Like I said yesterday, IMHO the Venezuelan incursion at this time is a distraction from low poll numbers, Trumpepstein, internal dissention over Ukraine, tariffs, Obamacare, etc. He wants us to "rally 'round the flag."
IMHO Trump has been played by the Batisianos and the Venezuelans here in Baghdad By the Sea. who are celebrating as I type. The Saudis are donee beneficiaries.
I only hope we don't have to send troops. Looks like big oil'll buy the Venezuelan army to provide security for energy extraction.
In Iraq and Afghanistan we used foreign contractors, via the Defense Base Act. I heard hundreds, if not thousands of those cases.
For me, this is deja vu all over again. Guatamala. Panama. How about the Bay of Pigs?
It is logical that some of this will "feel" right to various people. The rest of it will be completely FUBAR.
To a psychopath like TRump, it's all a business game and the people are just objects. I like that he threw Nobel Winner Machado under the bus. Basically called her a nice lady, but a weakling. It truly is a Game of Thrones, and his big ass is the only one he sees sitting on it.
Psychos are 1 in 150, supposedly. The people that truly accept and study WHAT they are has to be much less than 1 in 150. Bad odds, but we are going to keep trying to educate them.
But we've seen this before. Reagan's bumbling invasion of Grenada that was "justified" by lies got people's attention off the Lebanon Marine Corps barracks disaster. Below is linked a short article on the possible outcomes of the Venezuela attack, none of which are very good. (I doubt if there was much post-Maduro planning, and the government-in-exile seems to have been thrown under the bus.)
The author mentioned that Halliburton could be brought in to rebuild the oil industry. Cheney might be dead, but his spirit marches on.
"(I doubt if there was much post-Maduro planning..." You'd be wrong. I know would be comandantes who have been waiting for this for years. I don't know this as a fact but I bet Exxon has a Venezuela planning department. BTW, the Saudis control their stock.
I'm not rooting for the enemy. However, I am the author of Breaking Up with Cuba (among a lot of other stuff). Old wine in new bottles.
I heard cases where US contractors used African, South Americans (for low wages) in Iraq and Afghanistan. I had dozens of cases involving Ugandans, Peruvians, etc.
I posted articles here for years about the fact that Baghdad By the Sea is the de-facto capitol of many south American countries. Once upon a time, I lived a block from several governments in exiles...
Okay I will grant that plans for the oil industry probably are well laid out, Daniel. But actually I was thinking more in terms of implementing strategies on how to rebuild this damaged country’s social structure. Otherwise there could be an increasingly difficult situation on the ground which could escalate and soon draw in the U.S.
In post-war Japan and Germany the U.S. did excellent jobs of stabilizing and reconstituting things, but then there had good foundations to work with and both countries were utterly defeated and open to change. (Austria was also easy though the South Korean occupation was a very poorly done afterthought) But the lessons of those successful occupations were completely forgotten in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those would have been hard no matter what, but were made much worse by ignoring how their societies worked and in the former case blatantly concentrating on the oil industry at the expense of the peoples’ immediate needs.
Venezuela is probably somewhere between these two historical periods and again I suspect there has not been much attention given to how to stabilize and rebuild the society. Perhaps in true colonial fashion there is no desire to help anyone except a top ruling group as the plan is that they will control the rest of the population. (A sort of status quo antebellum—think of the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy after Napoleon.) That way leads to long-term disaster, not that Washington is likely to care.
That is a wonderful background Daniel, and I wish that I had the opportunity to have contributed to it. Of course dictators steal elections, like the recent one in Myanmar, or North Korea, for that matter. The problem is establishing a civil society from the top down, as that rarely if ever works. Organic growth within the culture seems to be more stable, and some parts of the world comes out far better than in others (compare two close but very different neighbors, Belarus and Poland).
As for administrative law, that’s certainly necessary to get beyond the fiat of a dictator or a clique, but clearly only works with adequate machinery to follow through and public acceptance. In parts of the Third World (Mali is a good example) the government’s writ extends as far from the capital as its troops can safely go. In fact, things can be chaotic enough that a group like ISIS or the Taliban can seem as a good alternative to real instability and unemployment.
What I am concerned about is that Venezuela, a country with very high literacy and urbanization and some democratic traditions, has been fragmented to the point where even a corrupt and kidnapped president is preferably to an externally supported one. Especially if enough people benefited (or hope to benefit) from the Chavez program, terrible as that has become. Cuba is a more complicated situation; even if it folds up without Venezuelan oil and weapons I don’t see it going back to where it was pre-revolution, or the current administration encouraging a mildly socialist democratic government. I see Chile has gone back towards, if not a caudillo, at least someone who is a bit closer to Pinochet. We’ll see how that works out.
Not only a distraction from Epstein, but the fulfillment of a promise. Trump addressed a room full of oil billionaires and said give me a billion dollars and I'll give you what you want.
Trump said it out loud last night. 25 times he mentioned oil, said that he will run Venezuela, that Venezuela's oil belonged to us (meaning Exxon Mobil), I don't discount your statement that he is being played by the Baustiano's and Venezuelans, but he wouldn't go to all of this trouble to take over Venezuela and it's oil for the sake of some fascists in Miami.
Pay attention to realities, follow the money. The Bautista's and Venezuelans don't have the money,
Also a motivating factor, it takes Epstein off the front page, But I don't expect anything from the Epsein files, it will go the way of Mueller and the Documents case.
The files are under the controlof Pam Bondi, and she has already scrubbed them, and is not complying with HR 4505, to turnover the files, she is over one week late, and talk of a subpoena is a joke. The AG is the person who enforces Congressional subpoenias, serious she is going to arrest herself?
Venezuela is all about the oil, always has been, since Chavez nationalized it and sent Exxon Mobil packing.
