Dr. R -- I completely agree w/you!! trump and his billionaire friends are out to make money for themselves and the rest of the world means nothing to them. I would really like to see both him and JD and the entire rest of the Cabinet out of office -- but sooner than 3 years from now.
Yes! The key is to start with impeaching Hegseth, something that is absolutely doable because his incompetence and illegal activities are so obviously not consistent with the "America First" agenda that Trump claims. Hegseth has been firing all of the Pentagon's top talent to make the U.S. Military into the barbaric but incompetent bafoons in two years, something that it took Putin 20 years to accomplish. However, Hegseth's impeachment should occur for his threats to recall Senator Kelly into active service to be court-martialled for pointing out that servicemen have an obligation to refuse illegal orders, something that Hegseth himself has stated in the past. Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem should be next, with RFK Jr. not far behind, and then Vice President Vance before further attempts to impeach Trump.
The key is to start with knowing criminal law and properly enforcing the law.
Ignorance of the criminal law and failure to enforce the law destroys democracy and justice. Citizens, politicians in government, and journalists in the news media must understand the criminal law and the legal system. The crime of insurrection is underway in the United States led by Trump and his administration illegally supported by Republicans in Congress and six justices on the Supreme Court. Citizens, the news media, and government have not recognized the crime. Ignorance of the law enabled insurrection to create a lawless fascist autocracy which began in 2025 as planned in Project 2025. The insurrection began on January 6, 2021. From 2021 to 2024, Biden, Garland and Jack Smith failed to enforce the law and put Trump and the insurrectionist in jail.
Trump, his administration, and the military illegally took control of Venezuela with military force and kidnapped the president, Maduro. Maduro was indicted but what US laws did he violate? What US law enabled the US to take control of Venezuela?
The federal criminal law in the United States is created by Congress and then described in Title 18 Part 1 of the U.S. Code which has multiple Chapters.
Specifically, the crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection which clearly states who is guilty of the felony crime with this language.
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
What were the laws with evidence of violation used to indict Maduro and prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? What is the law that enables the US to take control of Venezuela, ignore elected government officials, and ignore the need for new elections?
For more information about criminal law, read this reference.
Yes William - but the ship to a logic planet sailed in the other direction when the Supreme Court opined that the POTUS can commit no crime when acting as the chief executive. On this path history may identify that empowerment as the beginning of the end …
William......you are correct! But won't trump pardon them all before they are indicted just like he did in trump 1.0? The 25th should be invoked now!!! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Pamela - It chaps my a*s that T pardons the ex Honduran president convicted to 45 years for drugs but then he feigns outrage over Venezuela supposedly running drugs. We knew he was lying in the beginning and it’s yet another republican president leading us into another war. Power and money is all that matters to him regardless of who gets killed. As the Lincoln Project correctly stated T went from a rapist - to a tax invasionist - to an insurrectionist - and now has added war criminal to his resume. No one is talking about who was killed or wounded during this latest power trip. They targeted military bases and other targets and we all know that there was collateral damage. Let’s just add them to the score of the people from the boats who were unjustly killed.
Yes; yet this is mind numbing because nothing matters until one impeachment has begat a series of complicit successors’ impeachments … and that, my friend leads to Speaker Johnson. I haven’t been able to imagine another work-around were that improbability to occur.
A “model legislation to defund the federal government when it starts bombing sovereign nations, funding genocide, and abducting and disappearing people”?
Chris Armitage says we are past the point of federal remedies and we have to look to the states to act.
Akin - I don’t see impeachment ever starting as long as the republicans control the House (and preferably the Senate since we know what happened last time and now we have no bottom/red line it seems) but if we gain the House back in the midterms (if we even have free and fair elections) then the Speaker would be a democrat. Maybe that might work?
Now that the world's population has decided that everyone needs to live under oppression and violence to guarantee "peace" (so we pretend to call it). perhaps World War III doesn't sould so bad after all!
Brilliant! Thank you for educating us! I’m betting that Venezuelan oil won’t be going to poor people in Venezuela or in the United States. More money for oligarchs.
Yes! Very succinctly put! Now we need to create a platform for the nation to hear what you say above, and similar, succinct statements about the state of the Union. I believe that a national town hall series across the United States would be extremely helpful as a rebuttal to whatever BS Trump has been throwing out, and will presumably double down on with his State-of-the-Union address.
Now you are saying it 2Peter! A plan! At long last. Create a platform, the first move. All readers can take part in this. No point in waiting for Government to do the right thing.
I proposed a national series of No-Kings town hall teach-ins and debates that would be virtually connected, and provided with a Democracy App similar to the clicker that Robert Reich used in his classes to take the pulse of the nation. However, the No Kings organization is no longer answering its emails, and neither Reich nor Michael Moore have responded either. I am now proposing that members of Congress have first crack at hosting the series, as they can have the government pay the costs, and that we crowd-fund the Democracy App.
That's really strange, 2peter, that neither Reich nor Moore nor the No Kings Organisation is responding. Perhaps try a second time? It doesn't make sense to me that none of the 3 are interested, perhaps ask also if a similar idea has come up that they ARE working on, and ask to be connected. Networking. It's a big country, many like minds and only so many hours in the day.
If the US Congress and Senate will not rise up and do their jobs, which at the moment is to impeach the President, and his cabinet, then the Republic is dead. And Trump gets to be Caesar while he lasts.
The mess that the Heritage Foundation has directed on the US has been solely to make the country un-governable by a democratically elected body: the bureaucracy, the courts and the laws of the land will have been so thoroughly shredded that any subsequent government will be unable to manage except by executive orders and the force of arms.
There is still hope, but events like seizing Maduro only show that Putin or Xi could take out the White House and that is ok. To rebuild the Republic will take an enormous amount of will and courage, starting with throwing a spanner into the machinery making the Trumpist regime possible. A General Strike against all the banks, the corporate backers and blocking government agencies like ICE from even leaving the garage are a start. It will take more courage and stupid determination to get it started, but it must start. To delay brings the damage from the Republic’s death even faster.
William - My question about the law is that if other criminals who fled to (or reside in) foreign countries are allowed to use the law to try not to be extradited how was it legal for our military to go into Venezuela and kidnap those two? If it’s so easy to just go take someone and bring them back to trail here why didn’t they do that with other people? Like the Wikileaks guy, the Tate brothers or whoever? I assumed we didn’t do it because it was illegal. Is a judge even going to uphold the indictment since they didn’t have a form of due process? Would have been nice if this administration arrested Putin and Netanyahu on their arrest warrants when they were in our country if they were so concerned about the law. Also, what can Congress do now that it’s already done? It’s pretty rich that they claim that they couldn’t notify Congress ahead of time because of “security concerns”. This coming from an administration that had Signalgate in the first few months. Until we get the numbers in order to make impeachment possible all I see are a bunch of people in Congress high fiving and patting themselves on the back. These are just some questions and observations that I have.
To see how Democrats can get elected in 2028 and then enforce the law to arrest, convict and imprison the insurrectionists - Trump, his administration, Republicans in Congress and six justices on SCOTUS, read my post.
It started with the Supreme Court and Citizens United. It all flows from that. We need to determine what corporate boardrooms this all flowed from and then we burn them down.
You are on the light track - but this strategy presumes a better VP before impeaching POTUS; and succession is not a bright list: VP, Speaker, Sec State, Sec Treasury, Sec Def/War …
If VP is impeached then Trump appoints a new VP like Nixon appointed Ford when Agnew had to leave because of various squalid deeds and briberies. Then when Nixon resigned, Ford became President without every being elected nationally. Fortunately, Ford was not a crook. Not sure how or why Nixon chose him but I don't see Trump appointing any decent choice.
They only care about money which is power. It’s very difficult but blue states should stop paying federal taxes. He’s destroying or taking it all away anyway. Tax season is upon us.
Yes! Peter2 Yes! So sick of hearing what Trump and his goons are doing and his friendship with our enemies mean. I'd rather hear about stopping this bastard and this travesty and get the world back to some semblance of sense! GOP Congress is worthless. So angry!
I am curious. If Hegseth is impeached and convicted (not too likely, I admit), does Trump have the power to pardon him? Crazy thought, but I wonder how far he can actually go.
My take? Although the lie is that the invasion is about stopping illegal drugs and the apparent truth is that it's about stealing the country's natural resources outright, I think it has a far more sinister and covert purpose. It's about intimidating Canada, Mexico, all of Central and South America, Greenland, the EU, and everyone in the US that stands against what's beginning to look more and more like he's establishing his own, personal, military junta. Further, I don't think he's sufficiently competent to be the driving force behind it.
Over the years I've been here, I've recommended the movie "Mephisto," starring Klause Maria Brandauer many times. Things are now looking more and more like the scenario dramatized in the movie, which I always took to be about the role of a Ronald McReagan type character, an actor. However, the Brandauer character is looking more and more like Chairman Yack-off. As I mention in an earlier discussion, I'm beginning to think that Chairman Yack-off is more like the autopen, and not the author of what are alleged to be his executive orders. I have no reason yet to believe the invasion of Venezuela is any different.
A LATER UPDATE:
It would appear that the VP of Venezuela and I are on exactly the same page about Yack-off's objectives:
Although, that's not to say Yack-off hasn't publicly admitted as much - even bragged about it! However, he includes the Putinesque lie that they attacked us first and stole what was ours and we're just taking it back - just like that scum that supports him always liked vomiting the slogan "take America back!" as if someone had taken something away from them what was never exclusively theirs, in the first place.
Could not agree more. Here in Canada, some of us are only too aware of what this takedown in Venezuela means, and I'm no fan of Maduro. It is remarkable to me that so many Americans believe they just have to hold on until the midterms so they can take back their country. Get serious! Trump's fascist and oligarchical sympathizers are going to stick your earnest votes where the sun don't shine if you don't take action asap. Really... what are you waiting for?
