monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Arguments that finally convinced me to change my mind.

Russia slaps down Trump.

Quote:

Russia has accused US President Donald Trump of "boorishness on a global scale" after he insisted that Russia should "get out" of Venezuela.

Mr Trump made the remarks after the reported deployment of Russian troops and equipment to Venezuela.

Russia is a key ally of Venezuela, lending it billions of dollars and backing its oil industry and military.

It has also vocally opposed moves from the US to impose sanctions on the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The South American nation is undergoing a deep political and economic crisis amid claims that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was rigged.

In January an opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president and is backed by the US and some South American and European countries.

"Russia has to get out," Mr Trump told reporters on Wednesday during a meeting at the White House with Mr Guaidó' wife.

Asked how this could be accomplished, he replied: "We'll see. All options are open."

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Mr Trump's remarks in unusually undiplomatic language.

"What does it mean, get out? Is it the tourists who have to get out? Is it the energy companies that have to cancel their contracts? What does it mean, get out?" she said in remarks quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

"To tell Russia to 'get out of Venezuela' is going completely over the top. This is total boorishness on a global scale."

She added that there were no "legal let alone moral" grounds for Mr Trump's demand.

Russia has said its presence there is in line with the defence co-operation accords between the two countries.

"We do not think that third countries should be concerned about our bilateral relations with some states," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks quoted by the Russian news agency Tass.

"We are not interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela in any way... we hope that third countries will follow our example and let Venezuelans decide their own fate."

He added that the US had a presence in many parts of the world, but "no-one tells them where they should be and where they shouldn't be".

Two Russian military planes landed at Venezuela's main airport on Saturday, reportedly carrying dozens of troops and large amounts of equipment.

The planes were sent to "fulfil technical military contracts", Russia's Sputnik news agency reported.

Javier Mayorca, a Venezuelan journalist, wrote on Twitter that he saw about 100 troops and 35 tonnes of equipment offloaded from the planes.

A military plane with a Russian flag on its fuselage could be seen on the tarmac at an airport on Sunday. Images on social media also appeared to show Russian troops gathered at the airport.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the phone with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, urging Moscow to "cease its unconstructive behaviour" in Venezuela.

Ties between Moscow and Venezuela have strengthened in recent months, amid worsening relations between the US and Venezuela. In December, Russia sent two air force jets there as part of a military exercise.

Russia has condemned other foreign powers for backing Mr Guaidó.

President Maduro has accused Mr Guaidó of trying to mount a coup against him with the help of "US imperialists".

Mr Maduro narrowly won a presidential election in April 2013 after the death of his mentor, President Hugo Chávez. He was elected to a second term in May 2018 in an election seen as flawed by international observers.

Venezuela has experienced economic collapse - inflation was 800,000% last year. Three million people have left.

Mr Guaidó has accused President Maduro of being unfit for office, and won the support of many in the country as well as US and EU leaders.

The Maduro government is becoming increasingly isolated but Moscow has expanded co-operation with Caracas - increasing arms sales and extending credit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-47739503

Should be a carrier attack battle group off the coast and planes from it breaking the sound barrier over that park bomber at a thousand feet.

"What does it mean, get out? Is it the tourists who have to get out? Is it the energy companies that have to cancel their contracts? What does it mean, get out?" she said in remarks quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

BillRM wrote:

Should be a carrier attack battle group off the coast and planes from it breaking the sound barrier over that park bomber at a thousand feet.

To what end?

...a nation that is not only in our back yard but is under the monroe doctrine.

A lot of ideas that might have made sense in the late 18th - early 19th centuries have been largely subsumed by historical, political, and cultural evolution. The 2nd Amendment is another example.

The USA doesn't own the Western hemisphere and Venezuela, as a sovereign nation, can determine what countries can land at its airports.
It would be the height of hypocrisy for the USA, with troops and bases spread all over the globe, to claim some exclusive right of access and control in Central and South America.

Especially when it has done nothing to repair the damage it's done to these nations and vilifies the victims of our policies when they seek asylum.

Especially when it has done nothing to repair the damage it's done to these nations...

Sealioning (also spelled sea-lioning and sea lioning) is a type of trolling or harassment which consists of pursuing people with persistent requests for evidence or repeated questions, while maintaining a pretense of civility.

Quote:

...a nation that is not only in our back yard but is under the monroe doctrine.

There is no operative "Monroe Doctrine". A lot of ideas that might have made sense in the late 18th - early 19th centuries have been largely subsumed by historical, political, and cultural evolution. The 2nd Amendment is another example. The USA doesn't own the Western hemisphere and Venezuela, as a sovereign nation, can determine what countries can land at its airports.

It would be the height of hypocrisy for the USA, with troops and bases spread all over the globe, to claim some exclusive right of access and control in Central and South America. Especially when it has done nothing to repair the damage it's done to these nations and vilifies the victims of our policies when they seek asylum.

Court deals Trump second blow this week on health care

Sure we should allow the Russians to control south american for some strange reason.

A nation that we are already is in an mild undeclared war with after their attack on our election system along with similar attacks on some of our allies.

Sorry we had send in marines any number of times in very recent history an if we do not act this time it just would allow a power vacuum for other nations to act in.

The USA caused the current humanitarian crisis on the border as well as the economic and political problems in Central America.

Please explain or provide some specific details concerning the way in which "U.S. Trade laws have impoverished" the already impoverished rural populations of Central America.

Should efficient producers degrade their methods merely to appease those who remain backward?