Let's talk about Trump's blockade... - Belle of the Ranch

Well, howdy there internet people. It's
Belle again.
So, today we're going to talk about
Trump's blockade.
Trump announced a naval blockade of
Venezuela through a rambling social
media post that in relevant part says,
quote, "Venezuela is completely
surrounded by the largest armada ever
assembled in the history of South
America. It will only get bigger. And
the shock to them will be like nothing
they have ever seen before. Until such
time as they return to the United States
of America, all the oil, land, and other
assets that they previously stole from
us.
In context, he appears to be talking
about oil production facilities in
Venezuela that are nationalized.
He then added, quote, "Therefore, today
I am ordering a total and complete
blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers
going into and out of Venezuela."
It's unclear at time of recording how
many oil tankers are actually going to
be impacted by this. Almost immediately,
we got questions about whether a
blockade is an act of war. Most
questions about the laws of war like
this have a pretty nuanced answer. This
one, not so much. A naval blockade is
pretty much always considered an act of
war. This is a big deal if Trump
actually means the word he used.
Another common one is how are the
various embargos legal? But a blockade
is an act of war. That's easy, too.
military force, or at least the threat
of it, is used in a blockade.
The next question is, is Trump really
going to blockade Venezuela?
Look, it's Trump. We have to entertain
the possibility that he literally
doesn't understand what he just said.
His exact words were, "A total and
complete blockade of all sanctioned oil
tankers."
In Trump world, that might mean nabbing
sanctioned tankers and not actually
setting up a blockade.
That being said, it seems clear Trump
wants regime change in Venezuela. And
the rest of the post talking about oil
and land takes this into a bizarre new
level. It certainly seems like he's
trying to set the stage for war.
Representative Wa we Castro of Texas
posted to social media saying quote, "A
naval blockade is unquestionably an act
of war. A war that Congress never
authorized and the American people do
not want. On Thursday, the House will
vote on Representative McGovern,
Representative Thomas Massie, and my
resolution directing the president to
end hostilities with Venezuela.
Every member of the House of
Representatives will have the
opportunity to decide if they support
sending Americans into yet another
regime change war.
Massie posted on social media saying,
quote, "Two years ago, I voted to
withdraw our forces from Syria. This
week, I will vote to keep our forces out
of Venezuela.
Regime change abroad isn't America
first, and it won't make America great
again."
I hope the vote currently scheduled for
Thursday isn't too late to allow
Congress to weigh in on the situation
that has undertaken a massive
escalation.
Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have
a good day.