Please interview some “real Americans” on how they feel about these operations vs the echo chamber you have surrounded yourself with. This is exactly wha I voted for…and every one I know. Keep it up POTUS and SecWar. Finally the War on Drugs is actually tangible!
I specifically didn’t restrict myself to the usual panoply of TV lawyers. There are several Trump supporters in there, plus several serious critics of the Democrats. If you can find a legal opinion anywhere that calls shooting unarmed drug dealers legal in any real sense, please send them my way. There is a claimed legal authority, just like there was in Bush/Obama actions, but I think he jumped the shark on this one.
Wow, please read what you wrote…”unarmed drug dealers”! Says who? Unarmed? A boat full of drugs ready to distribute, harm and kill? Seriously Matt! It’s as though you are defending the “drug dealers”…exactly what the Dems do in defending criminals…drug dealer = criminal. Have this conversation with families who have lost loved ones to the non existent “war on drugs”. Like I said, finally tangible, actionable war on drugs”. Not just talk. More please!
Again, your objection is 100% irrelevant to the point. This seems to be a habit. It does not matter--does NOT matter to the legality- whether or not the dealers are armed-I'm sure they are! Or whether that are awful people-I'm sure they are! The argument is that it is not legal for the military to strike, as it's a matter for police. Instead of making emotional points about how glad you are, please try to defend the legality-that is the ONLY point that matters.
I agree with that. When people have had enough they don’t want some private armed guarded cartel payrolled lawyer telling them their kids have to be raped and killed because of the rights of the poor gangster. Recently NYC let violent felons out on the streets.
It’s a tragedy that will not end well and Trump is betting that Americans have had enough.
Matt it is not "legal" but the Empire and its citizens are deeming it necessary. The US has put up with Mexico\Columbia etc dealing poison for 60 years-and yes demand is hard to police in a free society, but citizens dying, not just being incapacitated is too much. Drugs are bombs launched by terrorists.
I am not a lawyer but I am pretty good with history. I see a pretty strong parallel to the situation with the Barbary pirates. The Barbary Pirate Wars were legally justified by the United States primarily on the basis of self-defense against ongoing acts of state-sponsored criminal activity and the internationally recognized right to use force to protect its commerce and citizens.
Venezuela has devolved from a republic to a dictatorship with its top leader, apparently, essentially a cartel boss. So, I am not terribly concerned about the fundamental concept of bombing drug boats.
The assumption you make about this just being a case of "shooting unarmed drug dealers" is where I think you veer to far from facts in evidence. The distinction we are dealing with here is unavoidable loss of life in a legal strike versus a strike intended only to kill allegedly drifting/clinging survivors. Right now, I am more inclined to believe the former than the latter and to give leeway to those directly involved if this falls into the gray areas. BTW Dontdrinkdakoolaid (something like that) gives a link lower on the page) that lends a lot of perspective by lawyer/former JAG.
Here is where you have gone off the rails, Taibbi. This is NOT a question of legality. It is an utterly political question. The US, especially the legacy media and now you, has been engaging in a form of "due process masturbation" for about 30 years. And, by the way, lawyers just have opinions. They are nothing but advocates. Judges decide the law and cases. No judges have ruled here so the opinions of lawyers is just opinion.
What about (yes, what about ism!) the "defense of the douche bag Kuwaitis when Saddam invaded? Was that "legal"? Was that even in the US national interest.
How about the invasion of Iraq looking for WMD? Was that legal? Us National interest? Bullshit.
How about Afghanistan? Legal? To find OBL? Seriously?
How about the bombing of Serbia by Bubba? Libya by O'Bummer?
How about Mogadishu action, resulting in the deaths of American Blackhawk warriors?
Americans - ESPECIALLY folks in flyover country (Taibbi, pay attention) are sick of seeing their communities devastated by drugs, by Wall Street, by lawyers diddling their dicks (or clits) over :due process while kids and families are destroyed.
This is a political decision. It is in the US National interest.
How long a list of precedents do you need???? Washington did this same thing. Jefferson did this same thing. Jackson did this same thing. Tyler. Polk. Taylor. Buchanan. Lincoln. Every single president Grant - Wilson did this.
Both Roosevelts. FDR and Truman and Eisenhower and jfk and lbj did this.
