Here's an honest question - is there any proof this even happened at all?
As far as I know, no names have been released, the US has given next to no details, and what little has been offered has been inconsistent and contradictory... and as far as I know, so far the Venezuelan government has not even confirmed anything, except for one official I found who said he thought it was AI.
I am not one for conspiracies, but there hasn't been any proof offered at all these thee boat was full of drug dealers, or who was one the boat at all..or even if anything actually happened.
Maybe the word "terrorist" should be banished from public discourse. It's been used to describe everything from little children slogging through the Darien Gap to mules trying to navigate open ocean in speedboats. Now it means nothing, as politicians try to evoke subconscious images of planes barreling into skyscrapers every time a petty crime happens. Enough!
Maybe it's just me....but I cringe when I hear the phrase "warfighters." It reeks of fake bravado and pretentious playacting by those who have never fought on a battlefield. That could be because the first time I ever heard the phrase was from Pete Hegseth, and he, to me, is the epitome of fake everything.
USA is toast and under Trump it’ll be charred black toast… he’s making sure of that, and the (idiotic) sycophants he has placed around himself from his VP down will make sure he gets his way… the Supreme Court is supreme only in one aspect… it’s Supremely stupid… and it has given Trump carte blanche to do as the orange-utan wishes to do… unless the people of USA rise up and revolt (yes a revolution) its game over for USA..
CARTELS ARE WORSE THAN TERRORISTS. THEY SPREAD POISION AND MAKE HUGE PROFITS OUT OF DOING SO. THE blood of our children is on their hands. Most of the injuries and death involve young adults some children even as young as 11. This is a new low even for you Zeteo!!!
But cartels provide full employment for US gun manufacturers and arms dealers! And if we can't control the US demand for drugs — a massive public health problem — whose fault is that?
Oh so now you are blaming the victums of these horrible people (drug cartels) who are spreading their POISON in the form of poison to children. I guess you are not aware that children often die because they get into their parents' illegal drug supply because their parents are so wacked out they do not have the sense to secure their illegal drugs. Disgusting you should be ashamed of yourself!!!
I do not blame the victims; I suggest we recognize drug addiction as a health crisis and not as a criminal or military matter. If the demand for drugs is there, the market will find a way to supply it. Attacking the supply just raises the street price and does nothing to eliminate the problem. Also, when my opponent starts attacking me personally, everyone can see how weak my opponent's arguments are.
If their parents did not have easy access to drugs supplied by drug cartels the drug problem would not be a big of a problem as it is now. Obviously increased supply and easy access to illegal drugs will make the use of drugs much much more popular and make therefore make the problem much worse than it otherwise would be.
we have absolutely no idea if the people on this boat were 'terrorists' or 'drug traffickers' or just ordinary citizens, or if there were 1 1 people or 40 people or 2 people..we know nothing at all.
And, in any of those circumstances, it is still a blatantly illegal and wlidly reckless move to just blow up a boat and kill a group of people in international waters, far from the US border, with not a tiny speck of any evidence of anything.
Cartels are Bad, Terrorists are Bad. TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT??? Do not justify one bad behavior by referring to another BAD BEHAVIOR, that makes no logical sense frankly. THEY ARE BOTH BAD Behaviors AND MUST BE DISCOURAGED. A PLAGUE ON BOTH THIER HOUSES!!!
Sackler family has done a lot worse than any cartel. My sister in law classic addiction to oxy then heroin, homeless, in and out of rehab, brain-damaged and now completely dependent while her kids struggle! One of millions and the Sacklers paid a fucking fine!
YOUR STATEMENTS KEEP GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. YOU HAVE GONE BEYOND BEING your usual hypocritical self, you are NOT EXCUSING TERRORISTS who often kill children, even drug Cartels do not intentionally kill children like many terrorists do!!!!
