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Letters to the Editor | Jan. 11, 2026

Inquirer readers on the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military.

A newly painted mural by local Venezuelan graffiti artist Pedro Martin, know as Marthi, of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro after he was captured by the U.S. military, is displayed Wednesday in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami.
A newly painted mural by local Venezuelan graffiti artist Pedro Martin, know as Marthi, of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro after he was captured by the U.S. military, is displayed Wednesday in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami.Read moreLynne Sladky / AP
    by Letters to the Editor, For The Inquirer
    Published 

America’s legacy

It’s official. The United States is a shining city on a hill no more. We can no longer pretend to be a nation-building, democracy-spreading, weapons of mass destruction-concerned, terrorist-hunting world leader. We now openly blockade foreign shores, blow up innocent civilians, and then sneak attack in the early morning hours to kidnap leaders who don’t play ball. Caligula has given a Senate seat to his horse, Nero has started the fire, Commodus has become a gladiator. How does this historic provocation not overtly fan the flames of the war in Ukraine, the Israel/Palestine conflict, or China’s eventual invasion of Taiwan? Donald Trump came out to his news conference Saturday looking like a victorious Scar surrounded by his obedient hyenas, Malevolent Miller, Plastic Pete, and, of course, Little Marco. Years from now, when historians look back upon President Trump’s actions this past week, they will understand it as the moment America stopped pretending to be the good guys and openly embraced its decision to be the bad guys. As John Adams once said, “Whenever we leave principles and clear positive laws, we are soon lost in the wild regions of imagination and possibility where arbitrary power sits upon her brazen throne and governs with an iron scepter.”

Matt Lyons, Glen Mills

. . .

Why does the richest country in the world need to steal resources from Venezuela? The rape of South America by North American companies goes back hundreds of years and is, of course, not taught in American history courses. Kidnapping heads of state, no matter how bad they are, for the sole purpose of taking resources that are clearly theirs, is an abomination and a clear invitation to war.

For how much longer do we have to feel shame and embarrassment about being American? I am tired of it. How can we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial when our nation is so close to becoming a dictatorship in the 250th year?

Please let your members of Congress — and the White House! — know we will not stand for another war that we start for literally no reason whatsoever.

Catherine Freimiller, Philadelphia

. . .

The operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro was truly remarkable. The coordination among law enforcement, the military, and intelligence agencies was flawless. Maduro will have his day in court, as he should. My question is, if the United States government can land forces on a Venezuelan military base, arrest two suspects, and get out without a single casualty, why can’t they stop a speedboat? Why the extrajudicial executions? Doesn’t the little guy deserve his day in court, as well?

Could it be that a big show trial in New York will bring a lot of headlines about how tough Donald Trump is on enforcing the law, and a little guy’s day in court won’t even be noticed?

Tim Moran, Wayne

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