Over the last few days, my Venezuelan friends in the Dallas area have been talking about the "blackout" in Caracas.  The Maduro regime is blaming it on the U.S., a totally predictable reaction that will remind Cubans of Castro in the 1960s.

This is from news reports:

Venezuelans woke up to a fourth day of an unprecedented nationwide blackout on Sunday, leaving residents concerned about the impacts of the lack of electricity on the South American country's health, communications and transport systems.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro — who is facing a challenge to his rule by the leader of the opposition-led congress, Juan Guaido — has blamed the blackout on an act of "sabotage" by the United States at the Guri hydroelectric dam, but experts say it is the outcome of years of underinvestment.

"The national electrical system has been subject to multiple cyberattacks," Maduro wrote on Twitter on Sunday.  "However, we are making huge efforts to restore stable and definitive supply in the coming hours."

As a Venezuelan told me over the phone: "If the lights are on, it's Trump spying on Maduro.  If the lights go out, it's Trump spying on Maduro."

Of course, this is more than just lights out for Venezuelans in the U.S.

Most of them communicate by internet or social media.  It's almost impossible to pick up the phone and call the country, as you could for decades.  Like Cuba, Venezuela had a very good phone system until the communists showed up!

The lack of contact scares the heck out of Venezuelans in the U.S. because they don't know if the little milk available will spoil in the refrigerator or the criminal elements will use darkness to get around your alarm system.

Think about Venezuela.  It's more than dark down there!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.