Yet another terrible portend. With the evisceration of America's intelligence services, how can anyone be sure of anything the Regime says? Whiskey Pete Hegseth is a grotesque toady. Why aren't these fools talking about the demand for drugs in this country? Is it possible that rather than eradicate the cartels, Trump wants to control them? Outlandish? Look at what he's doing. The Bloated One is a stone career criminal.
As I read these comments so far, I can see why the U.S. is so culturally divided. Half are for war with the Latino countries to their south, the other half are okay with deploying the military across their country to root out cartel members and drug dealers, and applaud the president for taking over their liberal cities with the military.
Maybe the Americans should do all of this and reap the consequences thereof. By the time their military takes control of their cities, and the central and south American countries defend their sovereignty, with the Americans once again watching body bags being airlifted back to their shores, the rest of the world will continue moving on without them.
The days of American economic and military hegemony are gone, as the empire fades away. Trump is just the overseer of the last colonial empire of an old world. China is showing everyone else how it should be done for the future of the planet. I'm not advocating for their style of government but they, as a culture, are pointing to the future, while the U.S. desperately hangs onto its colonial past.
US citizens, financial institutions, have laundered money, bought and distributed killer drugs, while in their top-floor offices they profit off people’s suffering.
There is certainly terrorism going on in this country, mainly from our own regime. It's not just the boat, for which there has been zippo evidence provided that there were drugs on board at all. It is also on our city streets. Every roughing up of someone taking pictures of ICE fits the definition; so does shooting reporters with "non-lethal" rounds while they are just standing there reporting.
Most sources agree that the main smuggling of fentanyl into the US is at regular checkpoints, usually by US citizens, who are less likely to be thoroughly searched. Shall Border Patrol simply shoot citizens crossing the border based on some "tip" that they are ferrying drugs?
"Armed soldiers are already patrolling the streets of DC, and Trump has threatened to federalize the National Guard for deployment in other cities." Actually, he already has.
See the language authorizing nationwide militarization, hidden within Trump's Executive Order of 8/25/25 (deceptively entitled "ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE CRIME EMERGENCY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA") (pay particular attention to the last sentence):
Section 2(d)(ii): "The Secretary of Defense shall immediately begin ensuring that each State’s Army National Guard and Air National Guard are resourced, trained, organized, and available to assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under law. In coordination with the respective adjutants general, the Secretary of Defense shall designate an appropriate number of each State’s trained National Guard members to be reasonably available for rapid mobilization for such purposes. In addition, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure the availability of a standing National Guard quick reaction force that shall be resourced, trained, and available for rapid nationwide deployment."
"Instead of interdicting it, on the president’s orders, we blew it up - and it’ll happen again. The president has a right to eliminate immediate threats to the US. This president is not a talker; he’s a doer.” - Marco Rubio re the extrajudicial killing of 11 people in international waters.
So in other words, labeling someone as a threat justifies the murder of defenseless civilians.
I was NOT attacking you personally, I was just pointing out that your arguments make no logical sense. THAT IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK IN MY OPINION. If you thinking saying your arguments do not make logical is a personal attack I do not know what to do with it. I was taught in argument you are supposed to point out how your opponents arguments make no logical, I mean the only alternative to this strategy would be to say something nasty about you which you are not going to make me do. I am not going to fall into that trap they are are setting for me. I disagree with your arguments, they make no logical sense but of course you do not have to agree with me. I do not have to agree with you either and just because I do not agree with you does not mean I am attacking you personally, I do not even know you, I have never heard from you before, there is no way I can make personal attacks on just replying to someone post who I do not know from Adam and I never met before. You could not even be using your real name as far as I know, not that that really matters, I AM just making the point that I do not know you and you do not know me.
Not so sure that picking a fight with violent international drug empires is such a good idea. As an ex-Marine told me, "When the enemy is within range, so are you."
Here's an honest question - is there any proof this even happened at all?
As far as I know, no names have been released, the US has given next to no details, and what little has been offered has been inconsistent and contradictory... and as far as I know, so far the Venezuelan government has not even confirmed anything, except for one official I found who said he thought it was AI.
