Venezuela-US tensions

[caltrek]

‘Venezuela, for the American Oil Companies, Will Be a Field Day,’ Says U.S. Lawmaker Pushing Invasion
By Jessica Corbett
November 24, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) “Going to war for oil, the sequel.”

That’s how one film and television producer responded to a Monday clip of US Rep. María Salazar (R-Fla.) discussing President Donald Trump’s potential military invasion of Venezuela on Fox Business.

Amid mounting alarm that Trump may take military action, Salazar said there were three reasons why “we need to go in” to the South American country. The first, she said, is that “Venezuela, for the American oil companies, will be a field day.”

After journalist Aaron Rupar noted her remarks on social media, many critics weighed in, including Justice Democrats, which works to elect progressives to Congress.

Additional Extract:

Fred Wellman, a US Army combat veteran and podcast host running as a Democrat in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, replied on social media: “They are sending our troops to war for the oil companies and not even pretending to lie about it. These sick SOBs are going to get our kids killed and it’s all a big joke

The article also discusses the unproven claim that a drug cartel is being operated by elements of the Maduro regime.

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-venezuela-oil

caltrek’s comment: What is also very disturbing is that while “our kids” may be put in danger, the nature of modern warfare is such that a sophisticated country like the U.S. may very well be able to carry out a significant military action with a minimal loss of life on the U.S. side. Of course, to actually take control of Venezuelan oil might very well require a full-scale military action that goes beyond "significant." In any case, the brunt of suffering would be in Venezuela, including probable civilian “collateral damage.” Even the prime targets of such military action may very well be innocent of the crimes for which they are being accused. At the very least, the U.S. needs to offer some tangible proof of their allegations. More than just “take our word for it.”

Making sure that Venezuelan oil benefits the people of Venezuela should also be a base line consideration.

Even if these two considerations are met, I don’t see myself supporting military action. Not that I have any significant influence in that regard.

[firestar464]

An attempted naval invasion would be disastrous. It doesn't take much to sink ships.

[firestar464]

Trump says the U.S. will 'very soon' take action on land to stop alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/tr ... r-AA1RiIW5

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

More on that by Politico:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/tru ... 16613.html

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

Pete Hegseth Is Finally Getting Investigated
By Inae Oh
November 30, 2025

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) In a rare instance of bipartisan alarm, Republican-chaired committees in the House and Senate announced that they have launched inquiries into an explosive Washington Post report alleging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given a spoken order to “kill everybody” aboard a vessel carrying suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean. The occupants included two people who had survived an initial missile strike on the vessel and were seen “clinging” to the wreckage.

“We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,” the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee said in a joint statement on Friday.

“The Committee has directed inquiries to the [Department of Defense], and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances,” leaders in the Senate Armed Services Committee said.

Additional extract:

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona told CNN on Sunday that Hegseth’s actions, as reported by the Post, appear to be a war crime.
…
“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” he (Hegseth) wrote on X.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... strikes/

As I read it, the investigation is not “to discredit our incredible warriors” but potentially to discredit Pete Hegseth. A shameful deflection if ever there was one.

[caltrek]

‘You’re a Sick Man’: Pete Hegseth Blasted Online After Posting Meme About Drug Boat Strikes
By Tom Durante
December , 2025

Introduction:

(Mediaite) Oh, for the love of Pete!

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth capped the Thanksgiving weekend with a meme about the Trump administration’s drug boat strikes in the Caribbean, and the internet is crushing him for it.

It all started on Sunday night when the former Fox News host shared a photo on X of a mock children’s book cover with the title, Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.

“For your Christmas wish list…” Hegseth wrote alongside the post.

The Hegseth post came days after an explosive Washington Post report alleging that during the first drug boat attack, Hegseth ordered a second strike to wipe out two survivors seen clinging to wreckage after the initial shot. (See previous post).

