Venandi

Sure enough is DUH Boy, there's no stopping it now.... and no amount of personal attacks or name calling is going to change a damn thing. You were warned about this but it didn't resonate until Chronic TDS symptoms kicked in. Now you're posting the very stuff you were warned about as if you just invented it. WTF did you think was going to happen?

Your own reference lists 8 cartels that your country designated as FTOs. These FTOs have tentacles, proxies, associates and partners... any one of which probably qualifies it as a target because of that association... your POTUS has 3 caveats for engagement without congressional approval. Cool eh? I have no dog in the fight... You figure it out...

Biden didn't remove any of the existing cartels from the FTO list. In effect they were and as far as I know, they remain unchanged and in effect to this day. As I've said before, the legal aspects aren't my forte. As I see it, the issue is FTO designation and the authority any POTUS to engage under the (3) caveats he has jurisdiction over. Not my problem... you decide.

DUH... you ARE going TO discover THAT the END result WILL transcend PETTY partisan POLITICS. Duh. DUH... I think IT is GOING to AFFECT you. Duh DUH... I don't THINK you ARE going TO like IT either. Duh.

There are currently some 8 cartels that are designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). Some (maybe most for all I know) were designated under Trump, however, some of them were also reaffirmed under the Biden administration so in fairness, it's not just "a Trump thing." The finer points of the law on engaging confirmed terrorists and their integral assets isn't something I have time to research, but logically, if other terrorist infrastructure and assets qualify as targets, why not fast moving mule boats headed to RV points to offload cargo destined for the US? I'm not advocating for or against anything BTW, I just think it's a legitimate question. As it stands now, POTUS can authorize strikes against FTOs without congressional approval for self defence, national security reasons or if an emergency is deemed to exist. Seems to me that any JAG argument against the strikes would have to clearly establish that the assets and products of those cartels didn't meet that criteria (above) and/or their status as FTOs was invalid.

Agreed. The only thing that TDS has accomplished is to waken the woke who previously ridiculed the very possibility of it even happening.

Wait until they find out that their digital ID is actually an APP that seamlessly fuses facial and gate recognition to every other portal of their online footprint with a single click on the data tag balloon which follows them down the street. Once fused, the fact that the same information is currently available through individually protected independent portals (the current progressive ridicule go to) will ring pretty hollow with them and they will deny ever justifying it by virtue of an existing footprint. Things like containment, moving / parking violations right down to jay walking are easily captured and processed and any fine payable will be removed directly from their bank account... in the interest of denying overreach though you'll have 72 hours to elect a not guilty plea and set a trial date. Movements outside jurisdictional sectors will be taxed as well (think 15 minute cities). Some of the urban access fees currently levied in places like the UK are simply a trial run for this. Without TDS, and the suspicion of "all things Trump," most progressives wouldn't even consider the possibilities... and what's really cool is that because of their previous defence of these things, it's unstoppable now and they will be the ones screaming Hitler before ya know it. Seamless automatic data fusing from multiple sources is also analogous with the F35 acquisition and a mixed fleet is likely to provide a lesson that will resonate with some folks for the next 35 years or so. The woke have awakened a bit too late.

None the less, I detect a palpable POOF factor here... Sudden situational awareness that was previously the domain of slobbering conspiracy theorists and CHUDs who didn't know any better... this revelation was clearly brought to you by advanced TDS. Here's another example that was initially laughed off and ridiculed by the same (if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear) crowd after they were repeatedly warned about it: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-restricts-chinese-drones-9.6999268 The only difference is that those afflicted with TDS are looking at things they previously considered innocuous (under Biden) and they're now anticipating possible unintended consequences... and it's because of their hatred of all things Trump. That’s a good thing IMO… what ever gets them there. Now, just imagine the POOF sound if Trump was defending and minimizing covid vaccine harms in the same manner and to the same extent as we see here on the forum. The ability to seamlessly transition from elbows up to pants down (and defend both positions) strikes me as analogous too.

You come on... those releases (with meta data removed) come at the conclusion of an operation when everyone takes a bow and congratulates themselves, not at the beginning or during the course of it. As to the rest, everything I have to say on the matter is in the two posts above...I'm not going to spar with you, believe what you want.