I am not one for conspiracies, but there hasn't been any proof offered at all these thee boat was full of drug dealers, or who was one the boat at all..or even if anything actually happened.
Maybe the word "terrorist" should be banished from public discourse. It's been used to describe everything from little children slogging through the Darien Gap to mules trying to navigate open ocean in speedboats. Now it means nothing, as politicians try to evoke subconscious images of planes barreling into skyscrapers every time a petty crime happens. Enough!
What should we call Israel then?
A genocidal state, maybe. That word may still have some tread left. Or maybe a theocracy aggressively seeking out Lebensraum.
Maybe it's just me....but I cringe when I hear the phrase "warfighters." It reeks of fake bravado and pretentious playacting by those who have never fought on a battlefield. That could be because the first time I ever heard the phrase was from Pete Hegseth, and he, to me, is the epitome of fake everything.
This book us a must read: The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces https://a.co/d/j3Fgsl7
Yes, agreed.
USA is toast and under Trump it’ll be charred black toast… he’s making sure of that, and the (idiotic) sycophants he has placed around himself from his VP down will make sure he gets his way… the Supreme Court is supreme only in one aspect… it’s Supremely stupid… and it has given Trump carte blanche to do as the orange-utan wishes to do… unless the people of USA rise up and revolt (yes a revolution) its game over for USA..
CARTELS ARE WORSE THAN TERRORISTS. THEY SPREAD POISION AND MAKE HUGE PROFITS OUT OF DOING SO. THE blood of our children is on their hands. Most of the injuries and death involve young adults some children even as young as 11. This is a new low even for you Zeteo!!!
But cartels provide full employment for US gun manufacturers and arms dealers! And if we can't control the US demand for drugs — a massive public health problem — whose fault is that?
Oh so now you are blaming the victums of these horrible people (drug cartels) who are spreading their POISON in the form of poison to children. I guess you are not aware that children often die because they get into their parents' illegal drug supply because their parents are so wacked out they do not have the sense to secure their illegal drugs. Disgusting you should be ashamed of yourself!!!
I do not blame the victims; I suggest we recognize drug addiction as a health crisis and not as a criminal or military matter. If the demand for drugs is there, the market will find a way to supply it. Attacking the supply just raises the street price and does nothing to eliminate the problem. Also, when my opponent starts attacking me personally, everyone can see how weak my opponent's arguments are.
If their parents did not have easy access to drugs supplied by drug cartels the drug problem would not be a big of a problem as it is now. Obviously increased supply and easy access to illegal drugs will make the use of drugs much much more popular and make therefore make the problem much worse than it otherwise would be.
You are missing the point here.
we have absolutely no idea if the people on this boat were 'terrorists' or 'drug traffickers' or just ordinary citizens, or if there were 1 1 people or 40 people or 2 people..we know nothing at all.
And, in any of those circumstances, it is still a blatantly illegal and wlidly reckless move to just blow up a boat and kill a group of people in international waters, far from the US border, with not a tiny speck of any evidence of anything.
Cartels are Bad, Terrorists are Bad. TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT??? Do not justify one bad behavior by referring to another BAD BEHAVIOR, that makes no logical sense frankly. THEY ARE BOTH BAD Behaviors AND MUST BE DISCOURAGED. A PLAGUE ON BOTH THIER HOUSES!!!
Sackler family has done a lot worse than any cartel. My sister in law classic addiction to oxy then heroin, homeless, in and out of rehab, brain-damaged and now completely dependent while her kids struggle! One of millions and the Sacklers paid a fucking fine!
YOUR STATEMENTS KEEP GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. YOU HAVE GONE BEYOND BEING your usual hypocritical self, you are NOT EXCUSING TERRORISTS who often kill children, even drug Cartels do not intentionally kill children like many terrorists do!!!!
Yet another terrible portend. With the evisceration of America's intelligence services, how can anyone be sure of anything the Regime says? Whiskey Pete Hegseth is a grotesque toady. Why aren't these fools talking about the demand for drugs in this country? Is it possible that rather than eradicate the cartels, Trump wants to control them? Outlandish? Look at what he's doing. The Bloated One is a stone career criminal.
