There is no respect for this country, the military, and especially the people.

The Trump administration is about the abuse of power no matter where they find it. The USA military is a vehicle for Trump and his minions, not a country's defense.

The sailors were deployed more than 250 days in the Persian Gulf. 

When the USS Abraham Lincoln (click here) docked in Thailand this week some people were quick to criticise the condition it was in.

The US aircraft carrier has been at sea for about nine months where it's been supporting the US-Israel war with Iran.

BBC Verify has spoken to military experts who say, although the length of its deployment is unusual, the wear and tear isn't. Jake Horton reports.

So, rather than returning home to their family and friends, the USS Lincoln went to a Thailand port for R&R. Thailand is a good ally to the USA. That is not the issue. Evidently, a consensus of the sailors on board the Lincoln was excitement at going to Thailand. Evidently, it was on the crews wish list. The Thai people were nice hosts to very weary USA sailors.

The long deployment and the alarm of the families are the continued issue. I am glad the Lincoln is finally headed home.

August 31, 2026
By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng

...The Lincoln (click here) left its home port of San Diego in November and was later redirected to the Middle East to support military operations in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran — setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers.

But the prolonged deployment has also brought with it ​reports of mental health concerns and deteriorating conditions aboard, with two military-focused outlets this month describing suicide attempts and declining morale on the ship.

In ​Pattaya, a fishing village partly transformed into a tourism centre on the back of U.S. servicemen seeking succour during the Vietnam War, some are hoping for ‌a financial ⁠boost.

Each U.S. military personnel could spend 1,000 to 3,000 baht per day ($30 to $91), depending on how long they stayed ashore and whether they stayed overnight, said Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches....

Stressing families out and the intermittent relief to a stressed deployment is not okay.

This ship was due in port during May of this year and still hasn't arrived. There was no servicing of the ship on a regular basis or the needs of the sailors. Some of that is because the deployment was met with strong resistance by Iran, a country that lost it's leadership and female CHILDREN to bombs. As a result Iran could not bomb the USA because it does not have the capacity, so the idea the bombing was necessary to defend our borders is nonsense. Iran was rather successful in interrupting the supply chain of the USA military.

Any attempt to justify this abuse as defense of an ally, namely Israel, is also nonsense. Israel was and is involved with expansionism, not defense of the country. Netanyahu promised vengeance after the attack on innocent people on October 7th. That is not defense, that is a greater ideology that includes dangerous paradigms such as genocide. Dismantling any terrorist apparatus was the mission. Forcing surrender rather than killing was the mission. The war Israel has launched is an agenda and not a defense (click here).

August 26, 2026
By Dana Taylor

...Families described poor food, (click here) shortages of basic supplies, broken facilities and packages that sometimes took months to arrive. What did your reporting reveal about daily life on the ship?

Chris Quintana:

Yeah, it's a lot of that, and it's kind of in cycles. There's time when the food is better, but then there are times... I was talking with someone whose sister was on board, and she saw the food via a video call, and she described it as slop, the kind of stuff you wouldn't feed to a dog. And there are times when it's good and better, but it's definitely cyclical there.

And another conversation we were able to peek into, the sailor was talking about how they didn't have hot water, so they couldn't take hot showers.

And the packages thing too is very real for these folks. I was talking with Senator Richard Blumenthal about this actually, and he was describing it as this very real connection to your loved ones back home. He had this great story where he said, "Even if you get a stale cookie, it's nice to know that it's baked by someone you love." And so for that to not be available to folks on top of this kind of never-ending deployment, it just really stresses a lot of people out....

If there were lists of terrorists then why were the attacks into Gaza more demolition, as Trump put it, than capture?

What is occurring by the USA in the name of Israel is wrong. If Israel is not fighting terrorism, they are killing randomly as if every Palestinian was the enemy. There are international laws regarding civilians. At this time the USA and Israel are in violation of all of them. The USS Lincoln should never have been in the middle of a war of hate.

