Althouse: "As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually, and other things are happening. It was seized for a very good reason."

December 10, 2025

"As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually, and other things are happening. It was seized for a very good reason."

Said President Trump.

Quoted in "U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Trump Says/The seizure comes as the United States builds up its forces in the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela" (NYT).

101 comments:

Achilles said...: This will test the America First crowd.

One of my criticisms about our War for Oil in Iraq is we didn't take any oil to pay for it.

Bush just took us there and had us die so his cronies could get rich and Obama could humiliate and kill us.

Now we see if Trump is different.; 12/10/25, 6:02 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: So he was selling oil to Iran? Or helping Iran sell oil? Anyway, none of our business. I guess this will help Trump with the Neo-cons and knuckle dragging "we showed them" "woo hoo 'murcia!" crowd.

In other news, the house passed a 3000 page NDAA, which no one has read, and contains a lot of Democat/RINO legislation and nothing Trump wanted. Oh well.; 12/10/25, 6:10 PM
Dave Begley said...: I trust Trump.; 12/10/25, 6:13 PM
Gospace said...: So does the Gang of Six approve? Have they consulted they're JAGs who declare everything illegal if ordered by Trump?; 12/10/25, 6:13 PM
gspencer said...: "A large tanker. Very large. So large it's considered huuuge!"; 12/10/25, 6:19 PM
bagoh20 said...: Look at me. I'm the captain now.; 12/10/25, 6:20 PM
bagoh20 said...: P. Diddy called "first dibs".; 12/10/25, 6:22 PM
john mosby said...: Ocean: “ woo hoo 'murcia!”

I’ve been part of the Woo Hoo Mercia crowd since I watched Vikings on the History Channel. CC, JSM; 12/10/25, 6:23 PM
WK said...: I wonder what was the size of the smallest tanker ever seized?; 12/10/25, 6:30 PM
tcrosse said...: A large tanker, the size of a very large tanker. Well, somebody had to say it.; 12/10/25, 6:30 PM
Political Junkie said...: Was it carrying drugs or oil?; 12/10/25, 6:33 PM
bagoh20 said...: Hash oil.; 12/10/25, 6:39 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/10/25, 6:58 PM
Hassayamper said...: I’ve been part of the Woo Hoo Mercia crowd since I watched Vikings on the History Channel. CC, JSM

Tolkien based the Riders of Rohan on the Mercians, who were skilled horsemen. The famous Uffington White Horse carved into a chalk hillside in their ancient kingdom may have inspired the white horse on a green flag that was the banner of Rohan. Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was the only true ruling queen of the Dark Ages, and has obvious parallels with Eowyn.; 12/10/25, 7:02 PM
narciso said...: Dont encourage them; 12/10/25, 7:06 PM
jim5301 said...: What better than a war with Venezuela to distract from the Epstein fraud. I do remember during his campaign that he promised more foreign entanglements. So MAGA I’m sure is happy to no end.; 12/10/25, 7:09 PM
Quaestor said...: "Was it carrying drugs or oil?"

An ill-considered question. It could easily be both. Tankers often carry mixed cargoes. However, the vessel's ownership is probably far a more germane subject. If the ship can be connected to Tren de Aragua, that alone can be legitimate grounds for the seizure.; 12/10/25, 7:11 PM
victoria said...: What's the reason? Saying its a very good reason is not good enough; 12/10/25, 7:15 PM
Kakistocracy said...: “As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,”

I love it when Trump self parodies.

I wonder why he's so obsessed about size... Stormy Daniels must've done a number on his confidence.; 12/10/25, 7:15 PM
Inga said...: “I trust Trump.”

In God We Trust; 12/10/25, 7:16 PM
narciso said...: More like cartel del sol which runs the whole show; 12/10/25, 7:16 PM
Jim at said...: I knew it would be too much to expect our resident leftists to refrain from running their mouths until we had more information.; 12/10/25, 7:18 PM
Quaestor said...: Obviously, jim5301 hasn't checked his email in weeks. The word went out from DNC Propaganda Central early last month: Drop the Epstein meme!! It's killing us!; 12/10/25, 7:19 PM
Kakistocracy said...: It's not a "campaign against drugs trade", otherwise he wouldn't be releasing major drug traffickers, would he?