Mary-no one, including Matt, made a point about whether or not Trump supporters like these actions or not-whether or not "real" Americans like them or not is irrelevant to the point. The point is, are these actions legal or not? So instead of arguing your emotions, you might argue whether or not they are legal. I'll start-I voted Trump three times, and I like seeing the drug boats blow up, it's satisfying! It's also not legal, and that is a fact. Drug smuggling is a crime and a President can't simply designate it as terrorism at will-the two things are different.
America does what needs to be done because the legal beagles have focused on feelings rather than law. Hill Street Blues in the 1980s predicted where would be 40 years later: "Let 'em go Moe" law has produced a flood of thugs and hoodlums in the US and helped multiply the number of thugs and hoodlums in what were one "almost First World" countries. Shakespeare had the best advice for dealing with lawyers.
Really, name calling? How childish. We are here to agree to disagree. Thank God for that. Calling out the article according to my opinion. As you are entitled to yours…
I want to deal with the criminal narco state that is Venezuela. I don’t have much sympathy for them. I am tired of the onslaught of fentanyl into our country and the subsequent deaths.
Isn't it amazing that countries that once had legitimate economies have found drugs more profitable? Venezuela was once almost a first world country. Columbia, Peru, and Mexico were not hell holes. The firs world drug consumers have much to account for.
These three countries are larger but are not as deeply corrupt as Venezula. There is at least a remote chance of reducing drug running through conventional means there. Venuzuela has gone over into full Barbary Pirate status.
I'm tired of our human wreckage and also tired of hearing about murdered citizens and politicians down south that wouldn't cooperate with the drug lords. I hope Trump keeps going.
I would not be at all surprised to find out someday that he is going after Venezuela to get at our own deep state running drugs into our country just as they have done in the past to fund all their Black ops shit. I would not be surprised at to find out someday that in 2020 our election was rigged - Biden 81 million votes? C'mon. This goes far deeper and darker than just blowing up a few drug boats.
Matt, your sources might think this is "dumb shit" but once again Trump is marching to the beat of the majority of Americans who aren't getting hot and bothered about greasing drug runners. Trump does not march to the beat of "experts" or journalists, which is why you don't get him.
Matt Taibbi. It’s about securing the oil for the West (and not China). It’s also about stopping the drug flow north, because that is something that can be more easily sold to the public.
Bingo! The discovery of massive offshore oil reserves in the Essequibo region in 2015 intensified Venezuela's long-standing territorial dispute with Guyana. Maduro has threatened to move in.
You summed up why I pay for this subscription: Getting out of my party's echo chamber. I pay for another subscription that is "all Trump all the time," cheerleading. It's good for a few things but it's a lot of over the top "yay Trump." I can't trust it much anymore.
Nah. This is just another story in the Great Narrative of whatever the new thing is. I can literally get this information anywhere, for free. I like Matt’s work when it cuts against the grain or digs into the machine. He deserves to write whatever interests him and he has certainly earned that. I’m just not wasting my time on it. I don’t live in an echo chamber and I don’t intend to. Another story on Trump, Venezuela and how bad it is not rejecting the echo chamber. It’s living in it. He won’t miss my money. I suspect he will get a bump in subscriptions from the folks who love whatever the new thing is.
Maybe. And he will still have independents, like me, who may have voted for Trump, but look askance at some of his actions. We don't and won't live in echo chambers of any kind - not the Orange Man Bad echo chamber, and not the Everything Trump Does is Great echo chamber, either. If you want the latter, find one, they're out there - just be honest with yourself that there's only one sort of echo chamber you avoid.
I am also an independent, but spent most of my 46 years either to the far left of center, or less so. It’s not that I have a problem with anything Matt chooses to write. As I stated before, it’s just no different than I can find anywhere else. These aren’t ideas I’m rejecting. I’m not closing myself off to information I don’t like. I can literally find the same information anywhere from the same perspective and it doesn’t cost me $5. Matt has a personal opinion about this that is consistent. I appreciate that and I encourage him to do what he thinks is right.
What I think what is all about? Venezuela? It’s pretty obvious what it’s about. It’s many things all woven into one operation. Probably the biggest thing is that Venezuela is the country in our hemisphere more than any other that has let in all our geopolitical opponents into their territory. They are the foothold for China, Russia and Iran in the western hemisphere.
They also have a bunch of oil that our oil companies paid to build the extraction and refining infrastructure and that was essentially stolen by the Venezuelan government. Now that oil goes to our geopolitical foes before it comes to us. Venezuela also has proximity to the Panama Canal, which we need to move our navy ships from one coast to another, that’s why we built it, and China knows this too. So they want to be able to control it or destroy it if hostilities kick off.
