Trump is setting the table for war

[struth]

And you thought that the GWB gang was bad?

Trump is giving himself the green light to start wars

Hint … Venezuela

There is no bottom to this barrel

My state, VA, has already made fentayal a weapon of terrorism.

Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally

law.lis.virginia.gov

 

[kyzr]

Sounds pretty neocon

Sounds like saving about 200,000 American lives during Trump's term from drug overdoses, we'll see how it plays out over time. Will the democrats protect the drug cartels and drug runners?

 

[Lesh]

Sounds like saving about 200,000 American lives during Trump's term from drug overdoses, we'll see how it plays out over time. Will the democrats protect the drug cartels and drug runners?

Amazing. Drug deaths are half that and what Trump is doing isn’t going stop all drug deaths in any case

Your math is seriously suspect

 

[JGalt]

"War" seems too strong a term. "Regime change" seems more accurate to me.

Regime change is a good thing. Who in their right mind wouldn't have wanted to get rid of Fidel Castro? Now we have a little Castro wannabe right down at the south of the Gulf of America.

 

[Lesh]

Regime change is a good thing. Who in their right mind wouldn't have wanted to get rid of Fidel Castro? Now we have a little Castro wannabe right down at the south of the Gulf of America.

Worked great on Afgh and Iraq right?

 

[kyzr]

Amazing. Drug deaths are half that and what Trump is doing isn’t going stop all drug deaths in any case
Your math is seriously suspect

Your typing is seriously suspect. Biden oversaw more than 400,000 American deaths due to drugs:

United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

...Biden oversaw 410,300 American overdose deaths

Opioid Overdose Deaths Fall by 34% in 2025 | ASHP Midyear 2025 | Drug Topics

Progress against the opioid crisis shows promise, with overdose deaths declining, and pharmacists play a crucial role in life-saving medication strategies.

www.drugtopics.com

We will see how many American lives Trump's war on the drug cartels saves during his term.

Looks like Trump saved ~34,000 American lives during 2025 compared to Biden's average.

 

[JGalt]

Your typing is seriously suspect. Biden oversaw more than 400,000 American deaths due to drugs:

United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 1194375...Biden oversaw 410,300 American overdose deaths

Opioid Overdose Deaths Fall by 34% in 2025 | ASHP Midyear 2025 | Drug Topics

Progress against the opioid crisis shows promise, with overdose deaths declining, and pharmacists play a crucial role in life-saving medication strategies.

www.drugtopics.com

We will see how many American lives Trump's war on the drug cartels saves during his term.

Looks like Trump saved ~34,000 American lives during 2025 compared to Biden's average.

When you see that in a chart format, the failure of the Biden administration becomes glaringly evident...

Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data

 

[Roshambo]

It would appear so yes

Even his own drug agencies say Venezuela has virtually no fentanyl connection

Regardless, I would like to see fentanyl "legalized" and let the addicts die off; rather than incarceration or rehab. Fentanyl is a product of Mexico.


Lesh, regime change and gaining access to the country’s vast oil reserves is the priority.
"Big donors" to the ballroom want some "play" for the "pay"; Chevron and ExxonMobil included.

Lesh, the following is from the NYT

The Nobel Peace Prize winner made her pitch by live video to a business conference in Miami attended by American executives and politicians, including President Trump.

“I am talking about a $1.7 trillion opportunity,” María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s main opposition leader, said last month, weeks after winning the peace prize for challenging Nicolás Maduro, the country’s autocratic leader.

“We will open all, upstream, midstream, downstream, to all companies” — as well as its minerals and power infrastructure. Her message has been unwavering since early this year, when she boasted of her country’s “infinite potential” for U.S. companies on a podcast hosted by the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

She has had a receptive audience.

The president and his aides have insisted publicly that their lethal military operations around Venezuela and pressure campaign against Mr. Maduro are mainly aimed at protecting Americans from drug trafficking. But Venezuela is not a drug producer, and narcotics smuggled through the country mostly go to Europe.

Behind the scenes, administration officials have also focused intently on Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Their importance is evident in secret negotiations between U.S. officials and Mr. Maduro about oil, and in conversations that Mr. Trump’s aides and allies have had with Ms. Machado and other Venezuelan opposition figures.

Mr. Trump has publicly made clear his interest in control of Venezuela’s reserves. In a speech to Republicans in North Carolina in 2023, four years after he backed efforts during his first term to oust Mr. Maduro, Mr. Trump said, “When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over, we would have gotten all that oil, it would have been right next door.”

“When President Trump has talked about Venezuela and other comparable countries, he has always emphasized the importance of having the U.S. have access to those oil resources,” said Francisco R. Rodríguez, a professor at the University of Denver who studies the political economy of Venezuela.