21 May 2026

By TOI Staff

Israel has created a list of all Palestinians (click here) who took part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and is working to kill or arrest each one, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter.

According to the report, the list includes all Gazans who were identified as having crossed the border on October 7, as well as all Hamas leaders involved in orchestrating the massacre, during which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, mostly civilians, in the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Israeli intelligence agents tasked with compiling the list of names did so by studying the plethora of video and photographic evidence of the attack posted online by terrorists on and after October 7 and running the footage through facial recognition software, the report said, as well as the contents of intercepted phone calls from people who breached the border into Israel that day....

The attacks on innocent people on October 7th was heinous. There is no doubt about that. But, the entire of Gaza is not responsible for the massacre. The killing of the innocent as if they are the army of Hamas past, present, and future is complete disregard for civilization. There was no permission by any measure to conduct such massacre in return.

Bloody vengeance and killing agendas are not in any understanding of an alliance with the USA. The abuse of power will stop.

August 30, 2025

...“To the leaders who vilify Israel, (click here) I say, ‘Watch this film.’ To the terrorists of Hamas who vow to repeat the October 7 massacre again and again, I say, ‘We won’t let you do it,’” Netanyahu added. “We’ll destroy Hamas. We’ll bring our hostages home because we remember October 7. And so should you.”

A dose of reality that America needs.

 

The art is reasonable for the quality. Well done.

(Click here)

My title for this work is "So Very True."

 

 

September 4, 2026

By Mike Nellis

The miraculous news (click here) arrived this morning: the latest jobs report came much stronger than what anyone expected. A gift from heaven for the Trump administration, right on schedule.

I laughed. I'll be honest with you — I scoffed and chuckled a little when I saw it, because I don't believe a single number that comes out of this administration. Not one.

Yesterday's ADP report told a completely different story. Almost no job growth. Manufacturing jobs lost. Wage growth so slow against inflation that it functions as a pay cut. That report got a shrug. Today's number got the full treatment. All day long the MAGA media machine has been running its victory lap — the Golden Age of America is here.

I think ADP would have a good idea about workers and jobs (click here). This is not an empty assessment.

But you and I know exactly who the Golden Age is for. A handful of corrupt people inside Donald Trump's White House and inside his family. That is the entire list. There is no Golden Age for you and me.

They're lying about these numbers. Let's be clear about it. They fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics last year. We are two months out from an election. You don't need to be a genius to see the plan: convince people the economy is better when it fundamentally isn't, and hold that lie together just long enough to get through November....

FOX News has it wrong again. Candidates should talk about what their plans are when elected.

 Americans need relief from Trump's antics.

The Murdoch media news station is trying to terrify the public in that the Democrats when in majority will do nothing but hold trials and impeachments. I sincerely doubt any of that.

I am fairly confident they want to legislate even in the face of the administration ignoring the Rule of Law. There is a lot to be done and we have witnessed the absolute criminalizing of the power of the USA. 

There needs to be a lot of reforms legislated and it will take some time unless there is a clear 60 percent majority in the USA Senate. Then things will move. Otherwise, it will be the House that will legislate with it's majority and the USA Senate with a majority to conduct reconciliation to bring about important changes to the laws of this country. With the passage of laws, including funding for judges there will be in place the building blocks to end the tyrannical plans of Trump.

Impeachments can go forward but I do believe reforms in immigration as was prepared and ready to go under Former President Biden and a reforms that end any influence by the federal government of voter intimidation. There needs to be a better Voting Right Act that does more than end racism, it has to prevent the rights and power of the vote for all Americans.

But, to think the Democrats will do nothing but impeach is a bit outlandish. 

The funding of important programs has to go forward. Judges need protections and that has to be a high priority. ICE has to be reined in for it's abuse of power. There is a lot to be done and it begins with clear if not overwhelming majorities in both houses.