Venezuela also exports a lot of drugs. Not just any drug either, they exporting Fentanyl. Fentanyl is being added to every other drug and it’s deadly. The precursors all come from China. It’s Chinas soft war against the US. They also live under a dictatorship and like every other dictatorship, they have destroyed the economy. Dictatorships don’t value high numbers of citizens, because they don’t need their vote anyways, so they encourage them to leave and when they leave they usually come to the US. And they come illegally most of the time claiming they need asylum, which they almost never get. It’s destabilizing to the US. We have no leverage over Russia anymore so we’ve been slowly picking them off from their “partners”. We’ve done that with Iran, Syria, and soon Venezuela.
We have no carrots with which to get them to stop fighting Ukraine anymore, as Trump has learned to his dismay. We only have the stick left. So losing influence in Venezuela is another stick we use to gain leverage in talks with Russia. We just let them know that we hold all the cards in the world. And we have domestic politics. Less illegal immigration is good for domestic politics. More fuel supply means less pricey gas which is good for domestic politics. Less people dying from overdoses is good for domestic politics. Trump also knows that if he doesn’t placate the Neocon Psychopaths, they will constantly attack him from the right. Or at least his chief of staff knows that. And there’s nothing a neocon loves more than regime change and conflict, so he gets that monkey off his back. Can’t blame him for that even though I don’t agree with it.
The reality is that Congress delegated lots of power to the president because congress is a worthless institution that does nothing but investigate the opposing party depending on who is in power and spending a bunch of money we don’t have. That’s when they aren’t passing legislation that benefits a small group at everyone else’s detriment. They have delegated so much that the president, regardless of who it is, can make a proclamation about this or that and do what they want. The courts aren’t going to start taking power away from the executive when it comes to foreign policy, only congress can do that. If congress delegates it, the courts aren’t going to accept that. They may quibble about terminology but at the end of the day the President has a bunch of power I doubt anyone intended the president to have, and there isn’t much we can do about it. I can’t even say I oppose it. I really don’t care if they blow up drug boats. I don’t care who the president is. I actually think it’s a great thing. I don’t do drugs so it doesn’t affect me. It only affects me when someone I know gets hurt from drugs. People who ship drugs to the US know that they are hurting the country as a whole, or potentially killing citizens and in my mind that’s a clear and present danger. Reasonable people can differ.
But mostly I just am not into the narrative game. I think it’s obvious to any objective person that the Democrats are doing what they always do. Constantly crank everything up to 11 for their political benefit. It’s why I don’t vote democrat anymore. It’s all Trump all the time. There is no nuanced conversation about anything. So while I think there is much we can discuss about all I’ve written above, we aren’t doing it to get to some consensus or be better informed. We are doing it because that’s what the new narrative is and it hurts Trump and helps democrats. I’m sure matt is sincere in his interest, but I’m not interested in playing this game. Everything he is writing can be found anywhere else.
You only want to read things that confirm your beliefs. That’s an echo chamber. You’ve supposedly been a fan for such a long time, but one article (that hadn’t even been released yet at the time of your post), and you’re out. Not only is that wanting to live in an echo chamber, that’s embarrassingly soft.
What makes you think it’s just one article? And what makes you think I only read things I like? I’ve read the same information in Wapo, the Atlantic, heard it from politicians, particularly on the left, but certainly some on the right. Rand Paul and others. No, I’m well aware of what’s going on. This just isn’t bringing anything new to it. At least not for me and that’s why I come here. At least that’s why I pay for it. It’s all the same stuff. I’m certain Matt is sincere in his beliefs and I applaud that. I encourage him to be fearless in his journey. Always have. But I’m not paying for it, that’s silly. You are welcome to do as you please it’s your money. I do disagree that I only want to hear what tickles my bias. I just want a real discussion. Matt is starting from a certain position. Matt is consistent about that and has been for a long time. He questioned pretty much every foreign action for the last 30 years. That’s great. I’ve been right there with him. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I can get this same perspective anywhere right now because it is the newest Trump Bad narrative. And maybe it’s a fair one. But I’m not going to pay for that which I can get for free elsewhere. That’s not living in an echo chamber. That’s just not wasting $5.
Downing a handful of narco terrorists importing poison into America bears no comparison the decapitation bombing campaign that destroyed a nation. Libya has never recovered. The toll in death and suffering there is incalculable.
You stepped on your own dick this time, Matt. Just as bad as legacy media.
After ‘strong horse’ Gaddafi was disposed, Libya sank into chaos and destabilization. Many people there fled and mass migration out and north.