We'll have to send troops. Boots equals control of processes, and after the shock wears off, the supporters of the Maduro government may well start to form a resistance movement, if for no other reason, than to harass US citizens that may be there to implement the "changes".
I believe this will also gain momentum when the US begins exporting our corrupt model.
I watched the Danish Prime Minister and the chair of their Defense Committee explain that in essence, they have stood by us through everything. They have valued our friendship and PROTECTION.
We must take to heart that the rest of the world is reading the polls. There were TRump demonstrations in Paris yesterday. I went to one too. SOLIDARITY---that's the purpose. It was very wet out there. TRumpsters tried to splash us, and we found it funny that they were lousy even at that. We danced to the music with our signs, and left dry and happy two hours later. Hell, my new shoes weren't even wet!
They are angrier than usual. THIS is not what they voted for. SCREW THEM AND THE VOTE THEY RODE IN ON. Stay solid---protect one another. See you in the streets..
It seems necessary right now to use our imaginations to envision what life will be like when this one person who has embodied evil is truly gone and no longer able to poison the atmosphere, both literal and figurative. Recovery will be extremely long and difficult. There will still be acolytes and hangers-on who believe the lies and the delusions and who try to spread them. However, to see the end is to move closer to that end and to have the will and means and power to make it happen. Evil must be embodied, and we can hope that there is no one else with the same capacity to motivate and agitate ordinary people. I am supposing that the machine that has been built will stall and falter without its prime mover. There is freedom and a sense of agency when we are able to see past the chaos and confusion to a more sane and safe existence. We will need to find the real leaders who are trustworthy and who rely on rational thinking and responsible action and put them in the top positions as we transition from hate and bitterness to love and respect. They are out there waiting to serve.
Agreed. But he used up his nine lives about 29 lives ago. His age is getting him. The people who want to replace him are more than willing to dump him, and he has overplayed his hand way too many times. There is a reality that cannot be denied for much longer. A big part of that reality is that the world outside of the oil cartels and power centers is already done with fossil fuels. They have lost that battle just about everywhere else. I may be too optimistic in the new year, but things go downhill fast over the age of 80. I found that out a few years ago and I do not eat cheeseburgers and french fries.
I totally agree that the invasion of Venezuela is illegal and immoral, but I can't see the US as the number one defender of the free world. We weren't defending freedom in Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan. We backed the Shah in Iran because the democratically elected government there was nationalizing oil. And here we are again, doing what we do.
I write this from the perspective of a 15-year friendship with young man (now age 32) who seems to have been born hard right in his social and political perspectives. I met "J" at an "Occupy" demonstration in 2011. He was standing alone with a huge "ABOLISH THE FED" sign. I strolled over, introduced myself, and asked if he could tell me why he wanted to abolish the Fed. He shuffled feet for a few seconds, then answered that "I guess I can't." I invited him to join me at a nearby cafe for discussion. (Turned out that his reason was the simple fact that Rand Paul wanted the Fed abolished.) Two hours later, we agreed to similar sessions every Friday afternoon. Then, several years ago, "J" left his Pacific NW home and relocated to Texas for what he considered to be a better political environment. We have maintained a once monthly afternoon catchup by phone. The friendship has been enormously educational, as it has primed me for much of what has been transpiring both here at home and abroad.
For all these years I have preferred to mostly listen as it introduced me to concepts I could not have imagined until recent reporting in major journalistic sources such as The Atlantic, Nation, ProPublica, Mother Jones, select Substack offerings, a few podcasts, etc. Perhaps the most astonishing concept promoted by my friend several years ago was this: The United States is destined to rule planet earth. That is necessary for the survival of the preferred human race ethnicity: White Northern European stock. Technology will solve all problems, but only if the population is culled by techno-eugenics and a Darwinian approach to health issues. But, the emerging technology requires proper management of critical resources that the US does not have in sufficient quantity. Therefore, in order to secure these resources, it will be necessary to "take over" several other countries, starting with Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal, and eventually expanding throughout Central America and Mexico (and others as deemed necessary). "J's" first Texas political involvement was the America First organization, but he helped found a new, more youth oriented, organization whose name escapes me right now. He is well mannered, cleancut, physically fit and handsome, direct, well educated, responsible (worked his way through a college degree in computer science with a minor in business admin). But, I have yet to detect any degree of general human empathy. Like many others who have immersed themselves in the world of computers, he has few friends and has yet to maintain a lasting female relationship.
I pass along my experience with "J" because we all need to understand how pervasive his perspective is, especially among the 40 and under population, especially the males. The task ahead is greater than most imagine.
Also guessing "J" was born with a conservative mind. Books have been written, scientists have studied brain scans. It's true of a portion of the people in any given country.
The movement that the Tech Bros and Crypto Creeps have brought to TRump goes back to the 1930's. Musk's Nazi grandfather was part of it, Joshua N. Haldeman (WIKI). They called it The Technate of America. Notes under this map at Cornell University explain it:
TRump and his people talked on all the Sunday shows about "protecting" OUR Western Hemisphere. TRump is calling his movement The Donroe Doctrine. He posted a meme of him straddling a map of these areas with a big stick in his hand. This involves a billion people.....it not just about oil. He wants us to think it is, while he cuts deals with Putin, oil companies, the Tech Bros. Vance is part of every bit of that Christos-fascist Technocracy crap. They are trying to kill our democracy, because it no longer serves them.
Thanks for your story, JB. I just watched a bunch of young liberal women saying they would never date these men. Many conservative women out there sure will.
Once you reach a certain level of power in life, the price you pay for enjoying that dominance is loss of anonymity and loss of the capacity to love and be loved. You cannot govern if you cannot love and be loved in return. You can only rule. The only emotions that people like Trump can experience is hatred, resentment, envy, and fear - all reactions to their domination.
