Things are heating up

[jeepnik]

Looks like things in Venezuela are starting up.

[4t5]

Indeed , news ( if you can believe it ) is maduro and wife are in U.S. custody .

[GunnyMack]

Yes it appears to be true.
My concern is what is China and Russia going to do...

[Scott Tschirhart]

I predict that Russia and China will do nothing.

[Bill in Oregon]

I hope this ends well -- America kidnapping leaders of foreign counties no matter what scum they are.
I hope it does not prove in the long run to be a dreadful mistake.

[rossim92]

reminds me of the Iran-Contra affair, based on drugs control. (or oil!)

[rock-steady]

There is precedent....GHW Bush and the capture of Manuel Antonio Noriega on Dec. 20, 1989.

Noriega was convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Maduro clearly underestimated Pres. Trump's willingness to act, and act decisively.

If Trump did it, whatever it may be, the Dems are against it.

Next headline will be: Liberal Activist Judge demanding Maduro be sent back immediately and democrats clap and bark like trained seals.

[Bill in Oregon]

As long as it proves to have been done in strict accordance with the spirit and letter of the Constitution the president is bound by oath and honor to uphold.

[geobru]

Thing that concerns me is the precedence this gives to China to take out Taiwan.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Thing that concerns me is the precedence this gives to China to take out Taiwan.

One has nothing to do with the other.

Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York in 2020.

Venezuela nationalized their oil industry, thus confiscating billions of dollars of American owned assets.

Please tell us of anything similar that happened between Taiwan and China.

[AmBraCol]

It's been an interesting day here between the Canal and the Equator. Woke up to news regarding our eastern neighbor, have been contacting folk for on the ground input since then, as well as looking for more info.

As Scott mentioned, Maduro was indicted in a US court back in 2020. Our military and law enforcement went in and arrested him today. I doubt we're holding any territory there long term. The kerfuffle was mostly around the capitol as they went in on a specific law enforcement objective of arresting a specific target. A target that was the current dictator of the nation, but holding to power despite losing the last election. The reaction we have from people native to that land has been supportive of the US initiative, disappointed it's not more thorough. The big issue is that the machine behind the man, the elements that kept him in power, is still in place. Time will tell how things sort out, but right now things are still dark for the folks who long for freedom there.

Meanwhile, those in exile here between the Canal and the Equator are facing a decree by the local outgoing president that increases the obligatory national minimum wage by 23%. This is cheered by all who have no idea how history shows this as a bad thing. Folks who fled the disaster to the east are now facing the same kinds of actions that lead them to seek greener pastures, but this time they're starting off not on their home soil but from a strange land.

So yes, Maduro was arrested. No, this will not solve the greater problems in the region.

Unpopular opinion - as long as folks up north and across the ocean continue to snort stuff up their nostrils and poke needles into their veins, there will be plenty of folks willing to supply the demand. Taking out a dictator that is linked to the traffic will do far less for the drug problem than facing the fact that people are responsible for choosing to consume such things - and they are the ones that need to be held strictly accountable for their actions. Demand leads to supply. We should have learned something from dreadful failure of the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution.

[Bill in Oregon]

Great wisdom there, Paul. Thanks for refocusing my attention on the heart of the problem.

[stretch]

Follow the money, honey.......

"President Donald Trump insisted the U.S. government would “run the country” at least temporarily and would tap Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to sell “large amounts” to other countries."

BINGO!!!

Headline from the local paper today........

Does Trump really care about 2nd tier cocaine trafficking?

Nah, not really...

Does he and Wall Street care about controlling the largest oil reserves on the planet?!

Oh, yeah......

-Stretch

[High Desert Hunter]

Nice to see a President take action that has a direct interest in America. Between the drugs and the sponsored gangs operating on American soil, I for one will not miss Maduro.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Wait till the Smartmatic issues are revealed.

[Streetstar]

Wait till the Smartmatic issues are revealed.

This was the first thing i thought about