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MagicSoccerSpray

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Posts posted by MagicSoccerSpray

  1. AP News
    No image preview

    Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US operation i...

    The statement on official media late Sunday said the Cuban military and police officers were on a mission the Caribbean country’s military was carrying out at the request of Venezuela’s government.

    https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/01/05/operation_absolute_resolve_anatomy_of_a_modern_decapitation_strike_1156732.html

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/i-was-cia-chief-in-venezuela-here-are-a-few-hard-truths/ss-AA1TGVqC?uxmode=ruby&cvpid=5d98d48a6af74b428656e6b038915dcc#image=1

    No image preview

    THE MEDVEDEV COROLLARY

    How 150 Minutes Over Caracas Rewrote the Physics of Global Power and Triggered the Second Nuclear Age
  2. 58 minutes ago, PTINS said:

    @atomheartbevo , we should get a beer and a dog some time. I'm in Austin.

    YARN | Next thing you know, he'll want to arrange a meeting | EuroTrip  (2004) | Video gifs by quotes | e646b043 | 紗

    I have a display of golf balls from 49 places and companies I've accumulated over the years. All the places are still there. The majority of the companies are not, and the people that gave them to me are all retired, or have passed on. The industry I grew up in is down to British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, and Exxon, Chevron and Conoco/Phillips, a bunch of smaller independents, and a handful of midstream companies. That is the exploration and production side of the US oil industry (not gas), 3 super-majors with a disciplined capital investment plan, and a lot of independents that aren't in a hurry to drill for $58 oil.

    I can't name the Donald's Secretary of Energy, and I don't care enough to look, but i'm guessing he's a tall, white, male and probably knows how to put gas in a car. Probably a drinking buddy of "Whiskey Pete's."

    The 3 US companies all basically said "no comment" in the few stories I read.

    Chevron is the dominate producer in the Permian Basin, and in the process of moving out of California, which will look like a long, bitter divorce, from a hostile government. They are the second largest interest owner, behind Kazakhstan, in the Caspian oil production, and are in the middle of dealing with Ukraines attack on the Caspian loading facilities, ~ 1,000,000 BPD. Chevon has been prudent in consolidating their worldwide portfolio to fewer efficient and profitable ventures, and has been systematically moving ex-pats back to the US for over 10 years. Chevron/Texaco have been nationalized be Venezuela twice and still has a presence there.

    Exxon is Exxon. They don't want partners, unless they have too. They are always the biggest, and an easy target, because they have the most. They are usually right, but that doesn't matter, they still get sued and pay, because it's easier and cheaper. just swallowed Pioneer Resources to strengthen their position in the Permian. They were probably the biggest loser w/ Russia's self-detonation, and probably will be one of the first western companies to go back and pick up the pieces. Exxon has also have been nationalized by Venezuela twice, and sued and won, once. They still haven't been paid.

    Conoco and Phillips, are now separate companies, again, upstream and downstream, with joint "ownership/control" of the midstream assets in the middle. They are both 150 year old Oklahoma grown companies, that have select positions in the international space, and are in the midst of a 20-25% global staff reduction. Like Exxon, they have also have been nationalized by Venezuela twice, and sued and won, once. They still haven't been paid.

    All 3 have a lot on their plates already, have a vested interest in Venezuela, and they have also been burned, twice. Unlike the military, or CIA, or whatever, they don't have the equivalent of a Delta Force or Seal Team they can mobilize and deploy overnight to restore order. If I, or anybody like me, went back to work (I won't), I would start by asking a lot of questions, and I'm sure all I would get back are blank looks. The first time I went to West Virginia in the 80's was ... different. No way I would take a recon trip to Venezuela right now. It's not like your starting from scratch, but in a lot of ways, you are.

    Most important, whatever happens in the next few week, will probably not be embraced by the American populace, and more important, I don't think our next President will follow in the Donald's footsteps. I just can't see those companies going forward anytime soon.

    But, I also swore I would never live in Houston and work for an oil company. But when they put the money on the table, I spent most of my adult life working for energy companies, and lived in Houston 4 different times.

    It's not for me, but ... make stupid choices, win stupid prizes, or, my favorite, ... fuck around and find out.

    Who's in Guyana?

  3. 17 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Light rail systems are fantastic and work incredibly well in many places.

    Yet whenever it was proposed here, with Cap Metro running it, I voted “no.”

    Because the person/entity in charge of a project matters a whole fucking lot.

    You’ll note that the concept of a free and democratic Venezuela really didn’t come up once in any direct fashion in the speech by….the guy in charge of this project. Taking their oil did. Dozens of times.

    “I’ve seen F-16s do amazing things dozens of times!” doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t expect one piloted by you or me to do anything but crash and burn. The pilot fucking matters. But nobody in this country seems to get that about TFG and literally ANYTHING, so fuck it, let’s just keep lighting shit on fire and hoping for the best.

