Hegseth Says Boat Strike Is Start of Campaign Against Venezuelan Cartels
Posted by Leather-Paramedic-10@reddit | anime_titties | View on Reddit | 151 comments
Posted by Leather-Paramedic-10@reddit | anime_titties | View on Reddit | 151 comments
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
Kegsbreath is ordering mass murder and crimes against humanity because he's an idiot and a sycophant to trump.
There was no due process here, no finding of evidence, just extrajudicial mass murder done by people who do not have law enforcement authority and in international waters.
How long until Kegsbreath starts ordering these kinds of mass murders by U.S. military assets against random targets on U.S. soil.
Kegsbreath belongs in Fort Leavenworth along with any military officers supporting his crimes against humanity and the American people.
Unique_Statement7811@reddit
When Trump added the cartels to the designated terrorist organization list, they gained the same status as ISIS and lost all requirements of due process. Patriot Act, yay!
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Ah yes, the next perfect sad puppy for progressives to champion, international drug cartels.
Are you addicted to losing elections?
HawaiiKawaiixD@reddit
You’re a dweeb. What we care about is due process and human rights. The government can’t randomly destroy boats full of brown people without due process just because they’re allegedly cartel. 11 people were killed.
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Yeah that video didn't look random, it looked targeted and precise, but go ahead, get a match together and you can all chant "we are all Tren De Aragua".
I'm sure voters will LOVE it.
ModestBanana@reddit
They seriously are getting baited into defending cartels now. I used to joke about this sort of thing in 2017ish, and I knew it was a possibility, but to see them so easily manipulated into defending cartels…wild.
This is the shit I used to say. They are literally the caricatures I used to joke about.
An_absoulute_madman@reddit
There’s a very important reason the US has constitutionally protected due process to ensure a mechanism to find people guilty of a crime before punishing them.
ModestBanana@reddit
Interesting take. Cartels not within American borders who aren’t American citizens deserve due process?
Do Russian invaders in Ukraine deserve due process? Should we inform Ukraine? Did you whine about due process when Obama authorized drone strikes and killed insurgents in Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Syria? No, you didn’t, you didn’t care about due process until CNN sold it to you because otherwise you can’t go against Trump because the people he’s targeted are objectively bad and criminal. You can’t defend the criminal so you now must cry “due process!”
You know, we do notice that your due process talking point only began just this year with Trump’s widespread deportation efforts. How does it feel to be a sheep regurgitating the media talking points?
GravelPepper@reddit
Some of us have been critical of the widespread use of extrajudicial assassinations for well over a decade, actually.
An_absoulute_madman@reddit
>Interesting take. Cartels not within American borders who aren’t American citizens deserve due process?
Did you wake up yesterday? Do you think this is the first time in US history an alleged drug trafficking boat has been intercepted? The US normally intercepts boats on the high seas and arrests people.
They are given this power by the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act 1986. This piece of US legislation extends the the United States jurisdiction to essentially any vessel trafficking drugs. They are subject to US law.
If you're upset with this law blame the Reagan admin, not me.
>Do Russian invaders in Ukraine deserve due process? Should we inform Ukraine? Did you whine about due process when Obama authorized drone strikes and killed insurgents in Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Syria?
Many of the Obama-era military strikes were likely illegal under international law.
In any case there's a separate legal regime for warfare. Drug traffickers on the high seas are very explicitly subject to domestic US jurisdiction per the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act 1986.
>No, you didn’t, you didn’t care about due process until CNN
Due process has existed before CNN. It's always been a core part of the US legal system. When it gets violated it's generally a controversy.
>because otherwise you can’t go against Trump because the people he’s targeted are objectively bad and criminal. You can’t defend the criminal so you now must cry “due process!”
If they are criminals, as you freely admit, and as they are objectively criminals transporting drugs to the US on the high seas, then they are under US jurisdiction, per the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act 1986, and as such are accorded the rights and privileges of any criminal in the US' jurisdiction.
You're obviously not able to have a mature conversation about this because:
1) You're grossly uneducated on how the US criminal justice system functions
2) You unironically believe criminals in the US' legal jurisdiction are equivalent to the Russian military (chronic retardation most likely leads to this opinion
3) Trump did so that makes it okay
ModestBanana@reddit
He bombed some cartels, get over yourself. You don't need to write a paper, you can just say you're salty
An_absoulute_madman@reddit
Concession accepted
ModestBanana@reddit
He bombed some cartels, get over yourself. You don't need to write a paper, you can just say you're salty and a whiney bitch.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
This willfull blindness routine isn't working Everyone knows what's going on, and you seem to be working your way to being a traitor to your community, nation, and constitution.