Hate, resentment, envy, and fear, are emotions that not only validate dominance, but they also justify brutality and recklessness by rulers. Instead of punching a wall when enraged, they invade a city and have their troops beat up everybody on the street, or worse, they start a war and force their subjects to risk life and wealth for the ruler's amusement and sense of power.
One of the subtle ironies of dominance is that spouses and offspring can no longer love you either. They can either abandon you out of resentment or become a mentee out of greed like Junior and Eric - soon Barron.
Maybe not. Bacon Issues Statement on Venezuela Strikes and Capture of Nicolás Maduro
Omaha, Neb. – Rep. Don Bacon (R, NE-02) issued the following statement regarding the recent strikes in Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro:
“Maduro and his predecessor took Venezuela from the richest to the poorest country in South America, and destroyed its democracy. The operations last night are great for the future of Venezuelans and the region. My main concern now is that Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan. Freedom and rule of law were defended last night, but dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.”
Bacon, Fitzpatrick, Meeks, & Bipartisan Colleagues Advance New ‘Peace Through Strength’ Sanctions on Russia Toward January Floor Action
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Washington, December 19, 2025
Tags: National Defense , Foreign Affairs
Bacon, Fitzpatrick, Meeks, & Bipartisan Colleagues Advance New ‘Peace Through Strength’ Sanctions on Russia Toward January Floor Action
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Representatives Don Bacon (R, NE-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-01), and Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5) led a broad bipartisan coalition of House Members to introduce the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025, comprehensive legislation that translates ongoing negotiations into decisive congressional action and advances the bill toward House Floor consideration in January.
Co-leads on the bill include Representatives Mike Turner (OH-10), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), reflecting broad, bipartisan agreement that Congress must lead with resolve as diplomatic efforts continue.
“Putin’s regime only responds to resolve and takes advantage of weakness and vacillation. During these failed negotiations, Russia has continued bombing Ukrainian cities with increasing intensity. We must play hardball by sending Ukraine the weapons it needs and imposing tough sanctions on Russia that cripple his war economy, an approach Americans overwhelmingly agree with,” said Rep. Bacon. “I’m pleased to join Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in co-leading the bipartisan Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act to impose sanctions and other measures if Russia refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine.”
“Negotiations do not relieve Congress of its responsibility to act,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “That responsibility has been clear for some time, and waiting is no longer an option. Peace through strength is the discipline of negotiating from strength—of standing with Ukraine, making unmistakably clear that Russia’s campaign of aggression will not be normalized or rewarded, and affirming that America still enforces the rules that keep peace possible. This is not just about ending one war. It is about setting the rules for a world that is watching whether America still enforces them. I am grateful to be working hand in hand with Ranking Member Meeks to push any and all solutions forward to the House Floor, including the Ukraine Support Act. We can end this war. We can end Putin’s tyranny. And we must lead the American way—through peace, through strength.”
“Russia won't negotiate an end to its war unless real pressure is applied on the Kremlin to stop its brutality. I'm proud to have worked with Rep. Fitzpatrick on a compromise Russia sanctions bill that would impose real costs on Russia and those fueling its war effort, while avoiding further harmful global tariffs. I thank Rep. Fitzpatrick for also signing my discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act, helping work towards both measures reaching the House floor for a vote. There is strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the House, and this agreement makes clear that Russia cannot wait it out or continue its war of aggression without facing significant consequences,” said Rep. Meeks.
“The only viable path to peace in Ukraine is putting pressure on the Kremlin. It is beyond important that both sides of the aisle have come together on compromise legislation to impose strong sanctions on Russia for its illegal war of aggression as well as to take additional steps to move the bipartisan discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act forward in the House,” said HFAC Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Keating. “As Ukraine continues to defend itself from Russian aggression, the Ukrainian people must know that Ukraine has strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. The Kremlin must also know that we will not rest until a durable Ukraine-supported peace deal is achieved.”
“We must take firm action against the Russian Federation. This bill sends a clear message: any refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations for peace or any violation of agreements will not go unpunished. We stand with Ukraine and affirm our commitment to ensuring that they are protected from further aggression. It's time for diplomacy,” said Rep. Turner.
“Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine is a direct assault on sovereignty, democracy, and the international rules-based order. The United States will not reward aggression or allow Vladimir Putin to stall, violate agreements, or prepare for another invasion without serious consequences. Peace will only come when Russia understands that continued violence carries real costs. I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation to strengthen sanctions, hold bad actors accountable, and stand firmly with the Ukrainian people,” said Rep. Lawler.
“Peace through strength means standing up to dictators through actions, not just words," said Rep. Suozzi. "The Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act does exactly that by cracking down on those responsible for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, increasing sanction pressure on Russia, and expanding sanctions to Russian partners in North Korea. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to say that the United States will not tolerate Putin's murderous war in Ukraine, and will defend our democratic allies across the world."
"Through force, Dictator Putin aspires to rewrite the structure of Europe and end democratic practice across the continent. America’s foreign policy must promote Liberty, not bow to Tyranny," said Rep. Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. "With this new bipartisan bill, we are putting forward the most significant legislation introduced this Congress to place economic sanctions on Russia for its war crimes against Ukraine."
The Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 builds on Fitzpatrick’s constant efforts since the beginning of the conflict in 2022 to advance designed to force meaningful negotiations, deter further aggression, and ensure any peace agreement is real, durable, and accepted by the free and independent Government of Ukraine.
Unlike piecemeal sanctions, the legislation establishes a comprehensive structure that directly links Russia’s economic isolation to its willingness to pursue—and honor—peace. It reflects overwhelming bipartisan support for empowering the United States to use strong economic pressure as a tool to help bring this war to an end.