I need to double check the definition of piracy…

I thought he was going to steal the oil in the ground!

This is much easier.; 12/10/25, 7:20 PM
narciso said...: Clearly he needs to clear the cache; 12/10/25, 7:20 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Will the US be seizing any of the tankers smuggling oil out of Russia?; 12/10/25, 7:22 PM
Quaestor said...: "Saying its a very good reason is not good enough."

But too good for the likes of you, victoria.

You simpletons always fall for Trump's simple traps every fucking time. You're all like a gaggle of mice -- you must have a nibble of that free cheese, even though the stink of your dead surrounds the tempting morsel.; 12/10/25, 7:24 PM
Aggie said...: The tanker was loaded with Merey crude. This is a blended crude that uses heavy Orinco crude (very heavy, asphaltic, thick) and blends it with a lighter condensate crude that is shipped in from Iran for that purpose. The resultant Merey crude, which is then shipped back to Iran, can be refined there to produce gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, other consumer and industrial products.

Merey crude is sanctioned because of the Iranian component. Hence, the ship turns off its AIS beacon and runs 'dark', spoofing its position artificially, showing it as 'somewhere else' to fool those interested. US has satellites, so we can see where it actually is, instead of relying on beacons.

I guess the ship was on its way to Iran. It would return with another load of Iranian condensate to blend. PDVSA's refining infrastructure has degraded from lack of investment for years, and much of the infrastructure sits idle, out of service. They won't ever recover. Pipelines that have been unused because of declining wells will never be used again - they're sedimented up. Similarly, there will be many wells to abandon. They may have huge reserves, but it's a heavy crude that doesn't yield much of what is required from petroleum feedstocks. SO, stuck with heavy crude and deteriorating refineries, they're stuck with importing expensive condensate to thin out their crude so they can at least try to market it.

Between the drugs boats and the illegal crude, Trump is choking off cash flow. Venezuela's clients are rogue states who are themselves struggling with cash flow.; 12/10/25, 7:25 PM
Aggie said...: "...What better than a war with Venezuela to distract from the Epstein fraud...."

But many of the documents have been released, and now the Grand Jury documents will be released, too. Why not give us your rundown on what you've found, so far? Anything juicy? You've looked, right? Right?; 12/10/25, 7:29 PM
Inga said...: Where was that oil in that tanker going? China? India? What will such actions do to the price of oil? What repercussions can be expected? Or does everyone here “trust Trump” implicitly ?; 12/10/25, 7:30 PM
TeaBagHag said...: Dementia ridden pedophile says what?; 12/10/25, 7:32 PM
narciso said...: Dem Sen. Mark Warner Asks Why Trump and Hegseth Blow Up Narco Boats But Seize Venezuelan Oil Tankers – Twitchy https://share.google/sAmAClzdO666NvB8g; 12/10/25, 7:34 PM
Quaestor said...: "Dementia ridden pedophile says what?"

Joe Biden has said nothing lately, Teabag.; 12/10/25, 7:35 PM
Quaestor said...: Obviously, Mark Warner cares nothing for the environment.; 12/10/25, 7:37 PM
TeaBagHag said...: Good boy, Questor.
This is a quote from the current President and regarding his dementia. Try and keep up.; 12/10/25, 7:39 PM
FormerLawClerk said...: Where was that oil in that tanker going? China? India? What will such actions do to the price of oil? What repercussions can be expected? Or does everyone here “trust Trump” implicitly?

It doesn't matter where it was going. We stole it.

The price of gasoline in the United States is at a 4-year-low and US production is at a 4-year high.

The repercussions should be obvious: Narco-terrorist states won't be allowed to use the high seas. Probably not a good idea to base your economy on the imports of narco-terrorist states. I certainly hope that Mexico is paying attention, since they are the 2nd largest narco-terrorist state and are only not being invaded because they have a Jew President.

Nobody here trusts Trump. We would rather he have blown the oil tanker out of the water. That's what we voted for. Not this pussy shit.; 12/10/25, 7:40 PM
Inga said...: “Nobody here trusts Trump.”

Dave Begley said...
I trust Trump.

12/10/25, 6:13 PM

I’d laugh, but…; 12/10/25, 7:47 PM
Aggie said...: "...The official said the ship had been previously linked to the smuggling of Iranian oil — a global black market that the Justice Department has been investigating for years. The vessel was sailing under the flag of another Latin American nation in which it was not registered, the official said, and its ultimate destination was Asia....."

