I finally bit the bullet and I'm giving Linux a second try, installed with dual boot a few days ago and making Linux Mint my default from now on.

There are a lot of guides and tips about the before and during the transition but not for after, so I was hoping to find some here.

Some example questions but I would like to hear any other things that come to mind:

I read that with Mint if you have a decent computer you don't need to do a swap partition? So I skipped that, but I'm not sure if I'd want to modify that swap file to make it bigger, is that just for giving extra ram if my hardware one is full? Because I have 48GB of ram and if I look into my System Monitor it says Swap is not available.

Was looking at this other post, and the article shared (about Linux security) seems so daunting, it's a lot. How much of it do I have to learn as a casual user that's not interested in meddling with the system much? Is the default firewall good enough to protect me from my own self to at least some degree? I was fine with just Windows Defender and not being too stupid about what I download and what links I click.

I was also reading about how where you install your programs or save your data matters, like in particular partitions or folders, is that just like hardcore min-maxing that's unnecessary for the average user that doesn't care to wait half a second extra or is it actually relevant? I'm just putting stuff in my Home folder.

Connected to the last two points: in that Linux Hardening Guide lemmy post I shared the TL;DR includes "Move as much activity outside the core maximum privilege OS as possible"... how do I do that? is that why people have separate partitions?

Downloaded the App Center (Snap Store) and I was surprised there was even a file saying to not allow it... why is that? Is it not recommended? Is it better to download stuff directly from their websites instead?

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/39791607

from +972’s Sunday Recap
+972Magazine [published in Israel]
Nov. 30, 2025

Gazan analyst Muhammad Shehada examines how Israel is using the ‘Yellow Line’ to re-engineer its control over the Strip even after the ceasefire. [Podcast]

Also:
* Why the death penalty would cement the Israeli radical right’s ascendancy
* At settlers’ bidding, Israel arrests prominent Palestinian activist
* Israel is set to destroy our guesthouse. But Masafer Yatta still welcomes all who resist
* AI-powered surveillance firms are gunning for a share of the Gaza spoils

Peter Link

2025-12-03 01:45:10

Israel emptied half of Gaza: What’s next?

from +972’s Sunday Recap
+972Magazine [published in Israel]
Nov. 30, 2025

Gazan analyst Muhammad Shehada examines how Israel is using the ‘Yellow Line’ to re-engineer its control over the Strip even after the ceasefire. [Podcast]

Also:
* Why the death penalty would cement the Israeli radical right’s ascendancy
* At settlers’ bidding, Israel arrests prominent Palestinian activist
* Israel is set to destroy our guesthouse. But Masafer Yatta still welcomes all who resist
* AI-powered surveillance firms are gunning for a share of the Gaza spoils

https://www.972mag.com/wp-content/themes/rgb/newsletter.php?page_id=8&section_id=188727

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Saturday that nearly two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza has passed 70,000 as the Israel Defense Forces have continued to claim they are targeting only Hamas fighters—while killing civilians including two children who were gathering firewood for their father on Saturday.

Fadi Abu Assi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, eight, were close to a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Beni Suhaila in southern Gaza when the IDF fired a drone in the area, killing both boys.

"They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their father so he can start a fire," the boys' uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, told Sky News.

Breaking the Silence, an IDF veterans' group whose members speak out against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, condemned the military for a statement it released on the killing, which the group said amounted to "a pile of words meant only to keep justifying endless killing under insane and ruthless rules of engagement."

The IDF told Sky News that troops had "identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line," the point to which the IDF withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal in October.

The military said the two boys had "conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them."

The IDF claimed it identified the eight- and 11-year-old boys and "eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

Despite the ceasefire, said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, "the Israeli military is still killing children."

— (@)

Drop Site News condemned the New York Times' coverage of the boys' killing, with the newspaper writing in a headline that "Gazans say" Fadi and Goma Abu Assi were killed by Israeli forces.

"The boys’ bodies, their ages, and their identities are fully documented—including videos of their lifeless shrouds and their wheelchair-bound father weeping over them—backed by eyewitness accounts and hospital confirmation," said Drop Site.

⭕️ Israeli Troops Murder Two Gaza Boys, 11 and 8, as They Collected Firewood for Their Wheelchair-Bound Father — IDF Says “Suspects” were “Posing an Immediate Threat.”