I recall a year or so ago speaking with a Canadian here concerning political migration to Canada, or even states seceding the union to join Canada if Chairman Yack-off were reelected. If I recall correctly, it was a welcoming comment. My response was that if Chairman Yack-off regained office, that a "Manifest Destiny" doctrine - "from pole to pole and from sea to sea": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny - and not the Monroe Doctrine, would be at play and the whole of the Americas would be at risk, and that he'd first turn his avaricious eye on Canada and then on Mexico. I may have come off as just another conspiracy theorist spouting hyperbole, back then. Actually, I may have in fact understated it, since Greenland was nowhere near my bingo card, fer chris'sake! I don't recall who it was I spoke with. I'm hoping it was you, just because you'd likely recall that exchange. I know the mentality of that kind of self-proclaimed patriot well - quite well.
It wasn't me DZK, unfortunately. It's interesting though that we are seeing some migration from the US to Canada, since trump's return. Sadly for you folks, these are generally professional people: physicians, nurses, professors. We're happy to have people of good will.
For the moment, I expect them to go after every country in Latin America and possibly Mexico. They're all close together and weak compared to the US, with a lot of natural resources. That will keep them busy for a while. I hope the rest of the hemisphere uses that time wisely. World wars have started like this.
Dorothy.....I couldn't agree more with you! Congress should invoke the 25th amendment or impeach the orange clown asap, along with his regime! And where is the ICC in all of this??? 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Can’t have an impeachment without a Congress to do it, and at the moment, we don’t HAVE a working Congress. The rigidity of electoral terms (2 years for Representatives in the House, 6 years for Senators, 4 years for presidents - and life terms for justices) has been a clear problem for some time. Can’t change anybody in Washington until their next election - this year for 1/3 of senators and all Representatives.
First, the US still considers me a citizen, though I became a Canadian at 21, my earliest opportunity... I'm 69 now. Because of that, I will not return to visit; too dangerous.
As for what to do, I would start by trying to organize a national strike. The oligarchs cannot survive without the people who do the work. And no, that's not going to be easy. You will have to steel yourselves for tough times and help your community members through the economic hardship. Americans should spend more time looking after each other and less time looking at their tik tok and instagram accounts. Don't buy from the "bad boys" such as Amazon and Walmart... support local. And for heaven's sake, stop with the ingrained fear of socialism. We have a good social safety net in Canada; not perfect by any means but better than what you've got in the US. And, there are European countries that are even better. Source news outlets that have not sold out... The Guardian and the NYT are both good. There, that's a start.
Never too old Dorothy, if the need is urgent. I am on the Board of a 3rd Party here in NZ, trying to break the two-party-get-no-where-far-right-leaning system. We see the writing on the wall, we go to war. I'm 73 and it is a hard learning curve, but I have gained the respect of many for my approach as a mature woman. You have to be ready for being pushed around by the power-driven people that gravitate to the top of every Party, but I am managing with support and diplomacy and a steely eye. This year could be the turning point, and I pray that it is for my American friends also, under the leadership of Professor Reich and Inequality Media. Angels all.
Here is response I made to the same question earlier. It's only a start, but these things require many minds united in purpose.
"First, the US still considers me a citizen, though I became a Canadian at 21, my earliest opportunity... I'm 69 now. Because of that, I will not return to visit; too dangerous.
As for what to do, I would start by trying to organize a national strike. The oligarchs cannot survive without the people who do the work. And no, that's not going to be easy. You will have to steel yourselves for tough times and help your community members through the economic hardship. Americans should spend more time looking after each other and less time looking at their tik tok and instagram accounts. Don't buy from the "bad boys" such as Amazon and Walmart... support local. And for heaven's sake, stop with the ingrained fear of socialism. We have a good social safety net in Canada; not perfect by any means but better than what you've got in the US. And, there are European countries that are even better. Source news outlets that have not sold out... The Guardian and the NYT are both good. There, that's a start."
Sigh. Let’s see…you think America should start by organizing a national strike? Honestly, haven’t you heard of our No Kings national strike? Seven million Americans participated in that one, and that was just the most recent one. There were more than two thousand demonstrators spread throughout towns and cities in America. Trump’s response was a televised cartoon of himself defecating on marchers. So, what’s your next suggestion? We should take our president to court? Americans have filed hundreds if not thousands of lawsuits. We’ve won lots and lost some. The result? Courts have forced Trump to pull troops out of LA, Chicago,and New York, but they’re still intimidating citizens in D.C. and it’ll be amazing if ICE doesn’t steal our midterm elections. What’s your next idea? Boycotts? Oh, we’ve got lots of those. Take your pick. I’m participating in several national ones and a dozen or so local ones right now. Musk’s Tesla sales have plummeted, but he’s since become a trillionaire— America’s first. So what’s your next idea? Assassination? Three citizens have tried that. One is dead. Two are in jail. Next? Trump is trying to put his name on monuments. So we’re suing to stop him. (What are you going to do if he decides to name Canada Trumpland and take over Vancouver? Have a demonstration, perhaps? A few boycotts?). Let’s see…oh, you think the oligarchs can’t do without workers? Just wait until AI takes your job and see how you do without a paycheck. Are you proud of your National health system? Let us know how that goes when Trump stops all medical research and hires a nut job like Bobby Kennedy to halt vaccinations.
Please do keep us posted. We’re running out of ideas.
"No Kings" were demonstrations, not prolonged strikes, and that's why they do little besides making people feel better. I do not promote assassination. The rest of your comments are just an angry screed.
What's going to stop Putin or Xi from charging Drumpf with a crime against them and putting their boots on the ground to arrest him? And, stay to keep "order". 🤔
You have nailed the spheres-of-influence reversion. But this isn’t just thuggery... I just published analysis showing how Venezuela maps perfectly onto the November 2025 National Security Strategy’s “Trump Corollary,” which explicitly authorizes denying China/Russia access to “strategically vital assets” in our hemisphere. This was premeditated doctrine, not impulsive aggression.
Your “Thug World” framing is exactly right, but the NSS proves they wrote it down as official policy. The framework elevates narcoterrorism to existential threat specifically to bypass congressional war powers, call it “law enforcement,” conduct regime change.
Venezuela’s proof-of-concept for the entire hemisphere.
The behavioral tell: Methods used abroad normalize at home. Trump’s Venezuela playbook: unilateral force, constitutional bypass, resource seizure; becomes the template for domestic governance. When democracy dies by drone strike in Caracas, it’s practice for what comes next here.
It's OK if he is our thug? Remember when the Philippians became part of the USA and has USA coinage made after the Spanish American War? All Philippians became US Citizens. Could Venezuela become the 51st state? Alaska (#49) is a State separated by Canadian soil, Hawaii (#50) by 2,200miles of ocean and became a State and the Philippians chose independence and let us keep influence, so president has been set since Venezuela sits on the shore of the "Gulf of America". Name a state we did not take from indigenous peoples or another country (state) that had done so.
Please❗Send the Code Pink letter to your Congress-critters (thank you Jim Hightower) ASAP❗I'll see if I can find the link in the Code Pink email to post here, now. &/or go to their FB page or website The volume of all mail counts❗
It is imparitive that Trump be Impeached now! Flood Congress with emails, telephone calls and letters! Due to his frontal lobe dementia, he has no inhibition controls left! During his speel he veered off into talking about his deployment of the National Guard deployments. It is obvious that if his brain is thinking about something his mouth follows! He is plotting to turn the military on us Americans next if he can get a little spark of rebellion or rioting started! He just turned America into a highway robber! This isn't about drugs.this obviously isn't about regime change, this was naked aggression to seize another country's property! It is also a vigilante grab of one of his persieved enemies. His hate and paranoia has no limits left in his demented mind, literally! Flood Congress and don't let up! Time is running out, but the only safe method of removal is Impeachments of the lot of them! We got Congress to move on the Epstein Files, now Flood Congress daily for Impeachment! If you have even one Republican in Congress, don't let up on them. Large part of his base wanted isolation and no war! Recruit them for this!
Hi Margaret & fellow readers. I agree with you, the current US Administration needs to go, and in a legal fashion. Sadly, from outside the US, the rest of us can’t wait, can’t afford to wait. In a year full of taboo-breaking behaviour, the US now stands out clearly, as Robert Reich states it, as a state run by thugs. I’m sorry for the hurt this causes Americans, but it needs to recognised, admitted to, and then dealt with. The circa forty percent of US Americans who still support Trump must now be faced head-on (think mass protests against the Vietnam War, on US soil and abroad), and national governments, heretofore ‘allies’, must repel US political, military and commercial interests (ie not selected companies, such as Tesla, but across the board rejection of US American interests). We cannot afford to feed the monster. America needs her patriots and citizens to say ‘no’, and America’s friends around the world must also say ‘no’. This is an existential disagreement, not an argument among friends and allies. The time for good intentions has gone, now we count our allies by what they do, not by what they promise. Yours, Anthony
Actually, turns out you are both wrong! (sarcasm alert) Now we know what it's really all about: Mike Lee, quoted by ABC:
"Just got off the phone with @SecRubio He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack Thank you, @SecRubio, for keeping me apprised," Lee wrote.
He also said that Rubio told him he anticipates "no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."
"This is not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on. It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night," Rubio said later at a Mar-a-Lago news conference.
"Remember, at the end of day, at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job. Now there are broader policy implications here, but it's just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission," he said.
Don't we all feel better, now? (you caught my sarcasm alert, right?
So what can the American people do now? Becoming the whole world's monster under the bed is giving us all such a feeling of helplessness that our collective blood pressure is going up and our collective heart is breaking.
Michelle, we keep the faith in our Constitution and in the American people. It is likely in my mind and the mind of others that both times Trump was elected, there was outside influence that lured people to an absolute jerk, in fact Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016. He may also have gotten additional support from fake assassination attempts and AI digital interference in 2024. In short, this crew of bratty toddler-adults who want only what they want and will do whatever they want because they think they deserve it, is not popular and together, we can stop them. We need more people speaking up like the 6 military and intelligence people did to remind our military and others that they should never follow illegal laws. Right now, some of them have ignored that advice by invading Venezuela and kidnapping their president without congressional consent. There need to be consequences for those actions and for those in charge who knew Trump was dealing with dementia, yet pushed him to run in 2024. They deceived the American people. We must find every way possible to stand up for our Constitution, our history, and the marvelous diversity that is this nation despite what the racists, misogynists, homo/transphobes, and other haters blurt out in their fear, anger, resentment, and hatred. They are a minority of the American people and we need to keep acting as though they are a minority, making sure they have their rights, but not more rights than everyone else has.