Racketeers like Musk will attempt to use money to suppress the benevolent messages of candidates other than Republicans. But, that can be reversed with grassroots involvement and candidate participation in community events that spark interest in voting. Americans are distracted by all sorts of issues, but, bringing the attention of voting to their communities will result in "Muting Musk's money. Musk has a lot on the line. Trump carried out Quid Pro Quo and Musk dearly appreciated being baled out of the many problems he faced. So, it won't be easy to get the people to address the racketeering reality of Musk and Trump, but, it can be done.

To be noted is the fact Johnson has recessed the USA House because the Republicans are facing a difficult re-election this year. So, Johnson is playing with politics with the salaries of the members of the House rather than conducting business.

Go, Democrats and Independents, Go!

The USA Senate and House need to redefine non-disclosure agreements.

The Trump - Epstein Nexus uses legitimate methods of the law for unlawful purposes.

We know from the testimony of women like Stormy Daniels Trump would use non-disclosure agreements to conduct illicit affairs. The agreement trapped, quite effectively, a woman in a sexual understanding that proved to be dangerous. Stormy Daniels was stalked and threatened by Trump's thugs. All this is a matter of testimony. 

Relationships between men and women should not be allowed to be a document. These legal instruments were intended to protect corporate research and scientific investigation that stockholders paid for and held trademarks and/or patents. 

Non-disclosure agreements are more or less a financial protection for governments and corporations with their employees. I also think the idea of 

pre-nuptial agreements need to be reviewed. 

Women are courted for their beauty, personality, or other traits that endear a man to them. That is legitimate. It is real. There is no document that can capture the dedication of a woman in a marriage. Marriages are important and sacred but to create a document that inhibits the best outcomes of both persons in that marriage is oppression. 

But, in the case of the Epstein criminal network, Epstein's value was in the company he kept and it wasn't the women. Epstein literally captured very important people in a trap he regarded as a pleasure when in fact it was prostitution of minors for the enjoyment of men. Massages or no massages the testimony is on record and it is obvious what Epstein did. The people, like Leon Black who benefited from Epstein's contacts didn't bother to look beyond the instrument that captured important people into Epstein's circle of influence. 

Black funded a pedophile. What was he doing with non-disclosure agreements with women? More intimidation and exploitation? I take it, it wasn't his wife.

(Click here)

...Black paid Epstein over $150 million during their yearslong relationship

Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. He stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to Epstein.

Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million during their yearslong relationship.

A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review said the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”
Black is among a number of influential figures to appear in the investigation into Epstein and the web of wealth and influence around him. Other figures to have appeared for the investigation include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Justice Department has released related to the Epstein investigation. He also appears in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein that were released by the House committee last year, including a poem attributed to Black that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”

Before the June 26 appearance before the committee, Black maintained that he was not aware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to his “unrivaled network of relationships” with influential figures.

Hey! New Jersey!

 (Click here)

Can Hegseth force all of them into retirement?

(Click here)

It speaks for itself.

 

There is a thing called caging.

In one of Texas Paul's other videos he talks about how the White House contacted him about his videos. Harassment. Political harassment is what it is called. Attempts to squelch the truth and enforce corruption.

(Click here)

It is called a treaty, understanding, friendship, alliance.

Now it is called, "Trump is trying to destroy Canada's sovereignty."
 

Where does the racketeering end?

Do these five bozos think they are above the law or simply the law?

Oh, wait. Trump has the pardon pen waiting.

The five Republican politicos sitting on the Supreme Court have erased every citizen supporting the historical history and value of the White House. The building already has a bunker. There is no reason for a bomb shelter to be built.

The Supreme Court walked all over the Rule of Law and the legislative branch. But, the legislature is hiding in plain sight hoping the Supremes will set the electorate straight. It is a shame what is happening in this country. The five Supremes completely ignored the facts and proceeded with building a bomb shelter big enough for all those that decided in this case.