ModestBanana@reddit
Everyone? Who's everyone? Redditors? lmao
Imagine getting a world view and public opinion from a website that's full of depressed NEET nihilist perverts
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
You're on reddit right now, too, buddy.
ModestBanana@reddit
Yes and I am keenly aware the cesspool this place has become in the last 10 years.
Your point?
ModestBanana@reddit
You mean reddit? Because the majority of american's voted for Trump. All swing states and popular vote.
You are the unpopular opinion for a reason.
Go wave some "gays for islam" signs on the nearest street corner you rat
Wall2Beal43@reddit
You’re talking to useless people but Trump is dying and last I checked he has no clear and obvious successor
ModestBanana@reddit
The successor is JD, Trump said that much already.
But I wouldn’t fall for the media and Reddit cope that Trump is dying, they said the same shit in 2017. It’s just cope, like the classic “here’s how Bernie can still win” from 2016
iloveyouand@reddit
As long as the government says it's ok to kill some people then it's ok. All you have to do is just believe whatever the government says.
BufferUnderpants@reddit
The ammo being precise doesn’t make the claims about the target true, that’s a pretty curious idea
Unique_Statement7811@reddit
What did I say that was critical of the action. I merely explained why it’s legal in plain terms.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
Username checks out!
I would say that stopping a fascist coup against the United States that involves a fascist executive invoking emergency powers based on fake invasions and the mass murdering and kidnapping that are being carried out in the real world under those emergency powers is not only an electable policy initiative its the proper American thing to do.
coleto22@reddit
So if I accuse you of being a cartel member, do you lose all requirement of due process and be liable to kill without evidence? Don't you see the problem of killing people without proving they are who they are accused to be?
Unique_Statement7811@reddit
Of course I see the problem. I was just explaining the legal aspect in plane terms.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
Terrible. Its a completely fake emergency that is being used as well. Venezuela is in no way invading the United States.
Even with the fake emergency declaration by trump, the patriot act, and terrorist designation, I still don't think this is legal in any way and is just a mass murder.
rainbowcarpincho@reddit
Also totally in line with American policy in Latin America. Overthrowing the Venezuelan government would be such a normal thing for an American president to do, it's almost comforting.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
Very true. Trump did likely order that failed Silver corp invasion of Venezuela during his first term, didn't he?
EliteFortnite@reddit
Sounds like this is more of a system issue wherein there has never been due process and has been abused by both democrats and republicans. The US is a corrupt system. Two party system that both unite in oppressing peoples voices. They are more allied than you think versus this pathetic political fighting that supposedly satisfies the masses. The entire system is currupt all the way from the pope to the either parties President. Now its just more evidently clearer. Look at the currupt shit Biden did enabling Genocide in Palestine? Why? The system is behind that on both aisles.
When people actually obtain a voice and not be sheep and marginalized is when you will get change and do away with this two party system that controls every aspects of politics in the United States. People are content though. God is not amused.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
Nah, this is new. I have been a part of one of these counter drug ops deployments before, and we never just blew anyone up or even considered blowing up people randomly because they were on a small boat. This was murder. There is no authorization for use of force for the Pacific Ocean like the one Congress approved after 9/11.
Professional-Syrup-0@reddit
This has the same congressional authorisation any American military “intervention” had since 2001, the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001, which:
This secret forever war has been a bipartisan effort for decades, people who claim this is “New” were either asleep or are now engaging in the usual “It’s bad because the other party is doing it!” American culture war.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
To be clear, the counter drug operations mission has always been a waste of resources motivated by political mission creep and were highly unproductive. They mainly happened because their were already Naval assets, maintaining freedom of the seas in the area anyway, and maintaining freedom of the seas usually only requires being present. The effect on narcotrafficking of these counter drug operations is almost non-existent and always has been.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
That is a really good point about Biden enabling genocide in Gaza.
frostysauce@reddit
I mean, so did/is the entire Western world but sure, let's lay it all at Biden's feet.
agitatedprisoner@reddit
Votes to sanction Israel for what it's been up to in Palestine have been like 150-3 or something for decades with the US a a few others voting to shield Israel in the Security Council against the rest of the world's opinion on that.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
I totally agree. His big error was not doing something different and bold from existing policy in reaction to a genocide by the Netanyahu regime that was caused largely by mistakes from trumps first term like putting Jared Kusher in charge of peace in the middle east.
