(01-06-2026, 09:49 AM)Sky727 Wrote: You left off hard core drug running cartel mafia  bastard..

Maybe the cartels are paying people to be against Trump.

(01-06-2026, 09:26 AM)CriticalStinker Wrote: Trump ran on no new wars, and ending US regime change.

So far neither of those has happened with Venezuela.
There was a police action, no war.
There was the arrest of Maduro and wife, without regime change.

We know that now that Maduro is gone, the majority of Venezuelans
voted against him (70%) so the next elected regime won't be socialist
or Maduro cronies ... But that'll be decided by the people there and
no one is 'installed'.   Trump already said there will be fair and free elections.

(01-06-2026, 09:50 AM)DBCowboy Wrote: I was against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I still served.

If Venezuela is a nothing-burger, then why the cry and protests?

Voters having an opinion of what their government is doing is pretty standard.

Every president post Bush has ran on changing the US foreign interventionist policy. They all did it just as much as their predecessors. Voters noting that is all they can do. We can’t vote for change, we can’t force them to change. It is what it is, all we can do is voice frustration. 

Is it all for nothing? Probably. But it’s all we got. The donor class gets to decide what happen, we get lip service. Nothing new.

(01-06-2026, 09:53 AM)FlyersFan Wrote: So far neither of those has happened with Venezuela.
There was a police action, no war.
There was the arrest of Maduro and wife, without regime change.

We know that now that Maduro is gone, the majority of Venezuelans
voted against him (70%) so the next elected regime won't be socialist
or Maduro cronies ... But that'll be decided by the people there and
no one is 'installed'.   Trump already said there will be fair and free elections.

Good point. We’ve cleared the 72 hour window, and that’s only period that things could start to backfire.

(01-06-2026, 09:44 AM)UltraBudgie Wrote: that is true. most of the people db calls communists are actually democrats.

'Democrat socialist' is just putting lipstick on the pig.
It's socialist.   
They try to hide behind the 'democrat' in the title
but it doesn't work.  
It's all marxist.

Regular democrats, on the other hand, are not socialist nor are they communist.
But they are shrinking in number.
Todays democrat isn't the democrat of yesterday.
JFK would be considered a republican now.

(01-06-2026, 09:53 AM)CriticalStinker Wrote: Voters having an opinion of what their government is doing is pretty standard.

Every president post Bush has ran on changing the US foreign interventionist policy. They all did it just as much as their predecessors. Voters noting that is all they can do. We can’t vote for change, we can’t force them to change. It is what it is, all we can do is voice frustration. 

Is it all for nothing? Probably. But it’s all we got. The donor class gets to decide what happen, we get lip service. Nothing new.

How has the actions in Venezuela harmed you?

If the answer is none, then what's the issue?

The only people protesting are the socialists/communists, their "brand" has been damaged.

(01-06-2026, 09:56 AM)DBCowboy Wrote: The only people protesting are the socialists/communists, their "brand" has been damaged.

... and those blind with Trump hate.

The socialist and communist brand has been damaged ... very true.
Venezuela was thriving and socialist Maduro ran it into the ground
Socialism always fails.

The action was legal by US law.
It has precedent ... Noriega.
It was allowed by UN law - article 51 I think it was.
(self protection)
It was a strike to arrest someone with outstanding warrants.
There is no war.   There was no forced regime change.
The action came off in spectacular fashion ... perfectly executed.

So far it is a massive success for Trump and America.
Anyone screaming 'disaster' is just sour grapes at this point.
Or they have an agenda.   Most likely both.

(01-06-2026, 09:56 AM)FlyersFan Wrote: 'Democrat socialist' is just putting lipstick on the pig.

it really is, isn't it

try talking to a 'democrat socialist'

they will require complete ideological conformity from you

aligning with the way they see the world and what is 'fair'

and will sling all slander at you if you deviate from what they want

you will be called brainwashed or a puppet or a cultist

that is the opposite of democracy

which respects actual diversity of philosophy

(01-06-2026, 09:56 AM)DBCowboy Wrote: How has the actions in Venezuela harmed you?

If the answer is none, then what's the issue?

The only people protesting are the socialists/communists, their "brand" has been damaged.

Most of peoples world view isn’t based off of what has directly harmed them. People have opinions about how our nation should conduct itself and prioritize issues.

Saying someone can’t have an opinion because they haven’t been directly harmed by something would take most issues off the table for them to discuss.

But, your view isn’t unique. This has been the state of political discourse for decades. Everyone who disagrees with the partisan politics is a Nazi or Communist, no in between.

Never mind the fact that I have three brokerages to trade with, 4 different retirement accounts, trade stocks, commodities, property, and a very small amount of crypto. I must be a communist if I have an opinion of our foreign policy that looks no different than 20 years ago… that a majority of citizens have shown to be opposed to.

(01-06-2026, 09:56 AM)DBCowboy Wrote: How has the actions in Venezuela harmed you?

If the answer is none, then what's the issue?

The only people protesting are the socialists/communists, their "brand" has been damaged.

Exactly why people are starting to hate the US
”How has it harmed you” 
you care nothing about anybody else but yourselves, oil criminals 
Venezuela will be far worse off after this, civil war and more corruption, just like Libya and the Middle East 
Anything for Israel ?