The contradiction of all of this is the point. Hernández trafficked 400+ tons of cocaine into the U.S., got convicted, Trump pardoned him. Maduro gets indicted for the same thing, Trump bombs Caracas and extracts him.
The difference? Hernández aligned with U.S. interests. Maduro cut oil deals with China.
This isn’t about drugs; it never was. The November NSS explicitly authorizes seizing “strategically vital assets” from Chinese/Russian influence. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves. The narcoterrorism charge is just moral licensing to bypass Congress and reframe regime change as “law enforcement.”
Hernández’s pardon and Maduro’s extraction aren’t contradictions. They’re the same policy: Autocrats who align get protection. The “drug war” rhetoric is cover for spheres-of-influence politics and resource seizure.
Power, raw power, never justice.
The jungle grows back. G-Zero. Now we’re watching spheres-of-influence politics return in real time; the frameworks predicted this, but watching doctrine become kinetic action is different. I’ve been analyzing these theories for years, and Venezuela just made them operational.
Please spread the word about Aleksander Dugin. He is a Russian political philosopher, often referred to as “Putin’s brain” or “Putin’s philosopher”, is a leading theorist of neo-Eurasianism. He believes Russia is on a Messianic mission and that Russia needs to destroy Ukraine and take over Europe to fulfill a divine goal.
Dugin believes Russia should control the entire European/Russian continent and that they would leave everything west of the Atlantic for the Untied States.
During Trump’s first campaign, Dugin urged Americans to vote for Trump. It is well documented that Russia influenced that campaign with thousands of fake bots posting phony conspiracies. Remember the child sacrifices being performed in a pizza parlor basement claim?? Russia was an integral part of the Trump campaign which is well documented.
Why is the media ignoring the ties Trump has with the Russian political machine??
Craig Unger wrote two books about the 40 year relationship between tRUMP and russia. tRUMP received billions of dollars from russian oligarchs and mobsters who purchased tRUMP properties and helped him survive 6 bankruptcies and $4 billion in debt. tRUMP also received "favors" from the russian government, including an invitation to visit Moscow in 1987 to discuss building a tRUMP Tower there, the first of tRUMP's three visits to Moscow. tRUMP sees russians as his friends and business partners, not enemies of the West. And he understands now he must return the many "favors" he's received.
Road to Unfreedom sent shivers up my spine. My point in my comment is that even though you already wrote about Dugan, this analysis needs to be front and center in the media at this time. The media is missing the real story and is paying attention only to the "shiny objects" that distract from the real theat.
Much independent media will go there. I recall ProPublica/NPR doing a fantastic series called Trump Inc, that exposes many ties, back during the first trum regime.
Now, most corporate media (which has taken control of local news outlets) is bending the knee for lucre. They've lost their way. They're part of the deal.
Trump has fulfilled his fantasy of using the US military to remove a sitting president. Of being a war time president - and perhaps being awarded a third term.
A precedent, is that Republicans rush to spin Trump's bad fantasies into worse facts on the ground. Will this prove different? Rubio, Hegseth et al are all in. Congress has been out, but even when they're in - the Republican majority blocks any effective oversight. As of 7am yesterday, CSpan call in shows were already filled with Trump supporters repeating the GOP party line - doctrine, corollary, backyard etc etc.
And on the Left, too much talk of impeachment. Impeachment is a political tactic, not to be confused with a moral imperative. It would be an unforced error to pursue it - uniting the fracturing GOP, splitting Democrats, angering just about everyone, and threatening the potential for a Blue Wave 2026. Instead, beat the odds like Mamdani. Get out the vote for Democratic candidates and win back the House and Senate.
you make a good point against impeachment - I am concerned about the election ever happening or being so compromised that he will call it 'rigged' again.
The threat of impeachment worked against Richard Nixon because Republicans in Congress put the Constitution over the party. Starting with Reagan and Gingrich - and the Federalist Society Supreme Court majority - Republicans began treating the Constitution and Rule of Law as obstacles to be overcome and overturned. The Leo Supremes heralded Project 2025 - and went from selecting a president in Bush v Gore to king-making in the aptly named Trump v United States.
We should aim to impeach.. what is your reasoning? Impeachment is a political too, a remedy that must be pursued. This is why we have it. Of course we need the Congress both houses.