Biden did also do things like lie to the American people about pictures of beheaded babies that he could not have seen because they did not exist in support of an unfolding genocide. His administration did support the persecution of U.S. college students enmass at the behest of a genocidal rogue foreign power. This including beating by police and goons hired by Jerry Seinfeld, blacklists, withholding of degrees, violations of first amendment rights.
Thats not nothing and theres no need to engage in whataboutism in support of Biden because I understand that trump, Netanyahu, the gop, right-wing media and elites, etc are the primary drivers of this genocide.
Capital_Sherbert9049@reddit
This is where centrism acts as a rightward ratchet. Bidens policies were not centrist on the whole, but his Isreal-Palestine policy very much was.
Broseph_Stalinnn@reddit
As shitty as trumps first term and cabinet was, at least the cabinet stood up to him. This one is all yes men
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
"We're gonna launch $50k missiles at speed boats and pretend that's actually stopping drug shipping and not just killing random poor people cartels pay to drive those boats. Sure we could look into actually disrupting the networks through the DEA and law enforcement but we have them patrolling an Applebee's in downtown DC"
This admin just does publicity.
JTibbs@reddit
Yeah, they probably cost way more than $50k
mrjosemeehan@reddit
$150k if it's a hellfire missile from something like a reaper drone.
Tibreaven@reddit
I am not the person to give accurate data on operating costs, but as an example: the USA Iwo Jima, which got redeployed to the Caribbean, cost roughly 1.5 billion to build (adjusted for inflation), and has a crew of 2000. This is just 1 of the ships being used to posture against Venezuela.
So considering nothing else, we have already paid the salary of thousands of troops, and the operating costs of multiple extremely expensive ships, in the effort of killing 11 people in a speedboat.
Truly the greatest country.
Mii009@reddit
I get the point you're trying to make but why are you using the ship construction cost here? She's been in service for almost 25 years and has done MUCH more than her current stay in the Caribbean.
Tibreaven@reddit
It's a proxy for the implied daily operating cost of the ship. I don't know, and I'm not sure anyone knows, how much it costs to sit that ship in the Caribbean.
What I do know is the US has a lot of ships, and already had a lot of others in the Caribbean. Is posturing against Venezuela with ships that cost this much a cost effective solution to keeping the US safe?
Unless we're angling for an actual invasion of Venezuela, the American public should be laughing at how much the Navy is spending to wave its metaphorical dick around against speed boats.
Mii009@reddit
True, as a USian the whole thing is just embarrassing to see, I'd say more but reddit rules and such. Also happy cake day btw!
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
This is more than likely true. Not to mention the price of having the warships there to begin with.
Roy_Atticus_Lee@reddit
America's spending a trillion dollars on the military, triple what China spends as their #1 geopolitical adversary, so to say there's a bit of "wasteful excess" when it comes to how the money is spent/allocated by the U.S is probably an understatement.
NoWheyBroo@reddit
The boat was cartel
The truck was cartels
The house was khartels
The school was khhhartels
Trust us.
The U.S tested the strategy in Palestine via Israel and now it’ll be utilized everywhere, including on its own citizens through ICE.
Super_Duper_Shy@reddit
We are going to be seeing a lot of what has been tested out in Palestine brought home to the West.
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
Yeah I don’t like this one bit. They need to release the names of the people on the boat so it can be confirmed they are part of the gang.
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Because drug cartels keep up to date and detailed membership rosters and readily confirm their membership when asked?
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
Or you know.. just identify the bodies
AresBloodwrath@reddit
And then what?
The cartel would go "oh yeah those were ours, you got us, shucks"?
Do you expect their family to step up and go "oh yeah they were absolutely involved in the production, transportation, and sale of internationally illegal narcotics and that's how our family got money"?
Hedonismbot1978@reddit
Perhaps some of them, you know, had arrest records?
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Ah and Venezuela has great enforcement and would love to accurately share those records with the USA.
Super_Duper_Shy@reddit
Wait, what's the current propaganda about Venezuela? Is it an authoritarian police-state, or is it now a lawless place where the government can't keep track of anyone?
