Venezuela Oil: US Declares War on 'Narco-Terrorism'

The "American gifts" for US supporters are about to begin.

Elon Musk released Starlink service for Venezuela as a gesture to its citizens.

Venezuela has one of the worst internet services in Latin America, due to the economic crisis and the neglect of services by a corrupt and dictatorial state that controls all communications.

According to a Speedtest report, the average internet speed in Venezuela is 14.59 Mbps, far below that of its neighbor, Brazil, which has a speed of 78.20 Mbps.

"Oh, faster internet, yessss, we're free!!!!" some zombie will say.

Many may be morbidly happy about Maduro's fall. I feel a certain kind of calm because so far things have gone as I expected, with the fewest possible lives lost. And yet, that remains to be seen because naturally, in these kinds of "change" processes, such as price increases induced and opportunistically driven by the needs of others, limited access to consumer goods will lead to looting and increased crime.

My father just spent $34 on something he didn't usually spend more than $20 on. That's just today; tomorrow it will have a different price, and so it will every day because now there isn't a clearly defined constitutional order, while they continue demanding Maduro's return, some are taking advantage of the situation to wreak havoc in every way.

Leaving her in aims to prevent mass protests and the need for US forces to put them down. Leaving her in power allows for the appearance of a legitimate leader, although clearly she won't be there long if she does not betray her loyalties, which for now she seems disinclined to do. It's a crass attempt, and it remains to be seen if it will work.

At this point, I think Delcy Rodriguez should be pragmatic and accept reality. They are still alive only because the US is allowing it to see how they behave. It's a "good way out" option that will only be available for a limited time. But this will generate the greatest indignation among her followers; however, it will depend on how she addresses them. It takes a lot of awareness to admit defeat if mistakes were never acknowledged and to work together with the enemy, but even more so a high degree of awareness to extract the positive aspects of this and use them to one's advantage.

"Venezuela will not be a US colony."

Would it be bad, or less pragmatic, to set aside the "I don't want to be a colony" mentality and create negotiations that could simply give the US what it wants while also generating growth for the country? I think the biggest problem in Venezuela hasn't been whether the left or right governs; the problem has been that every right-wing politician forgets to maintain the colony in good condition, and then, later, the left returns with its revolutions, and once again, the endless cycle begins.

I think Delcy now has that opportunity, perhaps because she has some degree of awareness/empathy. She feeds the queen but without neglecting the colony, "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto the people the things that are the people's." Is it possible? I don't know, I'm just thinking about a balance and not a perpetual ideological confrontation, which is what has mostly kept us mired in conflict.

In other words, it's the usual thing: they put a US supporter in power and the cuts begin, practically slashing people's lives, like social assistance, for example. I'm not saying it's the better thing here either, I'm just using it as an example of what usually happens worldwide when a right-wing government is in power: they automatically eliminate everything that's helping a sector of the population, even to a lesser degree, just for being left-wing. They could actually "improve" it, but that's not usually the case, since ultimately, the PTB and its delegates around the world work by "squeezing humanity dry."

Delcy could ensure that certain structures that are a priority at this moment are maintained and eliminate others that she knows very well have never served any purpose! And she could assess the possibilities for improvement in the face of a Trump who is business-minded: "Run Venezuela like a business and you'll do well, you'll do well."

The previous ones were puppets, but they weren't human. Delcy may not want to be a puppet, but at least she is human, albeit with a very strong ideology. But however much she wants to maintain that image of "always loyal, never a traitor," the followers of the revolution are not blind. It's impossible to close your eyes and not see that this is no longer possible. The best thing is to admit defeat and take advantage of the circumstances in more assertive ways. But it seems that won't be the case.

How can we know that everything will be worse if she doesn't at least try to do things intelligently? In a different way. Well, if she doesn't have the knowledge or the means, she won't do it, but that doesn't mean there can't be "other paths" and ways of doing things.

Maduro has not had the opportunity to express anything so far.

Possibly he will already write a letter about it or they will make him write a letter making the call that suits the most to the conveniences of the USA.

I say it in the sense that Maduro left an order in case of his "absence" and a good way to make them change their mind as if it is no longer enough that he is imprisoned in the US, would be an order from Maduro himself calling to renounce all confrontation to avoid a worse escalation and give way to the transition that they have asked for so much.

You know, like when Chavez at the time while he was kidnapped: "I have not given up power!"

True or not, here it is, in Spanish:

Vladimir Padrino López reads FANB statement: Maduro's security team was murdered in cold blood


Well, logically people would expect that this team was eliminated while protecting Maduro, that they were overwhelmed because they didn't anticipate a sudden attack, or that they were left alone to Maduro and betrayed, and that what Padrino López said is just another lie on his part.

It is said that Maduro's inner circle was already infiltrated by the FBI/CIA. That's not new, at least for those who know how they operate. But for those who don't, they must be stunned, colliding with reality, their minds reeling between "infiltration/betrayal" and "Always loyal, never traitors!" because internal security was supposed to be the most secure, especially coming from the school of Fidel Castro.