Two Palestinian brothers — Fadi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, 8 — were killed by an Israeli drone strike near a… t.co/VKCHVKnIaa pic.twitter.com/vNeIoapKjk
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 29, 2025

The Times also reduced "the 350+ Palestinians killed since the October 10 ceasefire to 'persistent violence,'" said the outlet.

The health ministry, whose statistics the World Health Organization and other international agencies have long viewed as credible, said 356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the first phase of the truce began.

The Times' framing, said Drop Site, "hides the truth that the violence is one-directional, systematic, and directed at civilians who pose no threat to Israelis."

On Sunday, the outlet reported that the IDF was "boasting about breaking the ceasefire" as it announced troops had killed four Palestinian fighters as they emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah.

"It remains unclear whether today’s casualties were fighters or civilians or children," said Drop Site.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera Sunday that the group is searching for the two remaining bodies of deceased Israeli captives, to be returned to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire deal, and accused Israeli officials of "using these bodies as a pretext to delay movement to the second phase of the ceasefire."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remained defiant on Monday as US President Donald Trump plotted "next steps" against the South American nation with top national security brass.

Before thousands of Venezuelans at a rally in Caracas, the nation’s embattled president said he would not accept peace on US terms unless it came “with sovereignty, equality, and freedom.”

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The speech came days after Trump announced that the US would close Venezuelan airspace, which many interpreted as a final step before a series of strikes on the mainland.

The US has framed its military buildup in the Southern Caribbean as part of a campaign to stop drug smuggling, the same justification it has used to carry out the extrajudicial bombings of more than 20 boats in the region—which have killed at least 83 people—while disclosing zero proof of the victims' involvement with drug trafficking.

Trump has also accused Maduro of being the leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles," which he slapped with the label of “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last month, even though it is not an "organization" at all, but a media shorthand to refer to alleged connections between Venezuelan leaders and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, both US and international assessments have found that Venezuela is but a minor player in the global drug trade.

The US has amassed more than 15,000 troops outside Venezuela, the most it's sent to the region since 1989, when the administration of former President George H.W. Bush launched a land invasion of Panama to overthrow its drug-running dictator Manuel Noriega. Documents obtained by *T**he* *Intercept* last week suggested that the US seeks to maintain "a massive military presence in the Caribbean" for years to come.

"By a factor of at least 10, the US presence is too great for even an intensified anti-drug operation," wrote US national editor Edward Luce in the Financial Timeson Tuesday.

Trump's motive for stopping drug trafficking was further called into question after he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a onetime US ally who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for helping to traffic at least 400 tons of cocaine to the US. The pardon was issued as part of Trump's efforts to influence Honduras' upcoming election to secure the victory of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The goal of regime change was essentially confirmed on Monday when Reutersreported that Trump had offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela if he were willing to abdicate power during a phone call on November 21.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told Maduro.

Maduro reportedly said he'd be willing to accept the offer if his family members were granted complete amnesty and the US removed sanctions against them, as well as over 100 other Venezuelan officials. He also asked for the case against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be dropped.

Trump rejected that deal, and his offer of safe passage expired on Friday, the day before the US announced it had closed Venezuelan airspace. Trump confirmed to the press on Sunday that the talks had happened, but provided few additional details.

Maduro has categorically denied involvement with drug trafficking and has portrayed the White House's sabre-rattling as a "colonial threat." Last week, while brandishing the sword of South American anticolonial hero Simón Bolívar, he pledged that Venezuela would be a "colony never again."

On Sunday, he accused Trump of trying to "seize" the nation's oil reserves. He has called for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to step in to help the country counter what he said were “growing and illegal threats” from Trump.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about a fifth of the Earth’s total, and more than Iraq had at the time of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion. However, US sanctions against Venezuela largely block American oil companies from accessing the reserves, which are controlled by the nation’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. These sanctions, which have limited Venezuela's ability to export its most valuable natural resource, are considered one of the primary reasons for the nation's economic instability in recent years.

While at a rally in 2023, Trump said he regretted not having "taken [Venezuela] over" during his first term. "We would have gotten to all that oil; it would have been right next door,” he said.

"We’ve seen this tragic play before," wrote Richard Steiner, a former marine professor with the University of Alaska, this weekend in Common Dreams. "The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which, as it turned out, it didn’t. And as US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq war at the time: 'Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.'"