    Interesting word salad.

  4. Venezuelans,

    The HOUR OF LIBERTY has arrived!

    As of today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. In the face of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law.

    The time has come for Popular Sovereignty and National Sovereignty to prevail in our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional nation, and bring our children back home.

    We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is now happening.

    This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28. Those who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and troops who serve in it.

    Today we are ready to enforce our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the Democratic Transition is achieved. A transition that needs EVERY ONE of us.

    To Venezuelans inside the country: be prepared to act on what we will very soon communicate through our official channels.

    To Venezuelans abroad: we need you mobilized, engaging governments and citizens around the world, and committing them now to the great task of rebuilding the new Venezuela.

    In these decisive hours, receive all my strength, my trust, and my affection. We remain alert and in contact.

    VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE!

    We go forward hand in hand with God, until the end.

    [Signature]

    María Corina Machado

    https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/inside-operation-absolute-resolve-the-u-s-incursion-that-deposed-venezuelas-maduro-fa812617?st=Xwnxgv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

  5. 1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

    If Venezuela lands on democracy, it will be an amazing accident of historical proportions.

    Before the socialists took over, ending democracy, and wrecking the oil industry, Venezuela was considered one of the most stable and prosperous democracies in Latin America. Why wouldn't they have a chance to return to that?

  6. 12 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

    The CR

    7 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    I didn’t expect Macron to endorse this, this hard. Trying to keep the Ukraine discussions inside the lines.

    7 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    The Venezuelan people are now free from the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro and have every reason to celebrate.

    By seizing power and trampling on fundamental freedoms, Nicolás Maduro has committed a grave offense against the dignity of his own people.

    The transition that is now underway must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people. We hope that President Edmundo González Urrutia, elected in 2024, will be able to ensure this transition as soon as possible.

    At this time, I am in discussions with our partners in the region.

    France is fully mobilized and vigilant, particularly to guarantee the safety of its citizens during these uncertain times.

    1 minute ago, Captainant said:

  7. 19 minutes ago, Captainant said:

    Are You Sure About That John Cena GIF by MOODMAN

    Sorry about your populist/leftist heroes taking the L. They'll survive... maybe.

    4 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

    Answering a question with a question means you know you are losing the argument

    No, it means I'm pointing out the illogic in the previous point by asking valid questions, that if answered in good faith, reveal the fallacy of the position.

    3 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    I think that Ukraine offered a tremendous opportunity to reinvigorate both NATO and reinforce clear norms in a way that we could use to our benefit and we are squandering jit to run up the score on an FCS team.

    I agree. Both administrations have handled the Ukraine war about as poorly as possible.

  8. 6 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

    Missing the point IMO, the U.S. and allies invented these concepts because they help us more often than not and blatantly throwing them away in favor Russian-style gibberish takes a tool away from us that they didn’t have available. It wasn’t a silver bullet but it was helpful to have available which is why even GWB worked so hard to try and reconcile the concepts.

    You're not wrong, and I'm not a fan of moving away from NATO etc. Unfortunately, through incompetence and atrophy, the world has moved away from following "international law" and the consequences of not doing so have severely weakened. In the current day, we must advance our interests as best we can.

    5 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

    Tell me what logically follows legitimizing the illegal actions of dictators in Russia and China by mimicking them in the US

    What logically follows if we don't? What happens if we don't advance our interests, in the name of optics and legalities, while the Chinese and Russians do? We weaken ourselves just so we feel better about it?

  9. 21 minutes ago, Keef said:

    I live in Spain and there are a shit ton of Venezuelans refugees here. They all despise Maduro. He has cratered the country (GDP is down 80% or something), imprisioned and murdered thousands, promised free elections in exchange for sanctions relief then engaged in one of the most brazen election thefts of all time. All the while (at an absolute minimimum) facilitating some pretty signficant drug/cartel activitiy and helping other countries avoid sanctions with Venzeuelan oil.

    I am about as stringent an isolationist as you will find. But no one is going to shed a tear around the world for Maduro and it's pretty incredible to me that he continually acted as he has while sitting on the world's largest oil reserves. You'll see some bland "concerned" comments from the usual suspects, but a lot of silence and a lot of quiet agreement that this may have been for the best.

    I hate that we'll have folks involved in the transition, but if you are committed to taking the step of pluking Maduro from his bed, zero US involvement in the transition is probably a messier/more de-stabilitzing result. He is no friend to the US or the globe, I'm glad he's gone, and I hope to god we don't fuck up the transition.

    I'm not sure, Immaac and the cloak room think it was "illegal".

    21 minutes ago, Chopper said:

    We murdered fishermen,

    Drug smugglers until they're pulled over, then they're fisherman.

    21 minutes ago, Chopper said:

    the indictment of Maduro is legally pathetic, and we arrested his wife because... why exactly?