August 31, 2026
By Rebecca Falconer

The Supreme Court on Monday (click here) permitted President Trump to proceed with plans to build the White House ballroom.

Why it matters: The 5-4 ruling is likely the final word on the project, which can now proceed with above-ground work after it was halted while the case played out in court.

Driving the news: The majority decision noted that the justices did "not pass upon the legality of the government's East Wing project."

They concluded only that, based on the submissions before the court, "the government is likely to prevail" in showing that the National Trust for Historic Preservation "lacks standing" to challenge the project in federal court "and that the remaining stay factors favor relief."

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented....

(click here)

Great job by Al Jazeera.

 They get it.

Thank you.

Voting

If any American plans to be away from home during voting this year, please secure your ballot before departing. There may be expenses but the money spent will serve our democracy.

Thank you. 

Trump is delusional and not a dictator. He has to play by the rules and doesn't.

The long standing and excellent Main Stream Media is under attack and it is completely unacceptable.

I have watched Kristen Welker from her earliest days in broadcasting. She is an excellent journalist. It is no surprise to me she is leading the profession at NBC and the White House. She is focused, compassionate, and precise. She is everything a first rate journalist with leadership capacity should be. The attack by the dictator-king-coward in the White House of Kristen Welker is all political and out of line with rules of journalism and the Rule of Law. 

The rule of interacting with a world class journalist is simple, they ask the questions and the interviewee answers to the best of one's ability. Because Trump lives in a world he creates for himself does not give him the right to complain. Not legally. 

This country has been through at least two decades of some of the most political nonsense at FOX News that has sought to destroy this democracy. Not only were women victimized by men at the top of the company, but, Murdoch Media has a long history of invasive practices that bring scandals to the public and not important facts that lead to informed decisions at the ballot box. A prime example of FOX's bizarre corporate culture is the hideous numbers of FOX employees currently serving in the Trump administration. It is easy to say Murdoch's media is seeking to take over the power structure of the USA for it's own ideology. There is no question about that understanding. It is obvious. The people serving Trump make a lot more money working at FOX than they do working in government. Their purposes are overtly questionable.

Realizing the level of racketeering existing with this administration along with the ideology of "Truth Social" the attacks on the Free Press of the Main Stream Media is an obvious attack on Freedom of Speech, the First Amendment including the free practice of any religion in the country, and the USA Constitution in general.  

The FCC is not in the position to begin a witch hunt to undermine the high quality of journalism in this country. There will be no attack on Kristen or an interruption in her broadcast. There is no declining FCC licensure to ANY media as it is a life blood to Americans and it will remain free and open. The FCC is way out of line and attacking world class journalism in the USA.

Trump's temper tantrums do not amount to any form of quality of governance. He is out of control and showing his temper as a person that enjoys confrontation over and above any form of civilized communication. If Trump insists on making an ass of himself on a daily basis it should do it in his free time and not the time he is serving in the White House. He should attempt to be a real president and not a faux copy of one.

Trump has obvious mental instability that is well documented openly by world class psychiatrists worried for the country. His influence as president to undermine this country's democratic government including free and open mailing services guaranteed by the USA Constitution amounts to some of the most hideous acts of any president in this country's history.

June 7, 2026

By NBC News

...KRISTEN WELKER: (click here)

Thank you so much for being here. We are going to talk about your visit, why you’re here in Wisconsin. But I’d like to start off by talking about the major issue that you are focused on every day which is Iran. Sunday will mark 100 days since the first strikes. Your secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said that the war had concluded. And yet, just this week, Iran attacked U.S. allies in the region, calling it retaliation for a set of U.S. air strikes. Is the United States at war with Iran?

