CNN: Attempted coup underway in Venezuela
BartSimpson @ Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:30 pm
Death to socialism! Viva la revolucion! ![[cheer]](./images/smilies/icon_cheers.gif "Cheer"){kind=icon}
BartSimpson @ Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:10 pm
Two things: The Netherlands is permitting US fighters to land and refuel at Aruba as a limited exercise (show of force).
President Trump has rescinded DoD plans to decommission the carrier Truman and instead will rotate the ship through extended refit and refueling to extend her service life another 25 years.
martin14 @ Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:02 pm
llama66 llama66:
I watched video of the Government forces running the protesters down with armoured vehicles.
This is the socialism the left clamours for.
Remember all the Chavez boosters, and how they crowed just a few years ago.
Stick it to the man !
Fuck the banks !
Fucking Bush !
Remarkable how quiet they are now.
BRAH @ Wed May 01, 2019 4:54 am
Indeed!
llama66 @ Wed May 01, 2019 6:22 am
martin14 martin14:
llama66 llama66:
I watched video of the Government forces running the protesters down with armoured vehicles.
This is the socialism the left clamours for.
Remember all the Chavez boosters, and how they crowed just a few years ago.
Stick it to the man !
Fuck the banks !
Fucking Bush !
Remarkable how quiet they are now.
As a "lefty" I do not clamour for this. I'm a strong adherent to "Corporate" and "Economic" Darwinism. Your bank can't sustain it's self because of shady practices and overpaying your CEO, that's not the Government's problem. That's your companies problem.
I don't believe that its Government's role to provide billions in tax relief to companies run and owned by millionaires and billionaires. Make your business model sustainable. My tax dollars are not for your companies profit. The same goes for an industry. Can't make your industry work? don't expect Government welfare.
This is where I go "fuck the man". I don't give to shits that some Billionaire gets to pay himself 30,000,000 this year instead of 50,000,000, because his business got no money from the Government. Especially when so many go without. That's not your fucking money; that's my fucking money. Fuck this bare fisted greed.
Having the Government provide you with money when your business venture fails is not Capitalism. "Too big to fail" or not.
That said, I do not wish for some Socialist Utopia where we all skip hand in hand down the people's street, I expect the democracies we do live in to favor the people, not the corporations.
If a person goes bankrupt, they have have to sell their stuff to pay back their creditors- no chance of a government bailout... when a business goes bankrupt there is a chance of getting government money.
Why do I need to pay to build an Arena for some billionaire so some millionaires can play on.
This is where your so-called class divide lies...
martin14 @ Wed May 01, 2019 7:36 am
Big Business................ just loves Big Government.
And Big Money Bailouts.. provided by Big Government.
Don't forget, it's Big Government that makes all the rules for Big Business.
Can't have one without the other.
More government = more big business = more big money for those business.
DrCaleb @ Wed May 01, 2019 8:09 am
martin14 martin14:
Don't forget, it's Big Government that makes all the rules for Big Business.
Can't have one without the other.
Can't have one without the other.
Untrue. Government only needs to be big enough to monitor big business, to keep them honest. If they were inherently trustworthy, government could be smaller.
PluggyRug @ Wed May 01, 2019 8:23 am
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
martin14 martin14:
Don't forget, it's Big Government that makes all the rules for Big Business.
Can't have one without the other.
Can't have one without the other.
Untrue. Government only needs to be big enough to monitor big business, to keep them honest. If they were inherently trustworthy, government could be smaller.
Untrue. There is no such thing as honest government.
DrCaleb @ Wed May 01, 2019 8:25 am
PluggyRug PluggyRug:
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
martin14 martin14:
Don't forget, it's Big Government that makes all the rules for Big Business.
Can't have one without the other.
Can't have one without the other.
Untrue. Government only needs to be big enough to monitor big business, to keep them honest. If they were inherently trustworthy, government could be smaller.
Untrue. There is no such thing as honest government.
You are confusing 'government' with 'politicians' again.
