The recent military invasion of Venezuela and subsequent kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro is outrageous on many levels. It is true many Venezuelans are cheering Maduro’s ouster from the presidency; he was an authoritarian ruler who oppressed people and treated the government like his personal law keeping force (not unlike the occupant and the US military).
The possibility of a better life that has Venezuelans dancing in the streets doesn’t change the larger situation. Venezuela is a sovereign country, and the US had no authority to attack it. Some have argued that the occupant didn’t need congressional approval under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the War Powers Resolution (WPR). The WPR is intended to limit presidential power by requiring consultation and potential withdrawal of troops after 60-90 days if Congress doesn’t authorize the force, though presidents often claim inherent authority or cite other laws (like the AUMF). The AUMF is a congressional resolution granting the president authority to use military force, most famously after 9/11 that authorized action against those responsible for the attacks. There have been several incarnations of the AUMF. In 2002 it authorized use of military forces against Iraq. In 1991 it authorized military forces against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait.
The AUMF provides broad, open-ended authority for military action, unlike formal declarations of war. Critics argue they have enabled “endless wars” by allowing presidents to use force against evolving threats (like ISIS) without new congressional approval. Many others believe AUMF unconstitutionally transfers Congress’ war-making powers to the executive branch.
While all of this adds some murkiness around who gets to do what and when, it doesn’t change the fact that international law, primarily through the United Nations, prohibits the invasion of a sovereign country. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the US invasion of Venezuela are illegal actions under the UN charter.
The occupant is a wannabe king who, if not able to be a king, is content to be a tyrant. This has angered the international community and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO’s charter says an attack on one country is an attack on all member nations of NATO. There is bound to be some retaliation from the NATO nations.
The precedent this sets on the world stage is terrifying. The occupant’s unilateral action gives tacit permission for other authoritarian regimes to continue their own land grabs, China to Taiwan and Russia to Ukraine and beyond. War is surely on the nearer horizon. It’s hard to know where it will all end, but chances are good it will not be pretty.
Reaching back into Bible times, the occupant is acting like King Herod the Great. He was a puppet ruler for Rome and was so insecure and frightened of losing his power that he squashed all dissent and imprisoned those he saw as a threat. After Jesus was born, Herod was so threatened that he “took out a hit on a toddler” to quote Nadia Bolz-Weber. Herod ordered the death of all children under the age of two when he heard that the king of the Jews had been born.
The occupant is a malignant narcissist, like Herod, who is content to kill, imprison, arrest and silence opposition for the sake of his power. Like Herod, he seeks power for power’s sake. His thugs are now murdering people in the name of immigration enforcement. So far, in the occupant’s great immigration crackdown, a full 73% of people rounded up have no criminal record. This isn’t about immigration; it is about intimidation and silencing opposition. It is about terrifying communities, so they do not voice their anger at the inhumanity of this regime.
Following the rule of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas (his son) became the Tetrarch ruler. This Herod was the ruler through all of Jesus’ ministry and through his crucifixion.
Herod Antipas is responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist. The Herods (or Herodians as they were known) were not good or righteous kings. However, given their authority they fashioned themselves as lords and kings over the Jewish people. By whatever means they could, they silenced dissent, imposed order and intimidated people. It is what all authoritarian rulers have in common. The occupant fits the bill to a T.
We are watching history repeat itself.
The Irreverent Reverend 