Why do we have a government any longer? Trump has been making the case for billionaires and oligarchs to rule the country. Foreign policy run by friends, relatives, and business partners. Justice department takes orders from the president. Radical judges are ignored- radical being any that stand in the way. Military follows any presidential orders because he now determines what is constitutional or lawful. Business leaders, universities, all learn to accommodate him, as have foreign leaders. We have become a third world country!
It’s really pretty simple. Trump believes that going to war will unify the American people behind him - one if the oldest gambits in the familiar yellow Dictatorship for Dummies manual.
Question, Bill: Absent a war powers resolution from Congress, could military members make a case that any order by Trump/Hegseth was illegal and must not be obeyed?
Life is grand. Let us skip over second rate Venezuela and go straight to the top.
The Russian oil tanker Seahorse arrived in Venezuelan waters on November 23, ship tracking data shows, suggesting that may have been premature.
In mid-November, vessel-tracking data showed that the Seahorse, previously used to carry naphtha from Russia, altered course after the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale moved into its path near Venezuela. The Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean waters in September in support of counter-drug operations. The tanker departed from Cuba’s Port of Matanzas on November 9 before making a U-turn on November 14 after encountering the Stockdale. It subsequently made two more cautious approaches toward Venezuelan waters to the north of Aruba on November 16 and November 17, which again led to a course reversal after interceptions by the U.S. destroyer. After several days of circling in international waters it appears to have reached its destination at the oil tanker loading complex at Puerto José over the weekend.
Welp. This is what you get into. Just what does Hegseth do? Blow a Russian tanker to smithereens? That is sort of like skipping the priliminaries and going for the big dog Russia. From GCaptain in my inbox this morning. The Russian oil tanker Seahorse arrived in Venezuelan waters on November 23, ship tracking data shows, suggesting that may have been premature.
In mid-November, vessel-tracking data showed that the Seahorse, previously used to carry naphtha from Russia, altered course after the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale moved into its path near Venezuela. The Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean waters in September in support of . The tanker departed from Cuba’s Port of Matanzas on November 9 before making a U-turn on November 14 after encountering the Stockdale. It subsequently made two more cautious approaches toward Venezuelan waters to the north of Aruba on November 16 and November 17, which again led to a course reversal after interceptions by the U.S. destroyer. After several days of circling in international waters it appears to have reached its destination at the oil tanker loading complex at Puerto José over the weekend. https://gcaptain.com/russian-tanker-idle-near-venezuela-after-us-ship-enters-path/
“One problem.” HaHahaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa! How long are we going to sniff our brandy and observe that this administration’s actions are inconsistent with ordered democracy?
What can you expect from greedy real estate grifters (Witkoff, Dmitriev and Kushner) except the mess and insult of a "peace plan" for a Russo-Ukrainian end-of-fighting? Witkoff is mostly to blame because all he knows is real estate and that he has many properties and deals in Russia. I'm doubtful he even knows or will admit that Russia invaded Ukraine and started the war. This plan is stomach churning. The Ukrainians deserve every bit of support we can give them; in the absence of that, I pray that the rest of the world's democracies will join forces and step up to Ukraine's defense. We've lost our leadership on the world stage, and it's getting worse by the day (just wait until we try to depose Maduro: the condemnations for regime change will come hot and heavy). Each day we sink lower, and with it the American spirit. We've got to get back to the garden.
"It is right and proper for our most senior military officer to visit troops about to go into harm’s way. But there is currently no authorization for the president to send those troops into harm’s way. We have already been engaging in acts of war on the high seas without legal justification. Now we are going to escalate that war with no congressional authorization."
This is precisely what the "Sedition Six"--heros all--were talking about. Killing boat people is illegal. Preparing for a testosterone war--Trumps dick is bigger than Maduros--without Congress is illegal. 15000 American soldiers being sent to carry out illegal orders. And idiots like Hegseth and Rubio planning and defending these actions. Sickening.