With Venezuela, the removal of Maduro may also bring chaos, but it will likely be shorter lived because leader in waiting, Juan Guaido is ready to depart Miami for Caracas. And unlike Libya, a ‘safe’ Venezuela will pave the way for deportation of ~600K Venezuela illegals currently in the US, to return home.
Wait, isn’t that what Germany is calling on Syrians illegal immigrants to also do now that stability has returned to Damascus?
Everything about Obama is more infamous than has been covered in any form of news - like Arctic Frost and more. I'm not hearing about the voting machine cartels in Venezuela. Isn't that also of interest.
There is a difference in what Trump is doing from Obama’s actions. Trump is dealing with threats coming directly to our shores. The volume of drugs landing on our shores is killing thousands of Americans every year. I don’t remember Obama’s motivations for his drone strikes but I doubt the threat to Americans was imminent. The president of Venezuela is profiting from the drug cartels. China has a lot of influence in the Western Hemisphere. They were providing the precursors for fentanyl in Mexico. I have no sympathy for drug cartels. Not saying goodbye. Please be fair. I like that Trump fights for Americans. I know it is messy. (I hate that he called Somalis garbage, but they need to leave.)
Thanks for the link. I hope Matt reads it. He and Walter need to keep the alarm bells ringing about outside agitators screaming about bogus war crimes that undermine our military. There are too many actors within the administration who are trying to sabotage Trump’s policies.
I know this is not really relevant to Matt's post and the drug boats, but it does involve Venezuela:
I remember reading, a few months ago, of Venzeula attempting to annex (and possibly even invade) neighboring Guyana over the Essequibo region. I stopped hearing about that all of a sudden.
Could this gambit be an attempt by Trump to secure the Essequibo region for Guyana and become a favored trade partner for any future oil drilling?
I don’t know how what Trump is doing regarding these obvious drug cartel boats could be construed as well beyond what OBumbler did with so many drone strikes.. especially considering the continuous title wave of drugs, flooding the US…
No I agree with Trump‘s assessment these are terrorists killing hundreds of thousands of Americans with fentanyl and Coke… take those boats out as quick and as continuously as possible…
Matt - look up the “theory of twin demons” from Argentine politics. The debate around how to comparatively evaluate two sides you don’t like, each with their own undemocratic behavior, was hashed out extensively in that country in the latter part of the 20th century. It could be a useful background for you, if not a framing device for your coming coverage. I look forward to it!
"Illegal issues over the last ten years" were all generated by the Dems and the deep state.
Outside the color of the law - since when have laws stopped State/CIA revolutions in foreign nations? Trump is operating in full daylight for a reason. I expect his purpose will be understood at some point soon.
Please interview some “real Americans” on how they feel about these operations vs the echo chamber you have surrounded yourself with. This is exactly wha I voted for…and every one I know. Keep it up POTUS and SecWar. Finally the War on Drugs is actually tangible!
I specifically didn’t restrict myself to the usual panoply of TV lawyers. There are several Trump supporters in there, plus several serious critics of the Democrats. If you can find a legal opinion anywhere that calls shooting unarmed drug dealers legal in any real sense, please send them my way. There is a claimed legal authority, just like there was in Bush/Obama actions, but I think he jumped the shark on this one.
I think there's a question of whether "shooting unarmed drug dealers" is an accurate and complete description of the situation.
Wow, please read what you wrote…”unarmed drug dealers”! Says who? Unarmed? A boat full of drugs ready to distribute, harm and kill? Seriously Matt! It’s as though you are defending the “drug dealers”…exactly what the Dems do in defending criminals…drug dealer = criminal. Have this conversation with families who have lost loved ones to the non existent “war on drugs”. Like I said, finally tangible, actionable war on drugs”. Not just talk. More please!
Again, your objection is 100% irrelevant to the point. This seems to be a habit. It does not matter--does NOT matter to the legality- whether or not the dealers are armed-I'm sure they are! Or whether that are awful people-I'm sure they are! The argument is that it is not legal for the military to strike, as it's a matter for police. Instead of making emotional points about how glad you are, please try to defend the legality-that is the ONLY point that matters.
Terrorism within our borders is (primarily) a police matter. Outside, it is the military.
You are clueless as to how the world really works.
I agree with that. When people have had enough they don’t want some private armed guarded cartel payrolled lawyer telling them their kids have to be raped and killed because of the rights of the poor gangster. Recently NYC let violent felons out on the streets.