Specifically, the bill would:
Mandate sanctions on senior Russian officials, oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and entities supporting Russia’s defense, energy, and transportation sectors
Sever Russia’s access to the global financial system, including blocking transactions with Russian financial institutions, prohibiting U.S. investment in Russia, banning trading of Russian entities on U.S. securities exchanges, and targeting financial messaging systems used to evade sanctions
Close loopholes fueling Russia’s war economy, including ending refined oil import workarounds and prohibiting U.S. purchases of Russian sovereign debt
Target Russia’s energy leverage, prohibiting new U.S. investment and sanctioning foreign actors who enable Russian oil, gas, LNG, and uranium production
Impose sanctions for war crimes, including the kidnapping and wrongful deportation of Ukrainian children and Russia-North Korea cooperation supporting Russia’s illegal war
Increase duties up to 500 percent on goods imported from the Russian Federation to further isolate Russia economically
The legislation also establishes a clear and enforceable off-ramp: sanctions may only be terminated if Russia signs a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine and fully ceases hostilities—subject to congressional review to prevent premature or politically motivated rollbacks.
With negotiations ongoing, Fitzpatrick and his bipartisan colleagues will continue building support with the goal of bringing the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 to the House Floor in January—ensuring Congress does its part to match diplomacy with decisive action.
The only reason Venezuela was the poorest country in South America is because of the sanctions imposed by the various administrations, including Democratic, at the behest of Exxon Mobil.
Unable to export their oil, and earn foreign exchange, and because of sanctions the economy of the country was destroyed, and you blame the victim. whose side are you on?
None of this would have happened had not Chavez, thought that Venezuelan oil, belong to Venezuela not Exxon. Trump even said last night, that the oil belongs to "us", 25 times he mentioned oil in his address.
Venezuela has the worlds largest oil reserve, and now Trump used the military, in violation of international law, to steal the oil.
I guess HCR is also full of herself, from her newsletter:
"n a midday press conference, members of the administration fleshed out the story of what they are calling “Operation Absolute Resolve.” Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to emphasize that the attack and extraction of Maduro and Flores were a law enforcement mission, Trump made it clear the goal was regime change in order to gain control of Venezuela’s oil. The administration acted unilaterally, without consulting Congress, and in apparent violation of international law.
Slurring his words and repeating himself as he read from a script and occasionally wandered off it, Trump called the operation “an assault like people have not seen since World War II” and said it was “one of the most stunning effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.”
Trump said the U.S. will “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” evidently not interested in supporting Edmundo González, the former diplomat who beat Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump turned immediately to Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it had been “a total bust…pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping.” He explained that “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.” “This partnership of Venezuela with the United States of America,” he said, “will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent, and safe.”
And voila he has declared war on wind generators, and opened up the Arctic oil reserve and off shore drilling, now he has invaded Venezuela to give the oil back to Exxon.And he claims that He will be running Venezuela.
No full of facts Daniel. Pay attention, Did you not listen to Trump last night, He says what he is up to out loud, believe him, those that didn't are not wringing their hands.
The Technate of America is not just some wild eyed conspiracyl. It includes Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Cental America, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
He has people in Greenland, subverting and trying to convince them to join America, he hasn't give up on Canada as a 51st state, to wit: there are 51 Xmas trees in the White House.
He has told Sheinbaum that he will sent the Military into Mexico to take care of the drug cartels if she doesn't, and of course she can't, the cartels are better armed, wealthier than the Government, and every political office from the municipalities, states to the federal government is compromised, with cartel employees, Go against the cartel and your headless corpse is hanging from a bridge.
Trump has plans for the ex President of Honduras that he recently pardoned, he has Bukele of El Salvador in his back pocket,, the rest of Central America are push overs, easily subjugated.
In Greek mythology, Cassandra, also spelled Kassandra or Casandra, (/kəˈsændrə/;[2] Ancient Greek: Κασ(σ)άνδρα, pronounced [kas:ándra], or referred to as Alexandra; Ἀλεξάνδρα)[3] was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies, but never be believed. Cassandra lived through the Trojan War and survived the sack of the city, but was murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus when Agamemnon brought her to Mycenae as a pallake. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, cursed so no one would believe her warnings, foresaw the fall of Troy and Agamemnon’s death, and was dismissed as mad until the world burned exactly as she said it would.
Well, Captain my Captain you are right again. How deep in the pockets of the fossil industry that help really ruin the future for all of us. Generations to come, I don’t quite know. How do we save ourselves Captain. Please!
Like I said yesterday, IMHO the Venezuelan incursion at this time is a distraction from low poll numbers, Trumpepstein, internal dissention over Ukraine, tariffs, Obamacare, etc. He wants us to "rally 'round the flag."
IMHO Trump has been played by the Batisianos and the Venezuelans here in Baghdad By the Sea. who are celebrating as I type. The Saudis are donee beneficiaries.
I only hope we don't have to send troops. Looks like big oil'll buy the Venezuelan army to provide security for energy extraction.
In Iraq and Afghanistan we used foreign contractors, via the Defense Base Act. I heard hundreds, if not thousands of those cases.
For me, this is deja vu all over again. Guatamala. Panama. How about the Bay of Pigs?
It is logical that some of this will "feel" right to various people. The rest of it will be completely FUBAR.
To a psychopath like TRump, it's all a business game and the people are just objects. I like that he threw Nobel Winner Machado under the bus. Basically called her a nice lady, but a weakling. It truly is a Game of Thrones, and his big ass is the only one he sees sitting on it.
Psychos are 1 in 150, supposedly. The people that truly accept and study WHAT they are has to be much less than 1 in 150. Bad odds, but we are going to keep trying to educate them.
Although he thinks he's dealing three card monte, he is the mark for Putin, for (it turns out) L'il Marco and many others.....
He kept talking about the Western Hemisphere---last night he posted a meme of him straddling the map.
He's cut deals with Putin, the Tech Bros, and Crypto Creeps. Oil is just on the LIST. A billion people to toy with. It's fun and profitable.
