Pirates, Thieves, and Murderers

Onward with the degradation of the West. Taking tankers full of oil...how do they connect that with a so called drug war? Then in the EU the bureaucrats dictated new laws with no vote to allow Ursula fond of Lying to steal Russia's money deposited in the EU. Murder in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen continue unabated using US weapons that we tax payers purchased. Meanwhile Russia continues to advance in Ukraine. End of empire is in the air...

Pirates of the Caribbean...

(28 min) The war of 1812 between the US and UK started because Britain was seizing US ships and sailors. We fought against that empire and have become just like them.

Trump Seizes Venezuelan Oil Tanker To Fight “Narco Terrorists”?!?

(5.5 min) Donald Trump’s announced on Wednesday that the U.S. military had seized the “largest oil tanker ever” off the coast of Venezuela, leading to widespread mockery online suggesting that stealing Venezuela’s oil is somehow part of a narco-terrorism operation.
Jimmy and Kurt Metzger connect this act to Trump’s past admissions that the U.S. stayed in Syria to “take the oil,” arguing that Washington’s actions are straightforward piracy disguised as counter-narcotics policy. Jimmy stresses that Venezuela’s real “crime” is nationalizing its oil industry, not drug trafficking, and criticizes media figures who accept Trump’s justification despite previously mocking Biden’s falsehoods.
Jimmy closes by framing the tanker seizure as another step in a long-running U.S. regime-change effort against Venezuela, wrapped in absurd rhetoric that insults the public’s intelligence.

Looks like they plan to steal more...
US Sanctions Six Companies Accused of Transporting Venezuelan Oil as It Prepares More Seizures
Venezuela slammed the US seizure of an oil tanker off its coast as 'blatant theft' and 'piracy'
....
US officials told Reuters that the US plans to target more tankers in the coming weeks, and shipping sources told the outlet that many ship owners and operators involved in moving Venezuelan oil are reconsidering whether to depart Venezuela as planned in the coming days.

Lawmakers react to US seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker
The oil was sanctioned due to its “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi added.

That sounds pretty lame to me. Looks more like the new Donroe Doctrine entitling the US to bully any nation in Latin America and the Caribbean that they want to target.

Jeffrey Sachs: Trump’s Distorted Version of the Monroe Doctrine

(32 min) Prof. Jeffrey Sachs discusses what a renewed Monroe Doctrine could be an anti-imperialist initiative that recognises spheres of security, or it could facilitate US imperialism and be pursued without agreement with the other great powers.

Jeffrey Sachs: Trump’s Empire of Hubris and Thuggery
First, the NSS is anchored in grandiosity: the belief that the United States enjoys unmatched supremacy in every key dimension of power. Second, it is based on a starkly Machiavellian view of the world, treating other nations as instruments to be manipulated for American advantage. Third, it rests on a naïve nationalism that dismisses international law and institutions as encumbrances on US sovereignty rather than as frameworks that enhance US and global security together.
Fourth, it signals a thuggery in Trump’s use of the CIA and military. Within days of the NSS’s publication, the US brazenly seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil on the high seas—on the flimsy grounds that the vessel had previously violated US sanctions against Iran.

Trump’s Monroe Doctrine 2.0 Outlines Imperial Intentions for Latin America
Trump’s use of the word “corollary” is not an accident. It is a direct reassertion of a return to a Monroe Doctrine where the U.S. flexes military, political, and economic power to achieve its goals in the region. Though those goals still may seem unclear, the Trump Corollary reads as a veiled threat against countries who might be unwilling to bend to U.S. interests.
“We will assert and enforce a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine,” the National Security Strategy document states. “We want to ensure that the Western Hemisphere remains reasonably stable and well-governed enough to prevent and discourage mass migration to the United States; we want a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations; we want a Hemisphere that remains free of hostile foreign incursion or ownership of key assets, and that supports critical supply chains; and we want to ensure our continued access to key strategic locations.”