What do you call a ship that turns off its AIS beacon, the primary protection for avoidance of marine collisions between heavy vessels, and a ship that flies the flag of another country, in which it is not registered? Do you call that a 'pirate' ship? Do you call that 'illegally operating'?; 12/10/25, 7:47 PM
Ambrose said...: "Largest one ever seized, actually." You just know some junior fact checkers at ABC, NBC, CNN, etc. have been tasked with working all night to disprove this. I am looking forward to Anderson Cooper piously telling his viewers - "largest by gross tons maybe, but actually not by length" or some such.; 12/10/25, 7:50 PM
bagoh20 said...: Another daily episode of Dems going off half-assed and full throated about something they know little about, assume a wide variety of negative bullshit, only to be made into fools when the facts come out which results in crickets. I'm especially fond of the crickets phase.
Hey, what about those Epstein files?; 12/10/25, 7:54 PM
bagoh20 said...: The same people who always call for sanctions to avoid action will now criticize enforcing those sanctions.; 12/10/25, 7:57 PM
Achilles said...: Aggie said...

Merey crude is sanctioned because of the Iranian component. Hence, the ship turns off its AIS beacon and runs 'dark', spoofing its position artificially, showing it as 'somewhere else' to fool those interested. US has satellites, so we can see where it actually is, instead of relying on beacons.

If they aren't following international maritime laws then they can't claim to be protected by them either.; 12/10/25, 7:59 PM
Kakistocracy said...: "Drop the Epstein meme!! It's killing us!"

Trump has always been concerned that someone who was Epstein's wingman (or vice versa) for years, someone who said Epstein was "a terrific guy," someone of whom Epstein said he was his "closest friend for 10 years," would be held guilty by association.; 12/10/25, 8:00 PM
Peachy said...: Bagoh @7:54
heh. so true.; 12/10/25, 8:01 PM
Achilles said...: jim5301 said...

Damn even the other retards aren't dumb enough to go there.; 12/10/25, 8:01 PM
john mosby said...: Ambrose: "I am looking forward to Anderson Cooper piously telling his viewers - "largest by gross tons maybe, but actually not by length" "

Not the first time Anderson's said that, I'm sure. CC, JSM; 12/10/25, 8:02 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...

Will the US be seizing any of the tankers smuggling oil out of Russia?

Is Russia shipping drugs and guns and foreign soldiers into the United States?; 12/10/25, 8:03 PM
Paul said...: All I can say is... Just one tanker??? Need to get all of Venezuela's tankers.. Impound them all!!; 12/10/25, 8:03 PM
Peachy said...: Kak- Epstein was texting a democrat at a hearing about Trump. Epstein hated Trump. Despite your face BD card that keeps changing.
Hakeem Jeffries(D) begged Epstein for money. Bill Clinton invited Epstein to the white house. Maxwell and Epstein were at Chelsea Clinton's wedding. and on and on.; 12/10/25, 8:04 PM
Peachy said...: LOL - leftists still buy Jussie Smolette.; 12/10/25, 8:06 PM
Sweetie said...: Could an oil tanker be converted into a hotel? Asking for a friend.; 12/10/25, 8:15 PM
Aggie said...: @Inga: ..."Where was that oil in that tanker going? China? India? What will such actions do to the price of oil? What repercussions can be expected?."

The article said 'Asia'. After the US, China is typically their biggest customer, or at least this used to be the case, before Maduro and sanctions. The price of legally traded oil probably isn't going to change on the basis of one tanker load of sanctioned, illegal crude being removed from the black market.

Black markets aren't included in the forecasting operations of legitimate ones, and the volume of this tanker could be considered but a drop in the daily worldwide pond of hydrocarbon consumption.; 12/10/25, 9:06 PM
Gospace said...: Kakistocracy said...
Will the US be seizing any of the tankers smuggling oil out of Russia?

Seems the Ukrainians are sinking them with their sea drones.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/ukraine-war-briefing-kyivs-sbu-cripples-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-black-sea

narciso said...
Dem Sen. Mark Warner Asks Why Trump and Hegseth Blow Up Narco Boats But Seize Venezuelan Oil Tankers – Twitchy

A small boatload of dugs is a lot less damaging to the environment then a full tanker. Plus- the crude can be used, eventually, after the legalities are settled. Which may or may not be huge. May require convening a prize court...

