Living in a state of delusion called Florida, double speak is our regional dialect. Elections and contracts are barely a speed bump for an aggressive governor bent on consolidating power. Our Surgeon General is only marginally less absurd than RFK. Cruelty rules, lemmings follow, books are banned and reason is furloughed.
War, not war. Legal, illegal. Nothing to see here. I feel like those doomed souls in Thailand on 12/26/2004 standing paralyzed on the beach while the Tsunami reared up over their heads. There is nowhere to run.
Will modern military technologies like AI make it MAGA profitable and MAGA powerful? The long history of presidents using military force needs to stop! Maybe the 1973 War Powers Resolution will block felon 47? Shout out on thin ice to Representative Masse who IMO may be on the path of MTG. Tea Party guy. Having a change of mind vs performative about the royal creep and creepy crawler buddies in this regime? I wonder if Tom will again post his portrait of his "family with guns" for their 2025 Christmas photo? Xplisset, voice of America your perspective "Police Action 2.0: Mission Creep... and reporting is appreciated! All I have are questions....RIP casualties of WAR. Avoid wrong place, wrong time people.
I’m right there with you on the AI piece: it’s not going to make “regular MAGA folks” rich, it’s going to turn today’s tech billionaires into tomorrow’s trillionaires while wiping out the very college-level entry jobs the professional class thought would always be a safety net. The same people cheering on the strongman now are going to wake up and realize the machines replaced them too.
And yeah, these really are “nobody told me there’d be days like these” times as John Lennon nailed that feeling decades ago. I catch myself nodding along to some of what Massie says, then remembering how many times guys like Rand Paul talked a good game and folded when it counted. I’m glad you’re back in here Mariantoon asking the hard questions.
Excellent reporting. Trump's pardoning of an expediter in enormous amounts of cocaine into America, jailed after the due process denied to Hegseth's (and Trump's, and Bradly's) victims in small boats that could carry only a fraction of one percent of the amount of Juan Orlando Hernández helped bring into the U.S., makes a total mockery of the rationales that were never really justified, legally or pragmatically, in the first place. In putting the pieces together you have illustrated a significant part of a perfect storm that could not have developed but for a sequence of relatively minor events that led to one horrific act, that of the Supreme Court turning against the constitution and making a decision they probably thought would lead to increased control of the U.S. middle and lower "classes" by the elite, themselves and their families, never thinking that they had unleashed such a force for unapologetic evil as Trump.
Just as drugs or drunkenness can unleash truth, so can dementia, and as dementia ever more rapidly dominates Trump's already deranged brain we find that he is, as so many thought he was, a full-fledged fascist, xenophobic wannabe dictator capable of destroying everything and everyone if to his real or imagined interest. Throw in his, and his inner circle's, support for Putin we are all in danger, not just some Venezuelan fisherfolk who may or may not be trying to make ends meet on the shaded side of the law, but who are certainly a minimal risk to Americans compared to those who have Trump's support.
I think there is a trait at work here...call it immaturity....but that's enough for now.
All those men's lives lost in small boats for a propaganda ploy aimed at you and me. Venezuela's oil reserves were nationalized in 1976 by President Carlos Andrés Pérez, creating the national petroleum company. All subsequent US-led shenanigans can be traced to this fact.
“True justice requires humility, restraint, and accountability.” I found myself wanting to read your summary, your unique perspective, particularly as a former officer of the law. If those of us who are not trained in law - from policy making to enforcement- can grasp these concepts, it is clear to me that this administration is intentionally corrupting the foundation of the laws. And, of course, we have been here. And here. And here, before. Violence, in loose language of safety and protection, designed to protect the interests of a ruling class. When will we learn?
Wow, you nailed it again with this piece. Thank you so much for sharing your insights. Not sure how it's possible, but your writing makes reading bad news fun.
At best, these acts are video documented murder. This "police action" occurred on international waters without necessity or provocation. No amount of distraction or nuance will change the fact that multiple war crimes have been committed.
Yeah, I’m right there with you, David. Once you peel off the Pentagon spin, what we’re watching is straight-up killing on open water, with “police action” slapped on after the fact like a label on a file folder.
Any regular cop or JAG with a conscience would look at that tape and start asking war-crimes questions, not word-games questions. Really appreciate you saying it plain in the comments instead of dancing around it.
Man. I’m Jamaican. This piece hits hard X. Great reporting. You are so good.