OK, I agree with what you say about what we must do, and where consequences should occur, but I still question how best to make anything happen As Adam Kinzinger mentioned this morning on his Substack, if Trump intended to install the lawfully elected pro-democracy President of Venezuela, that would be a good thing, but he intends to install another dictator who will be subservient to himself. So HOW can we do something to prevent this? How can we end all this power-mad insanity and hate? We support progressive politicians and causes, we struggle to keep education grounded in reality, we attend rallies and fight book bans, we cherish our Constitution, but overall, many, if not most of us, feel helpless to defend it. The current regime is intent on returning humanity to the Dark Ages, and yes, I believe this will be followed by a new Renaissance, but how many of us will live to see it? I have received dozens of Substacks, but the only politicians I have heard from today are Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Ro Khanna of California. Where are all the Democrats hiding?
I believe that we can trust anything from Code Pink. Several fellas here have reacted positively. It's good when good men follow good women's lead. 😍😊😉
Michelle, we have a gigantic challenge in front of us because Trump and Kump want to rule the world. They will tolerate Xi and Putin, but in reality, Musk wants to rule with everyone doing is bidding. No one in the world but Musk wants that. No one but Trump and his white house toddler pool want Trump really in charge of anything because they know he has dementia and is hardly functioning. I am suspecting the drugs he is on are helping him somewhat to read the teleprompters, but he doesn't have a clue without that and the sycophantic whisperers who make sure Trump can mouth what they want him to say. Why are we permitting this? ?We do it because things have been orchestrated to put Project 2025ers in charge with their misogyny, racism, homo/transphobia, classism, and the rest. They put before voters appalling examples of humanity who will kiss whatever Trump presents to them to kiss and smile while they do it, knowing if they are good little boys and girls, they will be financially rewarded for it, with maybe some power they don't deserve too. We must find creative ways to undermine them, perhaps without them realizing what is happening. We need to sneak pro democracy messages into every media platform we can and find ways to counter the BS and lies being pumped out by those who would rule. They are not worthy of the attention they are getting.
Support Democratic and progressive governors. Let's Start bringing using states rights to end Citizens United. Colorado will take the lead. Other states should join the fight.down with Oligarchs running this country into the ground!
Except the people of Venezuela don't seem to want him any more than we do. There is a duly elected President from the opposition party who should be supported into office by the entire world, no matter what he wants.
If the only time the Constitution works is when Dems are in office, it no longer qualifies as a binding document. All three branches of the US Government are corrupt.
It's an archaic document, anyway, as the Originalists like Scalia made clear.
There are some ideas in response to your question in Dr. R's New Year's post Jan. last year. The headline got my attention: "Trump will overplay his hand..." Actually, Dr. R reposted an article by Asli Aydintasbas, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., in Politico Magazine. (It's archived, this substack) Among the enumerated points two stood out to me: #1 - Don't Panic - autocracy takes time, and #4 - Charismatic leadership is non-negotiable.
Unfortunately, Dr. R himself did not explore what kind of scenario he had in mind that would constitute Trump "overplaying his hand." I am appalled that many don't seem to think bombing a country that no American fears is that thing.
There is at least a possibility that this wretched event will be one too many. We have tampered with elections in Latin American countries and done some really stupid things. (Remember Reagan's Freedom Fighters? They were drug runners, rapists, and murderers -- but not being communists somehow made them the good guys and worth of our support.) So today's event is not brand-new wrongheadedness in a country where we don't belong, but on top of everything else, it might still prove to be too much. At least we can hope. I'm still hoping for some charismatic leadership.
Some time ago, while worried about Trump's actions, I thought our military might be a protection for us.
I agree with you. I think it is becoming apparent that this is not the case. It appears they are not going to effectively abide by their oath to protect the Constitution.
We better get busy on the next No Kings fast and aim for 100 million attendance. They dare not kill that many of us, and it may show them that they may have to fear the citizens.
Joe, maybe we need to find ways to call them out for their anti-constitutional actions by name, so their families and friends will know where they stand and that their actions are against our Constitution and their oath which they did not swear to Trump and the oligarchs, but to the Constitution and this nation.
That's what I was thinking...our military is colluding with this unconstitutional president and his henchmen and women. We knew things would be getting worse, but just how much, is again, hard to believe.
The top brass have pensions and cushy corporate board/consultant jobs waiting for them. They're not about to jeapardize those perks by obeying the constitution and rule of law.
Joyce, I suspect that many in Nazi Germany were already fascist bigots when Hitler became there leader. There were probably some good Germans then but most likely not very many just as there are many good Americans who voted for Trump because they believed his lies and still do .
It’s ironic how Trump describes Maduro as a Dictator. What a joke!!! It sounds like he is describing himself!! I hope he doesn’t think this will bring up his ratings. I don’t like anything he or his administration does. They all need to be gone YESTERDAY!!!
As far as I’m concerned, January 6, 2021, inciting an insurrection, was enough to put Trump away!!!! It is so clear to most of us. The reason why he continues to do whatever he wants is because our whole gov’t is corrupt!!! People are getting paid off on the left and the right. Money, instead of the countries needs, has become more important. Just look at what AIPAC, Israel’s lobbyist, has paid to our Congressman. I sit in my home feeling angry and helpless while time slips by and NOTHING gets done. What exactly do we need to do to get our elected leaders to act on our behalf???
It is a heinous distraction, this power grab, from all the evidence about his pedophilia and the treason he committed as shown in Jack Smith's testimony. By ignoring international laws, not only Trump but our Congress is spitting on the agreements we made with our allies after WWII. Call your representatives! And go protest!
According to trump's ex-wife (Ivana?) his favored bedtime reading from 30 years ago was "My New Order", Hitler's collected speeches, and he has mimicked the demagogue well. The warning signs of his dictatorial ambitions have been before us for forty years, and still, he proceeds to destroy the roots of democracy. How could so many presumably rational people have been caught sleeping? Very well-articulated analysis by Prof. Reich.
Yes, Joseph, and reliable political observers like Thom Hartmann and Greg Palast are convinced that by subverting two million or more votes in key states, trump's operatives succeeded in swinging the 2024 election to a clear tyrant.
I must add that many of those who voted for him believed the lies that was being fed to them by this guy. ((99.9% of what comes out of his mouth is based on a lie.)
Unless they didn't. I would love to have seen some push back and an investigation about the 2024 election. Because he stopped campaigning in July and said they had "a little secret". I don't have a theory; it just doesn't make sense.
A quick dive and it's remarkable: 43.9% supported him in 1933, and this group consisted of the upper and middle classes, rural voters, German Christians, military, industrialists, conservative elites, and the nationalists. Sound familiar?
Noteworthy, Peter, is that numerous among my professional acquaintances as well as skilled laborers and farmers in my rural locality think his deeds are in this country's best interests, or that he walks on water.
That's the challenge that confronts us. So many of his supporters have turned against him in the polling, but as soon as they hit the voting booth, they would vote for him (or any other MAGA candidate). And then there is the group you mention: he can do NO wrong, not even attacking Venezuela and kidnapping (arresting? Making off with?) it's president (and all its oil).
Dwight D. Eisenhower's quote: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Very important quote, Martin. Thank you! Authoritarians, mentally limited as they are, trust brute force alone. They are in power in the US, in Russia, in China, and many other countries. This is why violence is endemic in the world. Given the nature and cost of AI and modern weapons, hunkind is not likely to outlast this century.
Catherine, our "allies" need to be encouraged to condemn Trump/Hegseth actions. They are against this nation and the world. We need them arrested somewhere and tried as they are now trying Maduro, only this time, for crimes they have actually committed, including pardoning a drug czar who was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a legitimate jury. Trump can't honestly charge Maduro for that crime when Trump let someone far worse go free. I hope the prosecutors and others in NY realize that and act accordingly.
I feel more comfortable comparing this recent adventure to the invasion of Panama, in which we seized its president, Manuel Noriega. Iraq in 2003 went on FOREVER! Panama didn't.
Sharlya, again! There is alwas an excuse, but always a man at the controls of ordering such attacks. It must have been orgasmic for them. We have made some of them heroes like Kissinger, Cheyney, and those who made up the best, most acceptable excuses.
I just wrote to my useless Maga rethug congressman demanding that he stand up against rump. I don't expect him to do anything because he's posting on Facebook about what a great thing rump did.
From a post on “X. Truly interesting and one could see this is a feasible reasoning
Ricardo
@Ric_RTP
The real reason the US is invading Venezuela goes back to a deal Henry Kissinger made with Saudi Arabia in 1974.
And I'm going to explain why this is actually about the SURVIVAL of the US dollar itself.
Not drugs. Not terrorism. Not "democracy."
This is about the petrodollar system that has kept America the dominant economic power for 50 years.
And Venezuela just threatened to end it.
Here's what really just happened:
Venezuela has 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.
The largest on Earth.
More than Saudi Arabia.
20% of the entire world's oil.
But here's the part that matters:
Venezuela was actively selling that oil in Chinese yuan. Not dollars.
In 2018, Venezuela announced it would "free itself from the dollar."
They started accepting yuan, euros, rubles, anything BUT dollars for oil.
They were petitioning to join BRICS.
They were building direct payment channels with China that bypass SWIFT entirely.
And they were sitting on enough oil to fund de-dollarization for decades.
Why does this matter?
Because the entire American financial system is built on one thing:
The petrodollar.
In 1974, Henry Kissinger made a deal with Saudi Arabia:
All oil sold globally must be priced in US dollars.
In exchange, America provides military protection.
This single agreement created artificial demand for dollars worldwide.
Every country on Earth needs dollars to buy oil.