Read more here (including referenced memes): [https://www.mediaite.com/online/youre ... strikes /

[weatheriscool]

[Yuli Ban]

> making aggressive statements towards another sovereign nation
> actively killing its citizens in airstrikes despite no formal police action/limited war being underway
> closing airspace of that country
> actively amassing amphibious forces, threatening a ground invasion


Imagine if China did even 1/5 of this towards Taiwan. The most I've seen them say is "Taiwan is a part of China and we will be reunited." If they said anything on par with "We will start killing their citizens on their own soil," you'd expect damn near everyone to start heading for the bunkers.

The funny thing is, if you asked most Americans, they'd tell you China HAS made threats like this, but probably wouldn't be able to point you towards any actual examples

[caltrek]

‘All of Them Constitute Murder,’ Amnesty Says of Trump Boat Bombings
By Brad Reed
December 5, 2025

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Human rights organization Amnesty International is cautioning critics of the Trump administration’s boat-bombing spree against getting bogged down in the precise details of each individual strike if it means losing sight of the bigger picture.

Daphne Eviatar, director for security and human rights for Amnesty International USA, said on Friday that it would be a mistake to merely condemn the Trump administration for launching a double-tap strike aimed at killing shipwrecked survivors of an initial attack, because the entire campaign of bombing vessels based on the suspicion that they are carrying illegal narcotics is unlawful.

“All the strikes so far have been illegal under both domestic and international law,” she said. “All of them constitute murder because none of the victims, whether or not they were smuggling illegal narcotics, posed an imminent threat to life. Congress must take action now to stop the US military from murdering more people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.”

Eviatar said that law enforcement organizations for decades have had the power to intercept suspected drug boats at sea without having to resort to mass killing.

“Intercepting purported drug boats is a law enforcement operation, subject to policing standards derived from international human rights law, which holds that all people have the rights to life and a fair trial, and only allows states to use lethal force when an imminent threat to life exists,” she said. “A state intentionally killing someone outside those circumstances is committing an extrajudicial execution, a form of murder, no matter what crime the person is alleged to have committed.”

Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/amne ... t-strikes

[caltrek]

Trump’s Aggression Toward Venezuela Should be Setting Off Alarm Bells
By Farrah Hassen
December 3, 2025

Extract:

(Other Words) The U.S. has claimed that it attacked the small boats because they were carrying drugs, despite offering no proof. Even if the boats did carry drugs, the appropriate response would be to lawfully intercept and detain the suspects and afford them due process of law.

Under international law, force is only permitted in self-defense from an armed attack or if authorized by the UN Security Council, neither of which applies here. Congress hasn’t approved military force against alleged traffickers either.

A secret Department of Justice memo has gone so far as to name fentanyl as a “chemical weapon threat” from these “drug boats.” But neither U.S. nor international assessments have found that Venezuela is a primary producer or international shipment point of narcotics, including fentanyl.

Trump has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of controlling the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, a claim contradicted by a U.S. intelligence memo, as well as the “Cartel of the Suns” — an organization many experts doubt even exists but which Trump’s State Department now lists as a “terrorist organization.”

And while Trump alleges that Maduro is flooding the U.S. with drugs, he just pardoned one of the biggest cocaine traffickers — former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years last year for creating “a cocaine superhighway to the United States.”

Read more here: https://otherwords.org/trumps-aggressi ... rm-bells/

[firestar464]

Venezuela requests UN Security Council meet over 'ongoing US aggression'

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ve ... r-AA1Sy0tN

[wjfox]

[firestar464]

Exclusive: US seizes vessel off Venezuelan coast, officials say

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... 025-12-20/

[firestar464]

WSJ- U.S. Oil Blockade of Venezuela Pushes Cuba Toward Collapse

https://archive.ph/dYw0q

[firestar464]

[firestar464]

[firestar464]

US military says at least three killed in new strikes on alleged 'convoy' of drug boats, with survivors abandoning ship

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us ... r-AA1Tn2Rx

[weatheriscool]

Loud noises heard in Venezuela capital, southern area without electricity

Source: Reuters

Entire story

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Loud noises were being heard in Venezuelan capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Reuters witnesses, and the southern area of the city, near a major military base, was without electricity.


Time in Caracas is 2:36 am, 1:36 NY time

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... 026-01-03/