19 Comments
User's avatar
Steve S6's avatar

Trump invades sovereign nation (no declaration of war) and captures the president setting new precedent for international relations.

Secret Service: Fuck.

Miguel Gonzalez's avatar

Panama & Noriega.

Steve S6's avatar

True, but: December 15, 1989 Noriega declares a state of war with the U.S.

(I know, picky picky but still a different precedent).

Dale Flowers's avatar

An interesting side note on that "war":

Music torture: How heavy metal broke Manuel Noriega

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40090809

The play list:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ssB--7GJVy9mgGTxBXhJD50gkR25qkB

Steve S6's avatar

Mariah Carey wasn't out yet.

Dale Flowers's avatar

Celine Dion was. But she wasn't singing AC/DC at the time. Good thing. It would have been seen as the nuclear option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iW_YMLvmU&t=8s

Reltney McFee's avatar

You, Miguel, have insights that I cannot have. For myself, I am presently unconvinced that (a) this is a good idea for the US, and (b) that there is a compelling US interest is removing Maduro.

Color me reluctant.

Having said that, I await further facts.

Miguel Gonzalez's avatar

I do not disagree at all with your points. That the Venezuelans will take advantage and turn the country around? I doubt it.

I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not.

Rude Tales & Glorious's avatar

2 Million more Venezuelans will now come into the USA. Yay.

Miguel Gonzalez's avatar

Actually, now there is no excuse NOT to return the ones we already have.

Reltney McFee's avatar

Maybe whatshisname, the "Maryland Dad"?

Rude Tales & Glorious's avatar

I agree! However that is not what has been happening. Every single war we fight; the populations of the nations we engage, eventually arrive here. This has held true going all the way back to the late Banana Wars from the First Honduran Civil War to the Sugar Intervention. It's been overwhelmingly the case since WWII until today.

Reltney McFee's avatar

Now that you have started me thinking about it, I wonder if the activity you report is addressed to President Scheinbaum (sp?) of Mexico, but delivered to Mr. Maduro?

Dale Flowers's avatar

Bet she's quadrupled her security detail. Maybe even added Gurkhas.

Miguel Gonzalez's avatar

Mexico require different tactics, namely the strangling of the remittances which are now the biggest source of legal income to the country

Dale Flowers's avatar

I'd settle for the earned incomes, which are the source of those remittances, be taxed and all those employers complicit in tax fraud by hiring them be held accountable. It seems odd to me that the Democrats, who are always looking for a new revenue source, haven't tightened up on the under-the-table paychecks.

Dale Flowers's avatar

We have a crap record of positive outcomes from regime change. I think that people may agree that Chavez and Maduro weren't a good thing for Venezuela, but that was just Venezuela doing its thing. Will Venezuela be better off now? Will the drug flow dry up? What's next for Venezuela? Yanqui carpetbaggers? A better life for Venezuelans? Libertad? At the moment I just don't see the visionaries and opportunists in D.C. and Wall Street sitting on their hands while Venezuela does some miracle self-determination makeover on its own. Mucha suerte al pueblo de Venezuela.

Raconteur's avatar

Thanks for the low-down.