"A similar pretext—this time 'drug interdiction'—is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela," he continued. "But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on—oil."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1091…

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Saturday that nearly two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza has passed 70,000 as the Israel Defense Forces have continued to claim they are targeting only Hamas fighters—while killing civilians including two children who were gathering firewood for their father on Saturday.

Fadi Abu Assi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, eight, were close to a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Beni Suhaila in southern Gaza when the IDF fired a drone in the area, killing both boys.

"They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their father so he can start a fire," the boys' uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, told Sky News.

Breaking the Silence, an IDF veterans' group whose members speak out against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, condemned the military for a statement it released on the killing, which the group said amounted to "a pile of words meant only to keep justifying endless killing under insane and ruthless rules of engagement."

The IDF told Sky News that troops had "identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line," the point to which the IDF withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal in October.

The military said the two boys had "conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them."

The IDF claimed it identified the eight- and 11-year-old boys and "eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

Despite the ceasefire, said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, "the Israeli military is still killing children."

— (@)

Drop Site News condemned the New York Times' coverage of the boys' killing, with the newspaper writing in a headline that "Gazans say" Fadi and Goma Abu Assi were killed by Israeli forces.

"The boys’ bodies, their ages, and their identities are fully documented—including videos of their lifeless shrouds and their wheelchair-bound father weeping over them—backed by eyewitness accounts and hospital confirmation," said Drop Site.

⭕️ Israeli Troops Murder Two Gaza Boys, 11 and 8, as They Collected Firewood for Their Wheelchair-Bound Father — IDF Says “Suspects” were “Posing an Immediate Threat.”

Two Palestinian brothers — Fadi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, 8 — were killed by an Israeli drone strike near a… t.co/VKCHVKnIaa pic.twitter.com/vNeIoapKjk
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 29, 2025

The Times also reduced "the 350+ Palestinians killed since the October 10 ceasefire to 'persistent violence,'" said the outlet.

The health ministry, whose statistics the World Health Organization and other international agencies have long viewed as credible, said 356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the first phase of the truce began.

The Times' framing, said Drop Site, "hides the truth that the violence is one-directional, systematic, and directed at civilians who pose no threat to Israelis."

On Sunday, the outlet reported that the IDF was "boasting about breaking the ceasefire" as it announced troops had killed four Palestinian fighters as they emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah.

"It remains unclear whether today’s casualties were fighters or civilians or children," said Drop Site.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera Sunday that the group is searching for the two remaining bodies of deceased Israeli captives, to be returned to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire deal, and accused Israeli officials of "using these bodies as a pretext to delay movement to the second phase of the ceasefire."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

rss

2025-12-01 11:29:03

Nearly 2 Months Into 'Ceasefire,' IDF Kills 2 More Palestinian Children as Gaza Death Toll Passes 70,000

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Saturday that nearly two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza has passed 70,000 as the Israel Defense Forces have continued to claim they are targeting only Hamas fighters—while killing civilians including two children who were gathering firewood for their father on Saturday.

Fadi Abu Assi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, eight, were close to a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Beni Suhaila in southern Gaza when the IDF fired a drone in the area, killing both boys.

"They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their father so he can start a fire," the boys' uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, told Sky News.

Breaking the Silence, an IDF veterans' group whose members speak out against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, condemned the military for a statement it released on the killing, which the group said amounted to "a pile of words meant only to keep justifying endless killing under insane and ruthless rules of engagement."

The IDF told Sky News that troops had "identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line," the point to which the IDF withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal in October.

The military said the two boys had "conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them."

The IDF claimed it identified the eight- and 11-year-old boys and "eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

Despite the ceasefire, said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, "the Israeli military is still killing children."

— (@)

Drop Site News condemned the New York Times' coverage of the boys' killing, with the newspaper writing in a headline that "Gazans say" Fadi and Goma Abu Assi were killed by Israeli forces.

"The boys’ bodies, their ages, and their identities are fully documented—including videos of their lifeless shrouds and their wheelchair-bound father weeping over them—backed by eyewitness accounts and hospital confirmation," said Drop Site.

⭕️ Israeli Troops Murder Two Gaza Boys, 11 and 8, as They Collected Firewood for Their Wheelchair-Bound Father — IDF Says “Suspects” were “Posing an Immediate Threat.”