    The indictment is longstanding, involves multiple members of his family, and has been upheld through multiple administrations, both Republican and Democrat.

    21 minutes ago, Chopper said:

    Bombing a country that posed no threat to the US, along with killing people in small boats so we could pound our chest, takes zero strategic planning.

    Sorry for your loss, T&Ps for the arrested.

    7 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

    What? There is tons of times in history where nations look for ammo/cover for their actions. You think Collin Powell traveled to the UN with yellowcake on his mind for no good reason?

    Does that world exist in the year 2025? Public opinion matters of course, just not as much as you would like it to.

    1 minute ago, Chopper said:

    "I’m realizing that everything about this from the operation to the PC ro the “law enforcement” angle is a master class in hybrid warfare.

    Lots of growth opportunities for people to write think pieces on US gray zone tactics"

    Apparently I misinterpreted you, and I apologize. Based on the above, I took your explanation as, basically, "creating plausible deniability is good."

    Nothing he wrote is out of line, or untrue. This is the way wars are fought, and foreign policy is advanced now. No more declarations of war, or multilateral international law unfortunately.

  10. 2 minutes ago, Captainant said:

    You do know what trump campaigned on right? "No more wars" "America First" and other such isolationism? This move is 180° different from what he said a year ago. Tariffs are fucking isolationism!! You doughnut

    What makes you think I agreed with him? I didn't, and isolationism is dumb, not viable, and never really has been.

    He can be a moron, and still do useful and good things, like kill Solemani, damage Iran's nuclear program, and depose Maduro. It's possible for both to be true. I am generally not a fan, but I'm also not such a dumb political cultural warrior that I overlook actions that advance my countries' interests.

    2 minutes ago, Captainant said:

    If you understand this, I am baffled why you think this move is good for the country.

    Truly, some impressive doublethink!

    Venezuelan socialism specifically, and Latin American leftism generally, have been a bleeding sore in the western hemisphere for far too long. Cuba should fall soon, and other erstwhile populist leftists like Columbia and Nicaragua's leaders will be weakened. Only Lula has a chance at maintaining his stance... till he's dead or voted out. Any chance China and Russia thought they had at causing trouble in our back yard just took a huge hit, not to mention Iran and their Hezbollah tools.

    2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    Trump could think this regime change thing is easy and try it elsewhere like Cuba or Iran. And controlling Venezuela means Rubio has the economic means to squeeze Cuba.

    Good

    2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    Also, Russia considers Zelenskyy to be illegitimate as does China with Taiwan’s President, so Trump just gave more ammo to our enemies.

    Were they looking for ammo? Did they need ammo? Does it matter? There is not a classroom, nor courtroom, that exists where such "ammo" matters.

  11. ·

    Edited by MagicSoccerSpray

    13 minutes ago, Hmbre97 said:

    Yeah, China for sure won't use this as justification for action i.e. Taiwan

    Was China looking for justification? Is this the trigger for an invasion they weren't going to do, until just now? Wow!

    10 minutes ago, Foosters said:

    "We're gonna be running it (Venezuela) as a group. We're gonna run it properly. We're gonna invest billions in the oil infrastructure."

    "We're not afraid of boots on the ground, we don't mind saying it. We're not afraid of running it properly."

    Lmao

    Were you expecting that US companies weren't going to be involved resuscitating the Venezuelan industry and fields? We're the only ones with the technology to fix their fields, with refineries that can handle their crude uncut. We're the ones that made it viable in the 80s and 90s. To think otherwise is naive.

  12. 6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Yknow what, life was a shitshow in Iraq and Afghanistan, too.

    We sure fixed them right the fuck up.

    Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, too.

    You're right, the US should give up defending its interests, and enacting it's foreign policy objectives for the foreseeable future, because it did so poorly in the past. Isolationism has always been an effective and viable policy going back centuries. MTG whole-heartedly agrees.

    5 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

    What are we seeing that he is doing that makes us think it isn't about oil? He mentioned oil like 50 times in the PC and there's no reason to say "oil war" and do something else.

    He's a moron. If there was a deep state plan to control Venezuelan oil, he'd be the last to understand it. And even if there was, it'll take 10-20 years just to get Venezuela back to pumping what it was when Chavez first started looting it, if that's even possible.

    4 minutes ago, Captainant said:

    So how was Venezuela, a country in South America, flooding our borders? And if we give a shit about drugs, why are we pardoning other South American presidents that were CONVICTED of smuggling 400+ TONS of cocaine?

    Good lord you've got too much fox news in your brain if you think Hezbollah is coming into Venezuela lmfao

    Poor Venezuelans have been trying to immigrate because the socialists have turned their country into a basket case, they've been doing it heavily for the last 5-10 years. And Trump pardoned that president because he's a moron who cares about himself first, second, and third. The country comes after.