BartSimpson @ Wed May 01, 2019 9:19 am
I sure as shit hope this isn't true but I suspect it is given the source.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8977662/r ... le-crisis/
$1:
COLD WAR CLONE Russia has secretly installed nuke missiles in Venezuela, US politician claims in chilling echo of Cuban Missile Crisis
Republican Mario Diaz-Balart said it's a direct threat to the 'national security' of the US
RUSSIA has secretly installed nuclear missiles in Venezuela a US politician has sensationally claimed in a chilling echo of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Republican congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said he believes Vladimir Putin's hidden nukes are now a direct threat to the "national security" of the United States.
He made his astonishing allegations hours after Venezuela was pushed to the brink of civil war when opposition leader Juan Guaido called for rival Nicolas Maduro to be ousted from office.
Diaz-Balart told Fox News if Maduro stays in power it could be "an open door for the Russians and for the Chinese and for others to increase their activity against our national security interest."
Journalist Tucker Carlson then asked: "Are you suggesting they are going to invade?”
“The closest we ever came to nuclear war was because the Russians put missiles, right, nuclear missiles in Cuba,” replied Diaz-Balart.
“Are you saying the Russians will put nuclear missiles in Venezuela?” Carlson asked.
“What I am suggesting is that they are already there,” answered Diaz-Balart, without offering any evidence to back up his claim.
Putin's very open support of President Maduro has long been compared to the 1962 crisis sparked by the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba.
Diaz-Balart's claims also come after Russia landed two nuclear bombers in Venezuela in a show of defiance to Donald Trump.
The Tu-160 Russian bombers landed in Caracas in December as Putin publicly paraded his support of the socialist president.
Their arrival on Venezuelan soil came just a week after under-fire Maduro travelled to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart.
However, international observers are quick to point out the pair's relationship is one based on finance rather than friendship.
The Kremlin has billions at stake after it sank a fortune into loans propping up Maduro - money it stands to lose if he is ever ousted from power.
Putin has already handed Venezuela more than £13bn in credit underwritten by its huge oil reserves - reportedly the largest in the world.
Maduro's military is also said to owe the Kremlin £8bn for tanks, missile defence systems and fighter jets it has purchased in recent years.
Any repayments will almost certainly be lost if Guaido takes power - with all future army orders likely going straight to the Pentagon.
Venezuela's military bases, airfields and ports are also seem as an ideal staging-post for Russian forces in the region.
Mikael Wigell, of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told RFE/RL: "Establishing close relations with Venezuela gives Moscow a certain nuisance power in relation to the United States, and that can be used as a bargaining chip in future dealings with the United States.
"It also can be kind of a showcase for Russia's aspirations to be considered a global power."
Not surprisingly, Russia has repeatedly and openly supported Venezuela's sovereignty, maintaining that the country should be allowed to develop without any external interference.
The support of the Russians is much welcome for Maduro who has found himself increasingly isolated since Donald Trump’s election.
Republican Mario Diaz-Balart said it's a direct threat to the 'national security' of the US
RUSSIA has secretly installed nuclear missiles in Venezuela a US politician has sensationally claimed in a chilling echo of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Republican congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said he believes Vladimir Putin's hidden nukes are now a direct threat to the "national security" of the United States.
He made his astonishing allegations hours after Venezuela was pushed to the brink of civil war when opposition leader Juan Guaido called for rival Nicolas Maduro to be ousted from office.
Diaz-Balart told Fox News if Maduro stays in power it could be "an open door for the Russians and for the Chinese and for others to increase their activity against our national security interest."
Journalist Tucker Carlson then asked: "Are you suggesting they are going to invade?”
“The closest we ever came to nuclear war was because the Russians put missiles, right, nuclear missiles in Cuba,” replied Diaz-Balart.
“Are you saying the Russians will put nuclear missiles in Venezuela?” Carlson asked.
“What I am suggesting is that they are already there,” answered Diaz-Balart, without offering any evidence to back up his claim.
Putin's very open support of President Maduro has long been compared to the 1962 crisis sparked by the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba.
Diaz-Balart's claims also come after Russia landed two nuclear bombers in Venezuela in a show of defiance to Donald Trump.
The Tu-160 Russian bombers landed in Caracas in December as Putin publicly paraded his support of the socialist president.
Their arrival on Venezuelan soil came just a week after under-fire Maduro travelled to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart.