Mr. Trump has spoken repeatedly about getting oil and other natural resources as a reward for U.S. military intervention on foreign soil. “I’ve always said take the oil” was a favorite line in his 2016 presidential campaign.

In his first term, he said he would “keep the oil” in Syria because of U.S. troops there. He has said the United States should have taken oil from Iraq and Libya as payment for military interventions that toppled those governments.

(MAGAs insert "rolleyes" and "fake news")

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/politics/trump-maduro-venezuela-oil-tanker.html

 

[Norm Paperman]

When you see that in a chart format, the failure of the Biden administration becomes glaringly evident...

Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data

View attachment 1194387

I have never understood why it is the job of the president to get druggies to quit killing themselves.

 

[JGalt]

Regardless, I would like to see fentanyl "legalized" and let the addicts die off; rather than incarceration or rehab. Fentanyl is a product of Mexico.


Lesh, regime change and gaining access to the country’s vast oil reserves is the priority.
"Big donors" to the ballroom want some "play" for the "pay"; Chevron and ExxonMobil included.

Lesh, the following is from the NYT

The Nobel Peace Prize winner made her pitch by live video to a business conference in Miami attended by American executives and politicians, including President Trump.

“I am talking about a $1.7 trillion opportunity,” María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s main opposition leader, said last month, weeks after winning the peace prize for challenging Nicolás Maduro, the country’s autocratic leader.

“We will open all, upstream, midstream, downstream, to all companies” — as well as its minerals and power infrastructure. Her message has been unwavering since early this year, when she boasted of her country’s “infinite potential” for U.S. companies on a podcast hosted by the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

She has had a receptive audience.

The president and his aides have insisted publicly that their lethal military operations around Venezuela and pressure campaign against Mr. Maduro are mainly aimed at protecting Americans from drug trafficking. But Venezuela is not a drug producer, and narcotics smuggled through the country mostly go to Europe.

Behind the scenes, administration officials have also focused intently on Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Their importance is evident in secret negotiations between U.S. officials and Mr. Maduro about oil, and in conversations that Mr. Trump’s aides and allies have had with Ms. Machado and other Venezuelan opposition figures.

Mr. Trump has publicly made clear his interest in control of Venezuela’s reserves. In a speech to Republicans in North Carolina in 2023, four years after he backed efforts during his first term to oust Mr. Maduro, Mr. Trump said, “When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over, we would have gotten all that oil, it would have been right next door.”

“When President Trump has talked about Venezuela and other comparable countries, he has always emphasized the importance of having the U.S. have access to those oil resources,” said Francisco R. Rodríguez, a professor at the University of Denver who studies the political economy of Venezuela.

Mr. Trump has spoken repeatedly about getting oil and other natural resources as a reward for U.S. military intervention on foreign soil. “I’ve always said take the oil” was a favorite line in his 2016 presidential campaign.

In his first term, he said he would “keep the oil” in Syria because of U.S. troops there. He has said the United States should have taken oil from Iraq and Libya as payment for military interventions that toppled those governments.

(MAGAs insert "rolleyes" and "fake news")

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/politics/trump-maduro-venezuela-oil-tanker.html

Well there it is, you posted it yourself. President Trump's actions against the Marxist dictator have nothing to do with oil. We don't really need Venezuela's low-grade sludge.

"The Nobel Peace Prize winner made her pitch by live video to a business conference in Miami attended by American executives and politicians, including President Trump.

“I am talking about a $1.7 trillion opportunity,” María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s main opposition leader, said last month, weeks after winning the peace prize for challenging Nicolás Maduro, the country’s autocratic leader.

“We will open all, upstream, midstream, downstream, to all companies” — as well as its minerals and power infrastructure. Her message has been unwavering since early this year, when she boasted of her country’s “infinite potential” for U.S. companies on a podcast hosted by the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

She has had a receptive audience."

 

[Independent thinker]

And you thought that the GWB gang was bad?

Trump is giving himself the green light to start wars

Hint … Venezuela

There is no bottom to this barrel

There will be no war with Venezuela. But, Trump will get rid of Maduro, the legitimate president will take over, and the official government economy will no longer be from drug trafficking.

 

[Mrkelly]

There will be no war with Venezuela. But, Trump will get rid of Maduro, the legitimate president will take over, and the official government economy will no longer be from drug trafficking.

Maybe stop Sanctioning them

We want their oil … same old song and dance

If this was obomba, you guys would lose your minds

 

[Independent thinker]

Maybe stop Sanctioning them

We want their oil … same old song and dance

If this was obomba, you guys would lose your minds

If I may remind you, democrats themselves condemned the elections there in the "strongest possible terms" as Maduro had them rigged against the legitimate winner - the opposition leader, who actually won a Nobel Peace prize. But, as usual, democrats not only didn't do a damn thing about that but are now defending Maduro as if his government is the legitimate government. Democrats are all talk and no action, always have been. Words always mean more to them then actually doing something.