This lets America print unlimited money while other countries work for it.
It funds the military. The welfare state. The deficit spending.
The petrodollar is more important to US hegemony than aircraft carriers.
And there's a pattern of what happens to leaders who challenge it:
2000: Saddam Hussein announces Iraq will sell oil in euros instead of dollars.
2003: Invaded. Regime change. Iraq's oil immediately switched back to dollars. Saddam lynched.
The WMDs were never found because they never existed.
2009: Gaddafi proposes a gold-backed African currency called the "gold dinar" for oil trade.
Hillary Clinton's own leaked emails confirm this was the PRIMARY reason for intervention.
Email quote: "This gold was intended to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar."
2011: NATO bombs Libya. Gaddafi sodomized and murdered. Libya now has open slave markets.
"We came, we saw, he died!" Clinton laughed on camera.
The gold dinar died with him.
And now Maduro.
With FIVE TIMES more oil than Saddam and Gaddafi combined.
Actively selling in yuan.
Building payment systems outside dollar control.
Petitioning to join BRICS.
Partnered with China, Russia, and Iran.
The three countries leading global de-dollarization.
This isn't coincidence.
Challenge the petrodollar. Get regime changed.
Every. Single. Time.
Stephen Miller (US homeland security advisor) literally said it out loud two weeks ago:
"American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela. Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property."
He's not hiding it.
They're claiming Venezuelan oil BELONGS to America because US companies developed it 100 years ago.
By this logic, every nationalized resource in history was "theft."
But here's the DEEPER problem:
The petrodollar is already dying.
Russia sells oil in rubles and yuan since Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia is openly discussing yuan settlements.
Iran has been trading in non-dollar currencies for years.
China built CIPS, their own alternative to SWIFT with 4,800 banks in 185 countries.
BRICS is actively building payment systems that bypass the dollar entirely.
The mBridge project lets central banks settle trades instantly in local currencies.
Venezuela joining BRICS with 303 billion barrels of oil would accelerate this exponentially.
That's what this invasion is really about.
Not stopping drugs. Venezuela accounts for less than 1% of US cocaine.
Not terrorism. There's zero evidence Maduro runs a "terror organization."
Not democracy. The US supports Saudi Arabia, which has zero elections.
This is about maintaining a 50-year-old agreement that lets America print money while the world works for it.
And the consequences are terrifying:
Russia, China, and Iran are already denouncing this as "armed aggression."
China is Venezuela's biggest oil customer. They're losing billions.
BRICS nations are watching a country get invaded for trading outside the dollar.
Every nation considering de-dollarization just got the message:
Challenge the dollar and we will bomb you.
But here's the problem...
That message might accelerate de-dollarization, not stop it.
Because now every country in the Global South knows what happens if you threaten dollar hegemony.
And they're realizing the only protection is to move FASTER.
The timing is insane too:
January 3rd, 2026. Venezuela invaded. Maduro captured.
January 3rd, 1990. Panama invaded. Noriega captured.
36 years apart. Almost to the day.
Same playbook. Same "drug trafficking" excuse.
Same real reason: control of strategic resources and trade routes.
History doesn't repeat. But it rhymes.
What happens next:
Trump's press conference at Mar-a-Lago sets the narrative.
US oil companies are already lined up. Politico reported they've been approached about "returning to Venezuela."
The opposition will be installed. Oil will flow in dollars again.
Venezuela becomes another Iraq. Another Libya.
But here's what nobody's asking:
What happens when you can no longer bomb your way to dollar dominance?
When China has enough economic leverage to retaliate?
When BRICS controls 40% of global GDP and says "no more dollars"?
When the world realizes the petrodollar is maintained by violence?
America just showed its hand.
The question is whether the rest of the world folds or calls the bluff.
Because this invasion is an admission that the dollar can no longer compete on its own merits.
When you have to bomb countries to keep them using your currency, the currency is already dying.
Carol, there is much truth to what you say. the world runs on oil, control its flow, and you control the world, keep the dollar strong and you dominate world finances. Hegemony is profitable to US oil companies and arms manufacturers, and its lucrative to US stock and bond holders. Hegemony, however, also comes at a high cost to Americans, hence America First and other protesters. At the moment, the Maduro capture looks like a stunning success, but time will reveal its cost, which could be enormous. Venezuela could disintegrate into civil war, and China and the US could be plunged into an all-out war.
While I take solace in reading your words, knowing that someone steeped in experience and knowledge at the highest levels of government speaks my truth, the world that you describe is terrifying. You are my unofficial guide - you and Heather Cox Richardson. Deep bows to you.
Paul, I know you are joking, but I want to remind others that in Trump's eyes we are "vermin," and vermin do not deserve medical care of any kind. This is why RFK Jr is in Trump's cabinet.
I'm not. I think he's still fantasizing about it; however, we haven't seen the groundwork laid out. As soon as he starts yammering about how Canada is a fentanyl supplier or that Greenland supplies us with Cocaine, then it'll be staged. Although, as I think about it, Canada does have natural gas and maybe oil (?, weigh in if you know), and Greenland has rare earth's, so...
But then with Greenland, he'd have to go up against Denmark and the EU, and Canada is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, former British colonies and territories, so there's that. In other words, there remains lots of low hanging fruit in Central and South America. Remember Panama? That could be next.
Canada has the world's largest reserves of potash (vital for agriculture), as well as very large reserves of lithium, cobalt, and several other critical minerals. It also has significant reserves of Rare Earth Elements, but has not so far done much to develop access to them.
Dr. R -- I completely agree w/you!! trump and his billionaire friends are out to make money for themselves and the rest of the world means nothing to them. I would really like to see both him and JD and the entire rest of the Cabinet out of office -- but sooner than 3 years from now.
Yes! The key is to start with impeaching Hegseth, something that is absolutely doable because his incompetence and illegal activities are so obviously not consistent with the "America First" agenda that Trump claims. Hegseth has been firing all of the Pentagon's top talent to make the U.S. Military into the barbaric but incompetent bafoons in two years, something that it took Putin 20 years to accomplish. However, Hegseth's impeachment should occur for his threats to recall Senator Kelly into active service to be court-martialled for pointing out that servicemen have an obligation to refuse illegal orders, something that Hegseth himself has stated in the past. Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem should be next, with RFK Jr. not far behind, and then Vice President Vance before further attempts to impeach Trump.
2peter
The key is to start with knowing criminal law and properly enforcing the law.
Ignorance of the criminal law and failure to enforce the law destroys democracy and justice. Citizens, politicians in government, and journalists in the news media must understand the criminal law and the legal system. The crime of insurrection is underway in the United States led by Trump and his administration illegally supported by Republicans in Congress and six justices on the Supreme Court. Citizens, the news media, and government have not recognized the crime. Ignorance of the law enabled insurrection to create a lawless fascist autocracy which began in 2025 as planned in Project 2025. The insurrection began on January 6, 2021. From 2021 to 2024, Biden, Garland and Jack Smith failed to enforce the law and put Trump and the insurrectionist in jail.
Trump, his administration, and the military illegally took control of Venezuela with military force and kidnapped the president, Maduro. Maduro was indicted but what US laws did he violate? What US law enabled the US to take control of Venezuela?
The federal criminal law in the United States is created by Congress and then described in Title 18 Part 1 of the U.S. Code which has multiple Chapters.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I
The crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code Chapter 115 Part I - TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-115
Specifically, the crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection which clearly states who is guilty of the felony crime with this language.
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
What were the laws with evidence of violation used to indict Maduro and prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? What is the law that enables the US to take control of Venezuela, ignore elected government officials, and ignore the need for new elections?
For more information about criminal law, read this reference.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/criminal_law
Yes William - but the ship to a logic planet sailed in the other direction when the Supreme Court opined that the POTUS can commit no crime when acting as the chief executive. On this path history may identify that empowerment as the beginning of the end …
Akin
Immunity doesn’t apply to members of Trump’s administration, Republicans in Congress, six justices on SCOTUS and the military.
William......you are correct! But won't trump pardon them all before they are indicted just like he did in trump 1.0? The 25th should be invoked now!!! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Also where is the ICC!?!????
Pamela - It chaps my a*s that T pardons the ex Honduran president convicted to 45 years for drugs but then he feigns outrage over Venezuela supposedly running drugs. We knew he was lying in the beginning and it’s yet another republican president leading us into another war. Power and money is all that matters to him regardless of who gets killed. As the Lincoln Project correctly stated T went from a rapist - to a tax invasionist - to an insurrectionist - and now has added war criminal to his resume. No one is talking about who was killed or wounded during this latest power trip. They targeted military bases and other targets and we all know that there was collateral damage. Let’s just add them to the score of the people from the boats who were unjustly killed.
Pamela
Trump can’t pardon people who violated state law. Read my post on How to Stop Trump.
International Criminal Court at The Hague
Yes; yet this is mind numbing because nothing matters until one impeachment has begat a series of complicit successors’ impeachments … and that, my friend leads to Speaker Johnson. I haven’t been able to imagine another work-around were that improbability to occur.
yes, please purge the House of that smarmy, incompetent little creep.
How about this workaround:
A “model legislation to defund the federal government when it starts bombing sovereign nations, funding genocide, and abducting and disappearing people”?
Chris Armitage says we are past the point of federal remedies and we have to look to the states to act.
https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/the-united-states-is-now-bombing
If this is staged well, Johnson will not be the speaker in one year, when it comes time for the Speaker to ascend.
Akin - I don’t see impeachment ever starting as long as the republicans control the House (and preferably the Senate since we know what happened last time and now we have no bottom/red line it seems) but if we gain the House back in the midterms (if we even have free and fair elections) then the Speaker would be a democrat. Maybe that might work?
But who is in a position to bring them to justice?
Blue states using new insurrection law modeled after the federal law. Read my post on How to Stop Trump .
Now that the world's population has decided that everyone needs to live under oppression and violence to guarantee "peace" (so we pretend to call it). perhaps World War III doesn't sould so bad after all!
But pardons do.
BAZENGA!
