Everything posted by Laxtonto
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
That is an interesting argument, but given that all of those happened in international waters, probably not. That is the problem with this legal/illegal argument here, is that this is happening in international waters, with unflagged vessels that are technically not tied to Venezuela and therefore would not be an ongoing military action with a sovereign country. It would take Venezuela to admit that those vessels, and what they are carrying, are theirs under their jurisdiction, which opens a whole other can of worms. This is what makes all of this a mess. Condone it or not, for this to matter in the WPR context the Maduro regime has to say "yes we were running drugs and you knew those boats were ours and so you may be in violation of the WPR "(which has no real enforcement mechanism and would be a pointless exercise from an impeachment standpoint on a topic that has significant populous support) and please make sure you definitely put us in jail in the US longterm or that this is a short term 8 hour operation that is already done and over and it is time to move on to the next thing in the news cycle.
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
Actually no, Noriega is the precedent for a "head of state". There have been many who have been extradited by force by the US and have then served trial in the US. The defense that they were "kidnapped" has been covered by the US Court of Appeals and has been denied on multiple occasions. One finally made it to the Supreme Court in 1992 (United States v. Alvarez-Machain), which found that his forcible abduction did not bar his trial in the U.S.
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
I generally try to avoid the cloakroom aspects of these things, but exactly how is this illegal? These types of actions have, in fact, been deemed legal by multiple courts in the United States. People may not like it, but before we get too far over the skis here, the closest, and most famous, comparison to this is probably Manuel Noriega, who had a pending indictment for drug trafficking in the US and was held to be legal by the US court system when brought up at trial. That included deploying tens of thousands of troops to apprehend him. Please remember that there is no head-of-state immunity for indicted criminals in the United States. These types of "kidnappings" have been litigated multiple times and have been found "legal" in the US court of law. So, instead, are we saying it is illegal because Congress wasn't notified prior? The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president "to notify Congress within 48 hours of introducing U.S. armed forces into hostilities or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated, and it limits such commitments to 60 days (plus 30 for withdrawal) without congressional authorization or a declaration of war". We haven't even reached the point where this administration would have to notify Congress, much less the 60-day military commitment deadline, to make this illegal under that resolution. This is written with the key being the term "within", not before. Currently, there is no ongoing operation or military intervention. This is all now in the hands of the bureaucrats, CIA, and diplomats. If we decide to do so now, after the fact, to put troops in Venezuela, without an "ask" by the Venezuelan government, then it will eventually fall under the WPR, but right now, no, this is not applicable. If we are "asked" to do so by the current Venezuelan government, that is an act of diplomacy, not an "act of war". This outrage is all about being cut out of the loop and learning about it on the news, just like everyone else. I have to admit that I would be pretty pissed as well as a member of the House or Senate, as it implies that I can't be trusted not to leak this, but that doesn't make it illegal. So, once again, how is this illegal? Are we now arguing about the "sovereignty" of a head of state that the US, EU, and UK all said was illegitimate? Is this because politicians of opposition parties around the globe say so, and are good sound bites for political theater? What "law" is being broken? Are we going to say this in violation of a UN General Assembly statute where we can veto any resolution they hope to enforce on the US? What makes this idea so odd to deal with is that Maduro has multiple indictments from multiple countries around the globe, and so which international law is "legal" and which is not comes into conflict, creating a murky mess at best to navigate. This is something people will complain about for press clippings and sound bites, but not act on because it has direct corollaries to what many others have done in the past, and something that many want done to other "illegitimate" leaders right now. We throw shit around about things being "illegal" all the time from both sides of the aisle, but consistently, when put under scrutiny, they are "legal" under the letter of the law. I might not "like" it morally or agree with the execution of many things, but there is a difference between that and legal. Do I seriously think this was some noble, big-hearted mission from the US, purely out of the goodness of our collective soul, rushing in to feed the hungry, lift up the broke, and save the Venezuelan people like a bunch of caped crusaders and jail the big bad Maduro for the benefit of humanity? Hell no, that is foolish. Is it something that needed to be done? Absolutely. Do I expect that America and American business will come out way ahead financially and politically? Yes. Will the Venezuelan people benefit as well? Absolutely. Make no bones about it, the US will benefit more in the long run in this, but this is still a good thing.
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
There has been a long-standing, steady echo of the need to make the resort owners whole in South Florida. Bigger yet are the sugar plantations and nickel mines that were nationalized. This would be billions of dollars and would radically change Cuba. Think about how different the Caribbean would be if Cuba were the playground of the US. Make it a rival to Las Vegas with year-round beaches and beautiful Cuban beauties. Make Havana the destination for those looking for a beach vacation instead of Cozumel, the Caymans, or Jamaica. This would hurt Mexico significantly from a tourism standpoint and provide a huge boost to the Gulf economy. It would most likely lead to more stability in the Caribbean and freeze out many of the ideological movements in the region. Lots of the revolutionary mindset and corruption in the Caribbean are byproducts of Cuba's safe haven.