BTW Machado is a Venezuelan MAGA. The Nobel committee was smoking something....
Always make me laugh. They get depressed, definitely need a little something something.
She repeated the 8 wars resolved lie. What an ass and a liar. She wants literally to give away their resources to foreigners. Same old.
But we've seen this before. Reagan's bumbling invasion of Grenada that was "justified" by lies got people's attention off the Lebanon Marine Corps barracks disaster. Below is linked a short article on the possible outcomes of the Venezuela attack, none of which are very good. (I doubt if there was much post-Maduro planning, and the government-in-exile seems to have been thrown under the bus.)
The author mentioned that Halliburton could be brought in to rebuild the oil industry. Cheney might be dead, but his spirit marches on.
https://theconversation.com/5-scenarios-for-a-post-maduro-venezuela-and-what-they-could-signal-to-the-wider-region-272675
"(I doubt if there was much post-Maduro planning..." You'd be wrong. I know would be comandantes who have been waiting for this for years. I don't know this as a fact but I bet Exxon has a Venezuela planning department. BTW, the Saudis control their stock.
I'm not rooting for the enemy. However, I am the author of Breaking Up with Cuba (among a lot of other stuff). Old wine in new bottles.
I heard cases where US contractors used African, South Americans (for low wages) in Iraq and Afghanistan. I had dozens of cases involving Ugandans, Peruvians, etc.
I posted articles here for years about the fact that Baghdad By the Sea is the de-facto capitol of many south American countries. Once upon a time, I lived a block from several governments in exiles...
Okay I will grant that plans for the oil industry probably are well laid out, Daniel. But actually I was thinking more in terms of implementing strategies on how to rebuild this damaged country’s social structure. Otherwise there could be an increasingly difficult situation on the ground which could escalate and soon draw in the U.S.
In post-war Japan and Germany the U.S. did excellent jobs of stabilizing and reconstituting things, but then there had good foundations to work with and both countries were utterly defeated and open to change. (Austria was also easy though the South Korean occupation was a very poorly done afterthought) But the lessons of those successful occupations were completely forgotten in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those would have been hard no matter what, but were made much worse by ignoring how their societies worked and in the former case blatantly concentrating on the oil industry at the expense of the peoples’ immediate needs.
Venezuela is probably somewhere between these two historical periods and again I suspect there has not been much attention given to how to stabilize and rebuild the society. Perhaps in true colonial fashion there is no desire to help anyone except a top ruling group as the plan is that they will control the rest of the population. (A sort of status quo antebellum—think of the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy after Napoleon.) That way leads to long-term disaster, not that Washington is likely to care.
Nationbuilding. We tried in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
They had an election -- stolen by Maduro. The winner has been here, setting up a government. Whether we let nature take its course is problematical.
I spent several years in the ABA rule of law division-- concentrating on Cuba. We were instriumental in establishing democracies. after the fall of the Soviet Union. Same for Venezuela. https://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/global-programs/where-we-work/latin-america-caribbean/venezuela/?login
My office was a consultant to Chile and even China on how to establish administrative law.
Attached are 5 scenarios. https://theconversationus.substack.com/p/5-possible-futures-for-a-post-maduro?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=zc69i&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
That is a wonderful background Daniel, and I wish that I had the opportunity to have contributed to it. Of course dictators steal elections, like the recent one in Myanmar, or North Korea, for that matter. The problem is establishing a civil society from the top down, as that rarely if ever works. Organic growth within the culture seems to be more stable, and some parts of the world comes out far better than in others (compare two close but very different neighbors, Belarus and Poland).
As for administrative law, that’s certainly necessary to get beyond the fiat of a dictator or a clique, but clearly only works with adequate machinery to follow through and public acceptance. In parts of the Third World (Mali is a good example) the government’s writ extends as far from the capital as its troops can safely go. In fact, things can be chaotic enough that a group like ISIS or the Taliban can seem as a good alternative to real instability and unemployment.
What I am concerned about is that Venezuela, a country with very high literacy and urbanization and some democratic traditions, has been fragmented to the point where even a corrupt and kidnapped president is preferably to an externally supported one. Especially if enough people benefited (or hope to benefit) from the Chavez program, terrible as that has become. Cuba is a more complicated situation; even if it folds up without Venezuelan oil and weapons I don’t see it going back to where it was pre-revolution, or the current administration encouraging a mildly socialist democratic government. I see Chile has gone back towards, if not a caudillo, at least someone who is a bit closer to Pinochet. We’ll see how that works out.
Not only a distraction from Epstein, but the fulfillment of a promise. Trump addressed a room full of oil billionaires and said give me a billion dollars and I'll give you what you want.
Trump said it out loud last night. 25 times he mentioned oil, said that he will run Venezuela, that Venezuela's oil belonged to us (meaning Exxon Mobil), I don't discount your statement that he is being played by the Baustiano's and Venezuelans, but he wouldn't go to all of this trouble to take over Venezuela and it's oil for the sake of some fascists in Miami.
Pay attention to realities, follow the money. The Bautista's and Venezuelans don't have the money,
Also a motivating factor, it takes Epstein off the front page, But I don't expect anything from the Epsein files, it will go the way of Mueller and the Documents case.
The files are under the controlof Pam Bondi, and she has already scrubbed them, and is not complying with HR 4505, to turnover the files, she is over one week late, and talk of a subpoena is a joke. The AG is the person who enforces Congressional subpoenias, serious she is going to arrest herself?
Venezuela is all about the oil, always has been, since Chavez nationalized it and sent Exxon Mobil packing.
And to my point, Trump has admitted it.
We'll have to send troops. Boots equals control of processes, and after the shock wears off, the supporters of the Maduro government may well start to form a resistance movement, if for no other reason, than to harass US citizens that may be there to implement the "changes".
