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#71

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by HVC - Today at 12:26:41 AM

He'll make Maduro rue the day he was late with the protection money.

#72

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:25:04 AM

With people wanting to look into the specifics of his Ballroom project he's now declared the tearing down of the East Wing and the new construction "a matter of national security." 

[Trump orders blockade of 'sanctioned oil tankers' into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on Maduro]

#73

Off the Record / Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by Syt - Today at 12:23:32 AM

https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-maduro-oil-tankers-625a7c9a3106e316c97ceb68a42a1cb5

I guess this ramps up to need its own thread,maybe?

Trump orders blockade of 'sanctioned oil tankers' into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on Maduro

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all "sanctioned oil tankers" into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country's economy.

Trump's escalation comes after U.S. forces last week seized an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, an unusual move that followed a buildup of military forces in the region. In a post on social media Tuesday night announcing the blockade, Trump alleged Venezuela was using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes and vowed to continue the military buildup until the country gave the U.S. oil, land and assets, though it was not clear why he felt the U.S. had a claim.

"Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," Trump said in a post on his social media platform. "It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."

Pentagon officials referred all questions about the post to the White House.

Venezuela's government released a statement Tuesday accusing Trump of "violating international law, free trade, and the principle of free navigation" with "a reckless and grave threat" against the South American country.


"On his social media, he assumes that Venezuela's oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property," the statement said of Trump's post. "Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its riches. The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation."

Maduro's government, according to the statement, plans to denounce the situation before the United Nations.

The U.S. buildup has been accompanied by a series of military strikes on boats in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The campaign, which has drawn bipartisan scrutiny among U.S. lawmakers, has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels.

Trump has for weeks said that the U.S. will move its campaign beyond the water and start strikes on land.

The Trump administration has defended the strikes as a success, saying they have prevented drugs from reaching American shores, and pushed back on concerns that they are stretching the bounds of lawful warfare.

The Trump administration has said the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the U.S., but Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles appeared to confirm in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday that the campaign is part of a push to oust Maduro.

Wiles said Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle."

Tuesday night's announcement seemed to have a similar aim.

Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves and produces about 1 million barrels a day, has long relied on oil revenue as a lifeblood of its economy.

Since the Trump administration began imposing oil sanctions on Venezuela in 2017, Maduro's government has relied on a shadowy fleet of unflagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.

The state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., commonly known as PDVSA, has been locked out of global oil markets by U.S. sanctions. It sells most of its exports at a steep discount in the black market in China.

Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan oil expert at Rice University in Houston, said about 850,000 barrels of the 1 million daily production is exported. Of that, he said, 80% goes to China, 15% to 17% goes to the U.S. through Chevron Corp., and the remainder goes to Cuba.

In October, Trump appeared to confirm reports that Maduro has offered a stake in Venezuela's oil and other mineral wealth in recent months to try to stave off mounting pressure from the United States.

"He's offered everything," Trump said at the time. "You know why? Because he doesn't want to f—- around with the United States."

It wasn't immediately clear how the U.S. planned to enact what Trump called a "TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela."

But the U.S. Navy has 11 ships, including an aircraft carrier and several amphibious assault ships, in the region.

Those ships carry a wide complement of aircraft, including helicopters and V-22 Ospreys. Additionally, the Navy has been operating a handful of P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the region.

All told, those assets provide the military a significant ability to monitor marine traffic coming in and out of the country.

Trump in his post said that the "Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION," but it wasn't clear what he was referring to.

The foreign terrorist organization designation has been historically reserved for non-state actors that do not have sovereign immunities conferred by either treaties or United Nations membership.

In November, the Trump administration announced it was designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. The term Cartel de los Soles originally referred to Venezuelan military officers involved in drug-running, but it is not a cartel per se.

Governments that U.S. administrations seek to sanction for financing, otherwise fomenting or tolerating extremist violence are usually designated "state sponsors of terrorism."

Venezuela is not on that list.

In rare cases, the U.S. has designated an element of a foreign government as an "FTO." The Trump administration in its first term did so with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, an arm of the Iranian government, which had already been designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

#74

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - December 16, 2025, 10:18:11 PM

There is a bit of a danger here--for Liberals.

The Conservatives were poised to win an election, as long as Trudeau was leader of the Liberals. When Chrystia Freeland nailed her theses on the PMO's office doors, she started a reformation, that not only brought Trudeau down, but also PP's chances of winning the Prime Minister title.

Fast forward a year. If the Liberals were to call an election, it is likely, in my opinion, they will win. PP has strayed too far to the right for most Bay Street conservatives, his rhetoric seen as too grimacy for many conservatives. But the Liberals' gloating over their recent floor crossing victories, their near-majority, should be tempered by the expectation that this will bring down PP himself. And surely his replacement will be a more-centrist,  candidate, a duplicate, in fact of the ultra-conservative Mark Carney. One who could in fact defeat Carney in a future election, when PP is unlikely to.

I do not share your certainty the Conservatives will choose a more centrist candidate.

What is your definition of an ultra conservative?

#75

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by The Minsky Moment - December 16, 2025, 09:10:57 PM

'The Boyfriend' with a guest appearance by Keith Hernandez* (sp?) was excellent and would possibly spark some interest from JR?

Not a huge Seinfeld fan overall, but that was one of the great episodes.

(KH was big NY based sports hero of my youth, by way of St Louiee, still very active as a TV announcer for Mets games).

#76

Off the Record / Re: [Gay] Gay News from Around...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - December 16, 2025, 09:07:25 PM

Trumpism is about freeing people from the burden of pretending to be decent and reluctant supporters of unfortunately "necessary" measures and openly reveling in the joys of inflicting misery and humiliation on others.

And yes Rowling & Co this is what you signed up for.  When you commit your reputations and rhetorical power behind the Republic of Gilead crowd, you can't reasonably expect the result to be any kind of feminism.  Even MJT was smart enough to figure that out.

#77

Off the Record / Re: Director Rob Reiner and wi...

Last post by Razgovory - December 16, 2025, 08:59:53 PM

Apparently lots of rumours being spread by maga crazies the son was trans (he isn't)

For some reason they seem to think that every killer is Trans.

#78

Off the Record / Re: Australia shooting at Jewi...

Last post by Zoupa - December 16, 2025, 08:26:53 PM

They trained in the Philippines, they weren't philipino.

#79

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Josquius - December 16, 2025, 07:34:52 PM

Yeah, I'm more worried about the people around trump with nukes than trump himself.
Trump is a materialist. And a boomer
He's scared to death of his property's being damaged and radiation.

The people around him, accelerationist fundie nutjobs who see the apocalypse as a good thing...

#80

Off the Record / Re: The Off Topic Topic

Last post by Josquius - December 16, 2025, 07:32:51 PM

I've just been to Edinburgh for some days for work related stuff.
I do like Edinburgh.
But my god is there too many people.

The writing was already on the wall a few years back when I was wanting to move there but it seems to have just become worse with time.
Edinburgh has this mystique of quiet cafes on cobble stone streets.... Lol no.
You literally can't walk on some paths for all the tourists.

And poor wee Bobby's nose is looking shinier 'an Mollys tits.