PM_ME_UR_COCKTAILS@reddit
I guess i get what you're saying here, but it also sounds like you are saying the US had zero evidence and just fragged a boat on vibes. There has to be some evidence they went on, even if its thin.
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Sure, and that evidence could be iron clad and I still don't think anyone here would care.
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
Not true.
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Cool story bro.
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
People are literally just asking for evidence. What make you think they wouldn’t care if presented with it?
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Because it sure looks like the majority of the thread has moved on from "where's the evidence" to "it was illegal no matter the evidence".
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
We must be looking at different threads. You make this shit up in your head. Why do I get the feeling you watch Fox News?
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Because you're logically lazy and Ad hominem attacks are easy.
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
You don’t know what ad hominem means. If I said you are wrong because you watch Fox News, that’s an ad hominem. But that’s not why you are wrong, you are wrong because it’s objectively false that what you said doesn’t exist in the thread. That was simply an insult based on the fact you like to make things up.
Hedonismbot1978@reddit
What exactly are you in favor of here. The US government shooting people without knowing anything about them?
HowToPlayThisSite@reddit
They can generate random names with chatgpt and nobody will be able to verify them anyway. It will not add any credibility to the claims.
blorpdedorpworp@reddit
The bodies that sank into the ocean?
Gepap1000@reddit
The penalty for drug dealing under US Law is not death, so even if these people were gang members and drug dealers, killing them is literal murder, an illegal summary execution done using military force.
AresBloodwrath@reddit
Drugs kill people so they were entering the country illegally, invading, with the intent to do harm to US citizens.
Trump is drooling at the chance to get liberals openly defending international criminal drug cartels, and you're diving right in.
Gepap1000@reddit
The first paragraph is irrelevant to my post. Not a thing you say changes the illegality of the act.
Defending a criminal Executive is a far greater threat to the US and Americans than drugs are. You are literally asking us to surrender Liberty in the name of supposed 'security.'
AresBloodwrath@reddit
So you fully accept they could and probably were smuggling illegal narcotics, and that plays no part in your evaluation of the actions taken by the military?
Gepap1000@reddit
Yes it does. Drug dealing is a CIVIL offense, and the punishment is prison time. Using the military is therefore illegal, and summeraly executing these people is a crime. That you choose to excuse a crime because it was done against criminals only shows you yourself are leniant on some of the worst possible criminality out there.
Turbulent-Software82@reddit
agree with broader point but drug dealing is absolutely a criminal rather than civil offense by federal and most state laws, as is anything that risks jail/prison. But of course criminal defendants are expected to be given due process, in the US they are supposed to receive MORE protections/free lawyers/etc than those sued civilly because they have more at stake. And I oppose the death penalty anyway, but it’s almost never legally applied to drug dealers in the US, and the people it is enforced against are granted years of appeal. So this is clearly a violation of civil liberties that the US government is theoretically obliged to respect in all conduct, including with foreign nationals (as long as its under the purview of criminal investigation rather than war or a designated terrorist organization, where the executive has a pretty unfortunate carte blanche)
_X37@reddit
Not that guy but due process is important. No one should be punished unless they’re proven guilty, no matter how “likely” anyone believes their guilt. And no, the punishment for drug smuggling shouldn’t be death. Most narcotic users are grown ass consenting adults. If they want to ingest those substances, why do you care? I’d rather the government focus on pedophiles, murderers, and others who harm innocents. There are better ways to address the drug issue.
manimal28@reddit
He’s not defending drug cartels, he’s defending due process. But you’re right, dumb fuck can’t parse the difference.
blorpdedorpworp@reddit
Who is "they"?
Trump admin didn't know a damn thing about that boat except it had brown people on it
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
The people responsible for the strike need to release the info they had on that boat that warranted a strike.
blorpdedorpworp@reddit
I think they have already released everything they had.
Beepboopblapbrap@reddit
Link?
coleto22@reddit
All they had was a photo of the boat and they already released it. A boat in the ocean was all the justification they needed to bomb it.
superbottom85@reddit
More like 150 million dollars including the deployment and corresponding operations that goes before and after. All for one teeny tiny boat.
neverendingchalupas@reddit
Where is the actual evidence the people in the boats are doing anything illegal? And what laws are they breaking specifically?
As far as I can tell assassinating foriegn civilians is a crime.