PRES. DONALD TRUMP:

Well, they’ve been largely decapitated. And I call it a military exercise because people would rather have it called that. It’s not a big war for us. It’s not. We have the most powerful military in the world. I built it, frankly. I built it in my first four years. And I’m using it a little bit in my second four years. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. They might’ve built it up a little bit over the last four weeks during this little ceasefire that we did at the request of some very good people, very, very fine people from — actually from numerous places, as you know. You know, there are a lot of people involved. But from Pakistan in particular, the field marshal and the prime minister. And we’re very close to having a deal. And if we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it one way or the other. Either way, we win....

Climate information is vital to the military. This is endangering out soldiers.

A military doesn't have good outcomes when denial is the strategy.

It is one thing for MAGA to think that politics is more important than governance, but, it is not okay to remove protects for the military that is supposed to protect the people who pay their salaries.

Department of Defense

Climate Adaptation Plan (click here)

2024-2027

Forward written by Lloyd J. Austin, III 

And why would such plans be necessary?

October 24, 2025

Retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Vida Rivera (click here) knows heat can be as dangerous as any enemy.

Early in her military career, she collapsed from heat exhaustion while carrying a 65-pound pack on a sweltering hike in Quantico, Virginia. Years later in Afghanistan, Rivera drove a truck in temperatures nearing 120 degrees. But she was ready. She’d taken a mechanics course — twice — to make sure she could fix the truck’s air conditioning if it failed.

She knew extreme heat could incapacitate her Marines. “They need water and good temps like everybody,” she said.

Across the U.S. military, climate change isn’t a distant threat. It’s a daily challenge. The fallout from a warming planet has hit the military hard, sidelining more than 10,000 troops since 2018, flooding bases and undermining everything from runways to nuclear readiness.

Extreme weather is battering installations from Guam to North Carolina and fueling instability in regions overseas where American forces may be called to intervene....

The geography professor is the exact person that is best to teach the realities of the climate crisis. He was teaching facts for 17 years. West Point had no right to slink into the dark ages because of incompetence at the highest offices of the land.

27 August 2026

By Richard Luscombe

The only climate scientist teaching at West Point, (ciick here) the US army’s military academy, was fired after he resisted an order to stop teaching about the human causes of the climate emergency, a lawsuit claims.

Dr Adam Kalkstein, a civilian professor of geography at the New York institution, was terminated after the spring semester this year, six months after a testy meeting with Brig Gen Shane Reeves, then dean of West Point’s academic board, the court filing said.

According to Kalkstein, who taught army cadets there for 17 years, he told the dean at a November 2025 meeting that an order to cut from the curriculum content about the human causes of climate change was immoral and potentially illegal.

It “would be like trying to teach the law without being able to even mention the constitution”, he said....

Measles is a political issue? That is the problem, not that deaths are occurring and being reported.

Deaths from measles' exposure is at a 35 year high. This is not a political issue. This is a survival issue.

...In the first seven months of 2025, (click here) confirmed measles cases have reached 1,288— marking the most infections since 1992.

While weekly reported cases have slowed over the past few months, the CDC’s figure surpasses the high of 1,274 cases in 2019 and marks a grim milestone for the U.S. as immunization coverage wanes across the country and the federal government’s vaccine policy shifts under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr....

Now, RFK, Jr. is stating the Governor of Pennsylvania is lying about two deaths from measles exposure.

August 27, 2026
By Carman Paun 

...Shapiro then criticized Kennedy (click here) — a longtime vaccine skeptic — for his rhetoric around vaccines, which the governor said hasn’t helped stem the measles epidemic that has driven cases in the U.S. to a 35-year high. But Shapiro’s refusal to release further details about the deaths, citing patient privacy, has given Kennedy room to argue he is hiding something — or fabricating the deaths outright.

Vaccination advocates told POLITICO they’re worried Shapiro and Pennsylvania health officials’ secrecy has given Kennedy an opportunity to again cast the public health establishment as villains, just as he did during the pandemic, when he said officials were inflating the death toll by counting people who died of another disease but had also tested positive for Covid. The result has been a hardening of the positions dividing partisans in the fight over the latest infectious disease scourge....