Two Palestinian brothers — Fadi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, 8 — were killed by an Israeli drone strike near a… t.co/VKCHVKnIaa pic.twitter.com/vNeIoapKjk
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 29, 2025

The Times also reduced "the 350+ Palestinians killed since the October 10 ceasefire to 'persistent violence,'" said the outlet.

The health ministry, whose statistics the World Health Organization and other international agencies have long viewed as credible, said 356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the first phase of the truce began.

The Times' framing, said Drop Site, "hides the truth that the violence is one-directional, systematic, and directed at civilians who pose no threat to Israelis."

On Sunday, the outlet reported that the IDF was "boasting about breaking the ceasefire" as it announced troops had killed four Palestinian fighters as they emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah.

"It remains unclear whether today’s casualties were fighters or civilians or children," said Drop Site.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera Sunday that the group is searching for the two remaining bodies of deceased Israeli captives, to be returned to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire deal, and accused Israeli officials of "using these bodies as a pretext to delay movement to the second phase of the ceasefire."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Updates: Gaza death toll rises as Israel intensifies West Bank attacks

Health Ministry says 356 killed by Israel since October ceasefire as army ramps up detentions, arrests in West Bank.

^{Tim Hume (Al Jazeera)}

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6910542

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1091…

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Saturday that nearly two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza has passed 70,000 as the Israel Defense Forces have continued to claim they are targeting only Hamas fighters—while killing civilians including two children who were gathering firewood for their father on Saturday.

Fadi Abu Assi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, eight, were close to a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Beni Suhaila in southern Gaza when the IDF fired a drone in the area, killing both boys.

"They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their father so he can start a fire," the boys' uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, told Sky News.

Breaking the Silence, an IDF veterans' group whose members speak out against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, condemned the military for a statement it released on the killing, which the group said amounted to "a pile of words meant only to keep justifying endless killing under insane and ruthless rules of engagement."

The IDF told Sky News that troops had "identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line," the point to which the IDF withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal in October.

The military said the two boys had "conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them."

The IDF claimed it identified the eight- and 11-year-old boys and "eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

Despite the ceasefire, said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, "the Israeli military is still killing children."

— (@)

Drop Site News condemned the New York Times' coverage of the boys' killing, with the newspaper writing in a headline that "Gazans say" Fadi and Goma Abu Assi were killed by Israeli forces.

"The boys’ bodies, their ages, and their identities are fully documented—including videos of their lifeless shrouds and their wheelchair-bound father weeping over them—backed by eyewitness accounts and hospital confirmation," said Drop Site.

⭕️ Israeli Troops Murder Two Gaza Boys, 11 and 8, as They Collected Firewood for Their Wheelchair-Bound Father — IDF Says “Suspects” were “Posing an Immediate Threat.”

Two Palestinian brothers — Fadi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, 8 — were killed by an Israeli drone strike near a… t.co/VKCHVKnIaa pic.twitter.com/vNeIoapKjk
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 29, 2025

The Times also reduced "the 350+ Palestinians killed since the October 10 ceasefire to 'persistent violence,'" said the outlet.

The health ministry, whose statistics the World Health Organization and other international agencies have long viewed as credible, said 356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the first phase of the truce began.

The Times' framing, said Drop Site, "hides the truth that the violence is one-directional, systematic, and directed at civilians who pose no threat to Israelis."

On Sunday, the outlet reported that the IDF was "boasting about breaking the ceasefire" as it announced troops had killed four Palestinian fighters as they emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah.

"It remains unclear whether today’s casualties were fighters or civilians or children," said Drop Site.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera Sunday that the group is searching for the two remaining bodies of deceased Israeli captives, to be returned to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire deal, and accused Israeli officials of "using these bodies as a pretext to delay movement to the second phase of the ceasefire."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

thelastaxolotl [he/him]

2025-12-01 19:58:40

Nearly 2 Months Into 'Ceasefire,' IDF Kills 2 More Palestinian Children as Gaza Death Toll Passes 70,000

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1091…

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported Saturday that nearly two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, the death toll in Israel's war on Gaza has passed 70,000 as the Israel Defense Forces have continued to claim they are targeting only Hamas fighters—while killing civilians including two children who were gathering firewood for their father on Saturday.

