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The Rich Never Lose a War: No Blood for Oil!

By VVAW National Office

[Printer-Friendly Version]

From the National Office of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW)
December 30, 2025

Once again, we find that Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) must raise our voices and speak out against another potential imperial blunder. From Vietnam to Central America, to the Middle East, and Ukraine, we have had to pull out our banners and add our voices and our perspective as veterans to those fighting against imperial aggression. Now we must focus on Venezuela and the mounting US war in the works.

The United States built its international reputation on claiming the resources of other countries as its own. Recent aggressions by the Trump Administration are nothing new and they are not even schemes of his own making. We are encouraged to think he’s the ring leader, but Trump, although a dangerous maniac on his own, is the willing lightning rod for multinational business interests and the Nazi ideologies spreading here at home. Added factors in the lead up to the coming war are the almost insane desperation for distraction from Trump’s mental deterioration, the Epstein papers coverup, rivalries in the MAGA camp, rising opposition to the ICE thuggery, and the 1% (Chevron Oil) lust for Venezuela’s natural resources.

We recall the words of two-time Medal of Honor recipient Marine General Smedley Butler: “I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.”

Throughout our history, our murderous economic and military attacks have ALL benefited the Rich class. Win or lose, it's no problem for them. They profit anyway. So here we are again, on the brink of the first war orchestrated by a US Nazi party. These are the racist imperialists who authored our “new” National Security Strategy that sets us back to the 19th Century world General Butler came of age in. Furthermore, it is the first war being implemented by a maniac president who is more like a rabid attack dog, released and encouraged by the most barbaric and inhumane members of the transnational super-rich.

This aggression is widely seen for what it is: a naked grab for resources, a stab at China, and a way to distract from Trump's pedophelia and descent into gibbering idiocy. Russia and China are probably reserving box seats for this looming fiasco, hoping for a US disaster and cheering on every minute of the stupidity and cartoonish antics of this inept Administration.

We will make no excuses for the actions or intentions of Nicolás Maduro. But we know that our own actions (coups, covert ops and sanctions) in the Western Hemisphere created instabilities in many countries, including Venezuela. We know who suffers most by these actions: the people of our targets, not their leadership elite.

This time it’s not even being done with the usual subtlety. President Bone Spurs is sending our brothers and sisters into a war for oil, just as was done in our war on Iraq. He started with another page from our age-old playbook: a War on Drugs. It doesn’t matter that even this makes no sense: fentanyl does not come from Venezuela! Upping the ante we’re now supposed to believe it is a weapon of mass destruction which is another tie to Iraq. Do they think we don’t remember how that ended?

If saving Americans from drug dependency is the goal, why were drug treatment and homeless programs defunded? We know from long experience that it's the GIs on both sides and civilians in our target countries who will pay. They are the ones who will suffer from the physical and moral wounds of this made-up fight. And with cuts to the VA services and outsourcing, care for veterans of all eras will continue to diminish as we are thrown onto the tender mercies of the for-profit health care system.

The difference in our run up to war this time is that throughout the ranks of the Rich and "our" representatives in government, there’s barely a hint of opposition. In the manner of a Fascist dictator or Medieval King, the upper levels of government are ruled by executive orders. The Supreme Courtiers grease the path by ignoring precedents, and the Republicans and the Democrats in Congress are largely AWOL. When opposition dares to raise its nose above the cesspool, the 1% manages to frustrate or sidetrack it. Witness the recent slam down of progressive representatives and organizations over the extension of health care tax credits.

It is obscene that so many in Congress have been silent for so long. It took until December for a bipartisan group to introduce a War Powers Resolution (H.Con.Res.61) to limit Trump’s authority to use the military in this way. It failed. Is it a sign they are finally standing against this emerging oligarchy? It’s too soon to tell but somehow we doubt it. And even if Congress does try to intervene, this president has no fear of their actions since SCOTUS gave its blessing to any whim.

We expect further disasters, wastes of resources, economic hardships, and senseless slaughter in the year to come. We have no illusion that the Democratic Party will swoop in to save us. Many of them are part of the 1% and we've had enough of the DNC gutting any newcomers who have even a chance of leading a mass movement.

But we do see value in supporting anti-fascist Democrats, not the mainstream sellouts, in the party. We must also be prepared to resist the fascists that have been set loose in our communities. We encourage readers to find the anti-ICE activists in their communities and prepare to resist.

Most of us went through the Nixon era and have observed the insidious investment of power in the Presidency and the increased Rightist slant of both the "legit" parties. We encourage voting, not all levels of government are Fascist yet. But, we don't for a minute want to bank on the national mid-terms or the next presidential elections not being corrupted. Nazi dictators and/or oligarchs like Putin/Hitler/Stalin do not hold fair elections! Organize!

No war on Venezuela! No blood for oil!

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