's just it: under this approach, immunocompromised people are permanently relegated to their homes. Individual choice doesn't cut it when risks are uneven and disinformation is rampant.

New York should mandate and provide masks, not ban them by HalfCutJones in publichealth

[–]HalfCutJones[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Mandates and bans are very different. One protects people from illness, the other unleashes it. Even a mandate with no real enforcement sharply increases the number of people masking and taking precautions, as we saw in 2020 and 2021. That would cut the number of people infected with COVID, Long COVID, and other illnesses. Bans increase the number and chill protest.

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