55 minutes ago, candide said:

The Biden administration issued permits for international oil companies, such as Chevron or ENI, to operate in Venezula. Trump cancelled them.

Not a grey fleet though. This oil was probably heading to China.

10 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

The seizure occurred in international waters, a senior US official said, and proceeded without incident or casualties either among the US personnel or the "tanker’s crew.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/oil-tanker-seized-venezuela

 

That was for the first time. Maybe not for the second.

IMHO it would be a lawyers dream.

 

If the next tanker had a security team which was armed, and a member of the hijackers was injured during the hijacking or piracy whilst the ship is in international waters, at least 1,000 miles away from US waters, how could the USA explain that away?

 

The sanctions were imposed by the USA only, NOT internationally, so whoever issued the order would be the guilty party. It could never be Trump, as he would simply blame anybody else, and disown them.

Noem says Coast Guard-led tanker seizure near Venezuela was ordered by Trump to combat drug trafficking

 

Dec. 12, 2025, -- “It was a successful operation directed by the president to ensure that we’re pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans,” she said.

 

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X that the government executed a seizure warrant on a tanker used to carry oil from Venezuela and Iran.

A senior White House official said there are no other warrants currently approved by judges for other seizures of oil tankers like the one performed Wednesday.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/us-seizes-oil-tanker-coast-venezuela-trump-says-rcna248478

 

 

As an ex merchant seaman I witnessed many strange situations at sea and I thought I had a grip on maritime law but with Trump’s extra judicial killings in the Caribbean and now a, seemingly, act of bare faced piracy there seems to be no definitive right or wrong.

If only Jonny Fartpants could post his erudite, unbiased clarification of who is within or without the law.

On 12/11/2025 at 5:57 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

Vance for term + 8 years; Don Jr next for 8 years; Eric for 8 years; Ivanka for 8 years, the first woman prez; then Barron for 8 years. You really think these dynastic ambitions are going to end. As long as there are mongoloids in the US, and they can gerrymander victory, we've got 32 more years of Rump.

 

Too bad Zohran was born overseas... It's not about party politics anymore.

The syndrome affects people in strange new ways by the content of your post.

 

I never know a new day will bring.

 

 

On 12/12/2025 at 10:25 AM, The Old Bull said:

I think Trump will have a problem surviving three more years

1. He will break too many laws that cannot be ignored by the justice system.

2  A bankrupt farmer with nothing to lose will put a bullet in him.

3  He will loose more of his marbles and be declared incompetent.

 

I don't know how Vance will do when he doesn't have Trump to justify any nasty moves he makes.

1.  What laws will he break in the future?  According to your crystal ball.  How did that crystal ball work out for the leftists in the past Presidential election?

 

2.  So  now all farmers are bankrupt?  How many times have farmers gone bankrupt in U.S. history?

 

3.  Who will declare him incompetent?  You?  By your post you’ve already lost your marbles.