Brilliant! Thank you for educating us! I’m betting that Venezuelan oil won’t be going to poor people in Venezuela or in the United States. More money for oligarchs.
Yes! Very succinctly put! Now we need to create a platform for the nation to hear what you say above, and similar, succinct statements about the state of the Union. I believe that a national town hall series across the United States would be extremely helpful as a rebuttal to whatever BS Trump has been throwing out, and will presumably double down on with his State-of-the-Union address.
Now you are saying it 2Peter! A plan! At long last. Create a platform, the first move. All readers can take part in this. No point in waiting for Government to do the right thing.
I proposed a national series of No-Kings town hall teach-ins and debates that would be virtually connected, and provided with a Democracy App similar to the clicker that Robert Reich used in his classes to take the pulse of the nation. However, the No Kings organization is no longer answering its emails, and neither Reich nor Michael Moore have responded either. I am now proposing that members of Congress have first crack at hosting the series, as they can have the government pay the costs, and that we crowd-fund the Democracy App.
That's really strange, 2peter, that neither Reich nor Moore nor the No Kings Organisation is responding. Perhaps try a second time? It doesn't make sense to me that none of the 3 are interested, perhaps ask also if a similar idea has come up that they ARE working on, and ask to be connected. Networking. It's a big country, many like minds and only so many hours in the day.
Is it too soon to talk about a 2nd Revolution?
If the US Congress and Senate will not rise up and do their jobs, which at the moment is to impeach the President, and his cabinet, then the Republic is dead. And Trump gets to be Caesar while he lasts.
The mess that the Heritage Foundation has directed on the US has been solely to make the country un-governable by a democratically elected body: the bureaucracy, the courts and the laws of the land will have been so thoroughly shredded that any subsequent government will be unable to manage except by executive orders and the force of arms.
There is still hope, but events like seizing Maduro only show that Putin or Xi could take out the White House and that is ok. To rebuild the Republic will take an enormous amount of will and courage, starting with throwing a spanner into the machinery making the Trumpist regime possible. A General Strike against all the banks, the corporate backers and blocking government agencies like ICE from even leaving the garage are a start. It will take more courage and stupid determination to get it started, but it must start. To delay brings the damage from the Republic’s death even faster.
Hang onto your hats, it’s a bumpy ride.
Brave words, but true Jim.
Et tu Brute...Dictators and thugs find themselves at the end of a rope or worse.
William - My question about the law is that if other criminals who fled to (or reside in) foreign countries are allowed to use the law to try not to be extradited how was it legal for our military to go into Venezuela and kidnap those two? If it’s so easy to just go take someone and bring them back to trail here why didn’t they do that with other people? Like the Wikileaks guy, the Tate brothers or whoever? I assumed we didn’t do it because it was illegal. Is a judge even going to uphold the indictment since they didn’t have a form of due process? Would have been nice if this administration arrested Putin and Netanyahu on their arrest warrants when they were in our country if they were so concerned about the law. Also, what can Congress do now that it’s already done? It’s pretty rich that they claim that they couldn’t notify Congress ahead of time because of “security concerns”. This coming from an administration that had Signalgate in the first few months. Until we get the numbers in order to make impeachment possible all I see are a bunch of people in Congress high fiving and patting themselves on the back. These are just some questions and observations that I have.
Anon
To see how Democrats can get elected in 2028 and then enforce the law to arrest, convict and imprison the insurrectionists - Trump, his administration, Republicans in Congress and six justices on SCOTUS, read my post.
https://williamlmiller.substack.com/p/post-6-project-2029-will-get-democrats-348
Your post is even more important in the light of today's events regarding Venezuela, William L. Miller.
You nailed it. Biden, Garland and Smith have culpability to where we are now. There are so many threads of betrayal here.
It started with the Supreme Court and Citizens United. It all flows from that. We need to determine what corporate boardrooms this all flowed from and then we burn them down.
What do you think Smith did wrong?
https://www.codepink.org/warpowersvzla?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawPGXUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6e8K_EEfbCVGeZcf3WZAA3RaVBW53VAtPGrmctZEZPzmNkDdt5QxW13Ep_Bw_aem_CznkjlwnEAG1n-G7KUCnew&sfnsn=mo
I wish I could, but not being in the USA, I can't. Good on you for posting this action Joyce T. Smith.
I with you 2peter. Let's get it done!
You are on the light track - but this strategy presumes a better VP before impeaching POTUS; and succession is not a bright list: VP, Speaker, Sec State, Sec Treasury, Sec Def/War …
That’s why 2peter placed the impeachment of the vice president before Trump’s.
Exactly.
If VP is impeached then Trump appoints a new VP like Nixon appointed Ford when Agnew had to leave because of various squalid deeds and briberies. Then when Nixon resigned, Ford became President without every being elected nationally. Fortunately, Ford was not a crook. Not sure how or why Nixon chose him but I don't see Trump appointing any decent choice.
They only care about money which is power. It’s very difficult but blue states should stop paying federal taxes. He’s destroying or taking it all away anyway. Tax season is upon us.
Please Please copy the Code Pink link and send to your e-list(s). And repost on Fb.
The time is now.
If we could only impeach Hegseth AND convict him. But most of the Republicans in the Senate would just go along with Trump.
Frankly, the man should NEVER have been confirmed.
sounds like a good plan... find ways to get it done... now would be good, great actually
Impeachment of anyone requires a functioning national legislature. We don't have one of those.
Yes! Peter2 Yes! So sick of hearing what Trump and his goons are doing and his friendship with our enemies mean. I'd rather hear about stopping this bastard and this travesty and get the world back to some semblance of sense! GOP Congress is worthless. So angry!
I am curious. If Hegseth is impeached and convicted (not too likely, I admit), does Trump have the power to pardon him? Crazy thought, but I wonder how far he can actually go.
https://www.codepink.org/warpowersvzla?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawPGXUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6e8K_EEfbCVGeZcf3WZAA3RaVBW53VAtPGrmctZEZPzmNkDdt5QxW13Ep_Bw_aem_CznkjlwnEAG1n-G7KUCnew&sfnsn=mo
REPOST FROM EARLIER:
My take? Although the lie is that the invasion is about stopping illegal drugs and the apparent truth is that it's about stealing the country's natural resources outright, I think it has a far more sinister and covert purpose. It's about intimidating Canada, Mexico, all of Central and South America, Greenland, the EU, and everyone in the US that stands against what's beginning to look more and more like he's establishing his own, personal, military junta. Further, I don't think he's sufficiently competent to be the driving force behind it.
Over the years I've been here, I've recommended the movie "Mephisto," starring Klause Maria Brandauer many times. Things are now looking more and more like the scenario dramatized in the movie, which I always took to be about the role of a Ronald McReagan type character, an actor. However, the Brandauer character is looking more and more like Chairman Yack-off. As I mention in an earlier discussion, I'm beginning to think that Chairman Yack-off is more like the autopen, and not the author of what are alleged to be his executive orders. I have no reason yet to believe the invasion of Venezuela is any different.
A LATER UPDATE:
It would appear that the VP of Venezuela and I are on exactly the same page about Yack-off's objectives:
https://youtu.be/jjmjafvmm_o?si=Q9_5z5QchUfJtuAE
Although, that's not to say Yack-off hasn't publicly admitted as much - even bragged about it! However, he includes the Putinesque lie that they attacked us first and stole what was ours and we're just taking it back - just like that scum that supports him always liked vomiting the slogan "take America back!" as if someone had taken something away from them what was never exclusively theirs, in the first place.
Could not agree more. Here in Canada, some of us are only too aware of what this takedown in Venezuela means, and I'm no fan of Maduro. It is remarkable to me that so many Americans believe they just have to hold on until the midterms so they can take back their country. Get serious! Trump's fascist and oligarchical sympathizers are going to stick your earnest votes where the sun don't shine if you don't take action asap. Really... what are you waiting for?
I recall a year or so ago speaking with a Canadian here concerning political migration to Canada, or even states seceding the union to join Canada if Chairman Yack-off were reelected. If I recall correctly, it was a welcoming comment. My response was that if Chairman Yack-off regained office, that a "Manifest Destiny" doctrine - "from pole to pole and from sea to sea": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny - and not the Monroe Doctrine, would be at play and the whole of the Americas would be at risk, and that he'd first turn his avaricious eye on Canada and then on Mexico. I may have come off as just another conspiracy theorist spouting hyperbole, back then. Actually, I may have in fact understated it, since Greenland was nowhere near my bingo card, fer chris'sake! I don't recall who it was I spoke with. I'm hoping it was you, just because you'd likely recall that exchange. I know the mentality of that kind of self-proclaimed patriot well - quite well.
It wasn't me DZK, unfortunately. It's interesting though that we are seeing some migration from the US to Canada, since trump's return. Sadly for you folks, these are generally professional people: physicians, nurses, professors. We're happy to have people of good will.
For the moment, I expect them to go after every country in Latin America and possibly Mexico. They're all close together and weak compared to the US, with a lot of natural resources. That will keep them busy for a while. I hope the rest of the hemisphere uses that time wisely. World wars have started like this.
I never thought I'd ever see the day... 😔
😢 indeed.
I completely agree with you. Also, the diplomacy wouldn't be nearly as dicey as going after Canada and/or Greenland . . . . at this time.
I completely agree with you. Also, the diplomacy wouldn't be nearly as dicey as going after Canada and/or Greenland . . . . at this time.
https://www.codepink.org/warpowersvzla?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawPGXUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6e8K_EEfbCVGeZcf3WZAA3RaVBW53VAtPGrmctZEZPzmNkDdt5QxW13Ep_Bw_aem_CznkjlwnEAG1n-G7KUCnew&sfnsn=mo
Thanks, Joyce. I signed on.
Dorothy.....I couldn't agree more with you! Congress should invoke the 25th amendment or impeach the orange clown asap, along with his regime! And where is the ICC in all of this??? 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Can’t have an impeachment without a Congress to do it, and at the moment, we don’t HAVE a working Congress. The rigidity of electoral terms (2 years for Representatives in the House, 6 years for Senators, 4 years for presidents - and life terms for justices) has been a clear problem for some time. Can’t change anybody in Washington until their next election - this year for 1/3 of senators and all Representatives.