It’s a tragedy that will not end well and Trump is betting that Americans have had enough.
Matt it is not "legal" but the Empire and its citizens are deeming it necessary. The US has put up with Mexico\Columbia etc dealing poison for 60 years-and yes demand is hard to police in a free society, but citizens dying, not just being incapacitated is too much. Drugs are bombs launched by terrorists.
But he hasn't closed the airspace over Mexico.
Although he got Mexico to guard their southern border. Regardless, there are still riots in Mexico demanding an end to cartel violence.
I was with Aaron Burr regarding Mexico. Maybe too late, but with Trump, who knows?
I am not a lawyer but I am pretty good with history. I see a pretty strong parallel to the situation with the Barbary pirates. The Barbary Pirate Wars were legally justified by the United States primarily on the basis of self-defense against ongoing acts of state-sponsored criminal activity and the internationally recognized right to use force to protect its commerce and citizens.
Venezuela has devolved from a republic to a dictatorship with its top leader, apparently, essentially a cartel boss. So, I am not terribly concerned about the fundamental concept of bombing drug boats.
The assumption you make about this just being a case of "shooting unarmed drug dealers" is where I think you veer to far from facts in evidence. The distinction we are dealing with here is unavoidable loss of life in a legal strike versus a strike intended only to kill allegedly drifting/clinging survivors. Right now, I am more inclined to believe the former than the latter and to give leeway to those directly involved if this falls into the gray areas. BTW Dontdrinkdakoolaid (something like that) gives a link lower on the page) that lends a lot of perspective by lawyer/former JAG.
Here is where you have gone off the rails, Taibbi. This is NOT a question of legality. It is an utterly political question. The US, especially the legacy media and now you, has been engaging in a form of "due process masturbation" for about 30 years. And, by the way, lawyers just have opinions. They are nothing but advocates. Judges decide the law and cases. No judges have ruled here so the opinions of lawyers is just opinion.
What about (yes, what about ism!) the "defense of the douche bag Kuwaitis when Saddam invaded? Was that "legal"? Was that even in the US national interest.
How about the invasion of Iraq looking for WMD? Was that legal? Us National interest? Bullshit.
How about Afghanistan? Legal? To find OBL? Seriously?
How about the bombing of Serbia by Bubba? Libya by O'Bummer?
How about Mogadishu action, resulting in the deaths of American Blackhawk warriors?
Americans - ESPECIALLY folks in flyover country (Taibbi, pay attention) are sick of seeing their communities devastated by drugs, by Wall Street, by lawyers diddling their dicks (or clits) over :due process while kids and families are destroyed.
This is a political decision. It is in the US National interest.
As Trump supporter, I agree.. When he closes the airspace over Mexico, I might believe this is about drugs.
What does closing airspace over Mexico have to do with taking out drug runners in the Gulf of America?
(Last part for laughs!)
He closed the airspace over Venuzuela. Most of our drugs come here through Mexico..
Are the drugs fro Mexico by air?
He warned that there may be ordinance flying. Different
How long a list of precedents do you need???? Washington did this same thing. Jefferson did this same thing. Jackson did this same thing. Tyler. Polk. Taylor. Buchanan. Lincoln. Every single president Grant - Wilson did this.
Both Roosevelts. FDR and Truman and Eisenhower and jfk and lbj did this.
You need a lecture by Colonel Jessup on how the world treats us.
Mary-no one, including Matt, made a point about whether or not Trump supporters like these actions or not-whether or not "real" Americans like them or not is irrelevant to the point. The point is, are these actions legal or not? So instead of arguing your emotions, you might argue whether or not they are legal. I'll start-I voted Trump three times, and I like seeing the drug boats blow up, it's satisfying! It's also not legal, and that is a fact. Drug smuggling is a crime and a President can't simply designate it as terrorism at will-the two things are different.
Not a fact.
Correct, it is a legal opinion, a legal opinion of almost every legal scholar, and not just on the left, on the right as well
America does what needs to be done because the legal beagles have focused on feelings rather than law. Hill Street Blues in the 1980s predicted where would be 40 years later: "Let 'em go Moe" law has produced a flood of thugs and hoodlums in the US and helped multiply the number of thugs and hoodlums in what were one "almost First World" countries. Shakespeare had the best advice for dealing with lawyers.
Maybe the religious types are right to want to ban sodomy. That should get rid of the lawyers over time?
😂😂😂
By “real Americans” Mary of course means the ones who share her point of view. Twat.