Thank you for this well-reasoned article from a knowledgeable, experienced professional in the field.
As I read these comments so far, I can see why the U.S. is so culturally divided. Half are for war with the Latino countries to their south, the other half are okay with deploying the military across their country to root out cartel members and drug dealers, and applaud the president for taking over their liberal cities with the military.
Maybe the Americans should do all of this and reap the consequences thereof. By the time their military takes control of their cities, and the central and south American countries defend their sovereignty, with the Americans once again watching body bags being airlifted back to their shores, the rest of the world will continue moving on without them.
The days of American economic and military hegemony are gone, as the empire fades away. Trump is just the overseer of the last colonial empire of an old world. China is showing everyone else how it should be done for the future of the planet. I'm not advocating for their style of government but they, as a culture, are pointing to the future, while the U.S. desperately hangs onto its colonial past.
US citizens, financial institutions, have laundered money, bought and distributed killer drugs, while in their top-floor offices they profit off people’s suffering.
There is certainly terrorism going on in this country, mainly from our own regime. It's not just the boat, for which there has been zippo evidence provided that there were drugs on board at all. It is also on our city streets. Every roughing up of someone taking pictures of ICE fits the definition; so does shooting reporters with "non-lethal" rounds while they are just standing there reporting.
Most sources agree that the main smuggling of fentanyl into the US is at regular checkpoints, usually by US citizens, who are less likely to be thoroughly searched. Shall Border Patrol simply shoot citizens crossing the border based on some "tip" that they are ferrying drugs?
"Armed soldiers are already patrolling the streets of DC, and Trump has threatened to federalize the National Guard for deployment in other cities." Actually, he already has.
See the language authorizing nationwide militarization, hidden within Trump's Executive Order of 8/25/25 (deceptively entitled "ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE CRIME EMERGENCY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA") (pay particular attention to the last sentence):
Section 2(d)(ii): "The Secretary of Defense shall immediately begin ensuring that each State’s Army National Guard and Air National Guard are resourced, trained, organized, and available to assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under law. In coordination with the respective adjutants general, the Secretary of Defense shall designate an appropriate number of each State’s trained National Guard members to be reasonably available for rapid mobilization for such purposes. In addition, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure the availability of a standing National Guard quick reaction force that shall be resourced, trained, and available for rapid nationwide deployment."
See this link for further documentation:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/additional-measures-to-address-the-crime-emergency-in-the-district-of-columbia/
I'm going to stop reading and/or commenting on this site. There is someone with repetitious verbal diarrhea that get very tiresome.
"Instead of interdicting it, on the president’s orders, we blew it up - and it’ll happen again. The president has a right to eliminate immediate threats to the US. This president is not a talker; he’s a doer.” - Marco Rubio re the extrajudicial killing of 11 people in international waters.
So in other words, labeling someone as a threat justifies the murder of defenseless civilians.
I was NOT attacking you personally, I was just pointing out that your arguments make no logical sense. THAT IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK IN MY OPINION. If you thinking saying your arguments do not make logical is a personal attack I do not know what to do with it. I was taught in argument you are supposed to point out how your opponents arguments make no logical, I mean the only alternative to this strategy would be to say something nasty about you which you are not going to make me do. I am not going to fall into that trap they are are setting for me. I disagree with your arguments, they make no logical sense but of course you do not have to agree with me. I do not have to agree with you either and just because I do not agree with you does not mean I am attacking you personally, I do not even know you, I have never heard from you before, there is no way I can make personal attacks on just replying to someone post who I do not know from Adam and I never met before. You could not even be using your real name as far as I know, not that that really matters, I AM just making the point that I do not know you and you do not know me.
Not so sure that picking a fight with violent international drug empires is such a good idea. As an ex-Marine told me, "When the enemy is within range, so are you."