Yep. Loved it. Current, cogent, and complete without getting too into the weeds. A fine, balanced, and artfully worded analysis. 👍👍
Living in a state of delusion called Florida, double speak is our regional dialect. Elections and contracts are barely a speed bump for an aggressive governor bent on consolidating power. Our Surgeon General is only marginally less absurd than RFK. Cruelty rules, lemmings follow, books are banned and reason is furloughed.
War, not war. Legal, illegal. Nothing to see here. I feel like those doomed souls in Thailand on 12/26/2004 standing paralyzed on the beach while the Tsunami reared up over their heads. There is nowhere to run.
Will modern military technologies like AI make it MAGA profitable and MAGA powerful? The long history of presidents using military force needs to stop! Maybe the 1973 War Powers Resolution will block felon 47? Shout out on thin ice to Representative Masse who IMO may be on the path of MTG. Tea Party guy. Having a change of mind vs performative about the royal creep and creepy crawler buddies in this regime? I wonder if Tom will again post his portrait of his "family with guns" for their 2025 Christmas photo? Xplisset, voice of America your perspective "Police Action 2.0: Mission Creep... and reporting is appreciated! All I have are questions....RIP casualties of WAR. Avoid wrong place, wrong time people.
I’m right there with you on the AI piece: it’s not going to make “regular MAGA folks” rich, it’s going to turn today’s tech billionaires into tomorrow’s trillionaires while wiping out the very college-level entry jobs the professional class thought would always be a safety net. The same people cheering on the strongman now are going to wake up and realize the machines replaced them too.
And yeah, these really are “nobody told me there’d be days like these” times as John Lennon nailed that feeling decades ago. I catch myself nodding along to some of what Massie says, then remembering how many times guys like Rand Paul talked a good game and folded when it counted. I’m glad you’re back in here Mariantoon asking the hard questions.
I wonder how many taxes a robotic arm pays?
Bernie Sanders asks some important questions about AI:
https://open.substack.com/pub/politicsusa46/p/nobody-is-prepared-for-whats-to-come
Excellent reporting. Trump's pardoning of an expediter in enormous amounts of cocaine into America, jailed after the due process denied to Hegseth's (and Trump's, and Bradly's) victims in small boats that could carry only a fraction of one percent of the amount of Juan Orlando Hernández helped bring into the U.S., makes a total mockery of the rationales that were never really justified, legally or pragmatically, in the first place. In putting the pieces together you have illustrated a significant part of a perfect storm that could not have developed but for a sequence of relatively minor events that led to one horrific act, that of the Supreme Court turning against the constitution and making a decision they probably thought would lead to increased control of the U.S. middle and lower "classes" by the elite, themselves and their families, never thinking that they had unleashed such a force for unapologetic evil as Trump.
Just as drugs or drunkenness can unleash truth, so can dementia, and as dementia ever more rapidly dominates Trump's already deranged brain we find that he is, as so many thought he was, a full-fledged fascist, xenophobic wannabe dictator capable of destroying everything and everyone if to his real or imagined interest. Throw in his, and his inner circle's, support for Putin we are all in danger, not just some Venezuelan fisherfolk who may or may not be trying to make ends meet on the shaded side of the law, but who are certainly a minimal risk to Americans compared to those who have Trump's support.
I think there is a trait at work here...call it immaturity....but that's enough for now.
X, thank you for this outstanding analysis. I appreciate that you included the “conflicts” in Korea and Panama. So grateful for your work.
All those men's lives lost in small boats for a propaganda ploy aimed at you and me. Venezuela's oil reserves were nationalized in 1976 by President Carlos Andrés Pérez, creating the national petroleum company. All subsequent US-led shenanigans can be traced to this fact.
“True justice requires humility, restraint, and accountability.” I found myself wanting to read your summary, your unique perspective, particularly as a former officer of the law. If those of us who are not trained in law - from policy making to enforcement- can grasp these concepts, it is clear to me that this administration is intentionally corrupting the foundation of the laws. And, of course, we have been here. And here. And here, before. Violence, in loose language of safety and protection, designed to protect the interests of a ruling class. When will we learn?
Wow, you nailed it again with this piece. Thank you so much for sharing your insights. Not sure how it's possible, but your writing makes reading bad news fun.
At best, these acts are video documented murder. This "police action" occurred on international waters without necessity or provocation. No amount of distraction or nuance will change the fact that multiple war crimes have been committed.
Yeah, I’m right there with you, David. Once you peel off the Pentagon spin, what we’re watching is straight-up killing on open water, with “police action” slapped on after the fact like a label on a file folder.
Any regular cop or JAG with a conscience would look at that tape and start asking war-crimes questions, not word-games questions. Really appreciate you saying it plain in the comments instead of dancing around it.