Aggie said...
..What do you call a ship that turns off its AIS beacon, the primary protection for avoidance of marine collisions between heavy vessels, and a ship that flies the flag of another country, in which it is not registered? ..."

The legal term for the flag part is stateless vessel- which can be stopped and searched by ANY nation's navy or coast guard. And if found to be smuggling, or carrying banned items, or engaged in piracy, can be seized.

"Sweetie said...
Could an oil tanker be converted into a hotel?"
No. Not a profitable one in any event.; 12/10/25, 9:10 PM
JIM said...: If Dennis Hopper isn't the Captain of the oil tanker I guess we're safe from WaterWorld for now.; 12/10/25, 9:24 PM
buwaya said...: Looks like the Ukrainians got another shadow fleet tanker off West Africa a couple of weeks ago. That was sabotage not a drone.; 12/10/25, 9:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Just before Costco closed, I pumped gas at $ two forty something. I remember thinking it hadn't been this low is a while.; 12/10/25, 9:49 PM
Aggie said...: Costco is $2.27 here.; 12/10/25, 10:02 PM
Quaestor said...: "This is a quote from the current President and regarding his dementia. Try and keep up."

Without citation from an unimpeachable source, it's just another Teabaghag lie.; 12/10/25, 10:13 PM
Greg The Class Traitor said...: Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela" (NYT).

He's not the leader, he's merely the dictatorial ruler.

Surely the writers of the NYT aren't so stupid as to not know the difference?; 12/10/25, 10:17 PM
Quaestor said...: Italics off; 12/10/25, 10:17 PM
TeaBagHag said...: "As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually, and other things are happening. It was seized for a very good reason."
Said President Trump.

It’s at the top of the page. Reading for MAGAts is tough.; 12/10/25, 11:11 PM
Earnest Prole said...: I guess we’re all neocons now.; 12/11/25, 12:16 AM
Quaestor said...: And Teabaghag's citation does not contain any mention of dementia nor paedophilia.

It is not surprising that demented old Teabaghag, pervert that she is and always has been, sees dementia wherever see looks, especially in the mirror.; 12/11/25, 12:27 AM
D.D. Driver said...: Is Russia shipping drugs and guns and foreign soldiers into the United States?

Yes. Well, at least there is as much evidence that Russia is smuggling drugs into the US as there is that Venezuela is.; 12/11/25, 1:38 AM
D.D. Driver said...: But, I'm not forced to believed utter bullshit just because Trump told me its true.; 12/11/25, 1:39 AM
Grundoon said...: I asked Grok to look for the owner. With the caution to my reader that Grok only knows what writers of articles know, here is the result. It involves a Ukranian businessman, smuggling, Hezbollah, and a false flag.

"The oil tanker recently seized by the U.S. off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, 2025, is named The Skipper (previously known as Adisa and The Toyo).
It is registered to Triton Navigation, a corporation based in the Marshall Islands, and is part of a network of vessels controlled by sanctioned Ukrainian businessman Viktor Sergiyovich Artemov (sometimes referred to in reports as Russian, though Treasury Department records confirm Ukrainian nationality). Artemov oversees a broader smuggling network involving multiple tankers used for transporting sanctioned Iranian and Venezuelan oil, with at least 11 vessels blacklisted by the U.S. in 2022 for links to funding groups like the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah. The tanker was managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures LTD and was falsely flying a Guyanese flag at the time of seizure."; 12/11/25, 3:47 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Never dull around here.; 12/11/25, 5:16 AM
gadfly said...: Venezuela is an original member of OPEC and, as such, has always done business with Russia and China. So the US of A has never prevented the South Americans from selling all of its oil. Hell's Bells, in 2023, we purchased and imported Venezuelan oil into the U.S.

Now the Donald is likely pissing off the Arabs, his primary sources of personal financial gains.; 12/11/25, 5:17 AM
Ronald J. Ward said...: Do many of the regulars here see a grift on top of a grift pattern here?