Seriously: what would you do, if you were a US citizen?
First, the US still considers me a citizen, though I became a Canadian at 21, my earliest opportunity... I'm 69 now. Because of that, I will not return to visit; too dangerous.
As for what to do, I would start by trying to organize a national strike. The oligarchs cannot survive without the people who do the work. And no, that's not going to be easy. You will have to steel yourselves for tough times and help your community members through the economic hardship. Americans should spend more time looking after each other and less time looking at their tik tok and instagram accounts. Don't buy from the "bad boys" such as Amazon and Walmart... support local. And for heaven's sake, stop with the ingrained fear of socialism. We have a good social safety net in Canada; not perfect by any means but better than what you've got in the US. And, there are European countries that are even better. Source news outlets that have not sold out... The Guardian and the NYT are both good. There, that's a start.
I agree that we need a national strike! I’ve been advocating for that since he blew up US AID. In fact, I agree with everything you’ve said.
https://www.codepink.org/warpowersvzla?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawPGXUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6e8K_EEfbCVGeZcf3WZAA3RaVBW53VAtPGrmctZEZPzmNkDdt5QxW13Ep_Bw_aem_CznkjlwnEAG1n-G7KUCnew&sfnsn=mo
Did that already. 🤷🏼♀️
Hey Dorothy... want to run for US Congress? We need people who think like you!
Thanks, Judy, most kind. My answer is I'm too old now, and it's not where my strengths lie. You did put a smile on my face!
Never too old Dorothy, if the need is urgent. I am on the Board of a 3rd Party here in NZ, trying to break the two-party-get-no-where-far-right-leaning system. We see the writing on the wall, we go to war. I'm 73 and it is a hard learning curve, but I have gained the respect of many for my approach as a mature woman. You have to be ready for being pushed around by the power-driven people that gravitate to the top of every Party, but I am managing with support and diplomacy and a steely eye. This year could be the turning point, and I pray that it is for my American friends also, under the leadership of Professor Reich and Inequality Media. Angels all.
And how would you recommend we go about taking action?!! Trump controls both houses of Congress and our Supreme Court.
Short of an overthrow of our federal government, what are you advocating?
Dear Iris,
Here is response I made to the same question earlier. It's only a start, but these things require many minds united in purpose.
"First, the US still considers me a citizen, though I became a Canadian at 21, my earliest opportunity... I'm 69 now. Because of that, I will not return to visit; too dangerous.
As for what to do, I would start by trying to organize a national strike. The oligarchs cannot survive without the people who do the work. And no, that's not going to be easy. You will have to steel yourselves for tough times and help your community members through the economic hardship. Americans should spend more time looking after each other and less time looking at their tik tok and instagram accounts. Don't buy from the "bad boys" such as Amazon and Walmart... support local. And for heaven's sake, stop with the ingrained fear of socialism. We have a good social safety net in Canada; not perfect by any means but better than what you've got in the US. And, there are European countries that are even better. Source news outlets that have not sold out... The Guardian and the NYT are both good. There, that's a start."
Sigh. Let’s see…you think America should start by organizing a national strike? Honestly, haven’t you heard of our No Kings national strike? Seven million Americans participated in that one, and that was just the most recent one. There were more than two thousand demonstrators spread throughout towns and cities in America. Trump’s response was a televised cartoon of himself defecating on marchers. So, what’s your next suggestion? We should take our president to court? Americans have filed hundreds if not thousands of lawsuits. We’ve won lots and lost some. The result? Courts have forced Trump to pull troops out of LA, Chicago,and New York, but they’re still intimidating citizens in D.C. and it’ll be amazing if ICE doesn’t steal our midterm elections. What’s your next idea? Boycotts? Oh, we’ve got lots of those. Take your pick. I’m participating in several national ones and a dozen or so local ones right now. Musk’s Tesla sales have plummeted, but he’s since become a trillionaire— America’s first. So what’s your next idea? Assassination? Three citizens have tried that. One is dead. Two are in jail. Next? Trump is trying to put his name on monuments. So we’re suing to stop him. (What are you going to do if he decides to name Canada Trumpland and take over Vancouver? Have a demonstration, perhaps? A few boycotts?). Let’s see…oh, you think the oligarchs can’t do without workers? Just wait until AI takes your job and see how you do without a paycheck. Are you proud of your National health system? Let us know how that goes when Trump stops all medical research and hires a nut job like Bobby Kennedy to halt vaccinations.
Please do keep us posted. We’re running out of ideas.
"No Kings" were demonstrations, not prolonged strikes, and that's why they do little besides making people feel better. I do not promote assassination. The rest of your comments are just an angry screed.
What's going to stop Putin or Xi from charging Drumpf with a crime against them and putting their boots on the ground to arrest him? And, stay to keep "order". 🤔
He’s currently working for both of them.
Yikes, you're spot on.
What, indeed.
Can I help ? Xi that is.
I wish Putin would test Donald’s flying ability from a very tall building
US nuclear weapons.
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You have nailed the spheres-of-influence reversion. But this isn’t just thuggery... I just published analysis showing how Venezuela maps perfectly onto the November 2025 National Security Strategy’s “Trump Corollary,” which explicitly authorizes denying China/Russia access to “strategically vital assets” in our hemisphere. This was premeditated doctrine, not impulsive aggression.
Your “Thug World” framing is exactly right, but the NSS proves they wrote it down as official policy. The framework elevates narcoterrorism to existential threat specifically to bypass congressional war powers, call it “law enforcement,” conduct regime change.
Venezuela’s proof-of-concept for the entire hemisphere.
The behavioral tell: Methods used abroad normalize at home. Trump’s Venezuela playbook: unilateral force, constitutional bypass, resource seizure; becomes the template for domestic governance. When democracy dies by drone strike in Caracas, it’s practice for what comes next here.
—Johan
Please Please copy the Code Pink link and send to your e-list(s). And repost on Fb.
The time is now.
Please share, thank you
https://johanuniverseends.substack.com/p/the-doctrine-made-real-venezuela?r=490k23&utm_medium=ios
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It's OK if he is our thug? Remember when the Philippians became part of the USA and has USA coinage made after the Spanish American War? All Philippians became US Citizens. Could Venezuela become the 51st state? Alaska (#49) is a State separated by Canadian soil, Hawaii (#50) by 2,200miles of ocean and became a State and the Philippians chose independence and let us keep influence, so president has been set since Venezuela sits on the shore of the "Gulf of America". Name a state we did not take from indigenous peoples or another country (state) that had done so.
Please❗Send the Code Pink letter to your Congress-critters (thank you Jim Hightower) ASAP❗I'll see if I can find the link in the Code Pink email to post here, now. &/or go to their FB page or website The volume of all mail counts❗
https://www.codepink.org/warpowersvzla?source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawPGXUdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6e8K_EEfbCVGeZcf3WZAA3RaVBW53VAtPGrmctZEZPzmNkDdt5QxW13Ep_Bw_aem_CznkjlwnEAG1n-G7KUCnew&sfnsn=mo
Me, too, Margaret.
It is imparitive that Trump be Impeached now! Flood Congress with emails, telephone calls and letters! Due to his frontal lobe dementia, he has no inhibition controls left! During his speel he veered off into talking about his deployment of the National Guard deployments. It is obvious that if his brain is thinking about something his mouth follows! He is plotting to turn the military on us Americans next if he can get a little spark of rebellion or rioting started! He just turned America into a highway robber! This isn't about drugs.this obviously isn't about regime change, this was naked aggression to seize another country's property! It is also a vigilante grab of one of his persieved enemies. His hate and paranoia has no limits left in his demented mind, literally! Flood Congress and don't let up! Time is running out, but the only safe method of removal is Impeachments of the lot of them! We got Congress to move on the Epstein Files, now Flood Congress daily for Impeachment! If you have even one Republican in Congress, don't let up on them. Large part of his base wanted isolation and no war! Recruit them for this!
Hi Margaret & fellow readers. I agree with you, the current US Administration needs to go, and in a legal fashion. Sadly, from outside the US, the rest of us can’t wait, can’t afford to wait. In a year full of taboo-breaking behaviour, the US now stands out clearly, as Robert Reich states it, as a state run by thugs. I’m sorry for the hurt this causes Americans, but it needs to recognised, admitted to, and then dealt with. The circa forty percent of US Americans who still support Trump must now be faced head-on (think mass protests against the Vietnam War, on US soil and abroad), and national governments, heretofore ‘allies’, must repel US political, military and commercial interests (ie not selected companies, such as Tesla, but across the board rejection of US American interests). We cannot afford to feed the monster. America needs her patriots and citizens to say ‘no’, and America’s friends around the world must also say ‘no’. This is an existential disagreement, not an argument among friends and allies. The time for good intentions has gone, now we count our allies by what they do, not by what they promise. Yours, Anthony
Actually, turns out you are both wrong! (sarcasm alert) Now we know what it's really all about: Mike Lee, quoted by ABC:
"Just got off the phone with @SecRubio He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack Thank you, @SecRubio, for keeping me apprised," Lee wrote.
He also said that Rubio told him he anticipates "no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."
"This is not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on. It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night," Rubio said later at a Mar-a-Lago news conference.
"Remember, at the end of day, at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job. Now there are broader policy implications here, but it's just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission," he said.
Don't we all feel better, now? (you caught my sarcasm alert, right?
"kinetic action" vs "lethal action"? A whole new language of dirty ugly evil behavior.
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So what can the American people do now? Becoming the whole world's monster under the bed is giving us all such a feeling of helplessness that our collective blood pressure is going up and our collective heart is breaking.