Fadi Abu Assi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, eight, were close to a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Beni Suhaila in southern Gaza when the IDF fired a drone in the area, killing both boys.

"They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their father so he can start a fire," the boys' uncle, Mohamed Abu Assi, told Sky News.

Breaking the Silence, an IDF veterans' group whose members speak out against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, condemned the military for a statement it released on the killing, which the group said amounted to "a pile of words meant only to keep justifying endless killing under insane and ruthless rules of engagement."

The IDF told Sky News that troops had "identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line," the point to which the IDF withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal in October.

The military said the two boys had "conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them."

The IDF claimed it identified the eight- and 11-year-old boys and "eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

Despite the ceasefire, said Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, "the Israeli military is still killing children."

— (@)

Drop Site News condemned the New York Times' coverage of the boys' killing, with the newspaper writing in a headline that "Gazans say" Fadi and Goma Abu Assi were killed by Israeli forces.

"The boys’ bodies, their ages, and their identities are fully documented—including videos of their lifeless shrouds and their wheelchair-bound father weeping over them—backed by eyewitness accounts and hospital confirmation," said Drop Site.

⭕️ Israeli Troops Murder Two Gaza Boys, 11 and 8, as They Collected Firewood for Their Wheelchair-Bound Father — IDF Says “Suspects” were “Posing an Immediate Threat.”

Two Palestinian brothers — Fadi, 11, and Goma Abu Assi, 8 — were killed by an Israeli drone strike near a… t.co/VKCHVKnIaa pic.twitter.com/vNeIoapKjk
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 29, 2025

The Times also reduced "the 350+ Palestinians killed since the October 10 ceasefire to 'persistent violence,'" said the outlet.

The health ministry, whose statistics the World Health Organization and other international agencies have long viewed as credible, said 356 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the first phase of the truce began.

The Times' framing, said Drop Site, "hides the truth that the violence is one-directional, systematic, and directed at civilians who pose no threat to Israelis."

On Sunday, the outlet reported that the IDF was "boasting about breaking the ceasefire" as it announced troops had killed four Palestinian fighters as they emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah.

"It remains unclear whether today’s casualties were fighters or civilians or children," said Drop Site.

Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau, told Al Jazeera Sunday that the group is searching for the two remaining bodies of deceased Israeli captives, to be returned to Israel in accordance with the ceasefire deal, and accused Israeli officials of "using these bodies as a pretext to delay movement to the second phase of the ceasefire."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Updates: Gaza death toll rises as Israel intensifies West Bank attacks

Health Ministry says 356 killed by Israel since October ceasefire as army ramps up detentions, arrests in West Bank.

^{Tim Hume (Al Jazeera)}

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1116…

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remained defiant on Monday as US President Donald Trump plotted "next steps" against the South American nation with top national security brass.

Before thousands of Venezuelans at a rally in Caracas, the nation’s embattled president said he would not accept peace on US terms unless it came “with sovereignty, equality, and freedom.”

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The speech came days after Trump announced that the US would close Venezuelan airspace, which many interpreted as a final step before a series of strikes on the mainland.

The US has framed its military buildup in the Southern Caribbean as part of a campaign to stop drug smuggling, the same justification it has used to carry out the extrajudicial bombings of more than 20 boats in the region—which have killed at least 83 people—while disclosing zero proof of the victims' involvement with drug trafficking.

Trump has also accused Maduro of being the leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles," which he slapped with the label of “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last month, even though it is not an "organization" at all, but a media shorthand to refer to alleged connections between Venezuelan leaders and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, both US and international assessments have found that Venezuela is but a minor player in the global drug trade.

The US has amassed more than 15,000 troops outside Venezuela, the most it's sent to the region since 1989, when the administration of former President George H.W. Bush launched a land invasion of Panama to overthrow its drug-running dictator Manuel Noriega. Documents obtained by *T**he* *Intercept* last week suggested that the US seeks to maintain "a massive military presence in the Caribbean" for years to come.

"By a factor of at least 10, the US presence is too great for even an intensified anti-drug operation," wrote US national editor Edward Luce in the Financial Timeson Tuesday.

Trump's motive for stopping drug trafficking was further called into question after he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a onetime US ally who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for helping to traffic at least 400 tons of cocaine to the US. The pardon was issued as part of Trump's efforts to influence Honduras' upcoming election to secure the victory of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The goal of regime change was essentially confirmed on Monday when Reutersreported that Trump had offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela if he were willing to abdicate power during a phone call on November 21.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told Maduro.