I believe this will also gain momentum when the US begins exporting our corrupt model.
I watched the Danish Prime Minister and the chair of their Defense Committee explain that in essence, they have stood by us through everything. They have valued our friendship and PROTECTION.
We must take to heart that the rest of the world is reading the polls. There were TRump demonstrations in Paris yesterday. I went to one too. SOLIDARITY---that's the purpose. It was very wet out there. TRumpsters tried to splash us, and we found it funny that they were lousy even at that. We danced to the music with our signs, and left dry and happy two hours later. Hell, my new shoes weren't even wet!
They are angrier than usual. THIS is not what they voted for. SCREW THEM AND THE VOTE THEY RODE IN ON. Stay solid---protect one another. See you in the streets..
It seems necessary right now to use our imaginations to envision what life will be like when this one person who has embodied evil is truly gone and no longer able to poison the atmosphere, both literal and figurative. Recovery will be extremely long and difficult. There will still be acolytes and hangers-on who believe the lies and the delusions and who try to spread them. However, to see the end is to move closer to that end and to have the will and means and power to make it happen. Evil must be embodied, and we can hope that there is no one else with the same capacity to motivate and agitate ordinary people. I am supposing that the machine that has been built will stall and falter without its prime mover. There is freedom and a sense of agency when we are able to see past the chaos and confusion to a more sane and safe existence. We will need to find the real leaders who are trustworthy and who rely on rational thinking and responsible action and put them in the top positions as we transition from hate and bitterness to love and respect. They are out there waiting to serve.
First order of business is to get rid of him.
Agreed. But he used up his nine lives about 29 lives ago. His age is getting him. The people who want to replace him are more than willing to dump him, and he has overplayed his hand way too many times. There is a reality that cannot be denied for much longer. A big part of that reality is that the world outside of the oil cartels and power centers is already done with fossil fuels. They have lost that battle just about everywhere else. I may be too optimistic in the new year, but things go downhill fast over the age of 80. I found that out a few years ago and I do not eat cheeseburgers and french fries.
Warn the Prime minister of Canada and whoever owns Greenland. You two are next! And then Mexico. The Orange Turd is wagging the dog {{{vigorously}}}
I totally agree that the invasion of Venezuela is illegal and immoral, but I can't see the US as the number one defender of the free world. We weren't defending freedom in Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan. We backed the Shah in Iran because the democratically elected government there was nationalizing oil. And here we are again, doing what we do.
I write this from the perspective of a 15-year friendship with young man (now age 32) who seems to have been born hard right in his social and political perspectives. I met "J" at an "Occupy" demonstration in 2011. He was standing alone with a huge "ABOLISH THE FED" sign. I strolled over, introduced myself, and asked if he could tell me why he wanted to abolish the Fed. He shuffled feet for a few seconds, then answered that "I guess I can't." I invited him to join me at a nearby cafe for discussion. (Turned out that his reason was the simple fact that Rand Paul wanted the Fed abolished.) Two hours later, we agreed to similar sessions every Friday afternoon. Then, several years ago, "J" left his Pacific NW home and relocated to Texas for what he considered to be a better political environment. We have maintained a once monthly afternoon catchup by phone. The friendship has been enormously educational, as it has primed me for much of what has been transpiring both here at home and abroad.
For all these years I have preferred to mostly listen as it introduced me to concepts I could not have imagined until recent reporting in major journalistic sources such as The Atlantic, Nation, ProPublica, Mother Jones, select Substack offerings, a few podcasts, etc. Perhaps the most astonishing concept promoted by my friend several years ago was this: The United States is destined to rule planet earth. That is necessary for the survival of the preferred human race ethnicity: White Northern European stock. Technology will solve all problems, but only if the population is culled by techno-eugenics and a Darwinian approach to health issues. But, the emerging technology requires proper management of critical resources that the US does not have in sufficient quantity. Therefore, in order to secure these resources, it will be necessary to "take over" several other countries, starting with Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal, and eventually expanding throughout Central America and Mexico (and others as deemed necessary). "J's" first Texas political involvement was the America First organization, but he helped found a new, more youth oriented, organization whose name escapes me right now. He is well mannered, cleancut, physically fit and handsome, direct, well educated, responsible (worked his way through a college degree in computer science with a minor in business admin). But, I have yet to detect any degree of general human empathy. Like many others who have immersed themselves in the world of computers, he has few friends and has yet to maintain a lasting female relationship.
I pass along my experience with "J" because we all need to understand how pervasive his perspective is, especially among the 40 and under population, especially the males. The task ahead is greater than most imagine.
Also guessing "J" was born with a conservative mind. Books have been written, scientists have studied brain scans. It's true of a portion of the people in any given country.
The movement that the Tech Bros and Crypto Creeps have brought to TRump goes back to the 1930's. Musk's Nazi grandfather was part of it, Joshua N. Haldeman (WIKI). They called it The Technate of America. Notes under this map at Cornell University explain it:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574
TRump and his people talked on all the Sunday shows about "protecting" OUR Western Hemisphere. TRump is calling his movement The Donroe Doctrine. He posted a meme of him straddling a map of these areas with a big stick in his hand. This involves a billion people.....it not just about oil. He wants us to think it is, while he cuts deals with Putin, oil companies, the Tech Bros. Vance is part of every bit of that Christos-fascist Technocracy crap. They are trying to kill our democracy, because it no longer serves them.
Thanks for your story, JB. I just watched a bunch of young liberal women saying they would never date these men. Many conservative women out there sure will.
Once you reach a certain level of power in life, the price you pay for enjoying that dominance is loss of anonymity and loss of the capacity to love and be loved. You cannot govern if you cannot love and be loved in return. You can only rule. The only emotions that people like Trump can experience is hatred, resentment, envy, and fear - all reactions to their domination.