Of course you don’t.; 12/11/25, 5:57 AM
Heartless Aztec said...: If it's smuggling oil, it's smuggling drugs. You can stash a lot of that sort of thing in an oil tanker.; 12/11/25, 6:44 AM
narciso said...: Hes a ukrainian who lives in switzerland; 12/11/25, 7:29 AM
Jersey Fled said...: From the NYT:

“ A federal judge issued a seizure warrant roughly two weeks ago because of the ship’s past activities smuggling Iranian oil.”; 12/11/25, 7:40 AM
stlcdr said...: Hassayamper said...
I’ve been part of the Woo Hoo Mercia crowd since I watched Vikings on the History Channel. CC, JSM

Tolkien based the Riders of Rohan on the Mercians, who were skilled horsemen. The famous Uffington White Horse carved into a chalk hillside in their ancient kingdom may have inspired the white horse on a green flag that was the banner of Rohan. Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was the only true ruling queen of the Dark Ages, and has obvious parallels with Eowyn.

12/10/25, 7:02 PM

I used to live very close to the, what we called, White Horse Hill. Back then, you could stand in the eye, turn around 3 times, for good luck.

It was a great place to picnic and fly kites.; 12/11/25, 7:42 AM
Quaestor said...: Besides crew quarters, many tankers have staterooms and even suites reserved for company executives, auditors, or contractors. Enough fentanyl to keep America's addicts catatonic for a year could be transported in one of of those staterooms.; 12/11/25, 7:42 AM
mikee said...: George W Bush had the opportunity to see Chavez removed due to an apparently internal coup that needed only US approval and political support - and he failed to provide that nudge towards sanity for Venezuela. I have never understood why he failed there. Thank goodness he did so well in calming the US after 9/11, otherwise millions upon millions of muslims would have died in retribution. Can't be right all the time, I guess. And now we need to clean up our neighborhood to the south, lest it become another Chinese satrapy. Reagan had to do that in Central America in the 1980s to prevent Russian (well, ok, Soviet) expansion into our hemisphere (beyond Cuba). So now Trump repeats history, although as has been said before, this time it repeats as more like a farce.; 12/11/25, 7:43 AM
narciso said...: Well the officer in charge (who graduated at the bottom of hid vlass in the soa) let chavez make a phone call, rookie mistake; 12/11/25, 7:47 AM
Quaestor said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/11/25, 7:48 AM
Jersey Fled said...: The only thing that surprises me so far is they apparently seized the ship without a fight. That implies more than a helicopter and a few Marines were involved.; 12/11/25, 7:50 AM
narciso said...: Yes they will have a hezbollah crew on board next time; 12/11/25, 7:55 AM
Quaestor said...: "A federal judge issued a seizure warrant roughly two weeks ago because of the ship’s past activities smuggling Iranian oil."

The usual suspects nibbled the offered cheese and got tapped just as I predicted hours ago. It is so hilarious, and they are so pathetic.; 12/11/25, 7:55 AM
mikee said...: Jersey, when the Blackhawk flies in front of your bridge and you see the heavily armed Marines roping down to the deck, any fight is already over. The ship's crew had only to choose surrender and live, or fight and die, at that point. They chose... wisely.; 12/11/25, 7:56 AM
Quaestor said...: Going off half-cocked is something gadfly can only aspire to; he hasn't yet figured out priming the pan.; 12/11/25, 8:01 AM
Kirk Parker said...: mikee,

At that point, with the helicopter stationary above your deck, wouldn't a single RPG have a good chance of taking care of the problem?; 12/11/25, 8:06 AM
Achilles said...: D.D. Driver said...

Is Russia shipping drugs and guns and foreign soldiers into the United States?

Yes. Well, at least there is as much evidence that Russia is smuggling drugs into the US as there is that Venezuela is.

And I thought Chuck was a retard.; 12/11/25, 8:12 AM
Quaestor said...: According to sources dating back to the Biden administration, Viktor Sergiyovich Artemov has been in the petroleum smuggling business for years. He owns a fleet of tankers engaged in trafficking sanctioned crude, as many as eleven vessels.; 12/11/25, 8:15 AM
Quaestor said...: "And I thought Chuck was a retard."

Trump made no mention of drugs, just "a very good reason." It was simpletons like D.D.D. and Kak who jumped on the drugs bandwagon.

The master baits his trap, and the morons nibble the cheese.; 12/11/25, 8:23 AM
Quaestor said...: Some interesting Treasury Department info on Mr. Artemov.