Really, name calling? How childish. We are here to agree to disagree. Thank God for that. Calling out the article according to my opinion. As you are entitled to yours…
Quite right Mary. Let me rephrase what I’ve written. Mary; it is my considered opinion that you are a twat. Better?
And you, Johnny, are a cunt.
Take off, hoser.
And you sir are an ass of of the largest variety.
Do you feel better now? Of course you do…
Folks, ignore this douche. He reads Sam Harris and Garrison Keillor. What a dork of midwit (at best) intellect.
Charming.
real Americans are good neighbors. Don't find too many of those in blue cities.
Real Americans. Blue cities. 😂😂😂😂
You're offering o hang at Nuremberg with them?
I want to deal with the criminal narco state that is Venezuela. I don’t have much sympathy for them. I am tired of the onslaught of fentanyl into our country and the subsequent deaths.
Colombia, Peru, Mexico are all narco states larger in scale than Venezuela.
My guess, this is about oil and gas.
Isn't it amazing that countries that once had legitimate economies have found drugs more profitable? Venezuela was once almost a first world country. Columbia, Peru, and Mexico were not hell holes. The firs world drug consumers have much to account for.
Marxist Leftist policies is what they all have in common. in other words equal outcomes of crime and misery. While the U.S. calls it EQUITY
(except for the Marxist officials and their apparatchiks living in luxury)
I employ only locally-grown cannabis, so I am innocent.
These three countries are larger but are not as deeply corrupt as Venezula. There is at least a remote chance of reducing drug running through conventional means there. Venuzuela has gone over into full Barbary Pirate status.
Fentanyl does not come from Venezuela
But Venezuela is a close ally of the main source of the precursors for fentanyl and to the primary source of fentanyl. Google it.
That is not the war justification that is being argued
And you know this how?
Literally every single source including the DEA and 2025 Drug Threat Assessment from this same government
I'm tired of our human wreckage and also tired of hearing about murdered citizens and politicians down south that wouldn't cooperate with the drug lords. I hope Trump keeps going.
I would not be at all surprised to find out someday that he is going after Venezuela to get at our own deep state running drugs into our country just as they have done in the past to fund all their Black ops shit. I would not be surprised at to find out someday that in 2020 our election was rigged - Biden 81 million votes? C'mon. This goes far deeper and darker than just blowing up a few drug boats.
Matt, your sources might think this is "dumb shit" but once again Trump is marching to the beat of the majority of Americans who aren't getting hot and bothered about greasing drug runners. Trump does not march to the beat of "experts" or journalists, which is why you don't get him.
Sorry Matt. The time has come to part ways. I have appreciated your work for a long time and I wish you all the best moving forward.
Matt Taibbi. It’s about securing the oil for the West (and not China). It’s also about stopping the drug flow north, because that is something that can be more easily sold to the public.
Bingo! The discovery of massive offshore oil reserves in the Essequibo region in 2015 intensified Venezuela's long-standing territorial dispute with Guyana. Maduro has threatened to move in.
Yes, Maduro has been sabotaging rattling about it, and it’s FAFO time.
Staying the loop. You have an opportunity to influence his coverage if you stay engaged. Also, Racket News gets me out of my own echo chamber.
You summed up why I pay for this subscription: Getting out of my party's echo chamber. I pay for another subscription that is "all Trump all the time," cheerleading. It's good for a few things but it's a lot of over the top "yay Trump." I can't trust it much anymore.
Nah. This is just another story in the Great Narrative of whatever the new thing is. I can literally get this information anywhere, for free. I like Matt’s work when it cuts against the grain or digs into the machine. He deserves to write whatever interests him and he has certainly earned that. I’m just not wasting my time on it. I don’t live in an echo chamber and I don’t intend to. Another story on Trump, Venezuela and how bad it is not rejecting the echo chamber. It’s living in it. He won’t miss my money. I suspect he will get a bump in subscriptions from the folks who love whatever the new thing is.
Maybe. And he will still have independents, like me, who may have voted for Trump, but look askance at some of his actions. We don't and won't live in echo chambers of any kind - not the Orange Man Bad echo chamber, and not the Everything Trump Does is Great echo chamber, either. If you want the latter, find one, they're out there - just be honest with yourself that there's only one sort of echo chamber you avoid.