However, international observers are quick to point out the pair's relationship is one based on finance rather than friendship.
The Kremlin has billions at stake after it sank a fortune into loans propping up Maduro - money it stands to lose if he is ever ousted from power.
Putin has already handed Venezuela more than £13bn in credit underwritten by its huge oil reserves - reportedly the largest in the world.
Maduro's military is also said to owe the Kremlin £8bn for tanks, missile defence systems and fighter jets it has purchased in recent years.
Any repayments will almost certainly be lost if Guaido takes power - with all future army orders likely going straight to the Pentagon.
Venezuela's military bases, airfields and ports are also seem as an ideal staging-post for Russian forces in the region.
Mikael Wigell, of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told RFE/RL: "Establishing close relations with Venezuela gives Moscow a certain nuisance power in relation to the United States, and that can be used as a bargaining chip in future dealings with the United States.
"It also can be kind of a showcase for Russia's aspirations to be considered a global power."
Not surprisingly, Russia has repeatedly and openly supported Venezuela's sovereignty, maintaining that the country should be allowed to develop without any external interference.
The support of the Russians is much welcome for Maduro who has found himself increasingly isolated since Donald Trump’s election.
DrCaleb @ Wed May 01, 2019 9:26 am
BartSimpson BartSimpson:
I sure as shit hope this isn't true but I suspect it is given the source.
If you google his name, and search 'news', most of the headlines include "...without evidence" in the titles.
Sources matter, and The Sun isn't particularly reputable.
BartSimpson @ Wed May 01, 2019 10:06 am
Fair enough. This guy is then just like so many Democrats who kept insisting they had concrete proof of Russian collusion and now when that proof might be useful...where are they?
martin14 @ Wed May 01, 2019 8:59 pm
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
You are confusing 'government' with 'politicians' again.
Irrelevant, because one runs the other, along with a bunch of
rule gulping civil serpents who only care the rules are enforced.
It's not business that is inherently untrustworthy..
It's humans.
As far as monitoring goes, when you get things like Microdick, Wallyworld,
mChoke and Puke,
says a lot about the governments we run.
Wayyyy too big, and wayyy too cozy with the businesses they are supposed to
'monitor'.
N_Fiddledog @ Wed May 01, 2019 9:34 pm
LINK to news story
Maduro's 'death squads' add a new, terrifying layer of intimidation and violence to the chaos in Venezuela
Oh...and BTW class, what's the rule of thumb when Socialists take over and get ready to make the totality of their intentions known?
That's right. From 2012:
Venezuela bans private gun ownership
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18288430
DrCaleb @ Thu May 02, 2019 5:29 am
martin14 martin14:
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
You are confusing 'government' with 'politicians' again.
Irrelevant, because one runs the other, along with a bunch of
rule gulping civil serpents who only care the rules are enforced.
It's not business that is inherently untrustworthy..
It's humans.
No, politicians advise. Civil servants implement. Or they defer to committee to tie up the process until the politicians get replaced. Just ask Bart how many things he's implemented, vs how many things he's been told to do. I do exactly the same, if presented with opposing bad decisions and the right choice. You do the right thing, and the Id10t's don't know the difference because they didn't have a clue to begin with.
I'm going to love the new Alberta Cabinet. The new Treasury Board Minister got the job because he was an accountant once. The new Service Alberta minister has a Bachelors in Commerce! That's going to do well in a ministry heavily involved in Information Technology!
I embrace the chaos that is to come!
martin14 martin14:
As far as monitoring goes, when you get things like Microdick, Wallyworld,
mChoke and Puke,
says a lot about the governments we run.
Wayyyy too big, and wayyy too cozy with the businesses they are supposed to
'monitor'.
mChoke and Puke,
says a lot about the governments we run.
Wayyyy too big, and wayyy too cozy with the businesses they are supposed to
'monitor'.
Yup, the 2008 finacial meltdown was definitely caused by big government. Oh, wait, it was caused by a lack of people monitoring what dreck the banks were selling, wasn't it?
Eliminate the ability of business to buy their own politicians, you'll eliminate the lobbying that entails, and you'll be able to actually implement things that make a difference because the industry affected will actually have to play by the rules. That will mean smaller government.