Professors and the FBI

Here’s a disturbing story of a Latin American History professor at Ponoma College being questioned by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force about his connections to the Venezuelan community, since he has been a critic of U.S. policy. They said they wanted to “develop a profile of the Venezuelan community in the U.S.” The agents even talked to some of his students.

It seems there is no end to the ham handed tactics we’re using with regard to Venezuela. I hit on this topic all the time, but it bears repeating—nearly all our strategies for dealing with Hugo Chávez ultimately make him stronger, not weaker. He is able to portray himself as a victim of U.S. policy, which enhances his self-proclaimed role as the new Bolívar, standing firm against the U.S.

It also makes me wonder about all the post 9/11 intelligence reform, when what we have are FBI agents bumbling around college campuses.