I'm thinking (laughing, actually) of a really good soliloquy from "The Goodfellas"...
:D

I guess to big to fail is not in their vernacular.

SOLUTIONS to the PROBLEM ??????
 

I think that the "problems " in Venezuela are self-correcting they will have an all-out civil war and the winner is ????? Not Socialism. tom kelly

Oh wait, that was post #88, in 2017
 

I suspect that the advice "find the socialists and kill them" would be discarded as being simplistic.
Maybe next year.
If there are any free citizens of the country alive.

Such a good idea I'm stunned that someone hasn't thought of it before.
Triple intra-thread points on your Player's Club Card.
:D

Ahh, the old Article 233 trick...
 

Sportier times, and with many countries regarding the recent elections as illegitimate and recognizing the Venezuelan Nat'l Assembly as the only legitimate auth in Venezuela; we'll see how far Maduro wants to take this.

Full article at the Miami Herald HERE.

A classmate of mine from grad school is a very experienced lawyer specialising in international recovery of assets/debts including debt owed by sovereign nations.

Some pretty interesting stuff.

She’s had all kinds of assets seized.

Maybe Venezuela has identifiable foreign assets worth seizing.

I recently finished an outstanding book called Covert Action:

https://www.amazon.com/Covert-Action.../dp/0393247007

A great read on President Reagan’s CIA backed non kinetic effort to support Solidarity and implode Communism in Poland, the Warsaw Pact, and eventually the Soviet Union.

What I took from it was the simplistic “good versus evil” capitalism versus communism battle of ideologies was successful when partnered with and supporting an indigenous freedom movement.

Hopefully the sme result is achieved in Venezuela.

However, with how long Zimbabwe was kept on life support under Mugabe and drip fed by China.....perhaps it may take much longer with subsidy from China.

My concern would be China looking at Venezuela like the US/UK did in 1953.

Monroe Doctrine be damned.

National Guard soldiers "revolt" put down
 

Things continuing to spiral:

Story here

Look through the photos associated I noted two things:

1. A disarmed populace throwing rocks.
2. A well armed national police force.

Just an observation

Democrat Socialists' wet dream.

Always remember, you can’t have a so called “socialist paradise” with a truly free and well armed citizenry.

Meanwhile in neighboring Brazil:

How long before the homicide rate plummets and crime drops to historic levels?

How many times has it been said - "gun control has nothing to do with guns"

Central America - South America - North America - North Pole - south Pole - South Bronx - Bucking Broncs....

We might as well blame spoons for obesity.
If we controlled the size of spoons - fat people wouldn't be able to eat as much.
If we ban spoons, well - we'll all get skinny.

I mean for fuck sake - if you want to see a success story that correctly illustrates what a successful socialist society looks like - go no further than Venezuela.

Venezuela is NOT a failing state - at least not in the context of socialism - it is a socialist success story.

Meh.... Who cares. According to O-C the LIKE world is going to LIKE end in LIKE 12 years due to LIKE climate change.....

Oh, SNAP! I thought I had 12 years left.

Whenever things settle down POTUS should approve a CODEL junket for her to Venezuela - one way.

FAKE NEWS

I fixed it :D

Nah....just drop her off unannounced with no papers and no security detail and let her have what I am sure will be an extremely enjoyable immersive experience on the future she envisions for America....

Maduro just deposed?
 

This just in from CBC, in Canada:

BREAKING: Global Affairs Canada tells CBC News that Canada will recognize Juan Guaido as the new president of Venezuela. The opposition leader took an oath in Caracas a short time ago, declaring himself acting president and saying Nicolas Maduro has been deposed. The United States is also recognizing Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, according to this statement issued by the White House (document attached). Our latest story on the unrest that has erupted in mass protests today all over Venezuela, calling for an end to the authoritarian regime of Nicolas Maduro: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/venezu...duro-1.4988532

Venezuela's Opposition leader Juan Guaido declares himself interim president, recognized by Canada and the U.S. Guaido has led a campaign to declare Nicolas Maduro a usurper: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/venezu...duro-1.4989733

And then, this: Trump Recognizes Guaido as Venezuela Leader, Challenging Maduro:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...uela-president

V/R
Volunteer

Maduro just announced his government is breaking off relations with the United States. Endgame at hand?

