Venezuela...

[Chocolate Lab]

What did someone say the other day when I posted the article about Nick Shirley and his previous attempts to report stories? "Attack the "journalist" instead of the fraud?

Yeah, that is exactly what you are doing.

I assume you're talking about me?

Journalists do need to be attacked when they're negligent or purposely misleading, as we've seen countless times over the last several years. That doesn't appear to be the case in the Somali daycare fraud case.

Was Shirley wrong that it was happening?

But I guess if a Sky News (or CNN or MSNBC or The Atlantic) reporter showed up in Minneapolis and asked a few random people if they'd ever seen a fake daycare center and they said no, you'd believe that was evidence that it wasn't happening?

 

[Irving Cowboy]

I don't remember who it was, but it was a pretty quick response to what I posted.

I'm just saying I would not put all my eggs in the basket of one lone YouTuber looking to post a clickbait story when his credibility has been questioned in the past, just as the mainstream media has. And I don't know if CNN or MSNBC or whatever they call themselves has reported it as a hoax. I get most of my information from various sources when they come up on Flipboard.

 

[Bipo]

 

[Smitty]

I understand Paul's point about corporatism but, as he and I would surely agree on, we need to worry more about ending corporatism at home first.

This is not an Iraq invasion and if you asked Paul about the notion of nationalization of industries here in the US, he'd call it theft. It's theft there too. Any treaty that treats it not as theft should be abandoned. And even within the treaties, Venezuela cheated, didn't pay, and therefore stole.

If an average US Citizen was visiting Venezuela and got robbed, I don't expect us to send in the military to fix it, but, this has more to do with China and Russia usurping our power and national security, warranting a very minor incursion, as long as it remains that way.

Of course, much of the power balance is based on dollar hegemony (not "oil", though the two are related), so I'd also agree with Paul that if we want to stop much of this we need to reinstate the gold standard or something.

 

[Cujo]

And no, that did not happen. There were not Hatians in Springfield eating pets, it has been dis-proven many times over.

The fact that the Trump and Vance fell for it and were willing to put it out there just goes to show how gullible they are, just like their sycophants fall for the old "medicines will go down by 5-600%" line.

Even if the pet-eating thing wasn't true, all the other shit was. In fact, eating their pets would have been the least of my concerns.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

This is not an Iraq invasion and if you asked Paul about the notion of nationalization of industries here in the US, he'd call it theft. It's theft there too. Any treaty that treats it not as theft should be abandoned. And even within the treaties, Venezuela cheated, didn't pay, and therefore stole.

Yeah I think Paul is wrong on this one. One of the real purposes of government in my opinion is to prevent things like theft. If my neighbor stole my car, would Paul say that tax payer funded police shouldn't do something about it? And I have a business. If someone broke into my business and robbed the place, should my tax dollars not go to helping to prosecute that person?

So why does the principal change when the theft is from an oil company by a foreign government?

The truth is the US benefits by those oil companies too. And frankly that's the real reason the United States government is helping them. But the point remains the same. If you steal from a corporation, they deserve the same protection regardless of how big that company is.

 

[bbgun]

 

[Cotton]

 

[Plan9Misfit]

To be fair, I believe that all politicians are our enemies.

 

[bbgun]

with friends like these ...

 

[Cotton]

with friends like these ...

I am really tired of these weak-ass Republicans.

 

[Smitty]

To be fair... I do agree that if this goes any further Congress should authorize.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

To be fair... I do agree that if this goes any further Congress should authorize.

The thing is a mission like this isn't even possible if you consult congress. The speed, efficiency and minimalized casualties required there not be notice of what was happening. And you can't trust any member of congress to do any of that. So yeah, kind of makes it fucking impossible to do, like most things when you have to run it through Congress.

 

[Cujo]

The thing is a mission like this isn't even possible if you consult congress. The speed, efficiency and minimalized casualties required there not be notice of what was happening. And you can't trust any member of congress to do any of that. So yeah, kind of makes it fucking impossible to do, like most things when you have to run it through Congress.

The democrats would tip them off.

 

[Smitty]

The thing is a mission like this isn't even possible if you consult congress. The speed, efficiency and minimalized casualties required there not be notice of what was happening. And you can't trust any member of congress to do any of that. So yeah, kind of makes it fucking impossible to do, like most things when you have to run it through Congress.

Right, that's why I said if it goes further.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

The democrats would tip them off.

They absolutely would. Not 30 years ago, but today? Absolutely they would. And some of them wouldn't even be shy about it.

So yeah, I want the checks and balances. I don't want Trump to be allowed to just go take whatever leader of whatever country he wants to at any moment. But Congress is as bad as ever. To the point that I do not have faith they are capable of being any sort of check or balance any longer. They will just take whatever position is necessary to be on the opposite side of the argument and they will happily do whatever dirty things they need to in order to accomplish their goal.

Needlessly endanger more American lives? Wouldn't bother them for a second.

 

[Cotton]

To be fair... I do agree that if this goes any further Congress should authorize.

Yeah, but that 60 day window was already in place. In 60 days if it had continued, it would have required action from Congress to continue it.

 

[Bipo]

They painted the Russian flag on the tanker.

Then the Russians tried to pretend it was theirs.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Cotton]

I want to believe this is true, but the guard's answers don't seem right for some reason. It feels fake.