 

[Mrkelly]

If I may remind you, democrats themselves condemned the elections there in the "strongest possible terms" as Maduro had them rigged against the legitimate winner - the opposition leader, who actually won a Nobel Peace prize. But, as usual, democrats not only didn't do a damn thing about that but are now defending Maduro as if his government is the legitimate government. Democrats are all talk and no action, always have been. Words always mean more to them then actually doing something.

So


Did you vote for tRump because he said that there would be no more regime change wars?

It was kinda his thing

But he decided to TACO

 

[Independent thinker]

So


Did you vote for tRump because he said that there would be no more regime change wars?

It was kinda his thing

But he decided to TACO

It's just amazing to watch the left defend Maduro after they attacked him for years before Trump won in 2024. Now, all of a sudden, they claim Maduro is the legitimate government there. And, the left are also defending drug dealers and traffickers. Your side has gone Bizzaro.

 

[Mac-7]

And you thought that the GWB gang was bad?

Trump is giving himself the green light to start wars

Hint … Venezuela

There is no bottom to this barrel

Are you afraid of Venezusla?

Madero was anti American before trump became president

And now he is counting the days to exile

 

[Roshambo]

Well there it is, you posted it yourself. President Trump's actions against the Marxist dictator have nothing to do with oil. We don't really need Venezuela's low-grade sludge.

"The Nobel Peace Prize winner made her pitch by live video to a business conference in Miami attended by American executives and politicians, including President Trump.

“I am talking about a $1.7 trillion opportunity,” María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s main opposition leader, said last month, weeks after winning the peace prize for challenging Nicolás Maduro, the country’s autocratic leader.

“We will open all, upstream, midstream, downstream, to all companies” — as well as its minerals and power infrastructure. Her message has been unwavering since early this year, when she boasted of her country’s “infinite potential” for U.S. companies on a podcast hosted by the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

She has had a receptive audience."

You have a comprehension problem; this is "all about oil".

“We will open all, upstream, midstream, downstream, to all companies”

Oil and gas production operates within a value chain encompassing three primary stages: upstream, midstream, and downstream. The extraction and use of oil and gas, as critical energy sources, involve a multi-staged, complex process.


Her message has been unwavering since early this year, when she boasted of her country’s “infinite potential” for U.S. companies on a podcast hosted by the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr.


Mr. Trump has publicly made clear his interest in control of Venezuela’s reserves. In a speech to Republicans in North Carolina in 2023, four years after he backed efforts during his first term to oust Mr. Maduro, Mr. Trump said, “When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over, we would have gotten all that oil, it would have been right next door.”

We don't really need Venezuela's low-grade sludge.


Venezuela’s oil output principally is of the “heavy sour” crude variety, which isn’t typically found within U.S. borders. Canada, Russia and Venezuela are the world’s largest producers of this variety – among which Canada hold the lion’s share of supply to the U.S.

While “lighter, sweeter” grades of crude cost more as they’re easier to refine into petrol/gasoline or diesel, “heavy, sour” grades cost less since they require more refinement to produce the same.

Complex refineries typically have more processing units that can convert heavier crude oil into greater volumes of lighter, more valuable fuels – including and not limited to like diesel, jet fuel, LPG, and naphtha as well as a greater amount of diesel and petrol/gasoline – leading to a higher Gross Refining Margin (GRM).[/b]

 

[marvin martian]

So the neocons are back huh?

Yup, and you're one of them. Slava Ukraini!

 

[berg80]

Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military​

Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said.

If adopted, the plan would usher in some of the most significant changes at the military’s highest ranks in decades, in part following through on Hegseth’s promise to break the status quo and slash the number of four-star generals in the military. It would reduce in prominence the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command by placing them under the control of a new organization known as U.S. International Command, according to five people familiar with the matter.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/15/military-command-plan-caine-hegseth/

Pretty simple, if Hegseth is behind it (that means Dotard is too) you can bet it's a stupid idea meant to eliminate the questioning of decisions he makes among experienced generals.

 

[kyzr]

Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military​

Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said.
If adopted, the plan would usher in some of the most significant changes at the military’s highest ranks in decades, in part following through on Hegseth’s promise to break the status quo and slash the number of four-star generals in the military. It would reduce in prominence the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command by placing them under the control of a new organization known as U.S. International Command, according to five people familiar with the matter.
Pretty simple, if Hegseth is behind it (that means Dotard is too) you can bet it's a stupid idea meant to eliminate the questioning of decisions he makes among experienced generals.

Having a more streamlined command structure is always better, dumbass.
I remember when Lloyd Austin went AWOL for a few days.
We can't ever have any gaps in the command structure.