The only American oil company presently operating in Venezuela is Chevron, and just barely operating there. I will never patronize or put a gallon of Chevron gasoline in any car I own. If American companies had assets nationalized by Venezuela they are entitled to seek just compensation through legal action. However, oil reserves still in the ground are the sovereign property of the people of Venezuela. They were not stolen from the U.S.
Sitting here on a rainy Sunday morning. Wondering what 2026 will bring??? I watch a lot of political shows & follow several Substack authors so I'm a tad bit more informed than the average American I think.
~~~ This holiday season I decided to go all out with decorating because I had the feeling that Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas 2025 might just be the last "happy holiday season" that we would see. The events taking place over this weekend, for me, justified my gloomy foreshadowing of what it might be like next year.
~~~ When I am completely overcome with anger at what is taking place in "the greatest country in the world" I turn to the "comfort" of watching WWII documentaries! I think I do that because at the end of that war the "good guys" won & the US, being the only power not left in shambles after that conflict, initiated a peace plan that did not punish & extract revenge on the countries that lost. We initiated & helped with rebuilding economies & infrastructure. This was in direct contrast to the Versailles Treaty that laid a solid foundation for WWII.
~~~ That America is gone, replaced by vengeance, greed, lust for power & control. Oh, it didn't just happen with the trump regime is started with Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 & 2 & proceeded to what we have now thanks to gutting our education system, filling our airways with inane "reality" TV, glorifying undeserving individuals because of their so-called noteriety. All this exacerbated by uncontrolled tech billionaires who will not allow oversight, using the cover of the First Amendment preserving "free speech".
~~~ The first thing I learned about freedom of speech is that it does not give you the right to yell FIRE in a crowded theater. Let's think about that, you can't yell FIRE in a crowded theater, why? Because it is dangerous & can cause harm to the patrons, & less importantly some possible damage to the building.
I'd like to parse this a bit more & throw in some biblical ideals to use to correct what is happening on our airwaves & "ether-waves". Republicans & Evangelicals love to tell us that we need more religion, specifically more Christian religion. OK, if that is the case then where has this commandment gone? "Thou shalt not bear false witness.", the simplified meaning being lying. Since every armchair philosopher ruminates about what the First Amendment means I'd like to propose that it does not protect lying & false statements. Yes, that smacks of repression, who am I to decide what is a lie & what is truth? But isn't that why we find ourselves in this miasma of uncertainty? Don't we need some type of interpretation of the First Amendment that protects us from the lies regurgitated by the president & his cronies? Aren't the insideous lies/conspiracies spread on TV, Podcasts the Internet like yelling 'FIRE" in a crowded theater? I'll leave to you, the reader, to decide, but someone in authority better think this through & come up with a "civilian" version of, "Though shalt not bear false witness." If not we will be doomed to whatever the "best liar" says is true!
Thank you for your kind comment. I get to thinking about where we were as a country right after WWII & then think about where we are right now & just wonder how we got here.
I'm thinking greed & disinterest & being spoiled, we are an exceedingly rich country though you would never know it for millions of people that live paycheck to paycheck & now will be out priced for medical care, housing & food while the Uber wealthy sit on their yachts & sip wine & eat caviar! or whatever is haute cuisine these days. I wouldn't know I'm a hamburger & chuck roast kinda gal when I can afford that! : )
I am beginning to think the Human is a very flawed animal, too greedy and power-mad to act in the best interests of, even continuation, of our species.
Even the super intelligent ones, like Space Lab Astronauts, illustrate this: In the 1950s when the Russian Astronauts and the US Astronauts (everyone was male, then) teamed up for the very first time. They were negotiating the first hook-up from a Space Shuttle to the main Space Lab. The key part of this was the mechanism for actually attaching the Shuttle when it docked at the Space Lab.
It was essentially a procedure of a prong on the Shuttle Capsule fitting into a receptacle in the Space Lab. The Astronauts almost violently fought each other to be the ones pushing the prong, not the ones accepting the prong into the hole. WOW !! How could we ask for more intelligent behavior than this? >-)
When Trump says he will find someone suitable to "run" Venezuela, how can that person be anyone but himself? He is, after all, the best general, the best admiral, the best architect, the best lawyer, the best doctor, and the best programmer for the Kennedy Center.