Therefore, that he now speaks of patriotism and with the sanscionalism that characterizes him, will be empty words. Talk about "guaranteeing" of what now?.

I've never liked this guy. He has the same easy tongue pattern as the Pollo Carvajal. The truth will be known in due course.

As long as he does not give explanations of what really happened, he will be considered a traitor and the main co-author of what happened since he has not said anything about investigating those responsible in charge of surveillance. Is there not a chain of command? no names of anyone and that is interpreted as concealing information of the facts that gave rise to the attack. He only talks about "homeland, magical homeland, god loves who loves the homeland, simon bolivar" bla bla bla... I don't want him to recite his idiological poem.

Padrino López calls on the people to summarize the country's activities

The Vice President for Defense and Sovereignty, General Vladimir Padrino López, called on the Venezuelan people to resume all activities in the country in the coming days to ensure that the nation continues on the path of peace and sovereignty.

He quoted the words of the Liberator Simón Bolívar from a letter sent to General Rafael Urdaneta in August 1826, in which he emphasized: “The Fatherland is the sacred word and the magic word of all virtuous citizens. The Fatherland is the meeting point of all who love national glory and the rights of the people.”

Yesterday, the words "towards peace and sovereignty" were used interchangeably with "confronting the enemy to guarantee peace and sovereignty."

I'm starting to hate those two words, to be honest.

There's no sovereignty here or freedom, is just more convenient flexibility than other countries, but we'll always end up on one side or the other. Yesterday the country was an ally of the US's "enemies," and in the coming days it won't be anymore, and so on.

Vance, just like Trump, is a pathological liar. When he doesn't lie, he is ignorant. One year into the whole psycho team's term should be more than enough for everyone to see it. Not that it's much different from other US rulers in the past (and future, I guess).

Yes, I already confirmed, thank you. That's why I mentioned that there's a narrative surrounding her that aims, above all, to change Trump's mind about keeping her. Although it seems more like a suggestion made towards Trump from someone else and not something he thinks for himself, much less from his team. I mean to keep Delcy.

Russia reaffirms support for Venezuela, denies Vice President Rodriguez's presence in the country.

The ministry separately told state-run news agency Tass that recent claims suggesting Rodriguez was physically present in Russia were false.

Trump literally opened Pandora's box, and many countries are already saying that if the United States can, then so can others. Since the US doesn't take international law seriously, why should others care?

Putin to Zelensky or Zelensky/EEUU to Putin too. As they say in football, "either you score a goal or they score a goal against you." Could the US abduct Zelensky? That would be a huge surprise.

New strategy, Fishing the stuffed!.

the-claw-toy-machine-8nkdwdaz3ds8051c.gif


It seems: ever more frequently things are happening and decisions are made that open a choice “for humanity“ into this or that direction and that humanity gets increasingly terribly close to fall of the razor’s edge into the “wrong“ direction. Ever more increasingly, I get end time feelings. Probably this will get worse and worse. How does it end? Possibly not very well, at least when viewed from a certain perspective.

Yes, I feel that I had already been prepared for this future for a long time. Just what I am living now, I had already "seen" it from an early age. Maybe that's why I don't feel hopeless and it seems "natural" to me.

And yes, now that the US maybe feels that it can now concentrate better on Russia or on China, I "feel" that Russia should have the button on the "the finger of the end".
 
Elon Musk does his advertising again with "free starlink for all!", because for using it you need equipment that can cost hundreds of dollars. Something I doubt that many Venezuelans can afford.


Re: C17 Globemasters in the UK, you need only one to transport all of Venezuelan gold, and then some. I guess that we will see them soon enough in NATO bases in the Middle East. BTW according to Flightradar and plane spotters, since mid of december Israeli air force cargo planes are hauling rifle and artillery ammunition from Serbia (the production that cant go to Ukraine any more), and some from Czechia to the Nevatim air base. Sometimes in three flights a day, so its hundreds of tonnes.


According to some analyst, it was never because of oil directly, but because of US internal debt and new credit line in the banks to service the debt. Venezuela is collateral, mortgage for the US banks, in order that the US can get new credits and print more money.


Maduro really dont look that bad in the picture. He is in warm clothes, not restrained too much and has his water. Compare that to what they did (and show) to Saddam Hussein or Gadafi.
 
Iron Dimon continues to perform in his "iron" repertoire.
Medvedev unexpectedly described the situation with Venezuela

Trump violates the law, but protects the interests of the United States, said Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council on the situation with Venezuela.

Trump's policy towards Venezuela violates international law, but at the same time consistently protects the national interests of the United States, both political and economic.

He and his team are very tough in defending the national interests of their country. All kinds: political (Latin America is the backyard of the USA), and economic (give us oil and other reserves). And it wasn't Trump's idea at all.

Uncle Sam's main motivation has always been simple: other people's supplies. It is enough to recall the evil, cynical Aunt Albright, who did not hesitate to say that it was unfair that Russia got such riches. So we need to redo them. As with rare earth materials in Ukraine. It was about them that Trump immediately remembered.