    I don't watch Fox BTW, and if you don't know that Iran and Hezbollah have had a presence in South America generally, and Venezuela specifically, going on thirty/forty years, I suggest you do a little googling.

  13. ·

    Edited by MagicSoccerSpray

    27 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

    Next is Cuba...

    It will take 4-6 months, but Venezuela provided Cuba with most of its petrol, a vast majority of iron and iron ore, and was the vacation spot for the Cuban elite. Venezuela provides 70% of the Cuban crude and petrol, and it will take just a few months for the Cuban economy to completely shut down. From there it will be food riots, local stupidity and the fall of Canel...

    Thats Good Donald Glover GIF

    4 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

    Wait until you listen to the press conference.

    It is clearly a top motivation.

    Canada gonna wish they had that Keystone XL.

    People that take what he says, instead of what he does, deserve all the anxiety that brings. He is a moron who judges everything by a forty year old paradigm. This isn't over, but it's a good start.

    And the Canadians already regret that mistake. Here's hoping they can reverse it.

  14. 2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    A shit show, that's what's coming. An expensive humanitarian shit show.

    We'll get some oil and a lot of Chevron and Conoco workers are gonna get dead. And then we're gonna have boots on the ground.

    Venezuela had been an "expensive humanitarian shit show" going on two decades. What are they going to do? Flood our borders with poor migrants and drugs? Give western hemisphere bases to Muslim shit heads like Hezbollah and Iran? Prop up an anti American staging base miles off Florida in Cuba?

    And you think the motivation is oil? Hahahaha! Are you mentally stuck in the early nineties? The only oil we would use is their sour crude, and we get all we need from the Canadian tar sands, and our own largest production in the world fields. Their oil is useful and valuable to them, but it is far down the list of motivations for us.

  15. 44 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

    Maybe you should post another YouTube video of a dude rambling for 17 minutes to educate us.

    Sorry your childlike attention span couldn't handle a topical five minute video. T&Ps for your favorite anti-American dictator.

    39 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

    WWIII.

    I am not being totally flippant. The board is played by the great powers, and there are lots of pieces being held to the board by strings atm.

    WWIII? LOL! Russia and China didn't start WWIII over Ukraine or Iran, but they're going to start it over the arrest of a tin-pot dictator in the western hemisphere? Great analysis...

    alright-jennifer-lawrence.gif

    BTW we're arguably already in a 21st century World War/Cold War, and arguably have been since about 2005/2008/2014.

    15 minutes ago, CowboyFred said:

    It doesn’t allow a fucking invasion, that is for sure. Or drummed up charges against a foreign leader. Kinda funny our president can’t be charged for crimes he committed in the US but a foreign president can.

    What invasion? Define invasion in this context. "Drummed up charges"? Were the "charges" drummed up when they were imposed by Obama Bush or Biden? Are you implying that foreign politicians are immune from American justice? Or only immune when presidents you don't like pursue them?

    For the morons: *Not a Trump endorsement*

  16. 36 minutes ago, Bolero88 said:

    I fucking hate this country. Fuck these pieces of shit absolutely pissing all over the Constitution and international law.

    Your understanding of what the constitution allows the Presidency to do in foreign policy, along with what, if any, actual effect international law has in regards to American power... is sorely lacking. I think reddit or the CR is more your style.

    *This is not an endorsement of Trump*

  17. ·

    Edited by MagicSoccerSpray

    In a 2007 biography, Chase stated that he was physically and psychologically abused as a child by his mother and stepfather, Dr. John Cederquist, a psychoanalyst.[12] In that biography, he said, "I lived in fear all the time, deathly fear." Abuse he was subjected to as a child included being awakened in the middle of the night by his mother to be slapped repeatedly across the face, lashes to the backs of his legs, punches to the head by his stepfather, and being locked in a bedroom closet for hours. As a punishment for being suspended from school at the age of 14, Chase was locked in a basement for several days.[13] Both of his parents died in 2005.[14]

    Not an excuse, but I have some sympathy.

  18. ·

    Edited by MagicSoccerSpray

    13 hours ago, The Tower said:

    13 hours ago, The Tower said:

    I say drive up the Coleman price, and then go get a guy like Amare Thomas from Houston.

    12 hours ago, Js1 said:

    Truly. I hate it. Is he worth $4m?

    No

  19. Following the recent attacks on US troops in Syria, the question of the day is: Why does the US continue to maintain a presence there?

    Without a clear long-term strategic rationale, the small US special forces presence is intended to keep ISIS in check. Remember, we're talking about a place where chaos and violence have thrived since the dawn of man. After the fall of Assad's government, Syria fractured and allowed groups like ISIS to reemerge in the desert interior.

    Unless Syria reconsolidates or a major power steps in, suppressing ISIS isn't realistic.

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