Waiting for Trump to put his own name in front of everything named for Simon Bolivar.
Phillips O’Brien wrote yesterday “Arguably the real military power behind the throne in Venezuela today is the tens of thousands of Cuban operatives in the country.” Estimates are there are 30,000 Cuban operatives in the country protecting Cuba’s interests in Venezuelan oil and backing up Maduro’s regime. Cuba depends on Venezuela for its oil and since the attacks on tankers shipping Venezuelan oil, the Cuban economy is “a mess” and the country is experiencing power outages. russia invested heavily in Venezuela including providing russian air defense systems that were easily destroyed by U.S. forces. Andrii Ryzhenko, a Ukrainian military expert said “The removal of the Maduro regime by the Americans is a political slap in the face for Putin.” russians fear a further drop in oil prices once the U.S. begins selling Venezuelan oil. And China is Venezuela’s largest buyer of oil. We all thought WWIII would start in Europe but in light of the U.S. takeover of Venezuela, it may start there.
Not at all certain the BUKs were destroyed by US forces. Several substacks reported that elements of the Maduro regime destroyed them before the US helicopters approached.
This Venezuela operation is simply an escalation in the plan to consolidate our United States as an authoritarian regime and with the apparently full complicity now of our military and the ‘Accelerationist’ tech bro billionaire consigliari who, besides himself, are all that Trump cares about fighting for and with. This is not about Justice for bad guys. It’s about firmly establishing and consolidating the criminal syndicate of our aspiring ‘Don’ of the Americas.
TAIWAN. Does it have oil? Not that I've heard. Does China think Trump will do anything if they meddle in Taiwan's government? I fear the Donroe doctrine will usher in a new era of instability. If so, American business and the billionaires bros to whom Trump so visibly caters may not be as thrilled as he'd hoped.
Why is it that the historians make the most sense? Fascism and imperialism best describe the America we live in today. You have always been a good historian, able to take past fragments and relate them to the present. Your celebrity has forced you to become a great writer. I enjoy reading your work - thanks for the gift.
I don't have a degree in history, but I've read a lot of it as it's an advocation of mine. With enough familiarity, you start to notice the similarities. That's why authoritarian regimes try to ban or change the history books.
Isn't "extraction" a diplomatic way to phrase what happened? From fear of retaliation or following state press guidelines, the media is using the word "capture". Seems to me this is an illegal kidnapping of a leader (albeit execrable one) in a sovereign country. Seems Trump (and Rubio and Hegseth) have no inkling of the ramifications and this maneuver is green lighting Xi to invade Taiwan. Also, I seriously begin to wonder if we'll even have midterm elections at this rate. Happy Effin' New Year.
Without Congressional knowledge or approval, President Donald Trump just invaded, attacked, and kidnapped a sitting President of another country. He announced that the United States will now govern Venezuela.
A year ago, Mr. Trump expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, Canada, Panama, and other countries, but his statements were dismissed. He completed this task on the third day of 2026, making Venezuela the first country to yield to Mr. Trump’s land expansion delusional behavior.
What would happen if Donald Trump were deemed mentally unfit to carry on as the President? To invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, it would involve the Vice President and the Trump Cabinet. This action is doubtful.
“The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and prosecutes individuals for the most serious international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, acting as a court of last resort when national courts can’t or won’t prosecute, thereby ending impunity for perpetrators and deterring future atrocities, working through its Prosecutor, Judges, and Registry to bring justice for victims and promote lasting peace.” (Wikipedia)
As of this morning, Mr. Trump has committed several crimes under the purview of the ICC and the Rome Statue. (1) Crimes Against Humanity. He has been charged with deliberately denying food and medicine to millions of Africans. The death toll may exceed fourteen million. (2) War Crimes. He deliberately bombed Iran, Syria, and Venezuela – without provocation or Congressional approval. (3) Crime of Aggression. His overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the arrest of the President of Venezuela is a “crime of aggression.”
