Efforts by the right wing in Venezuela to get the United States to help them topple the legally elected government of President Nicolas Maduro are intensifying, and being echoed by both Republican and Democratic politicians in the United States, including people in the Obama administration. The Communist Party USA calls for an end to these provocative actions, and for the United States government to turn away from the "regime change" strategy that represents a failure to respect the rights of peoples and nations to choose their own governments.  We ask our members and friends to actively work for such changes, including by taking steps included at the end of this memo.

There are new developments this month.

On Tuesday, April 1, a group of hard-right demonstrators violently attacked the Ministry of Housing building in Caracas, setting it on fire, destroying equipment and records and endangering the lives of more than a thousand employees and also of scores of children in the building's on-site employee child care center.  http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10568 This is one of many incidents in which supposedly "peaceful" demonstrators have carried out acts of mayhem, targeting government facilities that provide help to poor Venezuelans. Targets of attack have included stores specializing in providing food for the poor, health care facilities, a university campus, government vehicles and government personnel.  Of the 36 people killed since the disturbances began in January, at least half have died at the hands of rioters, who overwhelmingly come from the relatively privileged and mostly white strata of multi-racial Venezuelan society. Moreover, as Maduro points out, these so-called opposition forces are heavily subsidized by our tax dollars.

On Tuesday April 1, President Nicolas Maduro published an op-ed on the editorial page of the New York Times, explaining his government's point of view asking for understanding and support for a peaceful, democratic outcome. http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10565  In his essay, Maduro writes frankly about Venezuela's problems but also points out the very solid achievements of his government and that of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in radically reducing poverty in Venezuela and improving the lives of its citizens.  This direct appeal to the people of the United States merits a reply not only from our government but from ourselves as citizens, taxpayers and voters.  We must say "no" to U.S. intervention in Venezuela, and everywhere.  

And our reply can only be to demand that our government, and politicians of both the Democratic and Republican parties, turn away from the strategy of "regime change" and work to develop positive relations with the Venezuelan government which has been freely elected by that country's voters. This means an end to funding for the right wing opposition, and end to overbearingly bellicose language about "imposing sanctions" on Venezuela, and the defeat of Congressional efforts to smear Venezuela with resolutions and impose the same kind of sanctions on Venezuela that, in the case of Cuba, have caused worldwide opprobrium and resentment.  

ACTION TO TAKE IMMEDIATELY:

Note that Congress has a new website for tracing legislation and getting contact information for your senators and representatives. It will give you information on how your senators and representatives voted on the legislation mentioned below.

Call, write, and visit your Congressperson. If he or she voted FOR H.Res 488, please state that you disagree with this and explain why.  If he or she voted AGAINST this resolution, abstained or did not vote on it, please thank him or her for this vote.  Then ask your representative to OPPOSE H.R. 4229 (Venezuelan Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, HR 944 (Venezuelan Liberty Act) and H.R 1687 (Countering ALBA Act).  A suggested text of a letter to House Members is below.

Call, write, and visit your Senators. Anti-Venezuela S.Res.365 passed "with unanimous consent"; please tell your Senators you disagree with this and explain why.  Ask your senators to OPPOSE S.2142 (Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014), http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/2142 which will greatly increase tensions between Venezuela and the United States, and lower U.S. prestige worldwide, by attempting to impose sanctions on Venezuela similar to those imposed on Cuba.

Contact the White House and the State Department and ask them to cease and desist from policies of "regime change" in Venezuela or anywhere.

Sign the petition calling for a sharp change in our government's hostile policy toward Venezuela.

Circulate the open letter signed by Danny Glover, Oliver Stone and many other well-known individuals which explains the situation in Venezuela an calls for a change in U.S. policy.

Editor: Zhou Miao