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marble falls

(71,104 posts)
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 08:09 AM Saturday

Donald Trump's Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise

Donald Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/opinion/venezuela-attack-trump-us.html

-Snip-

Few people will feel any sympathy for Mr. Maduro. He is undemocratic and repressive, and has destabilized the Western Hemisphere in recent years. The United Nations recently issued a report detailing more than a decade of killings, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detention by henchmen against his political opponents. He stole Venezuela’s presidential election last year. He has fueled economic and political disruption throughout the region by instigating an exodus of nearly eight million migrants.

If there is an overriding lesson of American foreign affairs in the past century, however, it is that attempting to oust even the most deplorable regime can make matters worse. The United States spent 20 years failing to create a stable government in Afghanistan and it replaced a dictatorship in Libya with a fractured state. The tragic consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq continue to beset America and the Middle East. Perhaps most relevant, the United States has sporadically destabilized Latin American countries, including Chile, Cuba, Guatemala and Nicaragua, by trying to oust a government through force.

-snip-

The nominal rationale for the administration’s military adventurism is to destroy “narco- terrorists.” Governments throughout history have labeled the leaders of rival nations as terrorists, seeking to justify military incursions as policing operations. The claim is particularly ludicrous in this case, given that Venezuela is not a meaningful producer of fentanyl or the other drugs that have dominated the recent epidemic of overdoses in the United States, and the cocaine that it does produce flows mostly to Europe. While Mr. Trump has been attacking Venezuelan boats, he also pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, who ran a sprawling drug operation when he was president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022.

A more plausible explanation for the attacks on Venezuela may instead be found in the Mr. Trump’s recently released National Security Strategy. It claimed the right to dominate Latin America: “After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere.” In what the document called the “Trump Corollary,” the administration vowed to redeploy forces from around the world to the region, stop traffickers on the high seas, use lethal force against migrants and drug runners and potentially base more U.S. troops around the region.

-snip



TACO has no logical explanation for his dump on Venezuela. He is creating international and internal crisis. The Constitution requires congressional approval, otherwise his actions violate United States law.

Oh yeah: Jeffrey freaking Epstein!


41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Donald Trump's Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise (Original Post) marble falls Saturday OP
lethal force against migrants bucolic_frolic Saturday #1
War with China and Russia Blue Full Moon Saturday #2
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, Epstein... spanone Saturday #3
You forgot Epstein. The most important Epstein. ... marble falls Saturday #5
We know some of our enemies funded Epstein's sex ring. Irish_Dem Saturday #33
Putin hinted about having some damaging photos of TACO a week or so back. marble falls Saturday #36
Putin has a great deal of leverage over Trump. Irish_Dem Saturday #37
I can't wait to read Putin's memoirs! marble falls Saturday #38
Some of it we will never ever see. Irish_Dem Saturday #39
Yes, Epstein WAS the distraction AZJonnie Saturday #17
K&R UTUSN Saturday #4
Putin gets Europe, Xi the Pacific, Trump North and South America. Irish_Dem Saturday #6
Didn't XI ever play Risk? Or listen to Rizelli, "Never get involved in an Asian war?" marble falls Saturday #7
Xi now has the largest military force in the world. Irish_Dem Saturday #9
They had it also when Viet Nam kicked it's butt twice after the US (with it's "most powerful army in the world") ... marble falls Saturday #10
We lost that war. Irish_Dem Saturday #13
That largest Navy in the world doesn't hold a sparkler to the most powerful Navy in the world. It's about tonnage. ... marble falls Saturday #11
We underestimate China at our own peril. Irish_Dem Saturday #14
We over estimate it at our peril, causing us to throwing even more taxes down the rat hole of "National Defense" ... marble falls Saturday #18
China and Russia have already made sure the US no longer funds healthcare, Irish_Dem Saturday #23
I can document my thought. Can you document this one of yours? And so what? marble falls Saturday #25
Just think where we'd be if we didn't commit the largest transfer of wealth in human history...... AZ8theist Saturday #22
The Chinese until the last decade were the largest buyer of US Trasury notes. They financed our "national defense" ... marble falls Saturday #27
I could give a fuck about how "powerful" our military is - we need to act like walkingman Saturday #35
The dog is waggin'. GoCubsGo Saturday #8
Tail, thy name is Epstein. marble falls Saturday #12
. dalton99a Saturday #15
What moral authority does this goon have? jfz9580m Saturday #16
Hey, nyt, you gutless cowards. YOU helped create this monster. YOU niyad Saturday #19
They're trying to pull an MTG/Boebert! marble falls Saturday #29
Some of us have loooooooong memories. .all the way back to 2000 niyad Saturday #31
Illegal and unwise. When has that ever stopped him? aeromanKC Saturday #20
How many were killed? Johnny2X2X Saturday #21
No idea jfz9580m Saturday #26
Over 40 killed Johnny2X2X Sunday #41
Trump, Vance and Hegseth are the ones who need to be dragged out in handcuffs. Initech Saturday #24
Isn't this a war crime? jfz9580m Saturday #28
Certainly seems so on the face of it. marble falls Saturday #30
Fox News runs the government now. Initech Saturday #32
The Putin regime does a lot of the same criminal acts. GoodRaisin Saturday #34
Whitehouse reply: La loi, c'est moi. GJGCA Saturday #40

marble falls

(71,104 posts)
5. You forgot Epstein. The most important Epstein. ...
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 08:44 AM
Saturday

... with apologies to Groucho Marx and the Humadinga, Humadinga, Humadinga and Humadinga law offices.