The former Soviet Union (USSR) consisted of 15 member republics, which became 15 independent nations in 1991. Under the rule of the USSR, the leaders of these countries pledged loyalty and obedience to Russia. Before Mr. Putin was awarded the Russian presidency by Mr. Yeltsin, a book was published in Moscow in 1997 called The Foundations of Geopolitics. Putin was presumed the ghost writer. It outlines his thoughts on returning Russia to the glory days of the USSR. His invasion of Ukraine is the second step in that direction. The first step was the entrapment of Donald Trump, via money and women. Putin assumed control of the U.S. leadership for the purpose to destroy the US government. He then began to tear down our society by placing Russian Organized Crime agents in every state in the US. Their jobs include: cyber attacks, drug distribution, sports gambling, arson/fires, murder, political threats, and so on. The 2020 US Census reported there are over 3 million Russians in the U.S.
Putin’s role in the Trump demolishing of the Venezuela government is unknown. Speculation could be to build a coalition of countries as mentioned in The Foundation of Geopolitics that resembles the former USSR. Did Nicolas Maduro fall out of grace with Putin, and then Putin used US forces to replace him?
Reuters published an article on December 10, 2025, titled ‘US Threatens new ICC sanctions unless Court Pledges Not to Prosecute Trump.’ Mr. Trump’s administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials.” Threating the ICC, its court officials, and its functions can only result in retributive justice. This was an enormously ignornant ultimatum, but shows that Mr. Trump planned this coup d’etat at least a month ago.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri for crimes against humanity. In 2023 an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin was issued for unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. This court is patient and this arrest warrant does not have an expiration date.
The International Criminal Court has secured convictions against multiple individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, resulting in substantial prison sentences for certain defendants. Without Congressional knowledge or approval, President Donald Trump just invaded, attacked, and kidnapped a sitting President of another country.
The ICC acts only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute. Neither the U.S. Congress nor the Supreme Court have been able to contain Mr. Trump’s illegal actions and crimes. It is time for the ICC to prosecute.
Mr. Trump’s military aggression in Venezuela is no different than Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Visit www.democrazy2020.org and view the 2-minute video on “How Donald Trump Destroyed America.”
I think Venezuelans holding immediate elections would be something they’d jump all over !! Install their people , push trump’s buttons, and the we’ll see his true nature . The what happens AFTER you grab’em by the pu**y behavior.
U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
It’s quick, free, and valid for all elections in 2026. Need help? Write to help@votefromabroad.org.
Vote from Abroad volunteers are ready to assist you with any questions about requesting or returning your ballot. Don’t wait! Request your ballot today and make your voice heard! 🗳️
However: look at today's news. Trump et al have changed the Post Office rules re when votes are considered "made." They will not count the day a ballot is received, but will measure when it's "postmarked" by the PO. Thus people can submit their ballots on or before election day, but they may not be stamped or recognized until hours or days later. This will disqualify early voters, voters from rural areas, and military ballots from overseas.
See Marc Elias from Democracy Docket for a fuller explanation.
We know. This has been discussed on Democrats Abroad and Indivisible Abroad with people discussing suggestions. Some states allow emailed ballots. I wish my state would do that. I understand how it works. At the same time many of us living abroad live in countries where the postal service is slowing down, so that causes many problems.
"What we see we can stop; what we understand we can change." Thank you.
Excellent comment and article, thank you both!
The contradiction of all of this is the point. Hernández trafficked 400+ tons of cocaine into the U.S., got convicted, Trump pardoned him. Maduro gets indicted for the same thing, Trump bombs Caracas and extracts him.
The difference? Hernández aligned with U.S. interests. Maduro cut oil deals with China.
This isn’t about drugs; it never was. The November NSS explicitly authorizes seizing “strategically vital assets” from Chinese/Russian influence. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves. The narcoterrorism charge is just moral licensing to bypass Congress and reframe regime change as “law enforcement.”
Hernández’s pardon and Maduro’s extraction aren’t contradictions. They’re the same policy: Autocrats who align get protection. The “drug war” rhetoric is cover for spheres-of-influence politics and resource seizure.
Power, raw power, never justice.
The jungle grows back. G-Zero. Now we’re watching spheres-of-influence politics return in real time; the frameworks predicted this, but watching doctrine become kinetic action is different. I’ve been analyzing these theories for years, and Venezuela just made them operational.