Hate, resentment, envy, and fear, are emotions that not only validate dominance, but they also justify brutality and recklessness by rulers. Instead of punching a wall when enraged, they invade a city and have their troops beat up everybody on the street, or worse, they start a war and force their subjects to risk life and wealth for the ruler's amusement and sense of power.
One of the subtle ironies of dominance is that spouses and offspring can no longer love you either. They can either abandon you out of resentment or become a mentee out of greed like Junior and Eric - soon Barron.
This is tragic. We are witnessing democracy's death rattle.
Maybe not. Bacon Issues Statement on Venezuela Strikes and Capture of Nicolás Maduro
Omaha, Neb. – Rep. Don Bacon (R, NE-02) issued the following statement regarding the recent strikes in Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro:
“Maduro and his predecessor took Venezuela from the richest to the poorest country in South America, and destroyed its democracy. The operations last night are great for the future of Venezuelans and the region. My main concern now is that Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan. Freedom and rule of law were defended last night, but dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.”
Bacon, Fitzpatrick, Meeks, & Bipartisan Colleagues Advance New ‘Peace Through Strength’ Sanctions on Russia Toward January Floor Action
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Washington, December 19, 2025
Tags: National Defense , Foreign Affairs
Bacon, Fitzpatrick, Meeks, & Bipartisan Colleagues Advance New ‘Peace Through Strength’ Sanctions on Russia Toward January Floor Action
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Representatives Don Bacon (R, NE-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-01), and Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5) led a broad bipartisan coalition of House Members to introduce the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025, comprehensive legislation that translates ongoing negotiations into decisive congressional action and advances the bill toward House Floor consideration in January.
Co-leads on the bill include Representatives Mike Turner (OH-10), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), reflecting broad, bipartisan agreement that Congress must lead with resolve as diplomatic efforts continue.
“Putin’s regime only responds to resolve and takes advantage of weakness and vacillation. During these failed negotiations, Russia has continued bombing Ukrainian cities with increasing intensity. We must play hardball by sending Ukraine the weapons it needs and imposing tough sanctions on Russia that cripple his war economy, an approach Americans overwhelmingly agree with,” said Rep. Bacon. “I’m pleased to join Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in co-leading the bipartisan Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act to impose sanctions and other measures if Russia refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine.”
“Negotiations do not relieve Congress of its responsibility to act,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “That responsibility has been clear for some time, and waiting is no longer an option. Peace through strength is the discipline of negotiating from strength—of standing with Ukraine, making unmistakably clear that Russia’s campaign of aggression will not be normalized or rewarded, and affirming that America still enforces the rules that keep peace possible. This is not just about ending one war. It is about setting the rules for a world that is watching whether America still enforces them. I am grateful to be working hand in hand with Ranking Member Meeks to push any and all solutions forward to the House Floor, including the Ukraine Support Act. We can end this war. We can end Putin’s tyranny. And we must lead the American way—through peace, through strength.”
“Russia won't negotiate an end to its war unless real pressure is applied on the Kremlin to stop its brutality. I'm proud to have worked with Rep. Fitzpatrick on a compromise Russia sanctions bill that would impose real costs on Russia and those fueling its war effort, while avoiding further harmful global tariffs. I thank Rep. Fitzpatrick for also signing my discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act, helping work towards both measures reaching the House floor for a vote. There is strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the House, and this agreement makes clear that Russia cannot wait it out or continue its war of aggression without facing significant consequences,” said Rep. Meeks.
“The only viable path to peace in Ukraine is putting pressure on the Kremlin. It is beyond important that both sides of the aisle have come together on compromise legislation to impose strong sanctions on Russia for its illegal war of aggression as well as to take additional steps to move the bipartisan discharge petition for the Ukraine Support Act forward in the House,” said HFAC Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Keating. “As Ukraine continues to defend itself from Russian aggression, the Ukrainian people must know that Ukraine has strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives. The Kremlin must also know that we will not rest until a durable Ukraine-supported peace deal is achieved.”
“We must take firm action against the Russian Federation. This bill sends a clear message: any refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations for peace or any violation of agreements will not go unpunished. We stand with Ukraine and affirm our commitment to ensuring that they are protected from further aggression. It's time for diplomacy,” said Rep. Turner.
“Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine is a direct assault on sovereignty, democracy, and the international rules-based order. The United States will not reward aggression or allow Vladimir Putin to stall, violate agreements, or prepare for another invasion without serious consequences. Peace will only come when Russia understands that continued violence carries real costs. I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation to strengthen sanctions, hold bad actors accountable, and stand firmly with the Ukrainian people,” said Rep. Lawler.
“Peace through strength means standing up to dictators through actions, not just words," said Rep. Suozzi. "The Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act does exactly that by cracking down on those responsible for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, increasing sanction pressure on Russia, and expanding sanctions to Russian partners in North Korea. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to say that the United States will not tolerate Putin's murderous war in Ukraine, and will defend our democratic allies across the world."
"Through force, Dictator Putin aspires to rewrite the structure of Europe and end democratic practice across the continent. America’s foreign policy must promote Liberty, not bow to Tyranny," said Rep. Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. "With this new bipartisan bill, we are putting forward the most significant legislation introduced this Congress to place economic sanctions on Russia for its war crimes against Ukraine."
The Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 builds on Fitzpatrick’s constant efforts since the beginning of the conflict in 2022 to advance designed to force meaningful negotiations, deter further aggression, and ensure any peace agreement is real, durable, and accepted by the free and independent Government of Ukraine.
Unlike piecemeal sanctions, the legislation establishes a comprehensive structure that directly links Russia’s economic isolation to its willingness to pursue—and honor—peace. It reflects overwhelming bipartisan support for empowering the United States to use strong economic pressure as a tool to help bring this war to an end.