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
Funny enough, this will probably cause a reverse immigration from a humanitarian standpoint. One, right now 1/2 of Venezuela lives in "extreme poverty" based on the ENCOVI data and 80% in "general poverty". This is significantly worse than the 25% and 10% that was the historical baseline from the early 2000's. Not great, but significantly better than what it is now. One of the significant aspects of the US oil expansion into South America was the amount of cash it flooded the region with. Lots of cash to be made in the pursuit of the black gold in the ground. Lots of outside investors had other reasons to spend in Venezula and a large segment of their population directly benefited from it. The issue of late is the "privatization" of Venezuelan oil production and how they both skimmed off all of the profits and destroyed daily production. They stopped drilling new wells and did limited preventive maintenance on what was there.Because of this, daily production in Venezuela is 1/3 of the production in 2000. Its less than 1/2 of what it was in 2013, when Maduro took over. They, in essence, killed the golden goose. Don't get me wrong, Chevron, Exxon, and ConoccoPhillips, are about the eat, but there will be cash flooding the region and the pitiful standard of living they are currently living under will rise.
-
Things not going well in Venezuela
Next is Cuba... It will take 4-6 months, but Venezuela provided Cuba with most of its petrol, a vast majority of iron and iron ore, and was the vacation spot for the Cuban elite. Venezuela provides 70% of the Cuban crude and petrol, and it will take just a few months for the Cuban economy to completely shut down. From there it will be food riots, local stupidity and the fall of Canel...
-
2026 Texas Coaching/ Support Staff Thread
wrong thread
-
Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- 2026 Texas Coaching/ Support Staff Thread
- Dumbass Shit We See On Facebook
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
Moving to Baseball... More impact on the program with how inflated NIL is towards football...- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
If he is the weakest of the OL with 2 huge new Guards next to him, he isnt the worst C you could have. Time in the offensive system and familiarity are something that has value for your C. If there are any other weak links on the OL, most of his positives go away as he lacks the mass/agility to really cover up major issues with the IOL. Say what you want, he does at least consistently get the snap off and in the QB's hands. After watching the Oregon game yesterday, that is a skill that probably shouldn't be taken for granted.- Texas Roster 2026
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
Almost a lock to OK St- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
Would rather have Baugh, but get this kid in space and he is electric. Will be fun to see how Sark uses him.- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
- 2026 Celebrity Death Watch Pool
Bruce Willis (age 71) Michael J. Fox (age 64) Eric Dane (age 53) Sharon Osbourne (age 73) EBK Jaaybo (age 21) Phil Collins (age 75) Elton John (age 78) Barry Manilow (age 82) Dolly Parton (age 80) Steve-O (age 51)- 2025 Celebrity Death Pool
Are we doing a 2026 thread? Bruce Willis (age 71) Michael J. Fox (age 64) Eric Dane (age 53) Sharon Osbourne (age 73) EBK Jaaybo (age 21) Phil Collins (age 75) Elton John (age 78) Barry Manilow (age 82) Dolly Parton (age 80) Steve-O (age 51)- Texas Roster 2026
- Transfer Cycle 2025-2026 - Eloi! Eloi, lama sabachthani!
The thing is pair his with a healthy Mosley and a real #1 WR, and that is an absolutely great guy to have. Have him as your #1 with no real 1b option and a less than dynamic TE group and he is a liability.Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate DonationsBack to topAccount
Navigation
Search
Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
- Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
- Tap Permissions → Notifications.
- Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
- Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
- Select Site settings.
- Find Notifications and adjust your preference.
Safari (iOS 16.4+)
- Ensure the site is installed via Add to Home Screen.
- Open Settings App → Notifications.
- Find your app name and adjust your preference.
Safari (macOS)
- Go to Safari → Preferences.
- Click the Websites tab.
- Select Notifications in the sidebar.
- Find this website and adjust your preference.
Edge (Android)
- Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
- Tap Permissions.
- Find Notifications and adjust your preference.
Edge (Desktop)
- Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
- Click Permissions for this site.
- Find Notifications and adjust your preference.
Firefox (Android)
- Go to Settings → Site permissions.
- Tap Notifications.
- Find this site in the list and adjust your preference.
Firefox (Desktop)
- Open Firefox Settings.
- Search for Notifications.
- Find this site in the list and adjust your preference.
- 2026 Texas Coaching/ Support Staff Thread