I am also an independent, but spent most of my 46 years either to the far left of center, or less so. It’s not that I have a problem with anything Matt chooses to write. As I stated before, it’s just no different than I can find anywhere else. These aren’t ideas I’m rejecting. I’m not closing myself off to information I don’t like. I can literally find the same information anywhere from the same perspective and it doesn’t cost me $5. Matt has a personal opinion about this that is consistent. I appreciate that and I encourage him to do what he thinks is right.
Before you go?
What I think what is all about? Venezuela? It’s pretty obvious what it’s about. It’s many things all woven into one operation. Probably the biggest thing is that Venezuela is the country in our hemisphere more than any other that has let in all our geopolitical opponents into their territory. They are the foothold for China, Russia and Iran in the western hemisphere.
They also have a bunch of oil that our oil companies paid to build the extraction and refining infrastructure and that was essentially stolen by the Venezuelan government. Now that oil goes to our geopolitical foes before it comes to us. Venezuela also has proximity to the Panama Canal, which we need to move our navy ships from one coast to another, that’s why we built it, and China knows this too. So they want to be able to control it or destroy it if hostilities kick off.
Venezuela also exports a lot of drugs. Not just any drug either, they exporting Fentanyl. Fentanyl is being added to every other drug and it’s deadly. The precursors all come from China. It’s Chinas soft war against the US. They also live under a dictatorship and like every other dictatorship, they have destroyed the economy. Dictatorships don’t value high numbers of citizens, because they don’t need their vote anyways, so they encourage them to leave and when they leave they usually come to the US. And they come illegally most of the time claiming they need asylum, which they almost never get. It’s destabilizing to the US. We have no leverage over Russia anymore so we’ve been slowly picking them off from their “partners”. We’ve done that with Iran, Syria, and soon Venezuela.
We have no carrots with which to get them to stop fighting Ukraine anymore, as Trump has learned to his dismay. We only have the stick left. So losing influence in Venezuela is another stick we use to gain leverage in talks with Russia. We just let them know that we hold all the cards in the world. And we have domestic politics. Less illegal immigration is good for domestic politics. More fuel supply means less pricey gas which is good for domestic politics. Less people dying from overdoses is good for domestic politics. Trump also knows that if he doesn’t placate the Neocon Psychopaths, they will constantly attack him from the right. Or at least his chief of staff knows that. And there’s nothing a neocon loves more than regime change and conflict, so he gets that monkey off his back. Can’t blame him for that even though I don’t agree with it.
The reality is that Congress delegated lots of power to the president because congress is a worthless institution that does nothing but investigate the opposing party depending on who is in power and spending a bunch of money we don’t have. That’s when they aren’t passing legislation that benefits a small group at everyone else’s detriment. They have delegated so much that the president, regardless of who it is, can make a proclamation about this or that and do what they want. The courts aren’t going to start taking power away from the executive when it comes to foreign policy, only congress can do that. If congress delegates it, the courts aren’t going to accept that. They may quibble about terminology but at the end of the day the President has a bunch of power I doubt anyone intended the president to have, and there isn’t much we can do about it. I can’t even say I oppose it. I really don’t care if they blow up drug boats. I don’t care who the president is. I actually think it’s a great thing. I don’t do drugs so it doesn’t affect me. It only affects me when someone I know gets hurt from drugs. People who ship drugs to the US know that they are hurting the country as a whole, or potentially killing citizens and in my mind that’s a clear and present danger. Reasonable people can differ.
But mostly I just am not into the narrative game. I think it’s obvious to any objective person that the Democrats are doing what they always do. Constantly crank everything up to 11 for their political benefit. It’s why I don’t vote democrat anymore. It’s all Trump all the time. There is no nuanced conversation about anything. So while I think there is much we can discuss about all I’ve written above, we aren’t doing it to get to some consensus or be better informed. We are doing it because that’s what the new narrative is and it hurts Trump and helps democrats. I’m sure matt is sincere in his interest, but I’m not interested in playing this game. Everything he is writing can be found anywhere else.
Please tell us what you think it’s all about?
He wants to be in an echo chamber. Let him be.
It seems to me the echo chamber is this, no? Is this not the same story that can be found everywhere else? Do you know what an echo chamber is?
You only want to read things that confirm your beliefs. That’s an echo chamber. You’ve supposedly been a fan for such a long time, but one article (that hadn’t even been released yet at the time of your post), and you’re out. Not only is that wanting to live in an echo chamber, that’s embarrassingly soft.