Next in the cross-hairs...Honduras

(27 min) Max Blumenthal : DEA Drug Gangsters; Netanyahu's Fears

Stealing Money outright...
EU crosses RUBICON, permanent asset FREEZE. Falls into Russia's trap

0:00 - Discussion on the situation with Russian frozen assets
0:33 - Plan to bypass Hungary for permanent freezing of assets
2:01 - European Commission's liability document and implications
4:44 - Concerns from various international entities against the EU's actions
6:57 - Emergency powers being invoked by the EU against Hungary's veto rights
9:03 - Legal ramifications of the EU's proposed actions on Russian assets
10:31 - Discussion on the permanent freezing of Russian assets
12:24 - Legal and ethical implications of confiscating assets
15:50 - The potential for escalating conflict with Russia
20:05 - Impact on international investment and financial credibility
25:01 - Predictions of taxation and economic decline in the EU
27:23 - Discussion on US influence in EU decisions regarding Russian assets
30:03 - Conclusion on the trajectory of EU policies and potential conflict escalation0 min)

Some of the comments from under the clip:
The thieves are changing the rules, in order to make their thievery lawful, and committing blackmail at the same time.

So basically the EU operate like the mafia

The EU is beginning the process of eating itself alive. The wholesale destruction of the entire European financial system. Totally insane.

This permanent freezing of the funds is simply so they never have to expose that the funds are already pillaged. They have been accessed long ago and the EU cannot simply give them back. The desperate invoking of emergency powers, despite the lack of an emergency, reeks of Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act to stop a convoy of his own citizens. "Democracy" has left the building.

Hungry has gone to court this morning against EU and a lot of documents was submitted to the court. There is panic at EU Hqts!

Russia has been trying to reach agreements with the West for decades — the 1990 ‘not one inch eastward’ assurance, the discussions of 2007 and 2008, Minsk 1 and Minsk 2, the proposals of December 2021, the Istanbul talks of April 2022, and so on. Each time, the collective West behaved like shysters — endlessly promising, never delivering, and proving itself negotiation-incapable.
Now the same ‘rules-based’ governments are openly trying to steal Russia’s assets, rewriting international law. It’s the behaviour of thieves.

Pepe Escobar: Are Europe’s Leaders in Total Denial? The Panic No One Wants to Admit

(53 min) The Beauty and the Beast The US National Security Strategy
Pepe Escobar • December 11, 2025 • 1,100 Words

Pepe had a shorter (24 min) discussion with the Judge:
Pepe Escobar : Giving Europe the Boot.

The Unfolding Disaster in Ukraine...
Alastair discusses the situation with Israel, Ukraine, and the US

(28 min) Alastair Crooke : Trump's Bait and Switch; Netanyahu's Extortion

Morale breaks, panic spreads, big cauldron forming w/ Stanislav Krapivnik

(24 min)

Ukraine is in a panic and striking back when and where it can...
Ukraine drone forces hit two Russian chemical plants, commander says

Ukraine hits Russian oil rig in Caspian Sea for first time, official says

Col Doug Macgregor | Russia Opens the Odessa Corridor — NATO’s Worst Fear Begins

In this in-depth 27-minute analysis, Colonel Douglas Macgregor breaks down one of the most consequential strategic shifts of the Ukraine war: Russia’s opening of the Odessa Corridor and what it means for NATO, global security, and the balance of power in the Black Sea.
This is not surface-level commentary. This video examines the military, economic, and geopolitical implications of Russia’s control over critical Black Sea access points, revealing why Odessa is far more than just a city—and why this development represents a profound challenge to NATO’s long-term strategy.
Using a strategic-realist framework, this analysis explains how maritime dominance, logistics warfare, industrial capacity, and geography are reshaping the conflict. From NATO’s deterrence failures to global food security risks, this video connects the battlefield to the broader world order now taking shape.
If you want to understand what the headlines miss, why Western narratives are shifting, and how this moment could redefine European security for decades, this is essential viewing.

The Endless War against Palestine...