Michelle, we keep the faith in our Constitution and in the American people. It is likely in my mind and the mind of others that both times Trump was elected, there was outside influence that lured people to an absolute jerk, in fact Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016. He may also have gotten additional support from fake assassination attempts and AI digital interference in 2024. In short, this crew of bratty toddler-adults who want only what they want and will do whatever they want because they think they deserve it, is not popular and together, we can stop them. We need more people speaking up like the 6 military and intelligence people did to remind our military and others that they should never follow illegal laws. Right now, some of them have ignored that advice by invading Venezuela and kidnapping their president without congressional consent. There need to be consequences for those actions and for those in charge who knew Trump was dealing with dementia, yet pushed him to run in 2024. They deceived the American people. We must find every way possible to stand up for our Constitution, our history, and the marvelous diversity that is this nation despite what the racists, misogynists, homo/transphobes, and other haters blurt out in their fear, anger, resentment, and hatred. They are a minority of the American people and we need to keep acting as though they are a minority, making sure they have their rights, but not more rights than everyone else has.
OK, I agree with what you say about what we must do, and where consequences should occur, but I still question how best to make anything happen As Adam Kinzinger mentioned this morning on his Substack, if Trump intended to install the lawfully elected pro-democracy President of Venezuela, that would be a good thing, but he intends to install another dictator who will be subservient to himself. So HOW can we do something to prevent this? How can we end all this power-mad insanity and hate? We support progressive politicians and causes, we struggle to keep education grounded in reality, we attend rallies and fight book bans, we cherish our Constitution, but overall, many, if not most of us, feel helpless to defend it. The current regime is intent on returning humanity to the Dark Ages, and yes, I believe this will be followed by a new Renaissance, but how many of us will live to see it? I have received dozens of Substacks, but the only politicians I have heard from today are Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Ro Khanna of California. Where are all the Democrats hiding?
I believe that we can trust anything from Code Pink. Several fellas here have reacted positively. It's good when good men follow good women's lead. 😍😊😉
Michelle, we have a gigantic challenge in front of us because Trump and Kump want to rule the world. They will tolerate Xi and Putin, but in reality, Musk wants to rule with everyone doing is bidding. No one in the world but Musk wants that. No one but Trump and his white house toddler pool want Trump really in charge of anything because they know he has dementia and is hardly functioning. I am suspecting the drugs he is on are helping him somewhat to read the teleprompters, but he doesn't have a clue without that and the sycophantic whisperers who make sure Trump can mouth what they want him to say. Why are we permitting this? ?We do it because things have been orchestrated to put Project 2025ers in charge with their misogyny, racism, homo/transphobia, classism, and the rest. They put before voters appalling examples of humanity who will kiss whatever Trump presents to them to kiss and smile while they do it, knowing if they are good little boys and girls, they will be financially rewarded for it, with maybe some power they don't deserve too. We must find creative ways to undermine them, perhaps without them realizing what is happening. We need to sneak pro democracy messages into every media platform we can and find ways to counter the BS and lies being pumped out by those who would rule. They are not worthy of the attention they are getting.
Support Democratic and progressive governors. Let's Start bringing using states rights to end Citizens United. Colorado will take the lead. Other states should join the fight.down with Oligarchs running this country into the ground!
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Joyce......I just signed and posted in to FB! Thanks for the link. All should sign this it goes to your Senators! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
Cool❣️Please fwd
to your peeps too!
I'm not one to click on a link that comes without a word of explanation, so please provide a few words about what this link is. Thank you.
Venezuela. Code Pink today's e-letter we can sign onto, to our Congressional electeds. Regardless, THEY MUST HEAR FROM US. Volume of all mail counts!
Thank you. My senators and representative hear from me daily and sometimes more frequently. My outrage often overflows.
I believe Venezuela already has a new "president", and his name is Donald J Drumpf.
Except the people of Venezuela don't seem to want him any more than we do. There is a duly elected President from the opposition party who should be supported into office by the entire world, no matter what he wants.
If the only time the Constitution works is when Dems are in office, it no longer qualifies as a binding document. All three branches of the US Government are corrupt.
It's an archaic document, anyway, as the Originalists like Scalia made clear.
Ruth, states rights, And Citizens United using states rights. I think Colorado mat be trying to do that. More states can join the effort.
There are some ideas in response to your question in Dr. R's New Year's post Jan. last year. The headline got my attention: "Trump will overplay his hand..." Actually, Dr. R reposted an article by Asli Aydintasbas, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., in Politico Magazine. (It's archived, this substack) Among the enumerated points two stood out to me: #1 - Don't Panic - autocracy takes time, and #4 - Charismatic leadership is non-negotiable.
Unfortunately, Dr. R himself did not explore what kind of scenario he had in mind that would constitute Trump "overplaying his hand." I am appalled that many don't seem to think bombing a country that no American fears is that thing.
There is at least a possibility that this wretched event will be one too many. We have tampered with elections in Latin American countries and done some really stupid things. (Remember Reagan's Freedom Fighters? They were drug runners, rapists, and murderers -- but not being communists somehow made them the good guys and worth of our support.) So today's event is not brand-new wrongheadedness in a country where we don't belong, but on top of everything else, it might still prove to be too much. At least we can hope. I'm still hoping for some charismatic leadership.
The military, all those generals who took the oath to obey and defend the Constitution, did Trump's bidding rather than stand up to him.
The military has made it clear that they will gladly follow any illegal orders Trump and Hegseth issue without question.
I already saw proof of that here in Los Angeles when the Marines and National Guard fully assisted Trump's Gestapo in their raids.
Some time ago, while worried about Trump's actions, I thought our military might be a protection for us.
I agree with you. I think it is becoming apparent that this is not the case. It appears they are not going to effectively abide by their oath to protect the Constitution.
We better get busy on the next No Kings fast and aim for 100 million attendance. They dare not kill that many of us, and it may show them that they may have to fear the citizens.
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Thanks, Joyce
Everybody, check it out, follow through and tell everyone you know about it!
Please copy it and send to your e-list(s). And repost on Fb.
The time is now.
t this point
Joe, maybe we need to find ways to call them out for their anti-constitutional actions by name, so their families and friends will know where they stand and that their actions are against our Constitution and their oath which they did not swear to Trump and the oligarchs, but to the Constitution and this nation.
What's scary is if their families are hard core MAGA and back what they're doing...
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They did it because he is the Commander in Chief and not asking the question "Is this legal?"
Why would they ask that since they have sworn full allegiance to God's Anointed King?
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That's what I was thinking...our military is colluding with this unconstitutional president and his henchmen and women. We knew things would be getting worse, but just how much, is again, hard to believe.
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The top brass have pensions and cushy corporate board/consultant jobs waiting for them. They're not about to jeapardize those perks by obeying the constitution and rule of law.
Then they are clearly compliant to the illegality of it all.
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How could they be so compliant to this guy's idiocy?!
Remember the "good Germans" & their sh•tler?
Joyce, I suspect that many in Nazi Germany were already fascist bigots when Hitler became there leader. There were probably some good Germans then but most likely not very many just as there are many good Americans who voted for Trump because they believed his lies and still do .
Joseph......good question!!! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
It’s ironic how Trump describes Maduro as a Dictator. What a joke!!! It sounds like he is describing himself!! I hope he doesn’t think this will bring up his ratings. I don’t like anything he or his administration does. They all need to be gone YESTERDAY!!!
This is all about distracting from Epstein.
While dragging the reputation of America in the world down the drain in the process!
This is its own act of treason. The Epstein thing pales in comparison.
As far as I’m concerned, January 6, 2021, inciting an insurrection, was enough to put Trump away!!!! It is so clear to most of us. The reason why he continues to do whatever he wants is because our whole gov’t is corrupt!!! People are getting paid off on the left and the right. Money, instead of the countries needs, has become more important. Just look at what AIPAC, Israel’s lobbyist, has paid to our Congressman. I sit in my home feeling angry and helpless while time slips by and NOTHING gets done. What exactly do we need to do to get our elected leaders to act on our behalf???
Or possibly the other way around...that withholding the Epstein Files was a distraction from this plan.
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It is a heinous distraction, this power grab, from all the evidence about his pedophilia and the treason he committed as shown in Jack Smith's testimony. By ignoring international laws, not only Trump but our Congress is spitting on the agreements we made with our allies after WWII. Call your representatives! And go protest!
According to trump's ex-wife (Ivana?) his favored bedtime reading from 30 years ago was "My New Order", Hitler's collected speeches, and he has mimicked the demagogue well. The warning signs of his dictatorial ambitions have been before us for forty years, and still, he proceeds to destroy the roots of democracy. How could so many presumably rational people have been caught sleeping? Very well-articulated analysis by Prof. Reich.
Let's not forget that 77 mil Americans voted for him.
Yes, Joseph, and reliable political observers like Thom Hartmann and Greg Palast are convinced that by subverting two million or more votes in key states, trump's operatives succeeded in swinging the 2024 election to a clear tyrant.
Lawlessness at home goes hand in hand with lawlessness abroad. such is the way of authoritarianism.
I must add that many of those who voted for him believed the lies that was being fed to them by this guy. ((99.9% of what comes out of his mouth is based on a lie.)
Or did they...... ?
Unless they didn't. I would love to have seen some push back and an investigation about the 2024 election. Because he stopped campaigning in July and said they had "a little secret". I don't have a theory; it just doesn't make sense.
I suspect they may feel as he does, which is why his base of roughly 33% of Americans, remains loyal regardless of his behavior.
That is about the same base which Hitler had before he seized power in 1933.
Yes!! Astute observation! Krystalnacht Zwei must be right around the corner.
I was writing about the 'rational' people who were caught sleeping, not the geocentrists and flat-earthers.
A quick dive and it's remarkable: 43.9% supported him in 1933, and this group consisted of the upper and middle classes, rural voters, German Christians, military, industrialists, conservative elites, and the nationalists. Sound familiar?
Noteworthy, Peter, is that numerous among my professional acquaintances as well as skilled laborers and farmers in my rural locality think his deeds are in this country's best interests, or that he walks on water.
That's the challenge that confronts us. So many of his supporters have turned against him in the polling, but as soon as they hit the voting booth, they would vote for him (or any other MAGA candidate). And then there is the group you mention: he can do NO wrong, not even attacking Venezuela and kidnapping (arresting? Making off with?) it's president (and all its oil).