And Maduro has repeatedly said that the true goal of the current US administration is to ruin their oil and other minerals. And Trump doesn't hide it. What can I say here is lex fortissimum or the right of the strongest. But then we will tell the "comrades from sunny Pindostan" directly: now they have nothing to even formally reproach our country with. Although the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife will add to the fierce hatred of Gringos in Latin America."

Железный Димон продолжает выступать в своем, "железном" репертуаре.
 
Well, so much for “will now be defending the country and will not be a colony of the US”, words by the interim president Delcy who now posted the following on her official instagram:

@delcyrodriguezv
A message from Venezuela to the world, and to the United States:

Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. Our country aspires to live without external threats, in an environment of respect and international cooperation. We believe that global peace is built by first guaranteeing peace within each nation.

We prioritise moving towards balanced and respectful international relations between the United States and Venezuela, and between Venezuela and other countries in the region, premised on sovereign equality and non-interference. These principles guide our diplomacy with the rest of the world.

We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.

President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolás Maduro's message, and it is the message of all of Venezuela right now. This is the Venezuela I believe in and have dedicated my life to. I dream of a Venezuela where all good Venezuelans can come together.

Venezuela has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future.

Delcy Rodriguez

Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
I guess this more “amicable” tone was expected… but It’s weird that she posted this type of communication on instagram, out of all the sites.
 
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Elon Musk does his advertising again with "free starlink for all!", because for using it you need equipment that can cost hundreds of dollars. Something I doubt that many Venezuelans can afford.

Do not hesitate, things are never for "everyone". Speaking in plural only sounds nice for those who want to show themselves to make heroes cape from the uprooted trees.

Elon says it will be "free" that's just a dream but who knows, to distract and make many happy, it's a good strategy for a sector of society that loves to feel North American.

Maduro really dont look that bad in the picture. He is in warm clothes, not restrained too much and has his water. Compare that to what they did (and show) to Saddam Hussein or Gadafi.

He could be sacrificed later. Having it as a trophy is a warning to those who are still challenging the USA.

Since something was published about sacrifices with the Caesar "power via a public humiliation".

Well, Trump commented that this first attack would be on December 31st. Since dates are important in terms of sacrifices, this caught my attention in addition to the beautiful full Moon that he came out that morning after the attack and the overwhelming silence when it was all over that it was impossible to contemplate it in the best horror movie as when the vampire finishes quenching his thirst for blood and the general shot is showing the face, the fangs and the blood coming down his mouth until leaving the vampire in contrast to the moon and satisfied. Well, black helicopters, food for the moon!... Let the imagination run wild.

- January 3, 1990, Noriega surrenders/captured and puts an end to the invasion of Pánama.
- January 3, 2020, assassination of Qasem Soleimani

The curious coincidence of January 3: the date on which Manuel Noriega and Nicolás Maduro were captured by the United States

During the early morning of December 20, 1990, another event marked world history, as the United States led an operation that had military intervention in Panama in order to capture Manuel Antonio Noriega, the military leader of that country at that time.
________

I guess this more “amicable” tone was expected… but It’s weird that she posted this type of communication on instagram, out of all the sites.

This: "premised on sovereign equality and non-interference" it will clash with following Trump's orders and the US way of "relating".

Jojo! In English!... too good to be true. Dunno... it was missing "And let's make Venezuela great again, like never before." Delcy is reluctant to "make Venezuela great again" but Diosdado wants to show that the armed forces are more united "than ever before".

I hope the R. brothers aren't planning some crazy thing related to:

Diosdado Cabello: We're going to rescue Nicolas

"Comandante Chávez left us and we are moving on. We are going to rescue Nicolas, but if something happens to anyone, we have to move on, raise his flag for peace, for independence, for sovereignty, for life," he said.

Exactly how would they do it? will they travel to the US and bring it to Venezuela?

No, he raises a flag with one hand and the rifle with the other. That is not peace, that is "Homeland or Death" that if it is the flag that he wears on his chest:

The flag of "Homeland or Death" refers to the Flag of the War to the Death, a historical symbol linked to Simón Bolívar and South American independence, characterized by its black, red and white colors, representing death (black) and freedom/sacrifice (red).

unknown_2026.01.05-02.08.png

Diosdado Cabello assured that the 'campaign' to divide the Armed Forces of Venezuela 'failed', but warned that 'they are going through the second stage'

Cabello said, "They couldn't. That first stage failed."

According to Diosdado Cabello, exactly what failed?... this does not seem to me to be from someone who is thinking rationally, much less reflects the best intention for the country.

Diosdado Cabello was someone who had been fueling hatred between social strata for a long time. His speech changed over time but he said things that only increased the hatred between people. In fact, there was a radicalism on the part of the followers of the revolution that one could not be well dressed because one was automatically labeled "rich" and therefore, "petty Yankee".

Although the right is also not that she is no saint or of good values either, but since in this case I am talking about D. Cabello, I will not expand since the point is that when your head already has a price, there is nothing to lose and it leads to radical actions.

There is an excellent sentence about that I think in the wave book 1. "When someone feeds hatred between people, he keeps dark intentions" something like that.

