https://archive.ph/20260103213028/https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/maduro-capture-bets-trade-prediction-markets

Comments here missing the obvious: Thousands of military personnel were involved in this action. Closer you get to seeing boots on the move, more obvious the mission.

Never served, but I’d guess military scuttlebutt is tighter than gossip in a megacorp, yet, thousands involved.

Say you’re working the carrier flight line, you know what’s launching, who’s boarding what aircraft and the sorts of work those boys do.

“Huh. Boss talking shit, close in on Caracas, fighters launched with bombs, more with air defense measures, all headed south. Ain’t that a thing? And here come two teams of badasses outfitted for night work packing handcuffs*, riding them blacked-out Black Hawks, even left room for passengers! Wonder what’s going on tonight? Cover me? Gotta hit the head. <furious typing to move funds and login to Polymarket>”

Obviously pulling that out my ass, but you get the idea.

* My kinda gig!

How did Mamdani take NYC against a filthy-rich opponent (Cuomo) with literal billionaires and the national conservative machine standing against him?

AOC was a bartender and took her House seat, untouchable now.

Obama was a nobody from Illinois. People heard him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (me included!) and jumped onboard.

Clinton took the Presidency as an unheard-of governor of a hick state nobody cared about. And a Democrat in that state no less!

They all did it without big money, against wealthier opponents and won by talking to their people and listening. The formula works.

And like Pelosi, he received the most votes from the state of New York because, “That’s our guy!” We gotta fight these people where they live.

Mitch McConnell had the game down pat. He’d campaign like hell in Kentucky, be damned what the rest of the US thought of him. He’s shaken the hands of 10s of thousands of little old ladies who say, “That Mitch sure is a nice man!” (got that last bit from an article about how he worked his campaigns, not making it up)

Jesus, if lemmy only knew about Orrin Hatch or Robert Byrd (KKK member!). 🙄 Those dirtbags lasted for decade after decade after decade by appealing to their constituents, not the US as a whole.

Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill: “All politics is local.”

Side note, Mamdani has this game figured out! Except he went out and listened to his voters, of all sorts. Fascinating man to watch. No talking points shoe-horned in as replies, no sound bites, legitimate listening skills and answers. Bill Clinton was such a master. We will watch his career with great interest!

There’s a lot more going on here than hints. It’s a nicely layered comic, quite clever.

For real?! 😆

There’s probably some social commentary to be made about games being simpler, brighter, single-player and less hand-holdy, but “generation war!” this isn’t.

The whole game is darker, less cheerful, grimmer. The player is literally and figuratively more filled out and military. Pointing out the obvious because OP be like.

This was me in the 80s

“Oh very nice ‘Asian’ character! Bet you killed a ‘yellow’ dragon as well, while running from a red ‘commie’ dragon!”

everything_I_dont_like_is_racism.jpeg

Love to hear your take on the male cardinal turning into a raven. Bet you can jam a racial take into that as well.

When your capital city of 10,000,000 souls runs out of water…

Vultures go after animals that are already dead. This would be like the vultures pointing the eagles (heh) to sickly targets.

I’m prepared to die in a hail of gunfire before ICE takes my wife. Not a macho thing, I’ve thought on this more than any man in a rational society should have to, but that’s where I’ve decided to draw the line. But ICE isn’t here yet. Shall I go to another state and hunt them?

Already picked a verbal fight with my MAGA neighbor. Pussy called the cops because I hurt his feelings. Should I go shoot him?

(Reading this over, good thing I didn’t ask ChatGPT. 😁)

I’m far more heavily armed than most. I could outfit my entire block, though they’re already armed; young, old, liberal, MAGA. Yes, even the little old black lady across the street.

What the fuck do you want me to do? I’m sick of these smartass posts. Give me fucking instructions and be clear or STFU.

Fuck me. Saw what looked like an ICE thing in Alabama today, put my Colt .45 under my leg while trying to get my immigrant wife the hell back to Florida. There’s a 12-gauge pump leaning on my desk 24x7 and the AR-15 leans on my nightstand. Being that there’s no ICE around here, want me to hunt some down a couple of states away? Be clear in your instructions.

I now lock my doors, have a gun in reach everywhere I go and live in fear. And you assholes, “LOL! Where my 2A boys at?”

I have 3 boxes I bought for the boxes. :)

Manuel Noriega would have a thing to say. At least Noriega was a legit narco boss.

Afraid we’re too far gone, Biden blew our last chance at holding these people accountable. At this point it’s going to take internal economic collapse and likely external war to end this.

Not being cynical! But that’s my take from modern history.

Not even 1/4th, and that’s counting the stupid, ignorant and disconnected. 77M of 342M voted for him.

And even among MAGA, money says I could hammer on my fascist neighbor’s door and ask him why the fuck Trump kidnapped the President of Venezuela and he wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about.

I could see that, but let’s not attribute this to Trump. His dementia has him checked out most days. This is down to his handlers whispering in his ear.

My exact feeling seeing the news while we ate lunch. Gut dropped.

This shit isn’t his original idea. Without the Project 2025 gang whispering in his ear, none of this would have occurred to him.

Bees fly around carrying the “sperm” of one plant to another.

Honey can’t spoil. The ridiculous amount of sugar sucks the water out of anything trying to grow. Can’t evolve your way out of “zero water”. :)