—Johan
Please spread the word about Aleksander Dugin. He is a Russian political philosopher, often referred to as “Putin’s brain” or “Putin’s philosopher”, is a leading theorist of neo-Eurasianism. He believes Russia is on a Messianic mission and that Russia needs to destroy Ukraine and take over Europe to fulfill a divine goal.
Dugin believes Russia should control the entire European/Russian continent and that they would leave everything west of the Atlantic for the Untied States.
During Trump’s first campaign, Dugin urged Americans to vote for Trump. It is well documented that Russia influenced that campaign with thousands of fake bots posting phony conspiracies. Remember the child sacrifices being performed in a pizza parlor basement claim?? Russia was an integral part of the Trump campaign which is well documented.
Why is the media ignoring the ties Trump has with the Russian political machine??
Craig Unger wrote two books about the 40 year relationship between tRUMP and russia. tRUMP received billions of dollars from russian oligarchs and mobsters who purchased tRUMP properties and helped him survive 6 bankruptcies and $4 billion in debt. tRUMP also received "favors" from the russian government, including an invitation to visit Moscow in 1987 to discuss building a tRUMP Tower there, the first of tRUMP's three visits to Moscow. tRUMP sees russians as his friends and business partners, not enemies of the West. And he understands now he must return the many "favors" he's received.
Two interviews with Craig Unger:
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/03/05/craig-unger-trump-wont-betray-putin-after-40-years-of-russian-money/
https://newrepublic.com/article/165553/donald-trump-everything-vladimir-putin-wished-russian-asset
Slava Ukraini!
As I'm sure Putin considers Kushner and Witkoff his business partners!
Business partners aka "useful idiots".
Slava Ukraini!
Slava Ukraini.
He figures in Road to Unfreedom
Road to Unfreedom sent shivers up my spine. My point in my comment is that even though you already wrote about Dugan, this analysis needs to be front and center in the media at this time. The media is missing the real story and is paying attention only to the "shiny objects" that distract from the real theat.
Much independent media will go there. I recall ProPublica/NPR doing a fantastic series called Trump Inc, that exposes many ties, back during the first trum regime.
Now, most corporate media (which has taken control of local news outlets) is bending the knee for lucre. They've lost their way. They're part of the deal.
Here is a link to the ProPublica/WNYC podcast, Trump, Inc. Scroll through the episodes ...
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/trumpinc/episodes/1
I thought "Untied States" was appropriate!
Timothy Snyder has spread this word, Ralph, in his own book, "The Road to Unfreedom."
Somewhat Apples and Oranges...
Trump has fulfilled his fantasy of using the US military to remove a sitting president. Of being a war time president - and perhaps being awarded a third term.
A precedent, is that Republicans rush to spin Trump's bad fantasies into worse facts on the ground. Will this prove different? Rubio, Hegseth et al are all in. Congress has been out, but even when they're in - the Republican majority blocks any effective oversight. As of 7am yesterday, CSpan call in shows were already filled with Trump supporters repeating the GOP party line - doctrine, corollary, backyard etc etc.
And on the Left, too much talk of impeachment. Impeachment is a political tactic, not to be confused with a moral imperative. It would be an unforced error to pursue it - uniting the fracturing GOP, splitting Democrats, angering just about everyone, and threatening the potential for a Blue Wave 2026. Instead, beat the odds like Mamdani. Get out the vote for Democratic candidates and win back the House and Senate.
you make a good point against impeachment - I am concerned about the election ever happening or being so compromised that he will call it 'rigged' again.
No election has been compromised. Trump calls anything 'rigged' when he doesn't win.
This sounds fear based to me. We need to impeach- as soon as feasible... to act in the way we have been given constitutionally. What otherwise?
Whoever believes that impeachment is a tactic that works in the United States is a fool of the grandest order.
The threat of impeachment worked against Richard Nixon because Republicans in Congress put the Constitution over the party. Starting with Reagan and Gingrich - and the Federalist Society Supreme Court majority - Republicans began treating the Constitution and Rule of Law as obstacles to be overcome and overturned. The Leo Supremes heralded Project 2025 - and went from selecting a president in Bush v Gore to king-making in the aptly named Trump v United States.
We should aim to impeach.. what is your reasoning? Impeachment is a political too, a remedy that must be pursued. This is why we have it. Of course we need the Congress both houses.