_______

What happened to learning "from the commander's legacy"?

I'm going to quote the historical facts again since they never got tired of talking about "Chavez's legacy". When Chavez surrendered on February 4, 1992, he said this:

"Unfortunately, for now, the goals we set for ourselves have not been achieved in the capital city. We here in Caracas did not manage to control the power. You did very well over there, but it's time to avoid more bloodshed, it's time to reflect and new situations will come and the country definitely has to move towards a better destiny."

No one has come out even for "revolutionary humility" garbage that only they created, to ask for forgiveness then for having failed in the defense of the country, at least "we have failed, the defenses unfortunately did not serve as we expected and we were overcome, we ask forgiveness to the country" at least I don't know, just to put something simple since they promised absolute defense and sang with euphoria, that "If the USA enters, they will not leave and it will be a 500-year war!", "It will be a Vietnam for them!". I don't know if it's my idea, but there's a radical change, sounds like war lovers, not really peace lovers.

The only thing missing when watching the helicopters pass in a row while the explosions were rising, was listening to Ride of the Valkyries.

What the hell was it that failed according to him, now?

No, they didn't divide the FANB they exploited them! I guess if they find the body parts then it doesn't count as division.
 
So far, Jorge Rodriguez has not uttered a word. He just stepped aside, nor has he appeared but for nothing. More however, Jorge Rodríguez will lead High-level Commission for the Release of Maduro and Cilia Flores

Delcy Rodríguez creates a high-level commission to seek the release of Nicolás Maduro

The move comes as Rodriguez invites the United States to establish a cooperation agenda, while US President Donald Trump demands 'full access' to Venezuela's resources and infrastructure.

“What we need (from Delcy Rodriguez) is full access. Full access to oil and other things in the country that allow us to rebuild it”“ to the question of what other ”things“ they would need, Trump mentioned the country's infrastructures, since ”the roads are not being built and the bridges are falling down."

”We are in charge," said Trump, who on Saturday, when announcing the details of Maduro's capture, reiterated several times that the country will be governed by his trusted team to guarantee a transition process.

In an interview this Sunday with The Atlantic weekly, Trump said that if Rodriguez "doesn't do the right thing” a future “worse” than Maduro's awaits him.

"Dedicate yourself to managing the Venezuelan c.a, I want new roads, many, many roads and bridges, the longest and tallest. Keep it afloat and everything will be fine again".

How Trump chose Rodriguez as Venezuela's new leader

Weeks earlier, U.S. officials had already been leaning toward an acceptable candidate to replace Maduro, at least for the time being: Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who had impressed Trump officials with her management of Venezuela's crucial oil industry.

People involved in the talks said the intermediaries convinced the government that she would protect and defend future U.S. energy investments in the country.

“I've been watching his career for a long time, so I have some idea of who he is and what he's about,” a senior U.S. official said referring to Rodriguez.

”I am not claiming that she is the permanent solution to the country's problems, but she is certainly someone with whom we think we can work at a much more professional level than we were able to do with him," the official added, referring to Maduro.

It was an easy choice, they said. Trump had never been sympathetic to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who had run a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Since Trump's re-election, Machado has done everything possible to please him: he has called him a “champion of freedom,” repeated his arguments about electoral fraud in the United States and even dedicated his Nobel Prize to him.

It was in vain. On Saturday, Trump said he would accept Rodriguez and claimed Machado lacked the ”respect" needed to govern Venezuela.

U.S. officials say her relationship with Rodriguez's interim government will be based on her ability to follow his rules, adding that they reserve the right to take additional military action if it does not respect U.S. interests. Despite Rodriguez's public condemnation of the attack, a senior U.S. official said it was too early to draw conclusions about what her approach would be and that the government remained optimistic about the possibility of working with her.

Trump declared on Saturday that the United States intended to “manage” Venezuela for an indeterminate period and claim American oil interests, an extraordinary assertion of unilateral and expansionist power after more limited, and also controversial, arguments about stopping the flow of drugs.

With Rodríguez, the Trump administration would be working with a leader of a government that it had habitually labeled illegitimate, while abandoning Machado, whose movement won the presidential elections last year, a victory that is widely considered to have been stolen by Maduro.

And it wasn't immediately clear if Rodriguez would play along. In a televised speech, he accused the United States of conducting an illegal invasion and claimed that Maduro was still the legitimate leader of Venezuela.

in order to maintain their influence, senior U.S. officials said restrictions on Venezuelan oil exports will remain in place for the time being.

But other people involved in the talks expressed hope that the government would stop detaining Venezuelan oil tankers and grant more permits to U.S. companies to work in Venezuela, in order to revive the economy and give Rodriguez a chance for political success.

Rodriguez, 56, arrives at the position of interim leader of Venezuela with the credentials of an economic problem solver who orchestrated the country's shift from corrupt socialism to an equally corrupt laissez faire capitalism.

She is the daughter of a Marxist guerrilla who became famous for kidnapping an American businessman. He was partly trained in France, where he specialized in labor law.

She held intermediate positions in the government of Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez, before being promoted to more important positions with the help of her older brother Jorge Rodríguez, who ended up becoming Maduro's main political strategist.

