Venezuela VS United States

Ask those -- there are, at this point hundreds of thousands to ask -- who have lost a loved one to illicit, smuggled drugs, if they think combatting illegal drugs is "a joke."

Fashion is sometimes foolish.

The United States has lost a World War II level number of mortalities to drugs brought illegally into the country.

Some can keep dwelling in a bubble and thinking it's of no moment. But I don't think they can do that if they talk to anyone who has lost a loved one.

But who knows. Politics is durable, eh? And most people hate to reconsider their own opinions.

I don't know, i feel USA empire is falling down & their leader is trying his best to keep it up.
Like when you slaughter a chicken, for sure it will jerk alot before dying.

@Noflaps said in #21:

Ask those -- there are, at this point hundreds of thousands to ask -- who have lost a loved one to illicit, smuggled drugs, if they think combatting illegal drugs is "a joke."

Fashion is sometimes foolish.

The United States has lost a World War II level number of mortalities to drugs brought illegally into the country.

Some can keep dwelling in a bubble and thinking it's of no moment. But I don't think they can do that if they talk to anyone who has lost a loved one.

But who knows. Politics is durable, eh? And most people hate to reconsider their own opinions.

If that is really their goal why did they pardon the honduran drug lord and the founder of silk road?

Decriminalization/legalization saves lives by purifying the supply and allowing people to access resources for health & help.

@MohammedElasha said in #22:

I don't know, i feel USA empire is falling down & their leader is trying his best to keep it up.
Like when you slaughter a chicken, for sure it will jerk alot before dying.

Lmaooooooooooo no he is not.

It is about the oil of Venezuela, like in Iraq.

#25
"What will happen if USA couldn't get the Oil?"

• Less floods, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, avalanches, landslides.
  The cost of insurances and disasters will go down.

Gotta get that oil.

Oil? The United States is a huge producer. And how would blowing up any alleged drug shipments intend to secure or procure oil?

As I said, political opinion is durable.

By the way, many drugs can kill or wreck lives even if they are "pure." We can't just ignore one hundred thousand deaths a year, and countless lives brought down even if not by death, by offering talking points.

The tragedy caused by illicit drugs is serious. And has liberalization of drug laws really put a dent in the vast number of deaths and huge homelessness problems? Consider where homelessness seems to be at its most daunting. Just stop and reflect.

The standard talking points of the last twenty years have just seen things get worse and worse. But too few seem to notice. Downvoting those who notice does nothing to save lives. But free expression is still both important and entertaining.

@Noflaps said in #28:

Oil? The United States is a huge producer. And how would blowing up any alleged drug shipments intend to secure or procure oil?

As I said, political opinion is durable.

By the way, many drugs can kill or wreck lives even if they are "pure." We can't just ignore one hundred thousand deaths a year, and countless lives brought down even if not by death, by offering talking points.

The tragedy caused by illicit drugs is serious. And has liberalization of drug laws really put a dent in the vast number of deaths and huge homelessness problems? Consider where homelessness seems to be at its most daunting. Just stop and reflect.

The standard talking points of the last twenty years have just seen things get worse and worse. But too few seem to notice. Downvoting those who notice does nothing to save lives. But free expression is still both important and entertaining.

lol NoFlaps. If you do any research on the topic, you will learn that Venezuela plays a minor role as a transit country for some of the cocaine that goes to the US. But most of it is shipped directly. Meanwhile Mexico is the major supplier of Fentanyl, and Colombia is the major supplier of Cocaine. Once again, if you just did a little bit of research...so many of your talking points would evaporate :P

Here, you can start with politifact.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/sep/22/Trump-Venezuela-boat-strikes-drugs-trafficking/

Supplying just a portion of the poison is okay? It should be ignored? Should any who have personally known somebody truly harmed by cocaine (and there are many, as research should have no trouble verifying) just try to ignore the memory?

Should America try to stop only Mexican shipments, then, @water22 ?

Or can America walk and chew gum at the same time for a (relatively) modest cost, while simultaneously sending a more universal message?

Furthermore, geopolitics is a complicated business. Trying to view any action from a single perspective might wildly over-simplify. The American government is a vast enterprise that must maintain many perspectives at once and generally has the expertise to do so.

Please don't forget to downvote this post and #28 by the way. Many of us find comfort in habit.