I doubt you'll be seeing surface compilation plots and intelligence summaries on MSNBC anytime soon and I think the reasons for it are obvious. That's an option but it's thirsty work and 24 hour surveillance for multiple days comes at a cost... in addition, the real bad guys remain unscathed because the takedowns occur at the end of the supply chain. As you walk that chain the bad guys tend to become less bad (relatively speaking of course) as you get nearer to the end user. This is immediate by comparison, it eliminates both the contraband and smugglers simultaneously and it has a huge chilling effect on the entire operation right at it's source. Hands up if you want to drive a fast boat for a couple of hours? Only with those who watch too much NETFLIX. I have never seen anything that comes close to that, in fact, I've always found them to be careful, deliberate, methodical and professional. That's not to say things can't go wrong in the fog but the officers you label trigger happy / indifferent are few and far between... nobody wants to work with them, the guy authorizing engagements doesn't trust them and they don't last long. That's probably why I've never (and I mean NEVER) come across a single one of them.

Saying that changes little because the Goddess of Reality doesn't care what any of us think.... Columbia is the primary producer, Venezuela serves as a transportation hub and criminal organizations there focus on distribution. Corruption in the government greases the skids and geography makes it a strategic location. I can't speak to that... BUT, nothing in my experience suggests that the US military is. I'm not trying to justify or defend anything here but I think the people who see these events as random attacks on pleasure boats would be gob smacked by the target development and continuous surveillance that takes place prior to engagements like this. The fact that these boats can't transit to the US coast is a given... it's not evidence of innocence and I chuckle a bit every time someone suggests that it is. Their purpose is to meet up with the mule ship (or submersible) and transfer the cargo... that's how these things are generally done. I can't speak to all of the legalities here either but I would note that there are usually JAG officer(s) in attendance prior to and during engagements like this. As to the terrorism discussion, I would observe that the cartels, by virtue of their brutality and political influence do qualify as terrorist organizations. Their political objectives are fuelled by cocaine instead of religious ideology (for instance) but much of the associated violence is politically motivated. As you probably know, several cartels are currently designated as terrorist organizations, to my feeble way of thinking that would make their proxies and supporting logistic entities legitimate targets. That's just an opinion BTW, as I said, the legalities here are not my forte and by the sound of things, I'm guessing it's not yours either.

Capitalizing the word "logic" isn't enough to convey ownership of it and asserting that credibility can thrive in the absence of "any facts" won't hasten its possession.

No one is suggesting they actually make that trip BTW. The fast movers meet up with another boat at a predetermined place and time and transfer the cargo. Sometimes (but not always of course) it can happen in reverse at destination. Lot's more flexibility for bad guys with that approach. I have no idea what's actually happening there BTW... absolutely none, if I did I wouldn't be commenting on it. But, I'm guessing that a UAV was tracking these shipments from point of origin to the dock, from the dock to the boat, and the boat to international (or at least safe) waters prior to and during the engagement. I only say that because that's what I'd be doing. Regardless though, I'm confident that there is nothing haphazard, reckless or careless about any of this.... it makes for a good story but it's just not how things like this are done.

And it saddens me to think of the effect it had on seniors (confined to group homes) that found themselves isolated and alone at a time in their lives when they craved the support of family and friends the most.

And she's at least twice the optimist I am.

I don't usually bother looking at sources and evaluating their credibility, in her case though the looking part was less tedious than your usual fare. Being as I would asses her credibility as poor, I think you should continue offering her commentary as it tends to elevate your own to a similar level.

That's my default position on this as well, at the end of the day Canadians should (and ultimately will) procure what they deem to be appropriate and what they're willing to pay for. Just my opinion, but I see the discussions taking place now as part of a collective decision making process that will have long term effects. I hope Canadians look beyond the horizon and consider the size of the country vs the current (and projected) size of the military whilst keeping sovereignty top of mind. In that context I'd simply suggest that maximizing integration with the US (NORAD) and other allies (NATO) makes sense in world where stealth and seamless integration are, and will continue to be, force multipliers. While I understand (and support) the desire to maximize economic benefits for Canadians and get the concerns over US control of virtually all proprietary aspects of the F35, I hope that long term sovereignty considerations will ultimately remain in sharper focus than purely cost and economic benefits. As I see it, the analysis was already done, the decision already made and a procurement process that was already under way was stayed for purely political reasons. Not that we shouldn't do that if it's warranted, only that we shouldn't do it based on emotional reactions to Trump or a temporary trade relations dust up between neighbours. FWIW, here's a CBC article (on the site this morning) that I think is worth reading: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/defence-fighters-submarines-national-security-9.6996946