Rodriguez managed to stabilize the Venezuelan economy after years of crisis and slowly but steadily grow the country's oil production amid tightening U.S. sanctions, a feat that earned him even the grudging respect of some U.S. officials.

As Rodríguez consolidated control over economic policy and eliminated rivals, she built bridges with Venezuela's economic elites, foreign investors and diplomats, to whom she presented herself as a soft-spoken technocrat and a contrast to the burly security officials who made up most of the rest of Maduro's inner circle.

Those alliances have paid off in recent months, as he gained powerful supporters who helped cement his rise to power. On Saturday, his coming to power was greeted with cautious optimism by some of Venezuela's captains of industry, who said privately that Rodriguez had the capacity to generate growth if he managed to persuade the United States to relax its suffocating grip on the country's economy.

Despite his technocratic leanings, Rodríguez has never denounced the brutal repression and corruption that underpin Maduro's rule, and once called his decision to join the government an act of “personal revenge” for the death of his father in prison in 1976, after being interrogated by intelligence agents of pro-American governments.

Rodriguez's ability to negotiate across Venezuela's ideological chasm could prove useful in easing tensions. Juan Francisco Garcia, a former ruling party lawmaker who has since broken with the government, said he had some misgivings about his ability to govern but was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Garcia added that history is full of sectors and characters that,
although linked to dictators, at some point served to stabilize the country and achieve democracy.
 
The "American gifts" for US supporters are about to begin.



"Oh, faster internet, yessss, we're free!!!!" some zombie will say.

Many may be morbidly happy about Maduro's fall. I feel a certain kind of calm because so far things have gone as I expected, with the fewest possible lives lost. And yet, that remains to be seen because naturally, in these kinds of "change" processes, such as price increases induced and opportunistically driven by the needs of others, limited access to consumer goods will lead to looting and increased crime.

My father just spent $34 on something he didn't usually spend more than $20 on. That's just today; tomorrow it will have a different price, and so it will every day because now there isn't a clearly defined constitutional order, while they continue demanding Maduro's return, some are taking advantage of the situation to wreak havoc in every way.



At this point, I think Delcy Rodriguez should be pragmatic and accept reality. They are still alive only because the US is allowing it to see how they behave. It's a "good way out" option that will only be available for a limited time. But this will generate the greatest indignation among her followers; however, it will depend on how she addresses them. It takes a lot of awareness to admit defeat if mistakes were never acknowledged and to work together with the enemy, but even more so a high degree of awareness to extract the positive aspects of this and use them to one's advantage.

"Venezuela will not be a US colony."

Would it be bad, or less pragmatic, to set aside the "I don't want to be a colony" mentality and create negotiations that could simply give the US what it wants while also generating growth for the country? I think the biggest problem in Venezuela hasn't been whether the left or right governs; the problem has been that every right-wing politician forgets to maintain the colony in good condition, and then, later, the left returns with its revolutions, and once again, the endless cycle begins.

I think Delcy now has that opportunity, perhaps because she has some degree of awareness/empathy. She feeds the queen but without neglecting the colony, "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto the people the things that are the people's." Is it possible? I don't know, I'm just thinking about a balance and not a perpetual ideological confrontation, which is what has mostly kept us mired in conflict.

In other words, it's the usual thing: they put a US supporter in power and the cuts begin, practically slashing people's lives, like social assistance, for example. I'm not saying it's the better thing here either, I'm just using it as an example of what usually happens worldwide when a right-wing government is in power: they automatically eliminate everything that's helping a sector of the population, even to a lesser degree, just for being left-wing. They could actually "improve" it, but that's not usually the case, since ultimately, the PTB and its delegates around the world work by "squeezing humanity dry."

Delcy could ensure that certain structures that are a priority at this moment are maintained and eliminate others that she knows very well have never served any purpose! And she could assess the possibilities for improvement in the face of a Trump who is business-minded: "Run Venezuela like a business and you'll do well, you'll do well."

The previous ones were puppets, but they weren't human. Delcy may not want to be a puppet, but at least she is human, albeit with a very strong ideology. But however much she wants to maintain that image of "always loyal, never a traitor," the followers of the revolution are not blind. It's impossible to close your eyes and not see that this is no longer possible. The best thing is to admit defeat and take advantage of the circumstances in more assertive ways. But it seems that won't be the case.

How can we know that everything will be worse if she doesn't at least try to do things intelligently? In a different way. Well, if she doesn't have the knowledge or the means, she won't do it, but that doesn't mean there can't be "other paths" and ways of doing things.

Maduro has not had the opportunity to express anything so far.

Possibly he will already write a letter about it or they will make him write a letter making the call that suits the most to the conveniences of the USA.

I say it in the sense that Maduro left an order in case of his "absence" and a good way to make them change their mind as if it is no longer enough that he is imprisoned in the US, would be an order from Maduro himself calling to renounce all confrontation to avoid a worse escalation and give way to the transition that they have asked for so much.

You know, like when Chavez at the time while he was kidnapped: "I have not given up power!"