Professional-Syrup-0@reddit
Look, it’s very simple: If they hadn’t been guilty then the US military wouldn’t have killed them because the US military never ever mistakes.
Really not too different from when US cops kill people: Those people had it coming, American LEO would never brutalise/kill other people, all they do is protect and serve the people!
Yes, this whole comment is sarcasm parodying a handful of people in this thread.
Forsaken-Bobcat-491@reddit
I'm sorry are we meant to feel sorry for people driving fast boats filled with drugs. If you believe the cartels trust a boat filled with drugs to some random person I've got a bridge to sell you.
coleto22@reddit
And you know there were drugs on that boat... how exactly?
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
It's funny you believe it's a speedboat full of drugs. Given how often this admin has been caught lying about Tren de Aragua specifically. You seem to have bought a bridge already.
Why is it the Trumps can't operate a charity in NY state again?
Demonking3343@reddit
Yeah personally I doubt it was an actual drug boat. I’m mean apparently 11 people were on board. With thst many people I doubt they would have much space for cargo room for enough drugs to justify sending 11 people. What’s more Likely is human trafficking or people trying to cross illegally. That’s at least my two cents.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Cross to where illegally? Panamá?
Demonking3343@reddit
And have no idea where they were heading. I was just speculating based off the amount of people onboard if it was doing somthing what. For all we know it could have just been a trip out with friends showing off a new boat.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
I just meant, illegal crossing to the US in a speedboat from Venezuela would be unlikely.
Demonking3343@reddit
But Not impossible. It would require like 4 fuel stops unless it was heavily modified. Either way though what we did was wrong. The ship should have been intercepted when it crossed into American waters.
ModestBanana@reddit
Jesus dude, we get that you’re anti Trump and anything he does, but you’re making a fool out of yourself trying to follow the formula
Demonking3343@reddit
What? I’m just saying it’s not impossible for a modified speed boat to make the trip. No idea what this formula you speak of is.
ModestBanana@reddit
Anything Trump says = you support the opposite
Demonking3343@reddit
Sure keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you will relize your on the wrong side.
ModestBanana@reddit
You edited your comment and still didn't fix your awful grammar and spelling. Great comment "demonking"
Who the heck spells does "dose," what are you? 11 years old?
Demonking3343@reddit
I edited my comment to add the last sentence. I was trying to make my point clear that no we are not opposing just to oppose. We are not going to just agree with everything. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t just go to personal attacks and insults just because your argument is weak.
ModestBanana@reddit
My brother you are defending criminals and cartel members to oppose Trump.
When Obama warred with cartels and criminals and deported more illegal aliens than any president in history including Trump you people remained quiet.
Trump does many of the same things Obama and Clinton did and you call him every buzzword that CNN tells you to
My argument is clear, and it’s also clear you’re at double digit IQ. How can I take you seriously if you can’t even get basic grammar right?
Demonking3343@reddit
I never defended the cartels. Of course they should be stopped. What I had an issue with is shooting this vessel on international waters. If it was in US waters fine. If they refused to be boarded fine. But issue is firing on the ship in international waters, if it was at least firing at them it would make sense.
ModestBanana@reddit
Realize, you're, does
Learn to fucking spell before you make yourself look even dumber.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Lol imagine still believing this admin.
I love you think it's because folks are "anti Trump" and not just paying attention.
You buying his line that the Epstein files are a hoax now? Y'all real goofy.
ModestBanana@reddit
I like how you only bring up Reddit talking points
How about how economists are acting shocked that his tariff plan is bringing in revenue to the United States?
How about the multiple peace agreements between warring countries he has done in just the last few months alone, you know anything about that? How about how DC residents are praising Trump for how clean the streets are now that he cleaned them up?
You’re only getting information from extremists that do not allow the other side to report on the positives of this administration. You are the goofy one slurping up the propaganda.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Reddit talking points being things Trump is and has done?
Yeah folks are going to be talking about that. Notice how you just dodge it and pretend like you aren't blatantly lied to.
Like how many of those countries came out and said Trump has nothing to do with the agreements, but you believed him over the actual countries.
Or how the DC courts are complaining about bad arrests with one judge saying “I have never ever in my life seen something close to the illegality of this search.” So a lot of people caught actually doing crimes go free because of civil rights violations. Meanwhile Trump is accepting bribes for pardons.
