Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“President Nicolas Maduro is attempting to baptize his brutal reign with another stolen election. His shameful theft has sparked talk of creating a private army to restore popular rule. The idea is tempting; yet who can forget Operation Gideon, the madcap misadventure four years ago in which roughly three score Venezuelan expatriates along with two American mercenaries arrived to oust the regime that had controlled the Venezuelan state for more than a quarter century. Far from taking Maduro & Co. by surprise, Silvercorp USA, which planned the invasion, tweeted that its vast horde was on the way. Unsurprisingly, the operation did not end well. No doubt, more serious people could organize a more serious effort. Yet even those often run aground. Consider the CIA’s infamous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.” (10/03/24)