The only American oil company presently operating in Venezuela is Chevron, and just barely operating there. I will never patronize or put a gallon of Chevron gasoline in any car I own. If American companies had assets nationalized by Venezuela they are entitled to seek just compensation through legal action. However, oil reserves still in the ground are the sovereign property of the people of Venezuela. They were not stolen from the U.S.
As we tried to apply in the Middle East, the “That’s OUR oil under your sand!” theory?
Sitting here on a rainy Sunday morning. Wondering what 2026 will bring??? I watch a lot of political shows & follow several Substack authors so I'm a tad bit more informed than the average American I think.
~~~ This holiday season I decided to go all out with decorating because I had the feeling that Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas 2025 might just be the last "happy holiday season" that we would see. The events taking place over this weekend, for me, justified my gloomy foreshadowing of what it might be like next year.
~~~ When I am completely overcome with anger at what is taking place in "the greatest country in the world" I turn to the "comfort" of watching WWII documentaries! I think I do that because at the end of that war the "good guys" won & the US, being the only power not left in shambles after that conflict, initiated a peace plan that did not punish & extract revenge on the countries that lost. We initiated & helped with rebuilding economies & infrastructure. This was in direct contrast to the Versailles Treaty that laid a solid foundation for WWII.
~~~ That America is gone, replaced by vengeance, greed, lust for power & control. Oh, it didn't just happen with the trump regime is started with Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 & 2 & proceeded to what we have now thanks to gutting our education system, filling our airways with inane "reality" TV, glorifying undeserving individuals because of their so-called noteriety. All this exacerbated by uncontrolled tech billionaires who will not allow oversight, using the cover of the First Amendment preserving "free speech".
~~~ The first thing I learned about freedom of speech is that it does not give you the right to yell FIRE in a crowded theater. Let's think about that, you can't yell FIRE in a crowded theater, why? Because it is dangerous & can cause harm to the patrons, & less importantly some possible damage to the building.
I'd like to parse this a bit more & throw in some biblical ideals to use to correct what is happening on our airwaves & "ether-waves". Republicans & Evangelicals love to tell us that we need more religion, specifically more Christian religion. OK, if that is the case then where has this commandment gone? "Thou shalt not bear false witness.", the simplified meaning being lying. Since every armchair philosopher ruminates about what the First Amendment means I'd like to propose that it does not protect lying & false statements. Yes, that smacks of repression, who am I to decide what is a lie & what is truth? But isn't that why we find ourselves in this miasma of uncertainty? Don't we need some type of interpretation of the First Amendment that protects us from the lies regurgitated by the president & his cronies? Aren't the insideous lies/conspiracies spread on TV, Podcasts the Internet like yelling 'FIRE" in a crowded theater? I'll leave to you, the reader, to decide, but someone in authority better think this through & come up with a "civilian" version of, "Though shalt not bear false witness." If not we will be doomed to whatever the "best liar" says is true!
Love your comment, with all the well noticed observations. Thanks.
Thank you for your kind comment. I get to thinking about where we were as a country right after WWII & then think about where we are right now & just wonder how we got here.
I'm thinking greed & disinterest & being spoiled, we are an exceedingly rich country though you would never know it for millions of people that live paycheck to paycheck & now will be out priced for medical care, housing & food while the Uber wealthy sit on their yachts & sip wine & eat caviar! or whatever is haute cuisine these days. I wouldn't know I'm a hamburger & chuck roast kinda gal when I can afford that! : )
Perceptive observations!
I am beginning to think the Human is a very flawed animal, too greedy and power-mad to act in the best interests of, even continuation, of our species.
Even the super intelligent ones, like Space Lab Astronauts, illustrate this: In the 1950s when the Russian Astronauts and the US Astronauts (everyone was male, then) teamed up for the very first time. They were negotiating the first hook-up from a Space Shuttle to the main Space Lab. The key part of this was the mechanism for actually attaching the Shuttle when it docked at the Space Lab.
It was essentially a procedure of a prong on the Shuttle Capsule fitting into a receptacle in the Space Lab. The Astronauts almost violently fought each other to be the ones pushing the prong, not the ones accepting the prong into the hole. WOW !! How could we ask for more intelligent behavior than this? >-)
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎯 we are going to need some major corrections to prevent a repeat of this disaster.
