US orders relatives of embassy staff to leave Venezuela

AFP via Yahoo News ^ | July 28, 2017 | AFP

[Texas Fossil]

Washington (AFP) - The US State Department on Thursday ordered the family members of its embassy staff in Caracas to leave Venezuela and authorized the voluntary departure of its employees as a political crisis appeared headed for a dangerous showdown.

Its advisory also warned citizens against traveling to the South American country "due to social unrest, violent crime, and pervasive food and medicine shortages."

The move came as the embattled government of President Nicolas Maduro was on a deadly collision course with the opposition, which defied a government ban to hold a nationwide strike ahead of a controversial weekend vote.

[Texas Fossil]

"The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 13 current or former senior Venezuelan officials in retaliation for Maduro's refusal to scrap the vote."

So, this is where we are. Commies never willingly give up power.

[blueunicorn6]

Liberals.....they’ll starve you and shoot you to help you.

[Texas Fossil]

Liberals? Commies (including ComDems) will kill anyone who opposes them.

[ETL]

Esposito ("El Presidente"): "From this day on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish. In addition to that, all citizens will be required to change their underwear every half-hour. Underwear will be worn on the outside so we can check."

____________________________________

Plot:

Fielding Mellish (Woody Allen) is a neurotic blue collar man who tries to impress social activist Nancy (Louise Lasser). Trying to get in touch with the San Marcos revolution, he visits attempting to show his concern for the native people. However, nearly killed by the local caudillo, only to be saved by the revolutionaries, he is then indebted to help them. Mellish clumsily learns how to be a revolutionary, and then in an effort to feed the troops goes to a restaurant and in typical New Yorker fashion asks for thousands of deli sandwiches (including one special order), plus wheelbarrows of coleslaw on the side.

When the revolution is successful, the Castro-style leader goes mad (declaring at one point that all underwear be worn on the outside), forcing the rebels to place Mellish as their President. When traveling back to the U.S. to obtain financial aid, he reunites with his activist ex-girlfriend and is exposed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananas_(film)

[ETL]

Comrade Obama giving soul-bro handshake to dictator Hugo Chavez
as current president,Nicolas Maduro, looks on in the background (my
caption)

[RummyChick]

Russia has sseized two US properties..probably more to come

[Texas Fossil]

In Venezuela?

[RummyChick]

No in russia..tillerson going to have to order embassy staff out

[RummyChick]

Btw..dont think it is all staff..maybe half

[Bringbackthedraft]

My memory goes back to Venezuela in the late 50’s early 60’s, I seem to have recollection of a Coup back then, and my mind’s eye sees P-51’s flying over the capital there. Its still the good ole South American Way?

[ETL]

Russia has strong connections to Venezuela, as well as other Latin-American Marxist dictatorships. We just rarely hear anything about it, even from many right-wing sources.

How Russia arms America's southern neighbors

Ioan Grillo
May 9, 2014

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Russia's push into Ukraine has put many on edge. But less known is that Russia is also strengthening its military links south of the Rio Grande and re-establishing itself as a power in the region.

Vladimir Putin has been strengthening military links here, and Russia is now the largest arms dealer to governments in Latin America, surpassing the United States.

Russia has even floated the possibility of building new military bases in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and putting its warships permanently in the Caribbean.

In the midst of the Ukraine crisis, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov recently visited Cuba, Peru, Chile, and Nicaragua, where he announced that Russia would also pour money into the new Central American canal project. ..."

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/140508/russian-arms-military-trade-latin-america
___________________________________________________

Russia Boosts Arms, Training for Leftist Latin Militaries

Moscow defense minister inks deals with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua for joint exercises

BY: Bill Gertz
February 20, 2015

Russia agreed to provide military training for three leftist regimes in Latin America and increase military visits and exercises following a visit last week to the region by Moscow's Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, Pentagon officials said.

Shoygu met with defense and military leaders in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and signed several agreements on warship visits and military training during the visit, which ran from Feb. 11 to 14. It is not clear whether any new arms deals were completed during the visit.

Defense officials said the Russian leader is seeking bases in the region for strategic bomber flights that Shoygu recently promised would include flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-boosts-arms-training-for-leftist-latin-militaries/

[Texas Fossil]

US Embassy staff out of Russia?

What source?

[ETL]

Unfortunately, we have more than a few misguided FReepers who actually believe Putin is our friend.

Russia and North Korea declare 2015 a ‘year of friendship’

“The biggest cause for concern is the growing military alliance between Russia and North Korea, with the two regimes recently announcing plans to conduct a series of joint army, navy and air force exercises this year.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11463265/Russia-and-North-Korea-declare-2015-a-year-of-friendship.html

[Texas Fossil]

Russia Seizes 2 U.S. Properties and Orders Embassy to Cut Staff

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/world/europe/us-russia-sanctions.html

Not pull all out, but cut in half. (might be doing US a favor, smile?)

