Venezuela

[MuntCuffin]

puerto rico has no exports other than rum. and as far as i know, we dont do much of any investment there.

venezuela has vast cattle operations, oil, manufacturing, etc. Had some of their beef when i was in Grenada.

Lets get Imperial again.

We had all that here.

 

[Thatg9659]

We had all that here.

Years ago, gov thought it would be great for Puerto Rico to grow coffee beans. They ended up and maybe still are importing stuff like pork and chicken.

Former boss would visit her husbands family there, always took a suitcase of jeans to sell.

 

[Norm]

It’s on now

 

[Void_of_Light]

Be funny when a falcon 9 incinerates his car while landing.

 

[SomeGuy]

Be funny when a falcon 9 incinerates his car while landing.

The scary (cool?) thing is, SpaceX totally has the ability to drop a rocket on anyone's head...like they basically have ICBM's, just without the war heads. I do wonder what would happen though if they went ahead and did that someday without authorization. Obviously every one of their launches do need authorization, but ... what if.

 

[clodhopper]

It’s on now

Would rather see world leaders hop in the ring to solve disputes that doing it through warfare.

 

[Motorcharge]

The scary (cool?) thing is, SpaceX totally has the ability to drop a rocket on anyone's head...like they basically have ICBM's, just without the war heads. I do wonder what would happen though if they went ahead and did that someday without authorization. Obviously every one of their launches do need authorization, but ... what if.

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

 

[ProjectTwin]

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

I wonder if middle defense systems can take out kinetic weapons like the “rods of god”

 

[Vinman]

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

That, and the Secret Service will stop an assassination attempt on a former presidents life long before the shooter was in range

 

[Void_of_Light]

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

What if he put a big stainless-steel sombrero on it so they look the other way as it crosses the border?

 

[Motorcharge]

I wonder if middle defense systems can take out kinetic weapons like the “rods of god”

I imagine they would work on anything big enough to show up on radar.

 

[Splib]

I imagine they would work on anything big enough to show up on radar.

Weather balloon then . . . ..

 

[ProjectTwin]

I imagine they would work on anything big enough to show up on radar.

If we can make stealth aircraft it’s not silly to think that a stealth super/hypersonic dart could be made.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

Those shoot shit down on the way down, not up AFAIK and they don't have the range to cover "anywhere".

So dropping one through the roof of the palace of some dictator who pissed him off would probably work.

 

[arse_sidewards]

If we can make stealth aircraft it’s not silly to think that a stealth super/hypersonic dart could be made.

You can't make stealth hypersonic shit with current tech because going super quick in the atmosphere creates a giant "hey look at me" in many wavelengths. Maybe eventually we'll figure it out but it ain't even on the horizon.

 

[Ebs]

I'm sure when he hangs himself in a jail cell this will all blow over.

 

[Motorcharge]

Those shoot shit down on the way down, not up AFAIK and they don't have the range to cover "anywhere".

So dropping one through the roof of the palace of some dictator who pissed him off would probably work.

You know, I'm something of an expert on damn near everything, but missile ballistics and defense systems isn't one of those things.

 

[arse_sidewards]

You know, I'm something of an expert on damn near everything, but missile ballistics and defense systems isn't one of those things.

I stopped giving a shit circa 2017 so IDK what the new hotness is. Maybe they do have some shit that can intercept an ICBM as it's transiting in space.

But that seems really unlikely since the whole point of last minute interception is that up until the point at which the missile is screaming down on the target you don't really know that it won't change direction while your countermeasure, that's necessarily very fucking fast and can't turn on a dime, is in flight.

 

[Firstram]

You know, I'm something of an expert on damn near everything, but missile ballistics and defense systems isn't one of those things.

The mark of a true professional, acknowledging the scope of your expertise!

 

[bigun]

 

[arse_sidewards]

The mark of a true professional, acknowledging the scope of your expertise!

Ah, yes, because having a general idea of the state of systems relevant to what my employer was doing means I'm claiming to be an expert.

 

[bdkw1]

Meh, instead of having the next falcon 9 return to the platform, have it drop on his house full speed ahead. And "accidently" double or triple up on the FTS explosìves.

 

[SomeGuy]

Various missile defense systems would likely destroy it in the upper atmosphere long before it got anywhere if there was an unauthorized launch.

LoL you think they actually have anything positioned to take out a US launched missile? THAAD and GMD and SM-3/Aegis don't have much coverage lol they'd have to get really lucky.

 

[Firstram]

 

[Splib]

The dictator changed the country’s constitution illegall yers ago. To allow additional terms to be served. Then he rules out, disqualifying the leading opposition candidate months before the election. Then jails the replacement who almost certainly won the election. Headed your way, USA.

 

[RusM]

Looks like he could lift about 9 2k pound tungsten rods high enough they would be a problem. Who's to say there aren't enough up there already to guarantee his safety?

 

[87manche]

The scary (cool?) thing is, SpaceX totally has the ability to drop a rocket on anyone's head...like they basically have ICBM's, just without the war heads. I do wonder what would happen though if they went ahead and did that someday without authorization. Obviously every one of their launches do need authorization, but ... what if.

Could simply have a "guidance malfunction" and achieve a ballistic trajectory.

Whoopsy

 

[BigBurt]

puerto rico has no exports other than rum. and as far as i know, we dont do much of any investment there.

venezuela has vast cattle operations, oil, manufacturing, etc. Had some of their beef when i was in Grenada.

Lets get Imperial again.

Not necessarily true, they have a lot of pharmaceutical and tech exports

 

[Pook]

Haven't we learned... just drop a huge payload of attack drones carrying mortars attached with duct tape.

 

[bigun]

United States to Venezuela's Maduro: You Actually Lost the Presidential Election

redstate.com

United States to Venezuela's Maduro: You Actually Lost the Presidential Election​

By Bob Hoge | 10:15 PM on August 01, 2024
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP
The United States officially declared its position on Thursday regarding the outcome of Venezuela’s presidential election, which strongman incumbent Nicolás Maduro claims he won.


But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement saying the State Department believes that opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia actually won the contest:

"Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election," Blinken said.

Maduro is widely believed to have lost before declaring victory, and numerous regional governments have cast doubt on the results.

It’s been a chaotic period in the South American country’s history:

---

The U.S. and other countries have been trying to pressure Maduro, the successor to leftist Hugo Chávez and the leader of the United Socialist Party, to release evidence regarding voting tallies because there is evidence that he flat-out stole the election:

The National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has yet to release any results broken down by voting machine, as it did in past elections. It did, however, report that Maduro received 5.1 million votes, versus more than 4.4 million for González. But Machado, the opposition leader, has said vote tallies show González received roughly 6.2 million votes compared with 2.7 million for Maduro.

Maduro, as socialists often do, has run the once-prosperous country into the ground:

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven crude reserves and once boasted Latin America’s most advanced economy, but it entered into free fall after Maduro took the helm in 2013. Plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led to social unrest and mass emigration.
More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, the largest exodus in Latin America’s recent history.

There are multiple reports that Maduro is cracking down on those questioning his rule.




The situation is volatile, and emotions are running high. The pressure on Maduro to come clean is intensifying, and it’s unknown what lengths he will go to to keep his grip on power. He’s shown his ruthless side before, though, so it would not be a surprise if he cracks down hard on his detractors. As this story continues to unfold, RedState will keep you updated.