I am so tired of naivety serving the devil in the White House.

The word of the day is VIRAL LOAD. The information below is about a treatment for Hepatis C. 

EPCLUSA (click here) (sofosbuvir 400 mg/velpatasvir 100 mg, 200 mg/50 mg tablets; 200 mg/50 mg, 150 mg/37.5 mg oral pellets) is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 3 years of age and older with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1-6 infection without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis....

In order for viruses to effectively cause disease, yet alone death, there first has to be a successful viral population in the body. When the virus is able to produce enough of itself using the pirated DNA of the victim to make someone sick it is due to viral load. Viral load is the number and density of virus in a person's body. There are many treatments these days that are dictated in GOOD PRACTICE by the viral load in a person., Hepatitis C is one of them.

Today we not only have a treatment for Hep C, but, we also have a VACCINE for Hep B a far more dangerous strain of the hepatitis virus.  Not long ago there was a rather large outbreak of Hepatitis A in Michigan. It is not as dangerous as Hep B or C, but, it complicates the medical picture for many vulnerable people.

A better illustration is the treatment now available for COVID-19 besides the vaccine. There were so many elderly patients succumbing to the virus, Pfizer the multinational pharmaceutical giant, researched to find a cure/treatment for people infected with the COVID-19 virus and exhibiting symptoms that were dangerous. The name of the pills are PAXLOVID (click here)

Paxlovid will cure, literally cure, the exposure to COVID-19 so long as the infection is caught in time to stem the viral load. If memory serves me the pills must START to be consumed within five days of exposure. The pills are very large. They are taken twice a day. There are three of the pills to take for each dose. The reason for all those restrictions on use is that the human body can only tolerate a certain amount of the medication compounds. If the viral load exceeds the amount the human body can tolerate it would require a higher dose that could result in poisoning the individual. So, in order to prevent harm and end the danger of viral exposure Pfizer found that the viral load established by the virus in five days could be controlled and defeated. Pfizer conducted very careful and quite a magnificent investigation to establish an AFTER EXPOSURE treatment and it works beautifully.

The case with any reporting of viral exposures will not be complete for every case. It is a matter of patient privacy. But, the state government in Pennsylvania is expected, by law and GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE, to report deaths of any disease, not just measles. I might add there are some states that do not cooperate with such reporting and that is unfortunate. Why Kennedy isn't going after states that do not report is anyone's guess. Probably campaign financing. Reporting means compliance. They probably aren't compliant.

But, to return to this issue surrounding viral infections and reporting deaths, the entire picture has to be told in order to understand the impact of disease and in this case the measles. If a vulnerable person, young and old especially, are exposed to a virus they are more susceptible to adverse effects of viral loads. The viral loads can be produced by more than one species of virus. Let's say an elderly person comes down with the flu. That is dangerous enough for their immune system to fight off, but, what if they are also exposed to measles along with the flu? There will be two virus species the body has to identify and produce immunity to fight the viral load. In this case it is a double viral load and not just one.

A person's body has just so much reserves to fight disease. The human body is incredible in fighting disease, but, it has a limit. In the case of fighting more than one species of virus, it is like the invading army of two separate enemy countries. If the battle is divided the resources are used up and the fight may not be successful. So, when a person succumbs to disease and in this case two separate virus it is paramount to know exactly what the viruses were and which one or both killed them.

The idea a Pennsylvania governor is lying about public health policy is bizarre. Governor Shapiro is known to care deeply about the people of Pennsylvania and that has proven out over and over. On the other hand, RFK, Jr. is as diabolical as Trump. They are not trustworthy and the only thing they care about is power. They don't care about people. 

If the dead succumbed to two species of virus both had to be reported and in the case of deaths in a hospital there is a record about the patient and treatment. A hospital death is considered above reproach and may not have to undergo autopsy. The hospital record stands on it's own and a death certificate is issued reflecting the facts of the hospital record. 

