1 minute ago, Hummin said:

You forget Putin thought and dreamed about same scenario, where Zelensky packed up and run, but that didn’t happen, and it is not over in Venezuela yet, just reminding you if you thought so. They have only captured the president and his wife, and other countries will soon enough start mobilizing to protect their interests,

It would seem that this projection of power has had an irrational effect on some, mainly on the left I'd suggest. Oddly enough it seems that Venezuelan's who have seen the forceable extradition of the dictator are happy.

6 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

It would seem that this projection of power has had an irrational effect on some, mainly on the left I'd suggest. Oddly enough it seems that Venezuelan's who have seen the forceable extradition of the dictator are happy.

This is not about left or weigh, but doing the right thing! Seems magas doesnt understand simple things

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

This is not about left or weigh, but doing the right thing! Seems magas doesnt understand simple things

Ok. Getting rid of a dictator heavily involved in narcotics, has destroyed the economy and giving a country a chance to get back on it's feet is in your opinion a bad thing?

Just now, dinsdale said:

Ok. Getting rid of a dictator heavily involved in narcotics, has destroyed the economy and giving a country a chance to get back on it's feet is in your opinion a bad thing?

We know this is about the oil, not the narcotics,

If he was serious about the narcotics, it is easier to start in the other end, but that costs to much money for your tax payers taste. You have to do something about the demand for narcotics first, and also secure the borders. Bombing boats and invade other countries is bad taste, and give Putin a reason the open a bottle or two or champagne, even I doubt he is one who drinks at all.

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

We know this is about the oil, not the narcotics,

It's about oil, narcotics and global politics. Cuba now has a real problem. Be interesting to see what happens there. China, like Cuba will no longer get oil from Venezuela but paradoxically this will probably mean buying more from Russia plus Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence will likely be halted if there's a US presence in Venezuela. Interesting times.

Trump just need to remove the root cause of the war, not unlike Putin,

nazis, americanophobia, oil, etc

25 minutes ago, Hummin said:

We know this is about the oil, not the narcotics,

If he was serious about the narcotics, it is easier to start in the other end, but that costs to much money for your tax payers taste. You have to do something about the demand for narcotics first, and also secure the borders. Bombing boats and invade other countries is bad taste, and give Putin a reason the open a bottle or two or champagne, even I doubt he is one who drinks at all.

We being who? Why should the citizens of an oil rich country liver in abject poverty.

We know that for narcotics, it's easier to start at the other end, that's why every administration has been going at it from that end for the last fifty years. Bombing boats out of the water and taking dictators into custody sends a pretty clear message. Handing out free needles and crack-kits? Not do much.

Had Obama or Biden done this, they'd have gotten a parade.

4 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Bernie is wrong again as expected. Article II Section 2 of the U.S Constitution gives the executive branch authority to direct military operations, including ordering strikes. Congress hasn’t declared war since WWII and has rarely even authorized it, the US Congress hasn’t even been involved in most acts of war.

One of the most astonishing and perhaps one of the most telling aspects of this invasion was not only did Trump not make any effort to establish any sort of coalition like Bush Jr. did when it came to Iraq, but he did it seemingly without justification. Venezuela was not a threat to the U.S on any level, the vast majority of the drugs coming from Venezuela we're going to the EU not the U.S, Trump pardons convicted drug dealers seemingly at whim and likely for huge sums of money, so this wasn't about drugs, this had nothing to do with drugs. At best that's a lame pretext. Everybody will agree that maduro was a horrific man and a dictator and that he denied the results of an election, even though he did everything in his power to rig it.

The other very peculiar aspect of this is that Trump's treats Venezuelan exiles horribly, many of whom are quite affluent and were fleeing from the dictator that Trump just deposed. How does that make any sense? As is always the case with Don there are more questions than answers, as very little he does seems to make any sense.

This was more likely about oil and control of the vast Venezuelan reserves, however the real question is how does the goon expect to maintain control of these reserves without colonizing the country?

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

One of the most astonishing and perhaps one of the most telling aspects of this invasion was not only did Trump not make any effort to establish any sort of coalition like Bush Jr. did when it came to Iraq, but he did it seemingly without justification. Venezuela was not a threat to the U.S on any level, the vast majority of the drugs coming from Venezuela we're going to the EU not the U.S, Trump pardons convicted drug dealers seemingly at whim and likely for huge sums of money, so this wasn't about drugs, this had nothing to do with drugs. At best that's a lame pretext. Everybody will agree that maduro was a horrific man and a dictator and that he denied the results of an election, even though he did everything in his power to rig it.

The other very peculiar aspect of this is that Trump's treats Venezuelan exiles horribly, many of whom are quite affluent and were fleeing from the dictator that Trump just deposed. How does that make any sense? As is always the case with Don there are more questions than answers, as very little he does seems to make any sense.

This was more likely about oil and control of the vast Venezuelan reserves, however the real question is how does the goon expect to maintain control of these reserves without colonizing the country?

Why are you claiming he wants to control the oil?

22 hours ago, CharlieH said:

US strike in Caracas has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

The guy deserves it, the country is swimming in oil, he asked for American companies to come in and help with the extraction of the oil, set up the infrastructure, then he kicks out the Americans.

How bloody rude.

57 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Ok. Getting rid of a dictator heavily involved in narcotics, has destroyed the economy and giving a country a chance to get back on it's feet is in your opinion a bad thing?

12 minutes ago, chaila said:

More lame deflection from the left.