Well, logically people would expect that this team was eliminated while protecting Maduro, that they were overwhelmed because they didn't anticipate a sudden attack, or that they were left alone to Maduro and betrayed, and that what Padrino López said is just another lie on his part.

It is said that Maduro's inner circle was already infiltrated by the FBI/CIA. That's not new, at least for those who know how they operate. But for those who don't, they must be stunned, colliding with reality, their minds reeling between "infiltration/betrayal" and "Always loyal, never traitors!" because internal security was supposed to be the most secure, especially coming from the school of Fidel Castro.

Therefore, that he now speaks of patriotism and with the sanscionalism that characterizes him, will be empty words. Talk about "guaranteeing" of what now?.

I've never liked this guy. He has the same easy tongue pattern as the Pollo Carvajal. The truth will be known in due course.

As long as he does not give explanations of what really happened, he will be considered a traitor and the main co-author of what happened since he has not said anything about investigating those responsible in charge of surveillance. Is there not a chain of command? no names of anyone and that is interpreted as concealing information of the facts that gave rise to the attack. He only talks about "homeland, magical homeland, god loves who loves the homeland, simon bolivar" bla bla bla... I don't want him to recite his idiological poem.



Yesterday, the words "towards peace and sovereignty" were used interchangeably with "confronting the enemy to guarantee peace and sovereignty."

I'm starting to hate those two words, to be honest.

There's no sovereignty here or freedom, is just more convenient flexibility than other countries, but we'll always end up on one side or the other. Yesterday the country was an ally of the US's "enemies," and in the coming days it won't be anymore, and so on.



Yes, I already confirmed, thank you. That's why I mentioned that there's a narrative surrounding her that aims, above all, to change Trump's mind about keeping her. Although it seems more like a suggestion made towards Trump from someone else and not something he thinks for himself, much less from his team. I mean to keep Delcy.





Putin to Zelensky or Zelensky/EEUU to Putin too. As they say in football, "either you score a goal or they score a goal against you." Could the US abduct Zelensky? That would be a huge surprise.

New strategy, Fishing the stuffed!.

View attachment 114840



Yes, I feel that I had already been prepared for this future for a long time. Just what I am living now, I had already "seen" it from an early age. Maybe that's why I don't feel hopeless and it seems "natural" to me.

And yes, now that the US maybe feels that it can now concentrate better on Russia or on China, I "feel" that Russia should have the button on the "the finger of the end".
thanks so very much Alma.Innovadora for sharing your experiences on the ground there in Venezuela -its much appreciated and good to hear what is actually happening there from you. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers 🧡🙏
 
Do we have any oilmen among our forum membership?!

The following account reckons it's a trillion-dollar investment if Trump is serious about US oil companies 're-building Venezuela's infrastructure':


I have spent a lot of time talking shit at people with opinions on Venezuela's oil production potential, and how it's going to "RePLaCe CanADa". So here's my contribution -- how I see the cost of replacing Canadian crude with Venezuelan heavy.

I think it's a nearly $1 trillion bill to get that done. I'm not sure who has a spare $1 trillion in their jeans.

Venezuela's natural domestic consumption is ~1MMB/d, so to completely replace Canada and reach 3MMB/d of export capacity, the country needs to grow production to ~4MMB/d of production, a level they have never hit before. Exports never really exceeded more than ~1.2MMB/d.

They have one main export terminal (Puerto José) capable of ~1.2MMB/d and other smaller terminals gets them to realistically, 1.7MMB/d, so they need +1.3MMB/d in just export capacity and storage facilities, that's $5-10Bn. On the US side there needs to be minor import expansion, but not super major, around $1Bn.

Then, they have to get the oil flowing north. You'd be able to repurpose some Canadian pipelines (if we assume no USGC re-export), but right now Mid-Valley Pipeline is the only major remaining heavy trunk line that moves oil from the USGC region northward into the Midwest. So you need +3MMBbls/d of crude pipelines that move crude north which would run around $30-50Bn. Then you also need a condensate return line for another $10Bn.

Venezuelan crude has higher levels of metals and a higher TAN than Canadian exports, so you need to retool the refineries accepting the new sauce, that's another $50-90Bn on the tab.

Cause there's not enough VLCCs in the world to service this, you also need to build new tankers for the shuttle service. 30 new VLCCs will cost $4-8Bn.

Then onto the upstream. I'm going to say that if you're getting super majors to really invest in Venezuela, they're going to do tertiary recovery which is overwhelmingly the right play over 20+ years with current SAGD tech (SAGD wasn't commercial when Venezuela grew the first go-round). Using foamy oil to get to 4MMBbls/d and keep it there for 10-20+ years is impossible (we're replacing Canada so we need a 20+ year RLI).

Right now, Venezuela produces oil cold, and uses depleting reservoir pressure to bring that oil to surface. For a true Canada replacement, you need heat, which is going to be expensive! But we're not building new upgraders (replacing Canadian heavy), but even then upgrading capacity is only ~0.7MMB/d.

