 |
| (Getty Images) |
Fidel Castro wannabe
Nicolás Maduro—the tinhorn dictator of Venezuela—is plunging his nation into a political hell. His recent phony "election" has given him power to change the country's constitution and give him unlimited reign. Even before the recent chaos and violence, Venezuelan baseball players have found travel back to their homeland nearly impossible. Kidnapping plots, death threats and intimidation have kept them away. If they speak out against the Maduro regime, their families are put in danger. Of the 98 MLB players from Venezuela, a few—like
Carlos Gonzales,
Francisco Cervelli and
Miguel Cabrera—
have valiantly spoken out. But the horrors continue and there seems little hope of things getting any better soon. According to
The New York Times, in three months of daily street protests, over 90 people have been killed and 3,000 arrested. Said Cervelli,
"Every day I wake up and I feel worse. You see how the world is so quiet about this stuff. We have to make a change. [The socialist government] has been there 18 years, my friend, talking about how bad it was before. They made everything worse. It's time for them to go." Indeed. Said
Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation,
"The opposition in Venezuela are united and ready to govern. The U.S. cannot stand idly by as Maduro orders the death and torture of all who oppose his regime."