Please do read Timothy Snyder's short analysis of Trump and Vance et al: THE GRIFT BUBBLE January 2025.
When Trump says he will find someone suitable to "run" Venezuela, how can that person be anyone but himself? He is, after all, the best general, the best admiral, the best architect, the best lawyer, the best doctor, and the best programmer for the Kennedy Center.
Waiting for Trump to put his own name in front of everything named for Simon Bolivar.
...and trump is, without question, also the BEST A**HOLE.
Phillips O’Brien wrote yesterday “Arguably the real military power behind the throne in Venezuela today is the tens of thousands of Cuban operatives in the country.” Estimates are there are 30,000 Cuban operatives in the country protecting Cuba’s interests in Venezuelan oil and backing up Maduro’s regime. Cuba depends on Venezuela for its oil and since the attacks on tankers shipping Venezuelan oil, the Cuban economy is “a mess” and the country is experiencing power outages. russia invested heavily in Venezuela including providing russian air defense systems that were easily destroyed by U.S. forces. Andrii Ryzhenko, a Ukrainian military expert said “The removal of the Maduro regime by the Americans is a political slap in the face for Putin.” russians fear a further drop in oil prices once the U.S. begins selling Venezuelan oil. And China is Venezuela’s largest buyer of oil. We all thought WWIII would start in Europe but in light of the U.S. takeover of Venezuela, it may start there.
https://open.substack.com/pub/phillipspobrien/p/the-us-is-attempting-regime-change?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/03/political-slap-in-face-for-putin-us-operation-in-venezuela-threatens-russias-oil-revenues-and-its-war-funding-says-expert/
Slava Ukraini!
Those Cubans are not going to take kindly to Trump's clear intention to deprive Cuba of oil.
Not at all certain the BUKs were destroyed by US forces. Several substacks reported that elements of the Maduro regime destroyed them before the US helicopters approached.
It would be difficult to overestimate the US capacity for evil.
This Venezuela operation is simply an escalation in the plan to consolidate our United States as an authoritarian regime and with the apparently full complicity now of our military and the ‘Accelerationist’ tech bro billionaire consigliari who, besides himself, are all that Trump cares about fighting for and with. This is not about Justice for bad guys. It’s about firmly establishing and consolidating the criminal syndicate of our aspiring ‘Don’ of the Americas.
TAIWAN. Does it have oil? Not that I've heard. Does China think Trump will do anything if they meddle in Taiwan's government? I fear the Donroe doctrine will usher in a new era of instability. If so, American business and the billionaires bros to whom Trump so visibly caters may not be as thrilled as he'd hoped.
Taiwan builds most of the computer chips in the world. It would be a nightmare if China took it over.
As well as a betrayal of solidarity since the end of WWII.
Four infographics to follow the people, motives and costs behing Trump's Venezuela invasion for oil:
Follow the money behind Trump’s grift in attacking Venezuela for its oil with this interactive map
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-trump-grift-oil-reserves/
Mapping the jungles of Venezuela where Americans will die in Trump’s grift for oil
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/01/03/trump-invades-venezuela-for-oil/
What happened when America invaded Iraq for its oil?
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-kidnap-trump-iraq-invasion-lesson/
Americans go hungry as Trump spends millions to invade Venezuela: Mapping the trade off
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/01/03/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump-hunger-tradeoff/
thank you for this info...
Why is it that the historians make the most sense? Fascism and imperialism best describe the America we live in today. You have always been a good historian, able to take past fragments and relate them to the present. Your celebrity has forced you to become a great writer. I enjoy reading your work - thanks for the gift.
I don't have a degree in history, but I've read a lot of it as it's an advocation of mine. With enough familiarity, you start to notice the similarities. That's why authoritarian regimes try to ban or change the history books.
Isn't "extraction" a diplomatic way to phrase what happened? From fear of retaliation or following state press guidelines, the media is using the word "capture". Seems to me this is an illegal kidnapping of a leader (albeit execrable one) in a sovereign country. Seems Trump (and Rubio and Hegseth) have no inkling of the ramifications and this maneuver is green lighting Xi to invade Taiwan. Also, I seriously begin to wonder if we'll even have midterm elections at this rate. Happy Effin' New Year.