Maduro reportedly said he'd be willing to accept the offer if his family members were granted complete amnesty and the US removed sanctions against them, as well as over 100 other Venezuelan officials. He also asked for the case against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be dropped.

Trump rejected that deal, and his offer of safe passage expired on Friday, the day before the US announced it had closed Venezuelan airspace. Trump confirmed to the press on Sunday that the talks had happened, but provided few additional details.

Maduro has categorically denied involvement with drug trafficking and has portrayed the White House's sabre-rattling as a "colonial threat." Last week, while brandishing the sword of South American anticolonial hero Simón Bolívar, he pledged that Venezuela would be a "colony never again."

On Sunday, he accused Trump of trying to "seize" the nation's oil reserves. He has called for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to step in to help the country counter what he said were “growing and illegal threats” from Trump.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about a fifth of the Earth’s total, and more than Iraq had at the time of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion. However, US sanctions against Venezuela largely block American oil companies from accessing the reserves, which are controlled by the nation’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. These sanctions, which have limited Venezuela's ability to export its most valuable natural resource, are considered one of the primary reasons for the nation's economic instability in recent years.

While at a rally in 2023, Trump said he regretted not having "taken [Venezuela] over" during his first term. "We would have gotten to all that oil; it would have been right next door,” he said.

"We’ve seen this tragic play before," wrote Richard Steiner, a former marine professor with the University of Alaska, this weekend in Common Dreams. "The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which, as it turned out, it didn’t. And as US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq war at the time: 'Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.'"

"A similar pretext—this time 'drug interdiction'—is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela," he continued. "But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on—oil."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

rss

2025-12-02 16:43:48

Maduro Vows Venezuela Will Be a 'Colony Never Again' as Trump Intensifies Threats

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remained defiant on Monday as US President Donald Trump plotted "next steps" against the South American nation with top national security brass.

Before thousands of Venezuelans at a rally in Caracas, the nation’s embattled president said he would not accept peace on US terms unless it came “with sovereignty, equality, and freedom.”

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The speech came days after Trump announced that the US would close Venezuelan airspace, which many interpreted as a final step before a series of strikes on the mainland.

The US has framed its military buildup in the Southern Caribbean as part of a campaign to stop drug smuggling, the same justification it has used to carry out the extrajudicial bombings of more than 20 boats in the region—which have killed at least 83 people—while disclosing zero proof of the victims' involvement with drug trafficking.

Trump has also accused Maduro of being the leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles," which he slapped with the label of “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last month, even though it is not an "organization" at all, but a media shorthand to refer to alleged connections between Venezuelan leaders and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, both US and international assessments have found that Venezuela is but a minor player in the global drug trade.

The US has amassed more than 15,000 troops outside Venezuela, the most it's sent to the region since 1989, when the administration of former President George H.W. Bush launched a land invasion of Panama to overthrow its drug-running dictator Manuel Noriega. Documents obtained by *T**he* *Intercept* last week suggested that the US seeks to maintain "a massive military presence in the Caribbean" for years to come.

"By a factor of at least 10, the US presence is too great for even an intensified anti-drug operation," wrote US national editor Edward Luce in the Financial Timeson Tuesday.

Trump's motive for stopping drug trafficking was further called into question after he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a onetime US ally who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for helping to traffic at least 400 tons of cocaine to the US. The pardon was issued as part of Trump's efforts to influence Honduras' upcoming election to secure the victory of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The goal of regime change was essentially confirmed on Monday when Reutersreported that Trump had offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela if he were willing to abdicate power during a phone call on November 21.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told Maduro.

Maduro reportedly said he'd be willing to accept the offer if his family members were granted complete amnesty and the US removed sanctions against them, as well as over 100 other Venezuelan officials. He also asked for the case against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be dropped.

Trump rejected that deal, and his offer of safe passage expired on Friday, the day before the US announced it had closed Venezuelan airspace. Trump confirmed to the press on Sunday that the talks had happened, but provided few additional details.

Maduro has categorically denied involvement with drug trafficking and has portrayed the White House's sabre-rattling as a "colonial threat." Last week, while brandishing the sword of South American anticolonial hero Simón Bolívar, he pledged that Venezuela would be a "colony never again."