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Dwight D. Eisenhower's quote: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Very important quote, Martin. Thank you! Authoritarians, mentally limited as they are, trust brute force alone. They are in power in the US, in Russia, in China, and many other countries. This is why violence is endemic in the world. Given the nature and cost of AI and modern weapons, hunkind is not likely to outlast this century.
EXACTLY We the People are always robbed blind by fascists.
They are criminals by definition.
Ike one of the greatest generals ever, knew fascism and told us so.
As pres..... He was a great general.
Very well written article, Robert. I agree with your geographis points of reference, too.
Canadian here. I'm going to ask PM Carney to organize the selling again of US bonds by the US' former allies in NATO.
Catherine, our "allies" need to be encouraged to condemn Trump/Hegseth actions. They are against this nation and the world. We need them arrested somewhere and tried as they are now trying Maduro, only this time, for crimes they have actually committed, including pardoning a drug czar who was sentenced to 45 years in prison by a legitimate jury. Trump can't honestly charge Maduro for that crime when Trump let someone far worse go free. I hope the prosecutors and others in NY realize that and act accordingly.
The great Roman Empire began to crumble (permanently) after suffering a couple of lunatic emperors. Nuff said.
unbelievable! our country has become an aggressor!
It really is not the first time as we have been guilty with Iraq invasion in 2003,
I feel more comfortable comparing this recent adventure to the invasion of Panama, in which we seized its president, Manuel Noriega. Iraq in 2003 went on FOREVER! Panama didn't.
Well, look into Latin American history if you think that (our country as an agressor) is new
Correct. We've treated Mexico and Latin America like colonies for well over a century.
Well, it always has been...For instance, it tried to invade Canada about 3 times.
What?! 😮 I need to research history more. Canada is our friend! Well…to most of us. Why would we invade, though?
Manifest Destiny
Become an aggressor?!!!
just more overtly than usual.
Your country has long been an aggressor!
Sharlya, again! There is alwas an excuse, but always a man at the controls of ordering such attacks. It must have been orgasmic for them. We have made some of them heroes like Kissinger, Cheyney, and those who made up the best, most acceptable excuses.
If I'm not mistaken , Obama did go after Gaddafi with out approval of the Congress .
I just wrote to my useless Maga rethug congressman demanding that he stand up against rump. I don't expect him to do anything because he's posting on Facebook about what a great thing rump did.
Thank you for trying. I'm doing the same thing.
I'm in Canada and I've been concerned for a long time about our country's future. What's happening now is just heightening the anxiety
I apologize for Trump. Most of us hate him.
From a post on “X. Truly interesting and one could see this is a feasible reasoning
Ricardo
@Ric_RTP
The real reason the US is invading Venezuela goes back to a deal Henry Kissinger made with Saudi Arabia in 1974.
And I'm going to explain why this is actually about the SURVIVAL of the US dollar itself.
Not drugs. Not terrorism. Not "democracy."
This is about the petrodollar system that has kept America the dominant economic power for 50 years.
And Venezuela just threatened to end it.
Here's what really just happened:
Venezuela has 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.
The largest on Earth.
More than Saudi Arabia.
20% of the entire world's oil.
But here's the part that matters:
Venezuela was actively selling that oil in Chinese yuan. Not dollars.
In 2018, Venezuela announced it would "free itself from the dollar."
They started accepting yuan, euros, rubles, anything BUT dollars for oil.
They were petitioning to join BRICS.
They were building direct payment channels with China that bypass SWIFT entirely.
And they were sitting on enough oil to fund de-dollarization for decades.
Why does this matter?
Because the entire American financial system is built on one thing:
The petrodollar.
In 1974, Henry Kissinger made a deal with Saudi Arabia:
All oil sold globally must be priced in US dollars.
In exchange, America provides military protection.
This single agreement created artificial demand for dollars worldwide.
Every country on Earth needs dollars to buy oil.
This lets America print unlimited money while other countries work for it.
It funds the military. The welfare state. The deficit spending.
The petrodollar is more important to US hegemony than aircraft carriers.
And there's a pattern of what happens to leaders who challenge it:
2000: Saddam Hussein announces Iraq will sell oil in euros instead of dollars.
2003: Invaded. Regime change. Iraq's oil immediately switched back to dollars. Saddam lynched.
The WMDs were never found because they never existed.
2009: Gaddafi proposes a gold-backed African currency called the "gold dinar" for oil trade.
Hillary Clinton's own leaked emails confirm this was the PRIMARY reason for intervention.
Email quote: "This gold was intended to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar."
2011: NATO bombs Libya. Gaddafi sodomized and murdered. Libya now has open slave markets.
"We came, we saw, he died!" Clinton laughed on camera.
The gold dinar died with him.
And now Maduro.
With FIVE TIMES more oil than Saddam and Gaddafi combined.
Actively selling in yuan.
Building payment systems outside dollar control.
Petitioning to join BRICS.
Partnered with China, Russia, and Iran.
The three countries leading global de-dollarization.
This isn't coincidence.
Challenge the petrodollar. Get regime changed.
Every. Single. Time.
Stephen Miller (US homeland security advisor) literally said it out loud two weeks ago:
"American sweat, ingenuity and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela. Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property."
He's not hiding it.
They're claiming Venezuelan oil BELONGS to America because US companies developed it 100 years ago.
By this logic, every nationalized resource in history was "theft."
But here's the DEEPER problem:
The petrodollar is already dying.
Russia sells oil in rubles and yuan since Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia is openly discussing yuan settlements.
Iran has been trading in non-dollar currencies for years.
China built CIPS, their own alternative to SWIFT with 4,800 banks in 185 countries.
BRICS is actively building payment systems that bypass the dollar entirely.
The mBridge project lets central banks settle trades instantly in local currencies.
Venezuela joining BRICS with 303 billion barrels of oil would accelerate this exponentially.
That's what this invasion is really about.
Not stopping drugs. Venezuela accounts for less than 1% of US cocaine.
Not terrorism. There's zero evidence Maduro runs a "terror organization."
Not democracy. The US supports Saudi Arabia, which has zero elections.
This is about maintaining a 50-year-old agreement that lets America print money while the world works for it.
And the consequences are terrifying:
Russia, China, and Iran are already denouncing this as "armed aggression."
China is Venezuela's biggest oil customer. They're losing billions.
BRICS nations are watching a country get invaded for trading outside the dollar.
Every nation considering de-dollarization just got the message:
Challenge the dollar and we will bomb you.
But here's the problem...
That message might accelerate de-dollarization, not stop it.
Because now every country in the Global South knows what happens if you threaten dollar hegemony.
And they're realizing the only protection is to move FASTER.
The timing is insane too:
January 3rd, 2026. Venezuela invaded. Maduro captured.
January 3rd, 1990. Panama invaded. Noriega captured.
36 years apart. Almost to the day.
Same playbook. Same "drug trafficking" excuse.
Same real reason: control of strategic resources and trade routes.
History doesn't repeat. But it rhymes.
What happens next:
Trump's press conference at Mar-a-Lago sets the narrative.
US oil companies are already lined up. Politico reported they've been approached about "returning to Venezuela."
The opposition will be installed. Oil will flow in dollars again.
Venezuela becomes another Iraq. Another Libya.
But here's what nobody's asking:
What happens when you can no longer bomb your way to dollar dominance?
When China has enough economic leverage to retaliate?
When BRICS controls 40% of global GDP and says "no more dollars"?
When the world realizes the petrodollar is maintained by violence?
America just showed its hand.
The question is whether the rest of the world folds or calls the bluff.
Because this invasion is an admission that the dollar can no longer compete on its own merits.
When you have to bomb countries to keep them using your currency, the currency is already dying.
Venezuela isn't the beginning.
It's the desperate end.
Carol, there is much truth to what you say. the world runs on oil, control its flow, and you control the world, keep the dollar strong and you dominate world finances. Hegemony is profitable to US oil companies and arms manufacturers, and its lucrative to US stock and bond holders. Hegemony, however, also comes at a high cost to Americans, hence America First and other protesters. At the moment, the Maduro capture looks like a stunning success, but time will reveal its cost, which could be enormous. Venezuela could disintegrate into civil war, and China and the US could be plunged into an all-out war.
Yes.
While I take solace in reading your words, knowing that someone steeped in experience and knowledge at the highest levels of government speaks my truth, the world that you describe is terrifying. You are my unofficial guide - you and Heather Cox Richardson. Deep bows to you.
Totally agree
What an astute article!!
The Trump regime makes the world safe for - nobody.
Au contraire. Putin, Xi, Netanyahu, Orban et al. are more secure every day.
In other words, Trump's noise about Greenland and Canada was a distraction as it would appear that oil-rich Venezuela was the target all along.
I think he is still after Canada and Greenland
if he takes canada will we get universal healthcare?
Paul, I know you are joking, but I want to remind others that in Trump's eyes we are "vermin," and vermin do not deserve medical care of any kind. This is why RFK Jr is in Trump's cabinet.
I don't want universal healthcare that way . We need to protect our good neighbor in the north from anything like that from happening.
sorry, bad joke.
Throwing American exceptionalism around like it is his personal play toy.
I am absolutely sure he wants it all.
Don't be so sure he has abandoned that crazy fantasy.
I'm not. I think he's still fantasizing about it; however, we haven't seen the groundwork laid out. As soon as he starts yammering about how Canada is a fentanyl supplier or that Greenland supplies us with Cocaine, then it'll be staged. Although, as I think about it, Canada does have natural gas and maybe oil (?, weigh in if you know), and Greenland has rare earth's, so...
But then with Greenland, he'd have to go up against Denmark and the EU, and Canada is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, former British colonies and territories, so there's that. In other words, there remains lots of low hanging fruit in Central and South America. Remember Panama? That could be next.
Canada has the world's largest reserves of potash (vital for agriculture), as well as very large reserves of lithium, cobalt, and several other critical minerals. It also has significant reserves of Rare Earth Elements, but has not so far done much to develop access to them.