‘Come See Our Children in the Morgue’:
Israel Continues Killing Palestinians in Gaza Despite Truce Deal
Palestinians at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Thursday mourned two teenage boys who were killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza a day earlier, as the IDF continues launching attacks in the Strip in violation of the US-backed ceasefire deal.
....
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that since the ceasefire deal was supposed to go into effect on October 10, Israeli forces have killed at least 383 Palestinians and wounded 1,002. At least one more person was killed on Thursday as WAFA reported that a woman was killed by an Israeli airstrike that hit Jabalia, northern Gaza.
...
The US has established a military base in southern Israel to “monitor” the ceasefire, but the Trump administration has been silent on Israel’s repeated attacks and continued restrictions on aid.

Trump To Appoint US General To Lead Gaza ‘International Stabilization Force’
It's unclear if the international force will materialize, as countries are hesitant to participate
President Trump is planning to appoint a two-star US general to lead the international force that may be deployed to Gaza under the US ceasefire deal, Axios reported on Thursday, a step that would mark a significant escalation of US involvement in the Palestinian territory, which has been destroyed by Israel.

Sounds like a tar baby to me...getting in deeper and deeper.

Israel’s military chief says the ‘Yellow Line’ dividing Gaza will be Israel’s new border. Palestinians say this is a ‘second Nakba.’...
About 53% of the Strip falls under Israeli military control, where almost no Palestinians reside, and where any Palestinian who wanders near or unwittingly crosses into is shot and killed on sight. This is the part of Gaza demarcated by the “Yellow Line.”
The remaining 47% of Gaza falls under the de facto control of Hamas, housing almost all of the Strip’s some 2 million people. This area continues to be blockaded by Israel, which has prevented the full entry of humanitarian aid in violation of the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
But now the Yellow Line is shifting. Starting on November 19, Israeli forces have continued to expand the areas where they operate, moving the line deeper into areas controlled by Hamas, in some places by about 500 meters, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Since then, the Israeli army has only further expanded its area of control.

Medical Doctor Shot by Israeli Occupation Forces, Ongoing Raids in West Bank

New Israeli settlement in West Bank town near Bethlehem threatens the Christian presence in Palestine
Israeli settler groups have begun bulldozing Palestinian lands in the town of Beit Sahour to make way for a new settler outpost. The settlement threatens the existence of the largest remaining Christian community in the West Bank, residents say.

Karen suggest the US is becoming like Israel.

(24 min) COL. Karen Kwiatkowski : Divorcing the Empire.

The Mafia Branch of the US Government
Ex-Agent REVEALS: CIA Makes Peace Impossible | Larry C. Johnson

(56 min) Mainstream Media keeps feeding us narratives about Russia without ever bothering going there. In contrast, a man who has been listening in on the Russian viewpoint for a long time is Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA analyst and member of group “Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity”.
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:05 Larry Johnson's CIA Background & Early Views on Russia
00:06:28 The Origins of Russiagate: Intelligence Operations & DNC Hacking Claims
00:15:47 Who Controls the Security State? (CIA/FBI Lack of Oversight)
00:22:20 Absurd Narratives: Venezuela, Election Interference & Media Gatekeeping
00:32:22 The Best Government Money Can Buy: Corruption in Congress
00:35:48 Is the New National Security Strategy Meaningless?
00:42:27 Russia's Pivot East & The End of Eurocentric Dominance
00:47:14 Can the US Reform? (Plus: What the West Can Learn from Russian Hockey)
Larry does an excellent job of recounting the nature and origin of "Russiagate".

John Kiriakou: The CIA’s Tortures and Crimes.

(35 min) John is the only person to go to prison over the US torture program...and that was for revealing it happened.

I've become fond of Nima's Friday show with the two Larry's. This week it was Chas Freeman in for Larry Johnson. The depth of experience they have had made for an excellent conversation.

(60 min) Col. Larry Wilkerson & Amb. Chas Freeman: The U.S. Just Triggered a Chain Reaction It Can’t Reverse

Well, as always there's more news than I could cover. Please fill in any blanks in the comments below. Have a great Sunday, and stay warm. The thread is open