I love how you just invent a story about me so you can disregard things instead of having to reply to them. That's because you've got nothing but your propaganda.
Anyhow thanks for showing your ass and that you can do nothing but parrot Trumpito.
ModestBanana@reddit
Watch this https://youtu.be/3ew-SrFDlwk?si=at743ad93mDswLPx
Do I need to continue? You’re done.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
I seem to remember you writing "multiple peace agreements." So let's review the ones Trump claimed he was involved in shall we? I do love that you posted the video of the infamous strongman Ilham Aliyev, who hasn't relinquished power in 22 years, praising Trump. As he does seem to love praise from dictators. A fun fact is he paid people to try and kill a friend of mine who was a journalist in Azerbaijan. But we'll get back to this.
-India and Pakistan, Trump claimed he negotiated their peace treaty, But both sides said he wasn't involved
-Egypt and Ethiopia, Trump claimed to have solved the fight over the dam. Claiming to have caused peace. Thing is, there was never shooting war or not peace over that.
-Thailand and Cambodia, Trump claimed credit for this, but the negotiations were run by Maylasia, once again afterwards you get the strongman Hun Sen praising Trump, despite there being little actual evidence Trump really made a difference. Though the praise got tarrifs lowered, we're still seeing low level violence along the border along with massive land mining campaigns so that didn't really work super well huh?
-Serbia and Kosovo - Trump claims he fixed this in 2020, but we've still got NATO troops there because once again low level hostilities.
-Rwanda and Congo - Same shit, Trump claims it's now all peace there, aaand while they signed a treaty the actual truth on the ground is still violence.
Now finally Armenia and Azerbaijan, It's super funny you mention this because that deal is actively falling apart and was never actually adopted by either side. So maybe soon they'll agree to the treaty, but they still haven't gotten it through. Though of the ones he claims to have been involved in, this is the one where that is most true and is closest to actually maybe having peace. Though we shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch.
So you've not substantiated your statement at all of the multiple peace agreements.
It's ok, no one expects MAGA to understand nuance in international relations. But I do love when folks post a dictator praising Trump.
AAAANYHOW, I love how you're only capable of responding to 1 thing at a time from a post while at the same time moving the goalposts.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
You don't know where Venezuela is do you?
Or do you think that speedboat is gonna be fine out on the open seas?
Might be the dumbest thing I've read today. Congrats!
Demonking3343@reddit
Of course I know where Venezuela is. Never said the speedboat would be fine in open seas. It would be highly dangerous trip. And like I said it would require multiple stops for fuel. And no need to bring petty insults into the discussion
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Ok bud. Believe whatever you want lil buddy
Demonking3343@reddit
And I’m telling you my original comment was me speculating on possible what ifs.
And the next part about the speedboats was somthing I really did look into. It literally is easy to find on google.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
'I was pulling things out my ass and googled into confirmation bias'
Demonking3343@reddit
Ok you can behave like an adult. I was agreeing with you originally thst it was all stupid. I speculated on what that vessel could possibly have been doing and your the one who couldn’t handle that I didn’t have 100% confirmation on what happened. Then it somehow devolved into an argument of if a speedboat can be modified to actually make the trip. And No I didn’t google my way into a confirmation bias. I looked it up, literally multiple sources confirm that it not only happens but we have even caught some of these vessels at sea! If I had relized your original comment was in support of attacking a ship in international waters I wouldn’t have bothered engaging with you.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
I've never said it was a good idea for them to blow the boat up in international waters. So your reading comprehension is pretty bad.
Anyhow I'd love if you'd stop engaging.
Demonking3343@reddit
No you have not you have been trying to insult me at every turn. And yeah a tiny speedboat wouldn’t work. A stock speedboat would never make it. Especially since there range is like 300 miles for somthing like thst. Hence why I said the need for multiple fuel stops. That’s assuming the fuel tank has not been modified.
Now because let’s just drop a sources because I’m not humoring this any longer.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/08/21/3-types-of-high-speed-smuggling-boats-facing-the-coast-guard/
This discussion is now over. I have proved I have not just “made up” that these modified boats are possible. I will not be engaging any further. Good day.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Ok bud.
patiakupipita@reddit
Venezuelan migrants use boats to cross all the time into my country.
That have might not be the case here (and I strongly think that it's not) but you're straight up wrong that they can't use speedboat to flee.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
They're implying that they'll be taking this speedboat from Venezuela directly to the US just by fueling up a few times.