Once muted and expanded to full screen, she may be your best forum contribution to date. You left out her efforts on behalf of "The Mighty Orb" Let me get that for ya:

Indeed, if memory serves that's about 25% of the pre-war population in Gaza. A more rational number is about 70,500. What's truly sad is that in the same period some 150,000 people have been killed in Sudan and over 3000 Christians in Nigeria.... and not a peep. Even if I'm off by a bit in the count (these things are pretty variable depending on who you believe), the selective outrage is, to be kind.... selective. I don't know who you work for but perhaps your employer could spring for an internet cafe, or a newspaper subscription from abroad, or maybe a short wave radio. You'll need that because the MSM has been too busy hating Trump, Jews in general and Israel in particular to keep up wth current events anywhere else. Do you work for a media outlet?

Weeeeeeeeeeee

If you can believe it, some of those fools weren't smart enough to understand that a spike protein (in the presence of lipid nanoparticles) couldn't possibly get distributed systemically. The truly ignorant ones were foolish enough to think that it might not "simply remain in the deltoid region." And the worst of these wackos even opined that there was the possibility of S protein collection in organs and the potential for BBB penetration. Their ignorance probably accounted for the 18% of Canadians who thought they and other unvaccinated people should be interned until they came to their senses... and who could blame them eh? After all, you were dealing with people who didn't believe your assertion that the virus wasn't easily spread on airplanes and cruise ships I stopped following all this during the abject madness over Ivermectin. The people you call uneducated fools wanted to have a discussion about it’s antiviral properties because at 4 cents a pill, it was cheap, readily available and about as innocuous as a baby bunny. But… instead of taking about it’s effect on viral loading (at the first sign of symptoms) by virtue of its ability to disrupt the virus’s attempt to enter host cells (by binding to transport proteins) and inhibiting replication, the people you deem to be wise said things like: HA HA HA, LMAO… IT’S HORSE PASTE LOSER. ARE YOU A HORSE LMAO? Almost sounds like a Flybaby response after carefully considering the science eh? You now have three levels of vaccine hesitancy: The crazies... conspiracy theorists that see conspiracies under every hypodermic. The true anti-taxers types, a label you chose to use on everyone; Immigrants from areas of low vaccination rates who are not subject to vaccination requirements as a condition of residence because progressives consider that racist; and People with enough basic knowledge to ask simple questions at the grade 13 or first year university level. Those are the folks you labeled CHUDS and they don't trust your a$$ after you trampled them underfoot and cheered when they got fired. You were even warned that vaccine hesitancy across the board would likely increase as result of the ridicule, mandates, and t-shirt slogans that said “follow the science.” Turns out, that was a cover for ignoring the science.

Ya, that's what I thought too. I knew that people who lived in the places I got sent to weren't vaccinated against the things I was getting vaccinated for.... I thought that was the point. Who'd a thunk military doctors were such dummies eh?

And if he ever actually was a military member... us too.

It's also a bit taunting and I don't see how white people don't get that. I have family members who translate those acknowledgements into something like this... and it takes about 4 beer to unscrew them from the ceiling: Please stand for the land acknowledgement: We acknowledge that this school is built on unceded native land. We acknowledge that we stole it it from you but we aren't going to give it back and we definitely aren't going to pay for it... we're just acknowledging that we stole it. NA NA NA NA NA NAAAAA. You may be seated. The fact that Herb and Flybaby think this is a capital idea should tell you something. Here ya go Flybaby: HA HA HA... LOL LOL LOL. LMAO

And then some... it sure wasn't an accident. My sentiment as well; I'm now looking forward to watching how the entrenched positions play out over time. The appetite for a mixed fleet (the worst possible option IMO) is intriguing... I didn't expect it. Even though I share concerns about US control over virtually all proprietary aspects of the fleet, I'd observe that this was already accepted, already decided on, and already put to bed only to be reopened again for what seems to be political reasons. Don't know if you've seen this article... I was actually surprised to find it on CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/f-35-gripen-dnd-competition-9.6992167 It's the sort of thing I only expected to see long after we started slogging down an overgrown path under a heavy load on a hot day... with no water. Given the time frame a mixed fleet is possible and doable, I just think people have vastly underestimated the cost, effort, and end result that's associated with it. And when they do, the folks who defend it now will be far less inclined to do so when the bills are itemized and the unintended consequences revealed. Given the list of new acquisitions and a mixed fighter fleet, I think they'll balk a bit and that we'll end up parking a few airframes and playing catchup longer than expected.