I think I see why the Biden Administration never took any action against his smuggling empire.; 12/11/25, 8:27 AM
Quaestor said...: "Now the Donald is likely pissing off the Arabs..."

Gadfly's ignorance never fails to astonish me.; 12/11/25, 8:36 AM
Jersey Fled said...: “ They chose... wisely.”

Next stop - GITMO? I hear the food’s good there.; 12/11/25, 8:51 AM
Scott Gustafson said...: Just for reference, a VLCC carries about 2 million barrels of crude. If it is the Merey blend, it goes for about $51 a barrel making the cargo worth about $100 million.; 12/11/25, 9:15 AM
FredSays said...: The tanker was headed to Cuba which heavily depends on Venezuelan oil and is used in payment for its heavy support of the Venezuelan government. It’s part of a message to China, which has considerable investment in Venezuela and Cuba, that two can play the spheres of influence game if Taiwan is attacked.; 12/11/25, 10:36 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: "Now the Donald is likely pissing off the Arabs..."

“Gadfly's ignorance never fails to astonish me.”

Palestinians, maybe. Gulf Arabs, the ones selling a lot of the oil in the world, would naturally ($$$) be on the side of the angels here (ours, of course).; 12/11/25, 11:05 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “At that point, with the helicopter stationary above your deck, wouldn't a single RPG have a good chance of taking care of the problem?”

Then what? The Blackhawk isn’t really alone out there. It’s likely part of a Marine expeditionary unit floating around out there, with its own F-35s and helicopter gunships. And it is, I believe, backed up by a Carrier Strike Group, recently brought over from the Mediterranean, with its own F-35s, plus F/A-18s, with enough missiles on its support ships to sink any other Navy in the world.; 12/11/25, 11:16 AM
john mosby said...: Gad: “ Now the Donald is likely pissing off the Arabs, his primary sources of personal financial gains.”

Wouldn’t that mean that he really is NOT in office for his own enrichment? CC, JSM; 12/11/25, 11:23 AM
Skeptical Voter said...: Piracy anyone?; 12/11/25, 11:28 AM
Michael McNeil said...: Mercia and the Mercians (the Anglo-Saxon kingdom occupying what's now central England (north of the Thames, south of the Humber) during the early middle ages) was not known for great horsemen. Yes, horses—e.g., white horses, as picked up by Tolkien—were an elite symbol; the king, nobles, and (some) troops would sometimes ride mounted up to a battle—but then they (the medieval “fyrd” or levy) fought on foot.

The later medieval ideal of the mail-clad lance-wielding heavy-cavalry mounted knight—which in turn inspired Tolkien's Rohirrim—did not really take root in England until the Norman conquest, deriving not from traditional Anglo-Saxon and Germanic infantry, but (more than a millennium prior) from elite nomadic warriors such as Sarmatians (successors to the Scythians)—to be followed by e.g. the Goths—who were armored and armed much like the troops pictured 1,000 years later in the Bayeux Tapestry picturing William the Conqueror's Norman knights.

The late medieval conversion of mail armor into plate, however, was the result of (later) English infantrymen—in the form of longbowmen. The English longbow (stolen from the Welsh) could penetrate mail, as well as being deadly over (250 meter) distances never hitherto thought dangerous in the history of warfare.; 12/11/25, 11:38 AM
john mosby said...: Yes, bring back letters of marque and reprisal. And the Boston Rag. CC, JSM; 12/11/25, 11:38 AM
PM said...: I like the way Trump thinks; it's the way he talks that loses me.; 12/11/25, 12:06 PM
Craig Mc said...: I always get a giggle out of Trumpian superlatives.; 12/11/25, 3:38 PM
Leland said...: The funny part of this: the vessel was deemed to be conducting illegal operations by the US government in 2022. It is a stateless vessel flying the false flag of Guyana when it is not registered in any state.

Tell us again how sanction works when you don’t enforce them? Oh yeah this is Iran, the same country Biden gave billions.; 12/11/25, 5:16 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Bruce,

"Then what?"

For sure, if you are crewed by what are essentially mercenaries, and absolutely they wouldn't go there.

But if you had some Islamists guarding the vessel? All bets are off.; 12/11/25, 5:59 PM