21 minutes ago, chaila said:

Alas true stupidity these days is found on the crying liberal woke left. Some might even go so far as to call it a mental disorder.

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

It would seem that this projection of power has had an irrational effect on some,

Do you mean people like yourself?

56 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Why are you claiming he wants to control the oil?

He said it in his speech! 🤣

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

It's about oil, narcotics and global politics. Cuba now has a real problem. Be interesting to see what happens there. China, like Cuba will no longer get oil from Venezuela but paradoxically this will probably mean buying more from Russia plus Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence will likely be halted if there's a US presence in Venezuela. Interesting times.

And the reason Cuba was frozen out? They didn’t follow American interests and was forced to cooperate with Soviet Union. Read your history and know the flaws and failed foreign politics in South America.

25 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Alas true stupidity these days is found on the crying liberal woke left. Some might even go so far as to call it a mental disorder.

Alas true stupidity these days is found on the crying liberal woke left. Some might even go so far as to call it a mental disorder. As I suspect is so in your case!

5 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Do you mean people like yourself?

I'm not the one saying the US is now somehow at war with Venezuela or that the Chinese are now going to snatch and grab Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te or Putin is going to do the same with Zelenskyy or that congressional approval was needed. I'm saying a dictator that is heavily involved in narcotics, has brought the nation of Venezuela to near collapse, is not recognised as the legitimate leader of said country by many nations has been removed and the people rejoice. If you disagree then you must be a supporter of Maduro.

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

The guy deserves it, the country is swimming in oil, he asked for American companies to come in and help with the extraction of the oil, set up the infrastructure, then he kicks out the Americans.

How bloody rude.

No one will shed crocodile tears about Maduro.

However, try to get your facts right. It's not him who set US oil companies in Venezuela, it was the pre-"Bolivarian" right-wing government. It's also not him who forced foreign companies to hand over majority control to the national company, it was Chavez.

Just now, candide said:

No one will shed crocodile tears about Maduro.

However, try to get your facts right. It's not him who set US oil companies in Venezuela, it was the pre-"Bolivarian" right-wing government. It's also not him who forced foreign companies to hand over majority control to the national company, it was Chavez.

Chavez, another hero of the left

3 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Alas true stupidity these days is found on the crying liberal woke left. Some might even go so far as to call it a mental disorder. As I suspect is so in your case!

Alas your editing achieves nothing. Have another drink and try and forget about Trump for a while. It'll do you good.

Just now, dinsdale said:

Alas your editing achieves nothing. Have another drink and try and forget about Trump for a while. It'll do you good.

Why don't you forget about supporting everything Trump does for a while and stop insulting people by accusing them of taking actions (re; drinking) that you have no knowledge about.

Paper Tiger USA did more than Bullying and Threatening the weak ones this time.

It is Kidnapping.

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

China, like Cuba will no longer get oil from Venezuela but paradoxically this will probably mean buying more from Russia

Hmmm, so if that is the case the orange muppet trump will be ensuring $$$$ will be strengthening Russia's financial position......which is not what the US/EU/Nato want, or so the muppet says!!

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Ok. Getting rid of a dictator heavily involved in narcotics, has destroyed the economy and giving a country a chance to get back on it's feet is in your opinion a bad thing?

It's nothing to do with narcotics, small brain. It's everything to do with controlling the world supply of oil and putting Russia and China on the back foot.

If that means election rigging and doing their best to try to force countries to fail, in so they can control them, then that's what they'll do. It's not something new, but small people get tied up with the distractions.

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Why are you claiming he wants to control the oil?

1. 2019 (White House remarks): Trump said “We have tremendous oil reserves in Venezuela. We’re looking at all options.” — widely interpreted as tying U.S. interest in regime change to oil.

2. 2020 (campaign rally): He told supporters that Venezuela’s oil “should be flowing to the United States, not to Russia or China.”

3. 2021 (interviews): Trump criticized U.S. sanctions policy, saying America should “take the oil” rather than leave it “to Maduro and his friends.”

The US president entirely failed to even mention opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia – the very man the US recognised as the true president-elect in the 2024 election Maduro claimed to have won.

There are deep concerns that, rather than any movement towards a brighter future, this is just a shift from “an internally imposed authoritarian system to an externally managed one,” María Corina Roldán Robles, a Venezuela political analyst, explains.

“Oil cannot be the organising principle of a political transition,” she adds.

“This is not a clean break of the [old] regime but a reconfiguration of power mediated by the US, that sustains all the old figures.”

It is especially frustrating when many Venezuelans see “no power vacuum”, explains Ana María Diez, the head of a major coalition of Venezuelan civil society organisations and an advisor on UN mechanisms. Venezuela, she says, “overwhelming voted and elected” Edmundo González Urrutia as president, who could and should be sworn in as soon as possible to govern the country, along with María Corina Machado as his vice president, “according to the will of the people”.

Venezuelans are clear about who their president is. It’s not Trump

10 minutes ago, sscc said:

Paper Tiger USA did more than Bullying and Threatening the weak ones this time.

If the US were a paper tiger, then it certainly wouldn’t have the dominant power in the world.

11 minutes ago, sscc said:

It is Kidnapping.

Prisons are full of kidnapped criminals.

27 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

If you disagree then you must be a supporter of Maduro.

It has nothing to do with support, or lack of support of any leader of any country.

It has all to do with acts of war against another country.

In this case it is not also against International law it also lacks Congressional approval.