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Grassley and his compatriots let Trump emasculate and embarrass them daily and refuse to use their constitutional authority to limit the power of the President, then wonder why it is that Trump treats them like irrelevant doofuses.
US strikes Venezuela / Captures Maduro
- Thread starter nycfan
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Grassley and his compatriots let Trump emasculate and embarrass them daily and refuse to use their constitutional authority to limit the power of the President, then wonder why it is that Trump treats them like irrelevant doofuses.
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Define "adversaries" in this context. What, exactly, is a country with significant natural resources expected to do? Prostrate itself before Trump and beg the Emperor King to please let them keep some of their own natural resources?
Also, the Trump admin needs to make up its mind. Is that about prosecuting Maduro for violations of US law, or controlling Venezuela's natural resources? The former appears to just be the thin veneer of legality given that the latter (invading a country to secure control of its natural resources) is a blatant violation of international law.
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So Trump is Nobel version of Riley Gaines?
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“The Justice Department has backed off a dubious claim about President Nicolás Maduro that the Trump administration promoted last year in laying the groundwork to remove him from power in Venezuela: accusing him of leading a drug cartel called Cartel de los Soles.
That claim traces back to a 2020 grand jury indictment of Mr. Maduro drafted by the Justice Department. In July 2025, copying language from it, the Treasury Department designated Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization. In November, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and President Trump’s national security adviser, ordered the State Department to do the same.
But experts in Latin American crime and narcotics issues have said it is actually a slang term, invented by the Venezuelan media in the 1990s, for officials who are corrupted by drug money. And on Saturday, after the administration captured Mr. Maduro, the Justice Department released a rewritten indictment that appeared to tacitly concede the point.
Prosecutors still accused Mr. Maduro of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy but they abandoned the claim that Cartel de los Soles was an actual organization. Instead, the revised indictment states that it refers to a “patronage system” and a “culture of corruption” fueled by drug money….”
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superrific
Master of the ZZLverse
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Of course Calla agrees with the "ambassador." It's bullshit and mathematically impossible unless the largest energy reserves belong to a country that is universally popular. Across multiple contexts, this man has demonstrated no understanding of basic arithmetic. Timeouts, rates as opposed to absolute numbers, now this.
Meanwhile, let's think through this a little bit.
1. Suppose the US takes much of Venezeula's reserves. Now we have the largest reserves. So anyone should be free to attack us? All they have to do is say the US is an adversary? Brilliant strategy.
2. Suppose it's discovered that Brazil has a newfound massive oil field (this happens regularly if not frequently). The invasion justification goes away. What do we do then? Oops?
3. Why is "energy reserves" important at all? It's not energy production. It's more or less meaningless unless you think that all oil will be pumped eventually, and even then there is plenty of time to become non-adversaries. It's also not actually energy reserves; it's only oil reserves which isn't remotely the same thing.
4. Why does it matter who is largest? If Venezuela has 3% of reserves and that is bigger than anyone else, who cares? 97% will be non-adversarial. The only thing that matters is % under adversary control. This isn't China having 90% of the world's rare element production (note: the reason China has more production isn't because it has so much more in reserve).
5. Venezuela isn't even an adversary. Here's an idea: don't make enemies everywhere and then you don't have to worry about adversarial control.
Meanwhile, let's think through this a little bit.
1. Suppose the US takes much of Venezeula's reserves. Now we have the largest reserves. So anyone should be free to attack us? All they have to do is say the US is an adversary? Brilliant strategy.
2. Suppose it's discovered that Brazil has a newfound massive oil field (this happens regularly if not frequently). The invasion justification goes away. What do we do then? Oops?
3. Why is "energy reserves" important at all? It's not energy production. It's more or less meaningless unless you think that all oil will be pumped eventually, and even then there is plenty of time to become non-adversaries. It's also not actually energy reserves; it's only oil reserves which isn't remotely the same thing.
4. Why does it matter who is largest? If Venezuela has 3% of reserves and that is bigger than anyone else, who cares? 97% will be non-adversarial. The only thing that matters is % under adversary control. This isn't China having 90% of the world's rare element production (note: the reason China has more production isn't because it has so much more in reserve).
5. Venezuela isn't even an adversary. Here's an idea: don't make enemies everywhere and then you don't have to worry about adversarial control.
Callatoroy
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Adversaries = china, Russia, and their proxies. Trump isnt / wasn’t alone in wanting Madura gone. Biden did too but took no action. Like it or not but allowing china and Russian to gain influence/ control over Venezuela is a threat to national security, and their presence / influence was growing. My concern isnt the action taken, it’s the actions that are to come. IMO, the natural resources belong to the people of Venezuela. It is possible for this to be a win / win for Venezuela and the US. Forcing the sale of resources to countries that don’t benefit Russia and china doesn’t harm Venezuela.
1moretimeagain
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Has all this had an impact on the US cocaine market?
My guy says no coke, but he can get me some fire oil for cheap.
My guy says no coke, but he can get me some fire oil for cheap.
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—>Nope. He won’t own up.
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He's an enormous coward. And that's one of his best qualities.
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“… Monday, as small groups of armed civilians known as colectivos, paramilitary units in support of the ousted president, sped around Caracas on motorbikes—a reminder that while Maduro is gone, his loyalists are still very much in power.
… Armed men—believed to be either state security forces or colectivos—performed spot checks in the capital Monday, stopping drivers to check their vehicles and forcing people to unlock their cellphones for suspect messages. At least seven journalists were detained, three of whom were later released, according to the country’s main press union.
… “There is no change at all,” said Francys Machucas, a banking adviser in Caracas, whose sense of disillusionment is shared by some other Venezuelans. “We are going to remain in the same situation because it’s the same people.”
… President Trump’s statement that he would run the country has also made people nervous, said Machucas. “It doesn’t give me much confidence,” she said.
Others remained optimistic about the possibility of regime change, just not that it would happen soon….”
Isn’t a Chinese Fire Drill just everyone in a car leaps out at a red light and races around in the same direction to the next open door and jumps in. Then, the new driver, drives off.
Or, everyone jumps out at the red light and races around the car and returns to his/her original seat and the driver drives off.
Regardless, a Chinese Fire Drill is much better organized than the conquest of Venezuela.
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Callatoroy
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“Also, the Trump admin needs to make up its mind. Is that about prosecuting Maduro for violations of US law, or controlling Venezuela's natural resources? The former appears to just be the thin veneer of legality given that the latter (invading a country to secure control of its natural resources) is a blatant violation of international law.”
Sorry I failed to address this part of your post. They really don’t have to make up their minds. It can be both prosecuting maduro and keeping Russia and china out of Venezuela. The legalities are debatable. The right claiming there is legal standing and the left that there isn’t. No surprise there. Im not knowledgeable enough about international law to debate it but based on comments by legal professionals, I suspect each side has its own narrative rooted in some precedent. I think the term invaded is a little misleading as all we have done so far is snatch an indicted criminal.
Reality means NOTHING to MAGAts.