Venezuela next ?

[Ninurta]

I guess we will just have to wait and see if the 50 million dollar bounty works to remove Manduro ?

50 million is a lot of damn money. I offered to kill him for half of that, but the government didn't like my terms - 10% up front (call it "seed money" ), the balance to be paid upon completion. They balked at paying the front money, so instead I'll just sit on my ass right here, growing tobacco. I mean, it's a paltry 2.5 million. They probably burn up more than that in a year's time just lighting their hand-rolled cigars.

An appeal to my patriotism only goes so far when there's money to be made, and I know from past experience how they'll at times leave you hanging out to dry flat broke after all manner of flowery promises, so, no thanks. Front money or I walk away. That up-front money is my guarantee that I'll get at least something out of their crooked asses when they balk and back out of the deal later, after all is said and done and there ain't no going back.

My guess is, they don't want Maduro dead, they want him compliant - they don't want to kill him, they want to break him enough to make him their "boy". It's easy to kill a man, but a bit more difficult, in many cases, to break him and bend him to your will, and that's what they want. It demonstrates their power and ownership over Maduro, and gives other wannabe dictators pause for thought after that.

That's why the US Navy Caribbean Cruise - they're not there to hurt anyone beyond a few token drug interdictions, they are really there to intimidate Maduro and Company, just to scare the shit out of them... and it appears to be working. Maduro ran to the UN to try to get the UN to tell the US to stop trolling around in the Caribbean, as if Trump wouldn't just thumb his nose at the UN and tell them to get the hell off his lawn!

.