Donald Trump and maga Republicans are responsible for illegally supporting the U.S. invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping Maduro with his wife

 Echo opinion letter published in the Virginian Pilot newspaper

The recent strike (invasion) against Venezuela, and the forceful removal of President Nicolás Maduro with his wife Celia Flores, by Donald Trump, is a violation of our Constitution. 

Although it is true, Maduro is corrupt and an authoritarian, the fact is, Human Rights Watch describes abuses by rulers violating human rights that occur globally in nearly 100 countries — not just in Venezuela. 

Consider places such as North Korea. If Trump was really concerned about abuses, he would offer Ukraine more support against the Russian war crimes that have been committed.

The decision to use military force is in the hands of the Congress because the consequences will not end with an initial strike. The decision should not be in the hands of Trump, who is using the U.S. military as his own strike force. 

(By the way, the illegal U.S. invasion and kidnapping of Maduro and his wife caused the deaths of 80 people. Reports from Venezuelan officials and media, including The New York Times, state that at least 80 people were killed, including both civilians and military personnel, during the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela.)

Consider his initial use of the National Guard in U.S. cities against citizens, the boat strikes in the Caribbean, the Nigerian airstrikes and bombing Iranian nuclear sites — all without congressional oversight.

As we review responses regarding the illegal Venezuelan strike, the GOP, including the wrong minded Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, praised the operation. ❓ They used the excuse that drugs were arriving in the U.S. from Venezuela and it needed to stop. A small percentage of illegal drugs are traced to Venezuela. (In fact, no illegal drugs have been produced to provide evidence to support this claim.  No drugs were confiscated from any of the destroyed Venezuelan fishing boats sunk at sea, no drugs were reported to be found on the empty Venezuelan oil tankers taken over by the U.S. military, and Maduro and his wife were not in possession of illegal drugs when they were kidnapped.)

The reality is that cocaine arrives from Colombia predominantly by way of Mexico. More than 80% of the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl come from China and is made into fentanyl in Mexico. Then the drug make is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border.

What Venezuela has is oil. That is what Trump desires. Congress must act to stop his unbridled use of our military. If it is legitimate, then get approval from Congress. The Constitution demands it❗

From Patty Bates, in Virginia Beach, Virginia 

Republican Representative Will Hurd tells Trump the border wall won't work

The Republican Rep. Hurd, who represents more of the border than anyone in Congress, has an idea to secure the border, and it's not a wall.

Rep. Will Hurd serves Texas Congressional District 23

Obviously, Mexico is never going to pay for the wall Donald Trump said would be built with Mexican money. Instead, he wants US taxpayers to fund his concoction because Mexico refuses to do so. Unfortunately, Donald Trump doesn't use common sense or listen to anyone who happens to disagree with him. 

US border officials in Nogales make biggest fentanyl seizure in history

Republican Congressman Will Hurd of Texas is representing a district where a border wall won't work. 

This letter to the editor of the Idaho Post Register newspaper should be read by Donald Trump and the advice given would have certainly saved the White House and 800,000 hard working federal employees the weeks of anguish while arguing over a wall that will never be constructed.

In the Jan. 18 issue of Business Insider, Republican Rep. (Congressman) Will Hurd states that a physical wall is "the most expensive and least effective" form of border security. Rep. Hurd is a former CIA agent and has been described as a leading Congressional voice on technology issues. His Texas 23rd Congressional District includes 800 miles of border which covers over 40 percent of the length of the wall our (stupid!) president demands be built for border security.

The media excludes the reporting of bipartisan voting by a Texas Republican for “no” wall funding. Rep. Hurd votes with Democrats on this issue and does not want this expensive wall built in his district.

Rep. Hurd suggests running fiber optics the length of the border to provide internet service to remote areas.

The fiber optic cable would also include border surveillance with both surface and “underground” detection. Border Agents can then respond to that detection quickly.

The United States used similar surveillance techniques in Vietnam 50 years ago. Why can't we do the same on our US southern border? Physical barriers work in areas of urban to urban contact but not in remote locations where an underground tunnel can go undetected.

Border Patrol Agents using technology and dogs found a large amount of drugs at the Nogales Port of Entry this past week. It is unfathomable to think of a semi-truck driving through sagebrush and fording the Rio Grande to avoid a port of entry. The border requires several technologies to be used. I agree with Rep. Hurd.

Beverly Beach  Blackfoot, Idaho

• Rep. Will Hurd of Texas told The New York Times' "The Daily" podcast that a wall is "the most expensive and least effective" form of border security.
• Instead, a fiber-optic cable would provide new sensory tools to help Border Patrol monitor the border, while also providing high-speed internet access to rural communities.
• The only GOP congressman who represents a district along the US-Mexico border opposes President Donald Trump's wall — instead, he wants a fiber-optic cable.