From: recscuba_google@huntzinger.com   
      
   On 1/11/26 07:57, CrudeSausage wrote:   
   > ...   
   >   
   > As it relates to Greenland, I see no issue with Trump wanting to buy the   
   > land since that's what they did with Alaska and Louisiana anyway.   
      
   A sale requires having two willing parties.   
      
   In the case of Louisiana, Napoleon in France was racking up huge war   
   expenses and needed cash for their ambition to conquer all of Europe.   
   Initially, the US was looking to buy basically just New Orleans but   
   France offered a lot more at a great price.   
      
   For Alaska, Russia saw it as a harsh backwater that lacked resources   
   that wasn't making any money, plus risks of military costs (hard to   
   defend; not worth defending economically; potential local domestic   
   population issues), so they were happy (at the time) to find a buyer.   
      
      
   > As far as I know, Greenland is completely dependent on Denmark and I   
   > can imagine why the country would be willing to rid itself of the land.   
      
   Doesn't really matter, because Denmark has said "Not For Sale".   
      
      
   > As for   
   > Venezuela, I have no sympathy for Maduro and his cronies. Trump didn't   
   > declare a war, he merely used his powers to get rid of a regime that was   
   > definitely causing issues for Americans through the importation of drugs.   
      
   Questionable legality, though.  And the "machine gun" charge is a joke.   
      
      
   > Additionally, it was selling oil at a significant loss and doing so was   
   > only benefiting the Communist cronies themselves, not the Venezuelan   
   > people.   
      
   It wasn't really any different when Stadard Oil was the one doing it.   
      
      
   > Considering how Venezuelans themselves unanimously celebrated   
   > Trump's action, I see no reason to denounce Trump at all. A full scale war   
   > would have been another matter, especially since the administration would   
   > have needed Congress to agree. However, we all know that the Democrats   
   > would have gladly taken the side of any murderous tyrant rather than   
   > Trump, so this was the only action he could take.   
      
   Time will tell, particularly the part where this action has destabilized   
   Taiwan and our geopolitical & fiscal interests there.   
      
   -hh   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)