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Where is the love?Re: The true costs of your pet — for everyone (Think Tank, Aug. 7)

Before I put Jerry Storie’s mean-spirited diatribe at the bottom of the cage of my precious lovebirds, Harry and Sally, they need to tell him that not only do pet birds add joy and song to a household, they also represent love for all in the pet kingdom.

Yes, pets cost money but they’re still cheaper than kids. Pets earn their keep just by being the lovable creatures they are. Even those with behaviour problems deserve our care.

The animal-human bond has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, blood pressure and, most importantly, loneliness. Pets can help children learn social skills and are crucial to society as therapy agents. They get folks out walking and talking to each other. Many unsheltered people have comfort pets, often feeding their pets before themselves. Manitoba Harvest gives out pet food when donations allow, and Bear Clan has held pet food drives.

Experienced imperialists understand that you can’t just take over a country and expect it to run itself. It takes time and work to turn it into an obedient and profitable colony and two months is not enough. Donald Trump moved on to his next target too soon and given how Iran’s been working out for him, he probably hasn’t thought of Venezuela in months.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who acts as Trump’s viceroy for Venezuela, hasn’t been there since the U.S. kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in January. (In fact, he may never have been there at all — I can find no evidence of it.) But he does think about Venezuela. In fact, he controls the country very tightly from his Washington office.

He and Trump’s choice for interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, talk online every day, we are told. (She was the vice-president under Maduro, so she was the obvious choice if Trump wanted a local collaborator with supporters in the army and the secret police.) Rubio collects the government’s income and he tells her what she can spend her share on.

It’s an awkward arrangement, because the cabinet is still the core Chavista leaders, minus only Maduro himself. Trump thinks Rodríguez is a “terrific person” and doesn’t worry about elections: Venezuelans “wouldn’t even know how to have an election right now.” But Rubio understands that they really do expect an election to be part of the “transition.”