The problem is they don't have the power infrastructure to add the power needed for 3MMBbls/d of SAGD for steam generation, and even for primary recovery they don't have the electricity they need. So you need to build 10-15 GW of new power infra, at gas-fired capital cost including transmission and the new midstream infra to move gas (including LNG import terminals), that's another $40-75Bn just to get the power to the SAGD facilities. There are constant rolling blackouts in the country. You also need ~7-900MB/d of diluent looping on the Venezuela side, including DRUs for another ~$25Bn. Other local midstream refurb is at least $15Bn to replace ashphalted and corroded trunk lines. Any North American firm would also have to commit to cleaning up Lake Maracaibo which is a $10Bn commitment.

For the actual upstream facilities, I'm just going to use a pretty general number based on 125% of Canadian Greenfield costs, so ~$45K/Bbl/d, and lets just call it 2.8MMB/d that's another ~$125Bn for the actual production facilities and ~$220Bn in sustaining CAPEX while everything ramps, and inevitable 5yr issues will add another $10Bn.

There are also very little functional logistics infrastructure. The Tinaco-Anaco rail line was never completed, so you'd have to finish that. All copper has been inevitably stripped and looted, you'd have to rebuild all sorts of worker camps, airports/airstrips, rail spurs, trainload facilities. You'd need to re-dredge the Orinoco River ($15Bn), complete the Tinaco-Anaco line ($20Bn), build 1,000 miles of new heavy spec roads ($25Bn), and you'd need to refresh all of the civil infrastructure cause nobody from Houston is going to live in Venezuela as it stands. So you're going to shoulder that in wages, or Fort Mac copy-paste CAPEX for ~$40Bn. You are also, in the growth/construction and first 5 years going to spend $50-60Bn on paying employees/EPC/other contractors. You need at least 50,000 people in offices and fields to get this done. Of course, security too. Petrominerales spent ~$2.50/BOE on security, so +3MMB/d over 5 years is ~$10Bn on security.

So all-in we're at ~$700Bn in both direct upstream costs, and indirect costs. All-in, this is a $1 trillion project to grow exports ~3MMB/d. There is short-term growth to be had, but it's not sustainable growth. There is also huge long-term potential, but it's not the same as drilling a pad in the Permian and ripping a tie-in to Energy Transfer. It's a freaking massive commitment. The country is pretty much dilapidated, and until super majors (and other infra builders) begin committing to the full-cycle costs associated with realizing the country's potential, the upside is not as robust as many would want you to believe.

- Export terminal ($8Bn) and import refresh ($1Bn)
- Pipelines from USGC to Midwest ($40Bn) and then a condensate return line ($10Bn)
- Retooling refineries ($75Bn)
- New tankers for shuttle service ($6Bn)
- Lake Maracaibo clean up ($10Bn)
- New power infrastructure for the upstream growth at a post-AI inflated capital cost ($60Bn)
- New diluent looping ($25Bn)
- Actual upstream production facilities and <5yr sustaining capital and issue contingency ($355Bn)
- Full logistics and civil infrastructure overhaul (~$100Bn) and security ($10Bn).
 
Another astute geopolitical take on 'why Venezuela':

I think a lot of discussion about recent US foreign policy misses the frightening, underlying premise. In Washington, there’s a growing belief that most allies are no longer capable of meeting hard security requirements in an era of renewed great-power competition. And that we must act fast to fix that.

The United States appears to have decided that it will no longer outsource core elements of its security. That doesn’t mean alliances don’t matter, but they are no longer treated as substitutes for actual control. For systems tied directly to homeland defense — missile warning, space, cyber, subs, nuclear — the US insists on direct command. And regionally, very few countries are viewed as up to their standards.

Seen through that lens, policies that are portrayed as erratic look more coherent. Venezuela mattered because it was becoming a permissive platform for Iran, Russia, and China in the US near abroad. Greenland matters because it is weak, strategically vital, and increasingly exposed, while Denmark/NATO are trusted politically but not seen as operationally sufficient to secure it alone. This is not a vote of no confidence in allies’ intentions, but in their ability.

Israel stands out as the rare case where the US appears to view an ally as competent and capable of directing its own regional security — watch Iran here. A second-tier of new "trusted" allies might include Japan and Poland, but it's not clear.

What has me worried is that DC is clearly spooked and views their current global position as inadequate. Rhetoric is now action. The objective now appears to be hardening positions before a much bigger conflict, rather than rely on collective action in a crisis.

Framing recent moves in terms of resources or ideology feel like it gets the causality backwards. Those considerations matter, but they are downstream of a more basic and terrifying conclusion — in an increasingly unstable world, the US believes only a handful of actors are capable of bearing real security burdens, and it intends to retain control accordingly.

Actions viewed as preemptive today likely only signal the beginning of a much longer era of instability. The board is being set. I hope I'm wrong.
 
Trump saying they were going to govern Venezuela remotely sounds very much like colonialism which as far as everyone in the world is concerned, isn't really a thing nowadays.

It's one thing invading and occupying countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria because of Islamic terrorism, it's another occupying a Christian country because #whatexactly?
 
Do we have any oilmen among our forum membership?!