I sure hope so. 20 years of "workers paradise" should be more than enough, for anyone.

V/R,
Volunteer

Sounds like someone broke it for him. How 'bout a free helicopter ride on your way out of the capital...?
:D

ETA: Sean Penn was unavailable for comment.

Send AOC...she can fix it.

Venezuela; Problem's????
 

Two Presidents, Inflation at 10 million %, most of the population has no food, medicine, and the only hope is that the military will side with them and get rid of Maduro before a revolution. This is not going to help Socialism, Hey AOC, what can the people do? You should come to their rescue... Give them some of your ideas's from your barmaid days in NYC.

That giant meteor just cant get here soon enough.......

And it's just going to get worse....

Wagner - Maduro persoanl security detail?
 

https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1PJ22Q

Text:
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them. A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela, but could not say when they arrived or what their role was.

Russia, which has backed Maduro’s socialist government to the tune of billions of dollars, this week promised to stand by him after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president with Washington’s endorsement.

It was the latest international crisis to split the global superpowers, with the United States and Europe backing Guaido, and Russia and China urging non-interference. Yevgeny Shabayev, leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group of Cossacks with ties to Russian military contractors, said he had heard the number of Russian contractors in Venezuela may be about 400.

But the other sources spoke of small groups.

Russia’s Defence Ministry and Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment about the contractors. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We have no such information.” The contractors are associated with the so-called Wagner group whose members, mostly ex-service personnel, fought clandestinely in support of Russian forces in Syria and Ukraine, according to Reuters interviews with dozens of contractors, their friends and relatives.

A person believed to work for the Wagner group did not respond to a message asking for information. Citing contacts in a Russian state security structure, Shabayev said the contingent flew to Venezuela at the start of this week, a day or two before opposition protests started.

CUBA CONNECTION?

He said they set off in two chartered aircraft for Havana, Cuba, from where they transferred onto regular commercial flights to Venezuela. The Cuban government, a close ally of Venezuela’s ruling socialists for the last two decades, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The contractors’ task in Venezuela was to protect Maduro from any attempt by opposition sympathisers in his own security forces to detain him, Shabayev said. “Our people are there directly for his protection,” he said. Venezuelan authorities said they had put down an attempted revolt on Monday by rogue military officers about a kilometre from the presidential palace in Caracas.

Maduro, the 56-year-old successor to Hugo Chavez, only takes to the streets in carefully-controlled situations, since crowds have barracked him in the past. One of the two anonymous Russian sources, who is close to the Wagner group and fought in foreign conflicts where it was active, said the contractors first arrived in advance of the May 2018 presidential election, but another group arrived “recently.”

Asked if the deployment was linked to protecting Maduro, the source said: “It’s directly connected.” The contractors flew to Venezuela not from Moscow but from third countries where they were conducting missions, he added. The third source, who is close to the private military contractors, said there was a contingent in Venezuela but he could not provide further details.

“They did not arrive in a big crowd,” he said.

Publicly-available flight-tracking data has shown a number of Russian government aircraft landing in or near Venezuela over past weeks, though there was no evidence the flights were connected to military contractors. A Russian Ilyushin-96 flew into Havana late on Wednesday after starting its journey in Moscow and flying via Senegal and Paraguay, the data showed.
The aircraft, a civilian jet, is owned by a division of the Russian presidential administration, according to a publicly-available procurement contract relating to the plane.

Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 last year, an Antonov-124 heavy cargo aircraft, and an Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft, carried out flights between Russia and Caracas, flight-tracking data showed. Another Ilyushin-76 was in Caracas from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21 last year. All three aircraft belong to the Russian air force, according to the tracking data.