On Sunday, he accused Trump of trying to "seize" the nation's oil reserves. He has called for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to step in to help the country counter what he said were “growing and illegal threats” from Trump.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about a fifth of the Earth’s total, and more than Iraq had at the time of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion. However, US sanctions against Venezuela largely block American oil companies from accessing the reserves, which are controlled by the nation’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. These sanctions, which have limited Venezuela's ability to export its most valuable natural resource, are considered one of the primary reasons for the nation's economic instability in recent years.

While at a rally in 2023, Trump said he regretted not having "taken [Venezuela] over" during his first term. "We would have gotten to all that oil; it would have been right next door,” he said.

"We’ve seen this tragic play before," wrote Richard Steiner, a former marine professor with the University of Alaska, this weekend in Common Dreams. "The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which, as it turned out, it didn’t. And as US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq war at the time: 'Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.'"

"A similar pretext—this time 'drug interdiction'—is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela," he continued. "But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on—oil."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Trump's Threat to Invade Venezuela Is Indeed About Drugs–Oil, That Is

This is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on.

^{richard-steiner (Common Dreams)}

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6921788

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1116…

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remained defiant on Monday as US President Donald Trump plotted "next steps" against the South American nation with top national security brass.

Before thousands of Venezuelans at a rally in Caracas, the nation’s embattled president said he would not accept peace on US terms unless it came “with sovereignty, equality, and freedom.”

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The speech came days after Trump announced that the US would close Venezuelan airspace, which many interpreted as a final step before a series of strikes on the mainland.

The US has framed its military buildup in the Southern Caribbean as part of a campaign to stop drug smuggling, the same justification it has used to carry out the extrajudicial bombings of more than 20 boats in the region—which have killed at least 83 people—while disclosing zero proof of the victims' involvement with drug trafficking.

Trump has also accused Maduro of being the leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles," which he slapped with the label of “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last month, even though it is not an "organization" at all, but a media shorthand to refer to alleged connections between Venezuelan leaders and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, both US and international assessments have found that Venezuela is but a minor player in the global drug trade.

The US has amassed more than 15,000 troops outside Venezuela, the most it's sent to the region since 1989, when the administration of former President George H.W. Bush launched a land invasion of Panama to overthrow its drug-running dictator Manuel Noriega. Documents obtained by *T**he* *Intercept* last week suggested that the US seeks to maintain "a massive military presence in the Caribbean" for years to come.

"By a factor of at least 10, the US presence is too great for even an intensified anti-drug operation," wrote US national editor Edward Luce in the Financial Timeson Tuesday.

Trump's motive for stopping drug trafficking was further called into question after he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a onetime US ally who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for helping to traffic at least 400 tons of cocaine to the US. The pardon was issued as part of Trump's efforts to influence Honduras' upcoming election to secure the victory of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The goal of regime change was essentially confirmed on Monday when Reutersreported that Trump had offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela if he were willing to abdicate power during a phone call on November 21.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told Maduro.

Maduro reportedly said he'd be willing to accept the offer if his family members were granted complete amnesty and the US removed sanctions against them, as well as over 100 other Venezuelan officials. He also asked for the case against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be dropped.

Trump rejected that deal, and his offer of safe passage expired on Friday, the day before the US announced it had closed Venezuelan airspace. Trump confirmed to the press on Sunday that the talks had happened, but provided few additional details.

Maduro has categorically denied involvement with drug trafficking and has portrayed the White House's sabre-rattling as a "colonial threat." Last week, while brandishing the sword of South American anticolonial hero Simón Bolívar, he pledged that Venezuela would be a "colony never again."

On Sunday, he accused Trump of trying to "seize" the nation's oil reserves. He has called for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to step in to help the country counter what he said were “growing and illegal threats” from Trump.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about a fifth of the Earth’s total, and more than Iraq had at the time of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion. However, US sanctions against Venezuela largely block American oil companies from accessing the reserves, which are controlled by the nation’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. These sanctions, which have limited Venezuela's ability to export its most valuable natural resource, are considered one of the primary reasons for the nation's economic instability in recent years.

While at a rally in 2023, Trump said he regretted not having "taken [Venezuela] over" during his first term. "We would have gotten to all that oil; it would have been right next door,” he said.

