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They should give Socialism a shot

I think they are walking a fine line having learned the lesson of Iraq 2003. If you remove the entire apparatus at once, maybe wishful thinking on my part. Huge implication for Cuba as well. They have been getting most of their oil from Venezuela at a 50% discount. Growing up in Miami I have many friends with deep connections and family members still in Cuba, the situation even before this latest dust up with Venezuela a was quite dire. One very good friend has a brother still there and has been physically sending him $400 worth of food each month rather than money because there is little food to buy.

Bonus points for quoting Pete Townshend!

Hey all, This is my first time using this site so please bear with me if I didn’t post to the right forum… I’m a current LT in the Army flying the UH-60M. I, along with a lot of other Army commissioned and warrant officers, are potentially getting cut from Army Aviation (see link) and am interested in flying Jolly Greens or Ospreys. Wanting to know if anyone on this website can help me connect with any current or former Air Force rotary/tilt pilots who are willing to share their experience and some insight on the AF side. I’m especially curious about things like: Day-to-day lifestyle and ops tempo Deployments and TDYs (frequency and duration) Work-life balance compared to other branches Typical mission sets and airframes Overall quality of life (bases, schedule, admin load, etc.) Appreciate any insight, thanks in advance! Link: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2025/09/19/army-to-cut-6500-active-duty-aviation-jobs-over-next-2-years/

I'm rather surprised its that low. He's been in Congress a while (2019), so if he was really doing inside trading and Peolsi/Biden type stuff, I'd expect his net worth to be well north of $10M by now. Most guys can/should retire from the military with a net worth in the $1-3M range with zero outside help. Max out your and your wife's Roth IRA every year and put another 6-9% in the TSP and you have a good chance at just those three accounts putting you in that range at retirement, let alone years down the road. Obviously divorce or similar major life setbacks can crush that plan quickly.

Can't be real can it?

Yup. I listen to about 20% of his pods. He has some whacky crazy guests but also some bangers.

Many podcasts I listen to (or have in the past), including Shawn Ryan, are primarily for the guests and their stories, not so much the host. If I have personal or trustworthy second hand knowledge of the host that makes me unwilling to support them, then so be it. So far, a lot of interesting stories and discussion have happened on Shawn’s show, even if he is a “whiny” SEAL.

I just looked it up and Crenshaw has an estimated net worth somewhere between $1-3M. I can understand why some people think that’s a lot…but it’s really not for a 40-something guy that’s invested wisely, especially if the RNC was buying his books to give away. Getting angry about someone having a $1M net worth highlights the nation’s financial retardation more than anything…

Mike Durant's interview with Shawn Riley is awesome. I agree with @Lord Ratner about Shawn being whiny. I also find him quite shallow and repetitive in his opinions. Nevertheless, Durant comes of well informed, intelligent, and humble. He also talks about his time running for senator in Alabama. He at least appears to have taken his losses in stride and admits that it worked out best for him in the end, but politics is a dirty, expensive, soul-sucking game.

I’d say it’s normal across the community. I wouldn’t classify it as whining per se, but more like the following when describing the majority of SEALs: Arrogant Self-centered Douche bag As always, I like to note there are great dudes out there in/from NSW, but they are the minority and not the average. Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s hard, to determine how an individual actually is from just listening to podcasts. You have to interact with them in person, or talk to trusted individuals who have interacted with them in person, to get a feel for the real person.

Agreed. And at the very least, now Russia can't launder their oil through Venezuela via their shadow tanker fleet. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the actual reason for the entire operation.

Dan just did a big long podcast with Andy Stumpf covering the recent controversy. The short version is that his "insider trading" is measured in the low tens of thousands and had no inside element to it. Shawn Ryan is a bit of a whiny bitch for a Navy SEAL. Or maybe not, if that's normal for them. But Crenshaw goes over that too and what Ryan was calling a threat was pretty clearly not. I'm hard-pressed to find someone in Congress I like more than Dan Crenshaw. You don't often find someone with the experience he has, electability, and the willingness to subject himself to many recorded long-form discussions about detailed policy issues. I think the bigger issue is that we are just at a phase where the population expects something that is not possible from politicians.

He's been in office long enough now for people to notice that he as qualities they don't like...aka he's human and now has a spotlight on him. Some guys apparently bite off on the trope of insider trading, or that he had some big-name somebody perform for free at a party, or that he's has a less than cordial relationship with Shawn Ryan, or something stupid like that. Personally I find it completely asinine when dudes get hugely emotional about their opinions about people whom they've never met, have had no interactions with, and are completely unaffected by. I don't have a problem with the dude, whom I've never met. I listen to his podcast, apply critical thinking, and learn stuff I didn't know before. But hey, adulting is hard. P.S. My guess on the trading is pretty much every congressman just applies to the Pelosi index and prospers. But it's not insider trading as literally every word they say is written down in public record and posted almost immediately on congress.gov. Convenient for me to follow? absolutely not, but illegal? No.

Wait you guys don’t like Dan Crenshaw now? What did he do?

I feel like that’s what this is. However, the catch is they just received a massive ass kicking and almost got a second one (and that’s never far away for the time being). Hopefully new boss realizes continuing business as usual is a very dangerous, and likely short-lived, proposition.

I'm glad to see Venezuela hasn't turned into complete anarchy...but Delcy Rodríguez (former VP) becoming intern President and reports of them going around hunting out US sympathizers doesn't seem like it's a good thing. And if Maduro was a drug smuggler wouldn't his VP also be complicit? Not sure keeping the communist/socialists in power is the go to move here...but what the hell: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

I agree it's stupid to stay and great that it was completely closed, and I didn't realize that. Given the whole Citgo 6 fiasco from several years ago would have been all the incentive to stay away I would need. The current administration is probably going to be less susceptible than most to pressure if someone shows up on TV asking for help to get their loved one out, but we all know how that can play out long term. The militia's they speak of would be perfect in my mind to add to the list for the "American ass whooping" you describe.

Cruel and unusual

The embassy shut down in 2019, with the same recommendation to US citizens at the time. If an American is still living in Venezuela, I question their intelligence and/or motive. This announcement by DoS is not earth shattering. Parallel topic - did we just remove someone who is replaced by someone who does nothing different WRT cartels, energy, etc. I don’t envy the current lady, she’s in between the cartel/regime and getting another massive American ass whooping.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/venezuela-live-updates-trump-give-details-after-us/%3Fid%3D127792811&ved=2ahUKEwilz9Gw7YOSAxXrm4kEHbxdJ-QQFnoECGcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2w9zGuesMDDHhpo1CrB1ak Now this is my real fear. Iran of 1979 comes to mind.

Uh... Those were the distraction. Not the goal.

They should be the favorite, they are very complete team and they've had a dream season. However, they are not perfect with some VERY close games...Old Dominion kept it close and put 14 on them.

Given the availability of current armed/ISR capability I would say it's way easier now. I'll defer to you experts. Definitely require some BOG located away from the oil facilities to act as a QRF in case things get out of hand. Best case it's a deterrent to bad actors. Optics are critical here and the locals will need to feel they're benefitting from the overall deal/setup. I think both sides can win.