No one said they couldn't use a speedboat to speedily go places, but crossing the entire Caribbean is a plan made by someone whose never tried a speed boat that size on open seas.
patiakupipita@reddit
The boats sometimes stop somewhere else loading off the cargo for further transit. Again my hometown was one of these hubs. I straight up have family members on both sides of that "trade" (smugglers and navy side). Furthermore it's stated that it was in the Southern Caribbean, which further strengthens my case.
Still I agree with the overall sentiment tho we have no idea what were on that boat based on current info, might have been drugs, might have been migrants, might have been a legit boat. Maybe the us government knew better, but I dont fully trust it without proof.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
The US warships are off the coast of Venezuela. Which is the southern Carribean.
And yeah there isn't much to backup the US's story, beyond knowing they killed 11 people for a photo op. Kinda like the military isn't supposed to be used for police actions because the penalty for running drugs isn't death.
patiakupipita@reddit
The boats sometimes stop somewhere else loading off the cargo for further transit. Again my hometown was one of these hubs. I straight up have family members on both sides of that "trade" (smugglers and navy side). Furthermore it's stated that it was in the Southern Caribbean, which further strengthens my case.
Still I agree with the overall sentiment tho we have no idea what were on that boat based on current info, might have been drugs, might have been migrants, might have been a legit boat. Maybe the us government knew better, but I dont fully trust it without proof.
NetworkLlama@reddit
It's been common for decades, though more from Colombia than Venezuela. There are dozens to hundreds such trips every year. The cartels set up fishing boats along the way to refuel them, and even in 2002, they were zipping along at 50 knots. That's fast enough to outrun almost anything on the water, and even a helicopter might have some difficulty catching up, doing the intercept, and making it back to the host ship, depending on circumstances. I've seen some reports that newer speedboats can get to 60 knots, making intercepts even harder.
And the cartels are making advances in other areas. In the last few years, Spain has intercepted multiple semi-submersible vessels off its coast after they crossed the Atlantic.
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
They haven't really done runs into the US in decades. It's usually to Mexico for land crossings or to ports to slip into containers.
The US Coast guard got really intense about interdictions in the 90s which has really kept these down.
That said they're hugging the coast to mixin with fisherman not just heading to open seas.
genius_retard@reddit
How do you expect to start a war like that?
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
Fair enough, I hadn't considered we hadn't started a forever war since the last Republican president.
moderngamer327@reddit
Actually the last republican president(Also Trump) did not start any wars during his term. It’s considered one of the few positive things about it
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
The last Republican president was Bush. The last Republican administration was Trump.
Do you think he's a different person because it's another administration?
moderngamer327@reddit
Ah I see. I misinterpreted what you were saying. By “last republican president” I thought you were referring to “the last republican that was president”. Which would be Trump
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
I got that. Hence the correction.
genius_retard@reddit
Trump thinks if he starts a war he can forgo the 2028 election.
Puffycatkibble@reddit
Plus get foc Nobel peace prize for ending a war he started.
OptimisticSkeleton@reddit
As Hegseth blows a line off his desk.
The real question is, why should we trust the most prolific liars in American history with zero evidence?
Scrapple_Joe@reddit
"Guys would we lie to you? Btw that trash bag out the window was AI"
OptimisticSkeleton@reddit
I have nothing to do with Epstein but he had my portrait on his desk before I was President.
CleeAuth@reddit
Venuzuela has oil reserves and America wants to steal it. The CIA are the biggest drug smugglers in the world. Get off your high horse hegseth.
Hamiltonblewit@reddit
The United States is the largest producer of oil ever since 2018, and the oil Venezuela produces are quite inefficient to process even though there is such a large reserve.
Not to mention, no serious commentator on geopolitics would seriously use the oil copy pasta in the 21st Century as a justification to invade another country, that’s just being intentionally lazy.
Anton_Pannekoek@reddit
Oil is massively important to the USA and wars are frequently over control of resources. The war in Iraq was indeed largely about oil.
CLOUDMlNDER@reddit
The oil industry is massively subsidised, to the tune of trillions in direct aid, and several trillions more in the work oil-oriented governments do to protect the industry from having to pay for the environmental and social costs. All oil production is too expensive, really. But capitalist states enable it and make it cheap. Cost is a question of power.