What makes you think it’s just one article? And what makes you think I only read things I like? I’ve read the same information in Wapo, the Atlantic, heard it from politicians, particularly on the left, but certainly some on the right. Rand Paul and others. No, I’m well aware of what’s going on. This just isn’t bringing anything new to it. At least not for me and that’s why I come here. At least that’s why I pay for it. It’s all the same stuff. I’m certain Matt is sincere in his beliefs and I applaud that. I encourage him to be fearless in his journey. Always have. But I’m not paying for it, that’s silly. You are welcome to do as you please it’s your money. I do disagree that I only want to hear what tickles my bias. I just want a real discussion. Matt is starting from a certain position. Matt is consistent about that and has been for a long time. He questioned pretty much every foreign action for the last 30 years. That’s great. I’ve been right there with him. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I can get this same perspective anywhere right now because it is the newest Trump Bad narrative. And maybe it’s a fair one. But I’m not going to pay for that which I can get for free elsewhere. That’s not living in an echo chamber. That’s just not wasting $5.
Downing a handful of narco terrorists importing poison into America bears no comparison the decapitation bombing campaign that destroyed a nation. Libya has never recovered. The toll in death and suffering there is incalculable.
You stepped on your own dick this time, Matt. Just as bad as legacy media.
After ‘strong horse’ Gaddafi was disposed, Libya sank into chaos and destabilization. Many people there fled and mass migration out and north.
With Venezuela, the removal of Maduro may also bring chaos, but it will likely be shorter lived because leader in waiting, Juan Guaido is ready to depart Miami for Caracas. And unlike Libya, a ‘safe’ Venezuela will pave the way for deportation of ~600K Venezuela illegals currently in the US, to return home.
Wait, isn’t that what Germany is calling on Syrians illegal immigrants to also do now that stability has returned to Damascus?
Ever notice that nobody seems to ever ask about what happened to Ghadaffi’s billions in physical gold? Funny that..
The upcome piece title: “Insane Clown Pentagon.” doesnt' exactly inspire confidence in its fairness or accuracy.
Everything about Obama is more infamous than has been covered in any form of news - like Arctic Frost and more. I'm not hearing about the voting machine cartels in Venezuela. Isn't that also of interest.
Stellar work Matt. One day journalists will be like you again.
Keep up the great work.
There is a difference in what Trump is doing from Obama’s actions. Trump is dealing with threats coming directly to our shores. The volume of drugs landing on our shores is killing thousands of Americans every year. I don’t remember Obama’s motivations for his drone strikes but I doubt the threat to Americans was imminent. The president of Venezuela is profiting from the drug cartels. China has a lot of influence in the Western Hemisphere. They were providing the precursors for fentanyl in Mexico. I have no sympathy for drug cartels. Not saying goodbye. Please be fair. I like that Trump fights for Americans. I know it is messy. (I hate that he called Somalis garbage, but they need to leave.)
A different perspective from one who knows: https://www.dailywire.com/news/cornell-law-professor-shreds-entirely-unconvincing-war-crime-accusation-against-hegseth?utm_content=15920025&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=iterable
Thanks for the link. I hope Matt reads it. He and Walter need to keep the alarm bells ringing about outside agitators screaming about bogus war crimes that undermine our military. There are too many actors within the administration who are trying to sabotage Trump’s policies.
That article needs to be much more broadly viewed. Anyone know how to get to Tom Bevan?
I know this is not really relevant to Matt's post and the drug boats, but it does involve Venezuela:
I remember reading, a few months ago, of Venzeula attempting to annex (and possibly even invade) neighboring Guyana over the Essequibo region. I stopped hearing about that all of a sudden.
Could this gambit be an attempt by Trump to secure the Essequibo region for Guyana and become a favored trade partner for any future oil drilling?
I don’t know how what Trump is doing regarding these obvious drug cartel boats could be construed as well beyond what OBumbler did with so many drone strikes.. especially considering the continuous title wave of drugs, flooding the US…
No I agree with Trump‘s assessment these are terrorists killing hundreds of thousands of Americans with fentanyl and Coke… take those boats out as quick and as continuously as possible…
Matt - look up the “theory of twin demons” from Argentine politics. The debate around how to comparatively evaluate two sides you don’t like, each with their own undemocratic behavior, was hashed out extensively in that country in the latter part of the 20th century. It could be a useful background for you, if not a framing device for your coming coverage. I look forward to it!
"Illegal issues over the last ten years" were all generated by the Dems and the deep state.
Outside the color of the law - since when have laws stopped State/CIA revolutions in foreign nations? Trump is operating in full daylight for a reason. I expect his purpose will be understood at some point soon.