There are relatively vast petroleum resources under Venezuelan control...Russia or China or both are making “offers.”

Venezuela...what does Socialism mean to you...let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Well, while your Dear Leader, President Nicolás Maduro, negotiates with Russians and Chinese for his personal protection and his political sustainability in exchange for access to your nation’s vast resources...you and your family struggle to dine on pets and zoo animals...if there are any left.

Where are Hollywood elites now?

{crickets}

I hope there is a lamp post somewhere in Caracas thinking “pick me, pick me”. The lamp post that suspended “El Duce” from his heels was made famous. Oh, pick me!

AOC, Kamala Harris, Bernie, Elizabeth Warren, etc., all need to haul ass down south and get a load of where their policies lead...

Inside the hell of 'communist heaven': Corpses dug up for jewellery, children jailed and a gangster regime that has looted billions. Read this searing dispatch from a Venezuela on the brink of revolution
By ROBERT HARDMAN FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 18:49 EST, 1 February 2019 | UPDATED: 03:07 EST, 2 February 2019

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Venezuela.html

Venezuela air force general calls on the army to rebel against Maduro as President speaks at rally celebrating late communist leader Hugo Chavez and thousands march in Caracas to demand socialist dictator steps down
General Francisco Yanez posted a video recognizing self-declared Venezuelan acting president Juan Guaido
Tens of thousands of hard-working Venezuelans poured onto the streets today to protest their president
Nicolas Maduro has been told to hold elections after his socialist dictatorship brought the country to its knees
Meanwhile Maduro made first public appearance since August at rally marking Hugo Chavez's rise to power
By NICK FAGGE IN CARACAS FOR MAILONLINE and MIRANDA ALDERSLEY FOR MAILONLINE and AFP
PUBLISHED: 11:51 EST, 2 February 2019 | UPDATED: 20:47 EST, 2 February 2019

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...teps-down.html

30 years since Ceausescu; time to water that tree yet?
:munchin

Seems it’s past due in Caracas.

"...food as a weapon."
 

Where've I seen that sub-title before?

Maduro’s Military Blocks Food Aid from Entering Venezuela on Colombian Border
Full story at link here.

Where was the Psyop Team?
 

Where was the Psyop Team - any country - on the other side of the bridge shouting across "Venezuelan Soldiers, why are you starving your country's people?...Etc, Etc".

Isn't that what they are supposed to do?

X-ring. And someone with a few kilowatts on their freqs.

SHOWDOWN AT THE BORDER:
 

Today, President Trump is holding a rally in South Flordia to raise awareness of the crisis in Venezuela particularly at the border of Columbia where Senator Rubio was with the U S Humanitarian Aid. Will the Venezuelan Army STOP the food and medicine that is needed by the people gathered there? This may be Maduro's last stand.

Venezuelan soldiers to guard border ahead of aid entry, minister says
 

Venezuelan soldiers to guard border ahead of aid entry, minister says

http://news.trust.org/item/20190219192150-z7baw

"CARACAS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Venezuelan troops will remain stationed along the country's borders to prevent territorial violations, the defense minister said on Tuesday, ahead of the opposition's plan to bring in humanitarian aid to alleviate an economic crisis......"

El Jefe is serious about keeping aid out of his country.

SOCIALISM????
 

Maduro, soon to be ex-president of Venezuela claims they don't need AID because the Venezuelan People are not beggars... Friday, February 23 is the day "caravans" will try to cross the border with the AID... Will the Border Guards stop them from entering the country and distributing the much-needed food, medicine, and other items for basic health care.

The CIA’s View of Venezuela:
 

What we Learn from the Archives

In 2017, then-U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Pompeo said: “we are very hopeful that there can be a [political] transition in Venezuela and we the CIA is doing its best to understand the dynamic there [sic], so that we can communicate to our State Department and to others.” CIA monitoring of the political situation and interference in Venezuela is, of course, nothing new.

Noah W