And where are the rest of the Congressional and Senate Democrats. They should all create a similar video. Mark Kelly and the others deserve medals and protection and a unified statement would do that.
I'm old enough to remember the grim sadness and anger of our Viet Nam vets as they returned to the US as well as the reception they received. In hindsight it was shameful and those vets have paid a steep price for the rest of their lives. Are we really going to let that happen again?
In regards to Venezuela, under the leadership of Warfighter Hogslut, the US Navy was forced to retreat in the waters of Yemen from Yemeni rebels who didn’t have a navy. If Republicans think 2026 is bad now, wait until American dead show up.
As far as Munich 2, Little Marco looks like an incompetent, impotent fool. A true Secretary of State would show the real estate developers of Kushner and Witkoff a building site, and look shocked as they fall into the foundation just as the concrete was being poured, and then say : “Woops”.
The real question is who is leaving the Republicrats with MTG? My guess is no one and we are left with a narrower majority in the House with one less wing nut in attendance. YMMV.
What I don't hear anyone talking about: War Ukraine and Venezuela are being negotiated behind the scenes in some sort of tit for that. IE You get Ukraine to take this deal and I'll stay out of Venezuela.
Wondered if you are using James Holden’s ships name from the Expanse? You are right that we are looking for financial deals with Russia rather than diplomacy and peacemaking.
Why do we have a government any longer? Trump has been making the case for billionaires and oligarchs to rule the country. Foreign policy run by friends, relatives, and business partners. Justice department takes orders from the president. Radical judges are ignored- radical being any that stand in the way. Military follows any presidential orders because he now determines what is constitutional or lawful. Business leaders, universities, all learn to accommodate him, as have foreign leaders. We have become a third world country!
It’s really pretty simple. Trump believes that going to war will unify the American people behind him - one if the oldest gambits in the familiar yellow Dictatorship for Dummies manual.
Such saber rattling is better than Viagra.
Question, Bill: Absent a war powers resolution from Congress, could military members make a case that any order by Trump/Hegseth was illegal and must not be obeyed?
Life is grand. Let us skip over second rate Venezuela and go straight to the top.
The Russian oil tanker Seahorse arrived in Venezuelan waters on November 23, ship tracking data shows, suggesting that may have been premature.
In mid-November, vessel-tracking data showed that the Seahorse, previously used to carry naphtha from Russia, altered course after the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale moved into its path near Venezuela. The Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean waters in September in support of counter-drug operations. The tanker departed from Cuba’s Port of Matanzas on November 9 before making a U-turn on November 14 after encountering the Stockdale. It subsequently made two more cautious approaches toward Venezuelan waters to the north of Aruba on November 16 and November 17, which again led to a course reversal after interceptions by the U.S. destroyer. After several days of circling in international waters it appears to have reached its destination at the oil tanker loading complex at Puerto José over the weekend.
https://gcaptain.com/russian-tanker-idle-near-venezuela-after-us-ship-enters-path/
https://gcaptain.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-arrives-to-caribbean-in-major-counter-narcotics-operation/
Welp. This is what you get into. Just what does Hegseth do? Blow a Russian tanker to smithereens? That is sort of like skipping the priliminaries and going for the big dog Russia. From GCaptain in my inbox this morning. The Russian oil tanker Seahorse arrived in Venezuelan waters on November 23, ship tracking data shows, suggesting that may have been premature.
In mid-November, vessel-tracking data showed that the Seahorse, previously used to carry naphtha from Russia, altered course after the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale moved into its path near Venezuela. The Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean waters in September in support of . The tanker departed from Cuba’s Port of Matanzas on November 9 before making a U-turn on November 14 after encountering the Stockdale. It subsequently made two more cautious approaches toward Venezuelan waters to the north of Aruba on November 16 and November 17, which again led to a course reversal after interceptions by the U.S. destroyer. After several days of circling in international waters it appears to have reached its destination at the oil tanker loading complex at Puerto José over the weekend. https://gcaptain.com/russian-tanker-idle-near-venezuela-after-us-ship-enters-path/
https://gcaptain.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-arrives-to-caribbean-in-major-counter-narcotics-operation/
“One problem.” HaHahaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa! How long are we going to sniff our brandy and observe that this administration’s actions are inconsistent with ordered democracy?