The following account reckons it's a trillion-dollar investment if Trump is serious about US oil companies 're-building Venezuela's infrastructure':

Another 'oilman' (he is author of a book titled Oil 101 in any case) making the case that Venezuela's 'oil value' is greatly overstated:


To the new Venezuelan oil bulls with the "300 Billion Barrels" largest-in-the-world reserves charts today, the real number is 25 billion.

Congratulations, welcome to the Orinoco Belt.

API Gravity: 8° ("Extra Heavy"). Sulfur: High ("Sour"). Metals: Yes, lots of Vanadium (poison to refinery catalysts).

It's not Light Sweet Crude; it's road pavement that hasn't dried yet.

Chemistry is a wonderful thing, and the industry can turn this sludge into jet fuel, but it costs a fortune.

In reality, Venezuela's economically recoverable reserves are 25 billion barrels of heavy, sour, metallic oil.

Today's free Oil 101 lesson: Volume is vanity. Viscosity is sanity.
 
Another gift from Elon! among other pages more.
The social network 'X' returns without restrictions to Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro

The original measure, ordered by Maduro himself after tensions with the owner of the platform, Elon Musk, was extended indefinitely beyond the initial 10-day deadline.

The unblocking coincides with US President Donald Trump's announcement about the successful operation that took Maduro out of the country, where he will face narco-terrorism charges in a New York court.

Although there is no official confirmation on whether the lifting of censorship is a direct consequence of the intervention or of internal decisions in Venezuelan telecommunications — now under uncertainty after the arrest —, thousands of users celebrate the return of digital freedom on the network.

"Well! if we couldn't beat the Yankees, we didn't join them".

Many things will "come back"... such as properties, territories, companies, the first channel closed by Chavez, RCTV. This will be crazy in that sense, it will be strange, it will surely be chaotic, it will undoubtedly be conflictive depending on how those "returns" happen and how they take out the "usurpers" and that's when the other party will come in who refuses to return or vacate what does not belong to them, because yes, there are places that were only taken by illegal "Invasions".

The calm after the storm in Venezuela and the power vacuum.

There are no mass protests. Only long lines at supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations to stock up in a possible emergency situation. "People don't celebrate in the streets because there is no certainty about what is coming now"

"For the vast majority of Venezuelans, the end of Maduro is positive news. But since there is no clarity about the immediate future and there is even a fear of violence and a civil war, Venezuelans prefer to stay at home," he adds.

The Trump administration's warning of a "second wave" of attacks puts the Venezuelan military in check. Segura believes that now everything depends on her reaction:

"The next few days will be decisive. Until now, the army has always been loyal to Chavismo for political and economic reasons. It is very unlikely that they have participated in any negotiations. They are the black box of Venezuelan politics; how they react will be key for the country's future."


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The 'Colectivos', related and loyal to the Maduro regime, patrol some streets of the city armed.

These subjects are the so-called "Collectives", simple armed groups and legalized as "protectors of the people". But they are really armed groups that at this moment only adds more gasoline to the fire.

The worst of the case is that these groups are in "popular areas", in places in the slums of Venezuela, the poor areas, that is, large civilian areas. These groups will not be in one place like the unsuspecting military who attacked. They could easily enter residences, take roofs of civilian buildings, sidewalks, etc.

I have just seen the leaked photos of the lifting of mutilated bodies of some military and certainly if the intention of Diosdado is to want to continue calling people to arm themselves, it is counterproductive to induce fear through such material.

The people have not gone out to create chaos but the pacifists of yesterday are now the ones who want chaos. If these are the groups with which Diosdado intends to make resistance under the State of External Commotion law, he has sentenced us all.

This is not defense or resistance of anything, it would be just collective suicide. Delcy "should" make a call to those groups to lay down their arms if he also talks about "the people deserve peace" these groups do not provide peace at all.

The worst thing that can happen, among so many things, that they want to kidnap someone important from the United States when they activate the embassies or something because otherwise I don't understand how they are going to "recover" Maduro.

At this point the fake news doesn't matter much about the truth because the left is behaving in shady ways, so shady that they are not far from what they were accused of a long time ago and denied being or acting in a certain way but now they are demonstrating it. I want to say "well even if it's a lie, the reality is worse!"

"If the homeland is not ours, it is nobody's" practically, "if we fall we take the others with us". I can't agree with something like that either. Their ideological beliefs are reflected through actions that they used to say was something that could only be attributed to the right, "making the same person kill each other."

Their ideological beliefs are reflected through actions that they used to say was something that could only be attributed to the right, "making the same people kill each other."

It is indefensible, it does not hold, it is a dead end because on one side you have the usual psychopaths and on the other side the isolated remnant, cornering, disintegrating emotionally and acting just as psychopaths too!

thanks so very much Alma.Innovadora for sharing your experiences on the ground there in Venezuela -its much appreciated and good to hear what is actually happening there from you. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers 🧡🙏

Thanks to you EmeraldR for the good prayers! 🙏

Let's see if that and while I keep paying attention will help me survive the second wave of attacks! (laughs).
 
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