“Russia took its first steps on Friday to retaliate against proposed American sanctions for Moscow’s suspected meddling in the 2016 election”

The Russian sanctions thing is bullshit. Congress is made up of idiots. It was the ComDems not the Russians who needed punishment. (I’m not making excuses for Russia)

[Texas Fossil]

Russia and US are not friends. But that does not mean we should not try to work together on common goals. Like ending Terrorism.

[PGR88]

Its like an easy, repeatable, high-school science experiment. Implement socialism, and watch the inevitable destruction of society.

I’m also sorry to say it - I have NO sympathy for Venezuela at all. Chavez and Maduro are Venezeualans, raised in their local culture. They were not imposed by alien invaders. They were chose by Venezuelans and for a long time, supported by them.

A people gets the type of government it deserves.

[ETL]

Russia and US are not friends. But that does not mean we should not try to work together on common goals. Like ending Terrorism.

The Russians are terrorists themselves. In fact, they, via the KGB and later FSB, have a long history of concocting terrorist attacks in their own country, on their own people, in order to justify violent responses. A former KGB comrade of Putin's was famously murdered (poisoned) for spilling the beans on such plots.

[dfwgator]

Russia and US are not friends.

There are no friends, only interests.

[momincombatboots]

Very active in Cuba.. that’s how the HIV Cuban variant was started. So when we break it down... it’s Israel vs the world and the USA vs the world. #Biblical. I am always amazed.

[ETL]

The Russian sanctions thing is bullshit. Congress is made up of idiots. It was the ComDems not the Russians who needed punishment. (I’m not making excuses for Russia)

"The United States and other Western powers imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 over its annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and its support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine."

-- REUTERS
______________________________________

Donald Trump: 'Putin has eaten Obama's lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time'

Mar 13, 2014
Eun Kyung Kim: TODAY SHOW (NBC)

Donald Trump slammed President Obama Thursday on TODAY for failing to take a stronger line against President Vladimir Putin in dealing with Ukraine, saying he feared Obama would now make up for lost time with imprudent moves to "show his manhood."

The real estate mogul and reality-TV star, who has criticized Putin for sending military troops into Crimea, said Obama must now take fierce steps to prevent the situation from escalating further.

"We should definitely do sanctions and we have to show some strengths. I mean, Putin has eaten Obama's lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time," Trump said. ..."

http://www.today.com/news/donald-trump-putin-has-eaten-obamas-lunch-ukraine-2D79372098
_______________________________________________

Here’s the interview w/ Matt Lauer on YouTube...

Donald Trump (2014): ‘Vladimir Putin Has Eaten Obama’s Lunch’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzURUENf1ns
______________________________________

Trump’s U.N. Envoy, Nikki Haley, Condemns Russia’s ‘Aggressive Actions’ in Ukraine

By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Feb 2, 2017

UNITED NATIONS — Nikki R. Haley, the new American ambassador to the United Nations, condemned Russia on Thursday for its recent “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine.

“We do want to better our relations with Russia,” Ms. Haley said during her first remarks to an open briefing of the United Nations Security Council. “However, the dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions.”

She made it clear that American sanctions imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea would remain in place.

During her Senate confirmation hearing last month, Ms. Haley also expressed support for continuing the sanctions and accused Russia of committing war crimes in the Syrian conflict. But her strong criticism of the government of President Vladimir V. Putin put her at odds with President Trump, who has expressed a desire for warmer relations with the Kremlin. ...’

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/world/europe/nikki-haley-trump-ukraine-russia-putin.html?_r=0

_______________________________________________________________________________

Mike Pence on Putin and Russia:

(from the VP debate on Oct 5, 2016)

“When Donald Trump and I observe that, as I’ve said, in Syria, in Iran, in Ukraine, that the small and bullying leader of Russia has been stronger on the world stage than this administration, that’s stating painful facts. That’s not an endorsement of Vladimir Putin — that’s an indictment of the weak and feckless leadership of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.”

______________________________

Also from the Oct 5, 2016 VP debate...

PENCE: What we’re dealing with is the — you know, there’s an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates.

And the truth of the matter is, the weak and feckless foreign policy of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened an aggression in Russia that first appeared a few years ago with their move in Georgia, now their move into Crimea, now their move into the wider Middle East.

And all the while, all we do is fold our arms and say we’re not having talks anymore.

To answer your question, we just need American strength. We need to — we need to marshal the resources of our allies in the region, and in the immediate, we need to act and act now to get people out of harm’s way.