Without Congressional knowledge or approval, President Donald Trump just invaded, attacked, and kidnapped a sitting President of another country. He announced that the United States will now govern Venezuela.
A year ago, Mr. Trump expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, Canada, Panama, and other countries, but his statements were dismissed. He completed this task on the third day of 2026, making Venezuela the first country to yield to Mr. Trump’s land expansion delusional behavior.
What would happen if Donald Trump were deemed mentally unfit to carry on as the President? To invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, it would involve the Vice President and the Trump Cabinet. This action is doubtful.
“The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and prosecutes individuals for the most serious international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, acting as a court of last resort when national courts can’t or won’t prosecute, thereby ending impunity for perpetrators and deterring future atrocities, working through its Prosecutor, Judges, and Registry to bring justice for victims and promote lasting peace.” (Wikipedia)
As of this morning, Mr. Trump has committed several crimes under the purview of the ICC and the Rome Statue. (1) Crimes Against Humanity. He has been charged with deliberately denying food and medicine to millions of Africans. The death toll may exceed fourteen million. (2) War Crimes. He deliberately bombed Iran, Syria, and Venezuela – without provocation or Congressional approval. (3) Crime of Aggression. His overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the arrest of the President of Venezuela is a “crime of aggression.”
The former Soviet Union (USSR) consisted of 15 member republics, which became 15 independent nations in 1991. Under the rule of the USSR, the leaders of these countries pledged loyalty and obedience to Russia. Before Mr. Putin was awarded the Russian presidency by Mr. Yeltsin, a book was published in Moscow in 1997 called The Foundations of Geopolitics. Putin was presumed the ghost writer. It outlines his thoughts on returning Russia to the glory days of the USSR. His invasion of Ukraine is the second step in that direction. The first step was the entrapment of Donald Trump, via money and women. Putin assumed control of the U.S. leadership for the purpose to destroy the US government. He then began to tear down our society by placing Russian Organized Crime agents in every state in the US. Their jobs include: cyber attacks, drug distribution, sports gambling, arson/fires, murder, political threats, and so on. The 2020 US Census reported there are over 3 million Russians in the U.S.
Putin’s role in the Trump demolishing of the Venezuela government is unknown. Speculation could be to build a coalition of countries as mentioned in The Foundation of Geopolitics that resembles the former USSR. Did Nicolas Maduro fall out of grace with Putin, and then Putin used US forces to replace him?
Reuters published an article on December 10, 2025, titled ‘US Threatens new ICC sanctions unless Court Pledges Not to Prosecute Trump.’ Mr. Trump’s administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials.” Threating the ICC, its court officials, and its functions can only result in retributive justice. This was an enormously ignornant ultimatum, but shows that Mr. Trump planned this coup d’etat at least a month ago.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri for crimes against humanity. In 2023 an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin was issued for unlawful deportation and transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. This court is patient and this arrest warrant does not have an expiration date.
The International Criminal Court has secured convictions against multiple individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, resulting in substantial prison sentences for certain defendants. Without Congressional knowledge or approval, President Donald Trump just invaded, attacked, and kidnapped a sitting President of another country.
The ICC acts only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute. Neither the U.S. Congress nor the Supreme Court have been able to contain Mr. Trump’s illegal actions and crimes. It is time for the ICC to prosecute.
Mr. Trump’s military aggression in Venezuela is no different than Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Visit www.democrazy2020.org and view the 2-minute video on “How Donald Trump Destroyed America.”
I think Venezuelans holding immediate elections would be something they’d jump all over !! Install their people , push trump’s buttons, and the we’ll see his true nature . The what happens AFTER you grab’em by the pu**y behavior.
U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
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However: look at today's news. Trump et al have changed the Post Office rules re when votes are considered "made." They will not count the day a ballot is received, but will measure when it's "postmarked" by the PO. Thus people can submit their ballots on or before election day, but they may not be stamped or recognized until hours or days later. This will disqualify early voters, voters from rural areas, and military ballots from overseas.
See Marc Elias from Democracy Docket for a fuller explanation.
We know. This has been discussed on Democrats Abroad and Indivisible Abroad with people discussing suggestions. Some states allow emailed ballots. I wish my state would do that. I understand how it works. At the same time many of us living abroad live in countries where the postal service is slowing down, so that causes many problems.