The interest in the region is palpable. Since the discovery of oil in the disputed Essequibo region by Exxon prospectors, Guyana has been flooded with corporate suits and dollars, dissolving local politics, and the US military has partnered with the Guyanese, assisting in building tensions along the disputed border. The US has weighed into the border spat on the side of Guyana.
They are quite blatant about their hunger for the region's oil.
A client state can swallow the processing costs to the detriment of its people (see IMF type malarkey). And if it is too expensive to process today, who knows about tomorrow? American LNG was too expensive for the European market but then SOMEBODY blew up the pipelines of cheap Russian gas and suddenly Uncle Sam had a foot in the door.
> no serious commentator on geopolitics would seriously use the oil copy pasta in the 21st Century as a justification to invade another country
Pull the other one my friend for it has bells on. Oil is still blatantly a huge motivator in world geopolitics.
> I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil
- Alan Greenspan
The first legal change pushed through after the invasion of Iraq was Order 39, opening the country up to foreign investors. They left high risk and high cost extraction and primary processing in state hands (control without ownership) but forced Western oil companies in as state contractors and developers of the oil market.
Professional-Syrup-0@reddit
The vast majority of oil the U.S. produces through fracking is light oil, while Venezuela has among the largest deposits of heavy crude oil.
That’s something the U.S. petrochemical industry is actually way more specialised in, on account of having had its own heavy crude oil production for decades, before all the big wells ran dry and they still got oil out of them without fracking.
moderngamer327@reddit
The oil reserves in Venezuela are poor quality and worth very little. There is very little reason to invade over it
Professional-Syrup-0@reddit
You have no idea about the differences of heavy and light oil if you think that’s saying anything about its “quality”.
moderngamer327@reddit
What makes Venezuelan oil poor quality is its expense and difficulty to refine. Sure you can make it just as good as any other oil but it’s going to be more expensive to extract and refine. This means at best you’ll be making a small margin and at work it’s going to cost more to extract and refine than it’s worth. It’s one of the reason Venezuela suffered so badly when oil prices crashed
Professional-Syrup-0@reddit
Again: You have no idea what you are talking about, and just keep ignoring how the US is the largest importer of heavy crude on account of also being the largest refinery in the of heavy crude oil.
ToranjaNuclear@reddit
If integrity meant anything at all to the west, America would already be considered a pariah. But nah, let's fabricate more fearmongerint against China and North Korea because clearly they are a bigger threat than the rogue state stirring shit around the globe.
No-Estimate-1510@reddit
Russian special military operation: invasion of a sovereign nation in the name of denazification.
American special military operation: invasion of a sovereign nation in the name of cartel busting.
Anton_Pannekoek@reddit
It's funny that "drugs" is the excuse to attack Venezuela. Venezuela actually does quite a good job on combating drugs according to the UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/01/americas/trump-venezuela-maduro-drug-threat-analysis-intl-latam
Equador is also a major drug trafficking hub.
Yet none of these countries is under military attack from the USA.
If the USA really wanted to help Venezuela combat drugs, it would send police task forces to work with Venezuelan authorities.
nachtengelsp@reddit
Or just deal with consumption in their own home, which is way easier than militarily invading another country that doesn't even produce cocaine lmao
SomeDumRedditor@reddit
This US administration will do anything, up to and including starting a war, to get the American people (and especially their base) to “move on from” the Epstein files. It’s all so disgustingly transparent. Imagine murdering people for PR.
ijzerwater@reddit
you do know a key reason why the war in Gaza continues is because Mr N wants to move on from his trials?
NetworkLlama@reddit
His trial is technically ongoing, and has been for over five years. The trial opened in May 2020, witness testimony began in April 2021, and the prosecution rested in July 2024 after calling hundreds of witnesses. The defense started in December 2024, kicking off with Netanyahu himself, for which he was present for 35 sessions just for direct questioning. The prosecution began their cross-examination of him in June of this year. There was a break in late July, and the trial is set to resume this week, and Netanyahu still has more testimony scheduled. Schedule changes have been planned for November 2025 to speed things up, when he is still expected to testify up to three days a week.
I don't know how an actual trial lasts this long, even a very large and complex one, but it hasn't stopped.
MudSeparate1622@reddit
I like that they heard sex trafficking and drugs so their first response was kill everyone yet the Epstein files are not a big deal.. I guess it was the drugs that Trump has a majority problem with.