Canada strategically realigning

[Lazaran]

I share Chloe’s view that Russia is a hostile nation that should be treated as such by the US. That’s why I’m surprised that she would object to the US seizing a stateless tanker that’s part of a fleet used for shipping sanctioned oil from Russia as well as Iran and Venezuela.

BabyBoobs forgets:

“NO NEW WARS!!!”

“The peace president”.

“Trump isn’t Putin’s puppet”

“Russia, Russia, Russia, is a hoax”



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

The U.S. has no right to decree that any other country may not export its oil.

A stateless vessel has no protections.

 

[Wilson23]

A stateless vessel has no protections.

A stateless vessel is not ownerless. It is not fair game for salvage, like some wreck already written off for the insurance.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

BabyBoobs forgets:

“NO NEW WARS!!!”

“The peace president”.

“Trump isn’t Putin’s puppet”

“Russia, Russia, Russia, is a hoax”



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

The US seized a stateless vessel at sea. The Skipper was in violation of international law. President Trump enforced sanctions against the Skipper, including one imposed by the Biden administration. If that’s your idea of a war, so be it.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

A stateless vessel is not ownerless. It is not fair game for salvage, like some wreck already written off for the insurance.

Who is the owner and have they asked us to return their ship? Lol

 

[Lazaran]

The US seized a stateless vessel at sea. The Skipper was in violation of international law. President Trump enforced sanctions against the Skipper, including one imposed by the Biden administration. If that’s your idea of a war, so be it.

BabyBoobs must have missed this:

Search Assist

The USS Gerald R. Ford battle group has been moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of a significant U.S. military buildup aimed at combating drug trafficking and applying pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This deployment is part of Operation Southern Spear, which includes around 15,000 troops and multiple warships in the region.



And this:

Search Assist

The CIA is reportedly involved in covert actions in Venezuela, which may include preparations for military strikes against the Maduro regime, although the specifics remain classified. This buildup is part of a broader U.S. strategy that has shifted from anti-drug operations to potential regime change efforts.



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

BabyBoobs must have missed this:

Search Assist

The USS Gerald R. Ford battle group has been moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of a significant U.S. military buildup aimed at combating drug trafficking and applying pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This deployment is part of Operation Southern Spear, which includes around 15,000 troops and multiple warships in the region.



And this:

Search Assist

The CIA is reportedly involved in covert actions in Venezuela, which may include preparations for military strikes against the Maduro regime, although the specifics remain classified. This buildup is part of a broader U.S. strategy that has shifted from anti-drug operations to potential regime change efforts.



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

It’s called a show of military force. The US is applying pressure on Maduro to step down. Tactical strikes on specific targets are certainly possible. The US is not at war with Venezuela and there are no plans for a full scale invasion involving troops on the ground.

 

[PaxNurgle]

The US seized a stateless vessel at sea. The Skipper was in violation of international law. President Trump enforced sanctions against the Skipper, including one imposed by the Biden administration. If that’s your idea of a war, so be it.

So you were perfectly okay with the German u-boats sinking American and British merchant and cruise ships during world war 2, then. RIGHT?

You don't need to answer that. Just think about it for a second.

Yes, what the rogue American government did basically amounts to war.

 

[Wilson23]

The USS Gerald R. Ford battle group has been moved to the Caribbean Sea as part of a significant U.S. military buildup aimed at combating drug trafficking

Only, we all know it isn't. It is not aimed at combating anything but Maduro's government, which is in no way "narco-terrorist."

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

So you were perfectly okay with the German u-boats sinking American and British merchant and cruise ships during world war 2, then. RIGHT?

You don't need to answer that. Just think about it for a second.

Yes, what the rogue American government did basically amounts to war.

We’re not talking about German u/boats sinking American and British merchant and cruise ships. We’re talking about the US seizing a stateless vessel violating international law and sanctions in international waters. If don’t understand the difference I’m not going to waste my time arguing with you.

 

[Wilson23]

So you were perfectly okay with the German u-boats sinking American and British merchant and cruise ships during world war 2, then. RIGHT?

No war crime. Those were fair game for sinking.

When there was an actual war on.

 

[Lazaran]

It’s called a show of military force. The US is applying pressure on Maduro to step down. Tactical strikes on specific targets are certainly possible. The US is not at war with Venezuela and there are no plans for a full scale invasion involving troops on the ground.

BabyBoobs must’ve missed this:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...s-to-ramp-up-attacks-in-venezuela/ar-AA1RFauh

From the article:

Trump says 'this is war' as he plans to ramp up attacks in Venezuela​

BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[PaxNurgle]

We’re not talking about German u/boats sinking American and British merchant and cruise ships. We’re talking about the US seizing a stateless vessel violating international law and sanctions in international waters. If don’t understand the difference I’m not going to waste my time arguing with you.

I guess what my issue is, how is an oil tanker shipping oil "Violating international law and sanctions?" It sounds like legal international commerce to me. That was NOT, as some would have us believe, an oil tanker whose cargo hold was full of drugs.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

BabyBoobs must’ve missed this:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...s-to-ramp-up-attacks-in-venezuela/ar-AA1RFauh

From the article:

Trump says 'this is war' as he plans to ramp up attacks in Venezuela​

BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

You really should have read the first paragraph before you posted the article. Lol.

“Donald Trump insisted that the U.S. was at “war” with a list of drug cartels in Venezuela as a military buildup in the Caribbean continues amid the president’s threats of further strikes.”