"We’ve seen this tragic play before," wrote Richard Steiner, a former marine professor with the University of Alaska, this weekend in Common Dreams. "The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which, as it turned out, it didn’t. And as US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq war at the time: 'Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.'"

"A similar pretext—this time 'drug interdiction'—is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela," he continued. "But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on—oil."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

thelastaxolotl [he/him]

2025-12-02 22:22:24

Maduro Vows Venezuela Will Be a 'Colony Never Again' as Trump Intensifies Threats

cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1116…

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remained defiant on Monday as US President Donald Trump plotted "next steps" against the South American nation with top national security brass.

Before thousands of Venezuelans at a rally in Caracas, the nation’s embattled president said he would not accept peace on US terms unless it came “with sovereignty, equality, and freedom.”

“We do not want a slave’s peace, nor the peace of colonies! Colony, never! Slaves, never!” he said.

The speech came days after Trump announced that the US would close Venezuelan airspace, which many interpreted as a final step before a series of strikes on the mainland.

The US has framed its military buildup in the Southern Caribbean as part of a campaign to stop drug smuggling, the same justification it has used to carry out the extrajudicial bombings of more than 20 boats in the region—which have killed at least 83 people—while disclosing zero proof of the victims' involvement with drug trafficking.

Trump has also accused Maduro of being the leader of the so-called "Cartel de los Soles," which he slapped with the label of “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last month, even though it is not an "organization" at all, but a media shorthand to refer to alleged connections between Venezuelan leaders and the drug trade.

Meanwhile, both US and international assessments have found that Venezuela is but a minor player in the global drug trade.

The US has amassed more than 15,000 troops outside Venezuela, the most it's sent to the region since 1989, when the administration of former President George H.W. Bush launched a land invasion of Panama to overthrow its drug-running dictator Manuel Noriega. Documents obtained by *T**he* *Intercept* last week suggested that the US seeks to maintain "a massive military presence in the Caribbean" for years to come.

"By a factor of at least 10, the US presence is too great for even an intensified anti-drug operation," wrote US national editor Edward Luce in the Financial Timeson Tuesday.

Trump's motive for stopping drug trafficking was further called into question after he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a onetime US ally who was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for helping to traffic at least 400 tons of cocaine to the US. The pardon was issued as part of Trump's efforts to influence Honduras' upcoming election to secure the victory of right-wing candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.

The goal of regime change was essentially confirmed on Monday when Reutersreported that Trump had offered Maduro safe passage out of Venezuela if he were willing to abdicate power during a phone call on November 21.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told Maduro.

Maduro reportedly said he'd be willing to accept the offer if his family members were granted complete amnesty and the US removed sanctions against them, as well as over 100 other Venezuelan officials. He also asked for the case against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to be dropped.

Trump rejected that deal, and his offer of safe passage expired on Friday, the day before the US announced it had closed Venezuelan airspace. Trump confirmed to the press on Sunday that the talks had happened, but provided few additional details.

Maduro has categorically denied involvement with drug trafficking and has portrayed the White House's sabre-rattling as a "colonial threat." Last week, while brandishing the sword of South American anticolonial hero Simón Bolívar, he pledged that Venezuela would be a "colony never again."

On Sunday, he accused Trump of trying to "seize" the nation's oil reserves. He has called for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to step in to help the country counter what he said were “growing and illegal threats” from Trump.

Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about a fifth of the Earth’s total, and more than Iraq had at the time of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion. However, US sanctions against Venezuela largely block American oil companies from accessing the reserves, which are controlled by the nation’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. These sanctions, which have limited Venezuela's ability to export its most valuable natural resource, are considered one of the primary reasons for the nation's economic instability in recent years.

While at a rally in 2023, Trump said he regretted not having "taken [Venezuela] over" during his first term. "We would have gotten to all that oil; it would have been right next door,” he said.

"We’ve seen this tragic play before," wrote Richard Steiner, a former marine professor with the University of Alaska, this weekend in Common Dreams. "The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, which, as it turned out, it didn’t. And as US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq war at the time: 'Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.'"

"A similar pretext—this time 'drug interdiction'—is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela," he continued. "But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on—oil."

---

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Trump's Threat to Invade Venezuela Is Indeed About Drugs–Oil, That Is

This is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on.

^{richard-steiner (Common Dreams)}