Irish_Dem

(79,859 posts)
33. We know some of our enemies funded Epstein's sex ring.
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:40 AM
Saturday

It has served their diabolic goals well.

Irish_Dem

(79,859 posts)
37. Putin has a great deal of leverage over Trump.
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:46 AM
Saturday

We don't know the full extent of it, but it scares Trump a great deal.

AZJonnie

(2,836 posts)
17. Yes, Epstein WAS the distraction
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 10:59 AM
Saturday

Venezuela is not the distraction from Epstein, it's the other way around. Like I've been saying for months. Trump's not worried about the Epstein thing, he never was, and this action to take control of VZ's oil was the goal, everything was set up while the public focused on Epstein.

Irish_Dem

(79,859 posts)
6. Putin gets Europe, Xi the Pacific, Trump North and South America.
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 08:49 AM
Saturday

The dictators have divided up the planet.
No one has noticed or cared.

Irish_Dem

(79,859 posts)
9. Xi now has the largest military force in the world.
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 09:16 AM
Saturday

And largest Navy in the Pacific.

He is in charge of that part of the world.
And Trump won't stop him.

marble falls

(71,104 posts)
10. They had it also when Viet Nam kicked it's butt twice after the US (with it's "most powerful army in the world") ...
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 09:22 AM
Saturday

... retreated.

Even the Chinese understood involving itself in Asian war was not the best idea.

marble falls

(71,104 posts)
11. That largest Navy in the world doesn't hold a sparkler to the most powerful Navy in the world. It's about tonnage. ...
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 09:29 AM
Saturday

... weaponry and an ability to make a presence anywhere in the world, and the US Navy is the only Naval power in the world capable of doing that.

The largest air force on the planet is the US Air Force. The second largest air force? The US Navy.

It's about a lot more than numbers. We don't outspend the next seven nations put together for "defense" and achieve nothing. We aren't ignoring social programs and the welfare of the weakest of US citizens for nothing.

marble falls

(71,104 posts)
18. We over estimate it at our peril, causing us to throwing even more taxes down the rat hole of "National Defense" ...
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:00 AM
Saturday

... to the detriment of our weaker citizens and the national health and education of us all.

Irish_Dem

(79,859 posts)
23. China and Russia have already made sure the US no longer funds healthcare,
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:25 AM
Saturday

education, science, etc.

China and Russia have already won the war they rage against the US.

Now they get the spoils of that war.

No one noticed, no one cared.

AZ8theist

(7,102 posts)
22. Just think where we'd be if we didn't commit the largest transfer of wealth in human history......
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:23 AM
Saturday

...to China in the name of corporate greed. No other reason.
Just so a select few could become insanely rich at the expense of 99.9999% of the rest of us.

marble falls

(71,104 posts)
27. The Chinese until the last decade were the largest buyer of US Trasury notes. They financed our "national defense" ...
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:32 AM
Saturday

... overspending. They were investing on the US sterling reputation for repaying our debts with interest.

walkingman

(10,352 posts)
35. I could give a fuck about how "powerful" our military is - we need to act like
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:43 AM
Saturday

a decent country. Our foreign policy is terrible, and our leadership is disgusting.

jfz9580m

(16,576 posts)
16. What moral authority does this goon have?
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 10:56 AM
Saturday

(Also classic understated NYT douchiness )
But this guy is just crazy. Everything that put this idiotic Hitler in power has to be shutdown.
The forces that fucked up enough and get away with it and profit from it for having inflcited this giant asshole will install MTG next to finish off this rot. They must be held accountable along with this braindead Hitler..

I mean our criminal, parasitic, amoral, mercenary, conscienceless tech oligarchs and this worthless ai and big data fueled garbage panopticon they are building with sleazy, reckless, brainless accelerationism.



This picture should never be forgotten.

And as things get crazier till 2028, I don’t want his lame nouveau Goebbels shit clogging up everything because it is inevitable!!!! That is growth!!! No it isn’t..it is a tumor.

Johnny2X2X

(23,693 posts)
21. How many were killed?
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:14 AM
Saturday

Haven’t been able to find that information yet. Bombing a densely populated city certainly killed scores of civilians.

jfz9580m

(16,576 posts)
26. No idea
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:29 AM
Saturday

But I just saw it on tv. It’s horrible. Another damn war zone polluting earth. So now Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine etc and now this.
It is just one year. The fucker is crazy.

This was supposed to be his like one thing..he is an anti-war isolationist..bs of course. Stupid creep. Wtf will it be like by this time next year?

jfz9580m

(16,576 posts)
28. Isn't this a war crime?
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:33 AM
Saturday

I am hazy on these things, but that was the first thing that came to mind.
Throughout last year that was the question that came to my mind, wrt what he was doing to the public sector, to immigrants etc “Wait, can you do that?” (A question I ask about the tech industry all the time).

So my question is: “Can he do this?” If some more knowledgeable DUer can enlighten me, I would be grateful.

Initech

(107,453 posts)
32. Fox News runs the government now.
Sat Jan 3, 2026, 11:40 AM
Saturday

And Trump will do whatever they tell him. That shitty network needs to be purged from DC.

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