There is absolutely no reason to rehash any reported death. The deaths are reported by reputable people understanding the course of the disease that caused the death. RFK, Jr., no different than Hegseth or any of Trump's minions lie like rugs. They are crooked and racketeers and never should be given validity over and above reliable and trustworthy sources.

The accidents by qualified employees have always been part of this industry. Between the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico it has not improved. Then enter the issues in refineries and the cost to the planet at the pump and the deaths and injuries escalate. I don't know of any other industry given permission for such workplace danger. I am told, "It is the nature of the beast." Indeed.

Every year, (click here) numerous workers in the U.S. Oil and Gas Extraction (OGE) industry go to work, with too many paying the ultimate price. The dangers inherent in this industry cannot be overstated, as the statistics on oil rig deaths paint a grim picture of the reality faced by these workers.  Overall, deaths among those working in the OGE industry rose sharply from 2016 until 2019....

The truth is age protected of the petroleum industry on YouTube. Amazing.

Venezuela

I am not surprised the Venezuelan president wants to sell oil. The devastation to her country of the latest earthquakes brought on by the climate crisis and isostatic rebound needs a great deal of new investment.

Currently, the governing laws of Venezuela does not really encourage outside investment. The natural resources of Venezuela belong to the people. 

I am concerned about the exploitation of the Venezuelan people by Trump. He can't simply order up the country to allow American drilling companies access and expect things to go well. The oil companies are fully aware of trying to drill in countries with unrest and terrorists.

Some time ago when American oil companies moved into Nigeria will all sorts of reassurances, the people rebelled and attacked the drillers. The side effect was average citizens extracting oil themselves regardless of the poison exposure of their plans to their personal health.

That paradigm, by the way, is the method resulting in a two class system in an impoverished country. The people in power that provided reassurances to American companies then have to control the rebellious people and sends in the military to control the people. The people of Nigeria never had a power struggle before the American oil companies showed up. Their arrival causing all sorts of environmental damage to their local economies and food sources resulted in militias among the people to stop them. The militias wanted to kill the people doing the drilling.

The Trump administration is delusional. It comes from taking orders from a dictator-coward that does nothing but sit behind a desk overseeing the demolition of the White House lands and buildings, including the fact it is a museum. Paperwork is not the do all and end all to wonderful plans imagined by the dictator-coward. Nor is sending in the troops much of an answer. People, when acting in mass can defeat the inhuman plans handed down to American soldiers. That is a proven fact. No American soldier wants to be convicted of genocide or crimes against humanity. No presidential pardon gets them off the hook.

So, while Venezuela wants to have wells pumping crude out of the ground and spewing methane without containment and depositing  sulfur in every water in the region, that doesn't mean it can or will be done. Drilling is expensive. If doing so results in greater problems for the company rather than the status quo, it won't happen. 

And don't try to mask the subsidies petroleum companies receive in tax breaks and credits. The American people continue to support these companies and Trump has no right to say otherwise.

So, as to Venezuelan petroleum:

- is the oil being paid for by ` the oil companies to the Venezuelan people? How do Americans know the revenue to Venezuela will be used for the people? There are still terrorists in Venezuela. What percentage of the revenue and/or oil will be intercepted and used by terrorist networks still in Venezuela?

` what environmental laws will the companies use to drill? None? That in and of itself increases the carbon footprint for the people using it at a gas station.

` where is the oil going? Just because American companies will be drilling doesn't mean the petroleum product is destined for American refineries.

`there can be no violence against the Venezuelan people in this venture. None of the monies can be used to pay for the Maduros lawyers.

The Venezuelan president needs to hand any and all income to the Hague to establish a trust fund that will directly benefit the people of Venezuela and it's revitalization. The revenues must be handled properly and out of the reach of corruption that is known to exist with Trump.

Nigeria was not an isolated incident. Ask the people of Equator.