Specifically, the bill would:
Mandate sanctions on senior Russian officials, oligarchs, state-owned enterprises, and entities supporting Russia’s defense, energy, and transportation sectors
Sever Russia’s access to the global financial system, including blocking transactions with Russian financial institutions, prohibiting U.S. investment in Russia, banning trading of Russian entities on U.S. securities exchanges, and targeting financial messaging systems used to evade sanctions
Close loopholes fueling Russia’s war economy, including ending refined oil import workarounds and prohibiting U.S. purchases of Russian sovereign debt
Target Russia’s energy leverage, prohibiting new U.S. investment and sanctioning foreign actors who enable Russian oil, gas, LNG, and uranium production
Impose sanctions for war crimes, including the kidnapping and wrongful deportation of Ukrainian children and Russia-North Korea cooperation supporting Russia’s illegal war
Increase duties up to 500 percent on goods imported from the Russian Federation to further isolate Russia economically
The legislation also establishes a clear and enforceable off-ramp: sanctions may only be terminated if Russia signs a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine and fully ceases hostilities—subject to congressional review to prevent premature or politically motivated rollbacks.
With negotiations ongoing, Fitzpatrick and his bipartisan colleagues will continue building support with the goal of bringing the Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act of 2025 to the House Floor in January—ensuring Congress does its part to match diplomacy with decisive action.
You quote Trump propaganda and accuse me>
The only reason Venezuela was the poorest country in South America is because of the sanctions imposed by the various administrations, including Democratic, at the behest of Exxon Mobil.
Unable to export their oil, and earn foreign exchange, and because of sanctions the economy of the country was destroyed, and you blame the victim. whose side are you on?
None of this would have happened had not Chavez, thought that Venezuelan oil, belong to Venezuela not Exxon. Trump even said last night, that the oil belongs to "us", 25 times he mentioned oil in his address.
Venezuela has the worlds largest oil reserve, and now Trump used the military, in violation of international law, to steal the oil.
WTF. Still full of yourself.
I guess HCR is also full of herself, from her newsletter:
"n a midday press conference, members of the administration fleshed out the story of what they are calling “Operation Absolute Resolve.” Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to emphasize that the attack and extraction of Maduro and Flores were a law enforcement mission, Trump made it clear the goal was regime change in order to gain control of Venezuela’s oil. The administration acted unilaterally, without consulting Congress, and in apparent violation of international law.
Slurring his words and repeating himself as he read from a script and occasionally wandered off it, Trump called the operation “an assault like people have not seen since World War II” and said it was “one of the most stunning effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.”
Trump said the U.S. will “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” evidently not interested in supporting Edmundo González, the former diplomat who beat Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump turned immediately to Venezuela’s oil industry, saying that it had been “a total bust…pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping.” He explained that “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.” “This partnership of Venezuela with the United States of America,” he said, “will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent, and safe.”
Quoting Trump.
Read the comments. Especially MINE!
I read your comments, but they were copy and pastes.
There is one thing about Trump, he lies like hell, but when he says he is going to do something, you better believe him.
He didn't obfuscate like Dubya did, to justify the war with Iraq, he was up front and told us that it was all about the oil.
Trump told big oil, that he would deliver their wish list if they gave him a billion dollars. https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/trump-told-big-oil-hed-deliver-their-wishlist-if-they-spent-1b-on-his-campaign-and-hes-doing-it
And voila he has declared war on wind generators, and opened up the Arctic oil reserve and off shore drilling, now he has invaded Venezuela to give the oil back to Exxon.And he claims that He will be running Venezuela.
What more evidence do you need.
No full of facts Daniel. Pay attention, Did you not listen to Trump last night, He says what he is up to out loud, believe him, those that didn't are not wringing their hands.
What I heard him say over and over was Western Hemisphere. He (last night) posted a meme with him straddling the map.
I know, that YOU know it is also about people---a billion of them. He is delivering more than oil to the oil companies.
He probably cut deals with Putin, Tech Bros, and Crypto Creeps. Oil is just on the LIST.
The Technate of America is not just some wild eyed conspiracyl. It includes Greenland, Canada, Mexico, Cental America, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
He has people in Greenland, subverting and trying to convince them to join America, he hasn't give up on Canada as a 51st state, to wit: there are 51 Xmas trees in the White House.
He has told Sheinbaum that he will sent the Military into Mexico to take care of the drug cartels if she doesn't, and of course she can't, the cartels are better armed, wealthier than the Government, and every political office from the municipalities, states to the federal government is compromised, with cartel employees, Go against the cartel and your headless corpse is hanging from a bridge.
Trump has plans for the ex President of Honduras that he recently pardoned, he has Bukele of El Salvador in his back pocket,, the rest of Central America are push overs, easily subjugated.
Made you forget Epstein.
CASSANDRA!
In Greek mythology, Cassandra, also spelled Kassandra or Casandra, (/kəˈsændrə/;[2] Ancient Greek: Κασ(σ)άνδρα, pronounced [kas:ándra], or referred to as Alexandra; Ἀλεξάνδρα)[3] was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies, but never be believed. Cassandra lived through the Trojan War and survived the sack of the city, but was murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus when Agamemnon brought her to Mycenae as a pallake. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, cursed so no one would believe her warnings, foresaw the fall of Troy and Agamemnon’s death, and was dismissed as mad until the world burned exactly as she said it would.
You are cursed, Thom Hartman!
Cursed with good "Mid-West" common sense, a hard work ethic, and endless curiosity. Helps that he has traveled all over the world and paid attention.
I read that "real" writers gotta write---now that's probably a curse. Glad he uses it for good trouble.
Well, Captain my Captain you are right again. How deep in the pockets of the fossil industry that help really ruin the future for all of us. Generations to come, I don’t quite know. How do we save ourselves Captain. Please!