What can you expect from greedy real estate grifters (Witkoff, Dmitriev and Kushner) except the mess and insult of a "peace plan" for a Russo-Ukrainian end-of-fighting? Witkoff is mostly to blame because all he knows is real estate and that he has many properties and deals in Russia. I'm doubtful he even knows or will admit that Russia invaded Ukraine and started the war. This plan is stomach churning. The Ukrainians deserve every bit of support we can give them; in the absence of that, I pray that the rest of the world's democracies will join forces and step up to Ukraine's defense. We've lost our leadership on the world stage, and it's getting worse by the day (just wait until we try to depose Maduro: the condemnations for regime change will come hot and heavy). Each day we sink lower, and with it the American spirit. We've got to get back to the garden.
This paragraph should be broadcast far and wide:
"It is right and proper for our most senior military officer to visit troops about to go into harm’s way. But there is currently no authorization for the president to send those troops into harm’s way. We have already been engaging in acts of war on the high seas without legal justification. Now we are going to escalate that war with no congressional authorization."
This is precisely what the "Sedition Six"--heros all--were talking about. Killing boat people is illegal. Preparing for a testosterone war--Trumps dick is bigger than Maduros--without Congress is illegal. 15000 American soldiers being sent to carry out illegal orders. And idiots like Hegseth and Rubio planning and defending these actions. Sickening.
And where are the rest of the Congressional and Senate Democrats. They should all create a similar video. Mark Kelly and the others deserve medals and protection and a unified statement would do that.
I'm old enough to remember the grim sadness and anger of our Viet Nam vets as they returned to the US as well as the reception they received. In hindsight it was shameful and those vets have paid a steep price for the rest of their lives. Are we really going to let that happen again?
Oh, stop it! How many wars has Congress declared in my lifetime? And how many have we been in?
Can we really replace MTG with neocons and the military-industrial complex? How do we make that happen?
In regards to Venezuela, under the leadership of Warfighter Hogslut, the US Navy was forced to retreat in the waters of Yemen from Yemeni rebels who didn’t have a navy. If Republicans think 2026 is bad now, wait until American dead show up.
As far as Munich 2, Little Marco looks like an incompetent, impotent fool. A true Secretary of State would show the real estate developers of Kushner and Witkoff a building site, and look shocked as they fall into the foundation just as the concrete was being poured, and then say : “Woops”.
Bill,
Your wisdom is always off the charts. I pray that "our kind of Republicans" can sooner rather than later return to power!
I wonder how Susie Wiles is handling all this ineptitude.
She's helping the people who are really running things orchestrate it.
She is far more contemptible than the true believers.
The real question is who is leaving the Republicrats with MTG? My guess is no one and we are left with a narrower majority in the House with one less wing nut in attendance. YMMV.
What I don't hear anyone talking about: War Ukraine and Venezuela are being negotiated behind the scenes in some sort of tit for that. IE You get Ukraine to take this deal and I'll stay out of Venezuela.
Seems likely.
Wondered if you are using James Holden’s ships name from the Expanse? You are right that we are looking for financial deals with Russia rather than diplomacy and peacemaking.
Sorta or Don Quixotes’ horse , “like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities.”
Seem apropos.
Yeah it's the Donroe Doctrine + some Bitcoin.
I really enjoyed the Expanse.
There's no coherent strategy anywhere.
Attacking Venezuela is Rubio's wet dream. Witkoff doesn't care and Vance would probably be against it.
Everyone in Trump's orbit are runnig their own foreign policies.