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

I guess what my issue is, how is an oil tanker shipping oil "Violating international law and sanctions?" It sounds like legal international commerce to me. That was NOT, as some would have us believe, an oil tanker whose cargo hold was full of drugs.

I don’t normally do Google searches for people who ought to know how to do it themselves, but I’ll assume you don’t. Here’s the answer, and you’re welcome.

The skipper of the oil tanker
Skipper (previously named Adisa), which was seized by U.S. forces in December 2025, was engaged in activities considered violations of maritime rules and U.S. sanctions, which made the vessel vulnerable to interception under international maritime law.
Specifically, the skipper was involved in:

• Falsifying Flag Registration: The vessel was falsely flying the flag of Guyana at the time of its seizure. International ship registries confirmed it was not registered in that country's official registry. Under international maritime law, a ship without a legitimate flag is considered stateless, which permits other states (like the U.S.) to board and seize it on the high seas in certain circumstances.
• Manipulating Tracking Signals (AIS Spoofing): The tanker digitally manipulated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking signals to falsely indicate its location and obscure its true movements. This practice of location spoofing is a key tactic used by the "shadow fleet" to evade scrutiny.
• Transporting Sanctioned Oil: The vessel was transporting crude oil from Venezuela and had previously carried oil from Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions against those nations. The U.S. had sanctioned the vessel itself in 2022 for its role in an alleged network smuggling oil on behalf of groups like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

While the Venezuelan government and other critics called the U.S. seizure "international piracy" and a violation of international law, legal experts generally contend that because the Skipper was likely operating as a stateless vessel due to its false flagging, the U.S. action was permissible under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

[Wilson23]

Transporting Sanctioned Oil: The vessel was transporting crude oil from Venezuela and had previously carried oil from Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions against those nations. The U.S. had sanctioned the vessel itself in 2022 for its role in an alleged network smuggling oil on behalf of groups like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

The U.S. has no authority to do that.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

The U.S. has no authority to do that.

That’s what Maduro says. Legal experts disagree and the vessel and its cargo have been seized. Good luck in the courts.

 

[Lazaran]

You really should have read the first paragraph before you posted the article. Lol.

“Donald Trump insisted that the U.S. was at “war” with a list of drug cartels in Venezuela as a military buildup in the Caribbean continues amid the president’s threats of further strikes.”

BabyBoobs should have read a little further:

From the article:

(Trump speaking) “I think you’re going to find that this is war, that these people were killing our people by millions,” the president claimed. “I think you’re going to find that there’s a very receptive ear to doing exactly what they’re doing, taking out those boats.

He went on to declare: “And very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too. Because we know every route, we know every house where they manufacture this crap. We know where they put it all together. And I think you’re going to see if very soon on land also.”



Now combine that ^ with the fact that DonOld has asserted that Venezuela is a “NARCO STATE” run by PRESIDENT Maduro.



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[Wilson23]

“Donald Trump insisted that the U.S. was at “war” with a list of drug cartels

A government cannot declare war on a private criminal organization. If it can, why aren't we already at war in Mexico?

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

A government cannot declare war on a private criminal organization. If it can, why aren't we already at war in Mexico?

Wise of you to pivot from the legal seizure of the stateless tanker that was violating international maritime law and sanctions in international waters.

Regarding drug cartels, the US has designated specific cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and, as other presidents have done, has applied military force. Thoughts and prayers.

 

[Wilson23]

Regarding drug cartels, the US has designated specific cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

That's awfully ridiculous when you think about it. Not even those Mexican cartels that actually practice political terrorism should be lumped together with al-Qaeda or ISIS.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

That's awfully ridiculous when you think about it. Not even those Mexican cartels that actually practice political terrorism should be lumped together with al-Qaeda or ISIS.

Unlike Maduro, Mexican President Sheinbaum cooperates with the US in fighting drug cartels and global terrorism. They extradite cartel leaders to the US, share intelligence, put troops on the border, participate in international organizations that combat money laundering, and authorize US surveillance drones in Mexican air space.

 

[Wilson23]

Unlike Maduro, Mexican President Sheinbaum cooperates with the US in fighting drug cartels and global terrorism. They extradite cartel leaders to the US, share intelligence, put troops on the border, participate in international organizations that combat money laundering, and authorize US surveillance drones in Mexican air space.

Maduro would be just as ready to do all of that if we didn't keep talking regime change.

We should have supported the Chavez goverrnment from the beginning! (It was, after all, freely and fairly elected . . . in the beginning.)

But when did the USG ever support any government that even pretended to be anti-capitalist?

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

Maduro would be just as ready to do all of that if we didn't keep talking regime change.

We should have supported the Chavez goverrnment from the beginning!

But when did the USG ever support any government that even pretended to be anti-capitalist?

Right, just Maduro like was so cooperative with the Biden administration, and just like he was ready to allow a free and fair election in 2024. If you now want to pivot to a discussion about whether or not Obama should have supported Chavez before his death in 2013, start a new thread.

 

[Wilson23]

Right, just Maduro like was so cooperative with the Biden administration, and just like he was ready to allow a free and fair election in 2024. If you now want to pivot to a discussion about whether or not Obama should have supported Chavez before his death in 2013, start a new thread.

Obama?! W should have supported Chavez!

And Aristide and Zelaya, too!

We've been on the wrong side of things in Latin America and the Caribbean at least since 1900! Probably since the Monroe Doctrine, in fact.