Francis Fukuyama points out that Trump and Putin are obviously colluding, with Venezuela in exchange for Trump delaying and shrinking support for Ukraine while continuing to mislead the public. These are mafia bosses who have struck a deal on which territories they will control for extortion and profits at the expense of victims (the people of the countries now being sacrificed). Russia was supposed to be a major ally of Venezuela. But Putin quietly withdrew Russian advisers, and may even have shared intelligence to facilitate the operation to seize Maduro.
Russia did not rely on Venezuelan oil for its own consumption, but rather
leveraged its investment in Venezuela's oil sector for geopolitical influence, financial repayment of loans, and resale into global markets, particularly for Chinese buyers. Russia is a major global oil producer itself. It was not a significant importer of Venezuelan crude. For years, Venezuela was repaying billions of dollars of Russian loans and credits through oil exports and development rights. Russia helped Venezuela skirt U.S. sanctions through acting as an intermediary for oil sales to China and India. Venezuela's oil production fell from about 3 million barrels per day to less than a million in recent years because of running down infrastructure and the earlier purging of oil industry professionals in the state oil company. Russia produces about 11 million barrels per day - so it didn't by any means depend on Venezuelan oil.
Stephen Miller announced today that "the real world is ruled by force". Who knew? That's exactly what Adolf Hitler believed, and Stalin, and also Mao. The CCP Chairman famously said that power flows from the barrel of a gun.
We had believed that World War 2 and the post-war order were about not leaving countries subject to the law of the jungle, and that America would uphold the order it had largely helped to create. Now we see that America has degenerated under Trump into just yet another tyranny, lawless and insatiable in grabbing resources, dividing up the world into territories to be dominated by Russia, China, and America - a new Axis. Denmark (Greenland), Panama, and Venezuela are now to be colonies - like Ukraine of Russia. Taiwan's days as a free country may also be numbered.
The consolation for decent people can only be that Trump is so incompetent and chaotic, that his Fourth Reich is unlikely to last long. Most likely it will be far shorter than the Nazi New Order or the Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. In any case, my uncle fought the Japanese in World War 2 and I stand against fascists, even if they come as Americans now.
Let us hope and work for more Americans to stand against tyranny and bloody empire-building at the cost of freedom and justice for the people of the world.
This 1950 song by Woody Guthrie about "Old Man Trump" (Fred Trump, Donald John Trump's father) still fits the times. Only it applies equally well to Conman Don himself and his America for gamblers, not working men and women - who can't afford the rents now just as they couldn't then.
What scares me is the Internet brain saturated youth. No free thinking or human interaction. It's making people not want to interact. Isolationism can be a sickness.
I cannot believe the checks and balances in our constitution are not holding up to what is happening to our country. Threats of contempt charges by judges do not hold water. Action is what is needed. How many of these unqualified cabinet remember have deliberately lied to Congress, to judges? And what has happened to them? Nothing. We can’t sit around waiting to hope the midterms will give us the necessary leverage so this madness stops.
And I’m worried that Dems have not pulled together a platform of precisely what they plan to do should they regain control. It can’t only be to try to undo all trump has done… although that would keep everyone busy.
Changes need to be made to our constitution to prevent us from ever again getting to this awful place.
I don’t know if we will ever be able to regain the respect of the rest of the world we once had.
Francis Fukuyama points out that Trump and Putin are obviously colluding, with Venezuela in exchange for Trump delaying and shrinking support for Ukraine while continuing to mislead the public. These are mafia bosses who have struck a deal on which territories they will control for extortion and profits at the expense of victims (the people of the countries now being sacrificed). Russia was supposed to be a major ally of Venezuela. But Putin quietly withdrew Russian advisers, and may even have shared intelligence to facilitate the operation to seize Maduro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiuetZ6vQwQ
How much did Putin rely on Venezuelan oil?
Russia did not rely on Venezuelan oil for its own consumption, but rather
leveraged its investment in Venezuela's oil sector for geopolitical influence, financial repayment of loans, and resale into global markets, particularly for Chinese buyers. Russia is a major global oil producer itself. It was not a significant importer of Venezuelan crude. For years, Venezuela was repaying billions of dollars of Russian loans and credits through oil exports and development rights. Russia helped Venezuela skirt U.S. sanctions through acting as an intermediary for oil sales to China and India. Venezuela's oil production fell from about 3 million barrels per day to less than a million in recent years because of running down infrastructure and the earlier purging of oil industry professionals in the state oil company. Russia produces about 11 million barrels per day - so it didn't by any means depend on Venezuelan oil.
Stephen Miller announced today that "the real world is ruled by force". Who knew? That's exactly what Adolf Hitler believed, and Stalin, and also Mao. The CCP Chairman famously said that power flows from the barrel of a gun.
We had believed that World War 2 and the post-war order were about not leaving countries subject to the law of the jungle, and that America would uphold the order it had largely helped to create. Now we see that America has degenerated under Trump into just yet another tyranny, lawless and insatiable in grabbing resources, dividing up the world into territories to be dominated by Russia, China, and America - a new Axis. Denmark (Greenland), Panama, and Venezuela are now to be colonies - like Ukraine of Russia. Taiwan's days as a free country may also be numbered.
The consolation for decent people can only be that Trump is so incompetent and chaotic, that his Fourth Reich is unlikely to last long. Most likely it will be far shorter than the Nazi New Order or the Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. In any case, my uncle fought the Japanese in World War 2 and I stand against fascists, even if they come as Americans now.
Let us hope and work for more Americans to stand against tyranny and bloody empire-building at the cost of freedom and justice for the people of the world.
There is so much bad news surrounding us at all times. It is beyond disheartening, depressing and frightening.
This 1950 song by Woody Guthrie about "Old Man Trump" (Fred Trump, Donald John Trump's father) still fits the times. Only it applies equally well to Conman Don himself and his America for gamblers, not working men and women - who can't afford the rents now just as they couldn't then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jANuVKeYezs
What scares me is the Internet brain saturated youth. No free thinking or human interaction. It's making people not want to interact. Isolationism can be a sickness.
I cannot believe the checks and balances in our constitution are not holding up to what is happening to our country. Threats of contempt charges by judges do not hold water. Action is what is needed. How many of these unqualified cabinet remember have deliberately lied to Congress, to judges? And what has happened to them? Nothing. We can’t sit around waiting to hope the midterms will give us the necessary leverage so this madness stops.
And I’m worried that Dems have not pulled together a platform of precisely what they plan to do should they regain control. It can’t only be to try to undo all trump has done… although that would keep everyone busy.
Changes need to be made to our constitution to prevent us from ever again getting to this awful place.
I don’t know if we will ever be able to regain the respect of the rest of the world we once had.
And the new year is only 6 days old...... 359 to go and two years after that......