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Reality Winner sentenced for leaking top secret U.S. report
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-u...r-leaking-top-secret-u-s-report-idUKKCN1L81FS

(Reuters) - A federal judge sentenced former U.S. intelligence contractor Reality Winner on Thursday to more than five years in prison after she admitted leaking to a media outlet a top secret report on Russian interference in U.S. elections, her attorney said.
“Instead of being recognised as a conscience-driven whistleblower whose disclosure helped protect U.S. elections, Winner was prosecuted with vicious resolve by the Justice Department under the Espionage Act,” Reed said.
 
sptrawler said:
Yes it's amazing how things can turn pear shaped, when you annoy your biggest trading partner. The U.S is certainly making life difficult for them.
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An amazing decline and worth noting that PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company, were very highly regarded globally for their technical capabilities 20 years ago.

PDVSA had a major presence overseas in refining and retail, the major Western oil companies were keen to do deals with them both oil as such and technical, and for the record at least two Australian energy companies gave serious consideration to entering long term contracts with them too for the supply of fuel for power generation. There were some clever people in PDVSA and subsidiaries such as Bitor certainly.

Then Chavez came along and ensured that anyone with knowledge was promptly removed and it has all been downhill ever since.
 
Smurf1976 said:
An amazing decline and worth noting that PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company, were very highly regarded globally for their technical capabilities 20 years ago.

PDVSA had a major presence overseas in refining and retail, the major Western oil companies were keen to do deals with them both oil as such and technical, and for the record at least two Australian energy companies gave serious consideration to entering long term contracts with them too for the supply of fuel for power generation. There were some clever people in PDVSA and subsidiaries such as Bitor certainly.

Then Chavez came along and ensured that anyone with knowledge was promptly removed and it has all been downhill ever since.
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I thought that once Chavez "turned against" the US (by not permitting US-approved oilers in), his "regime" promptly got sanctioned and the CIA was put to work.

With sanctions... those able will go seek a better future elsewhere. So I don't think it's Chavez's fault. I mean, he would have learnt from Mao to not go that crazy with the people power, anti-intellectual stuff.

Particularly when oil makes up some 96% of the country's economy. Any idiot would treat capable oil technical/engineers very, very well.
 
luutzu said:
I thought that once Chavez "turned against" the US (by not permitting US-approved oilers in), his "regime" promptly got sanctioned and the CIA was put to work.

With sanctions... those able will go seek a better future elsewhere. So I don't think it's Chavez's fault. I mean, he would have learnt from Mao to not go that crazy with the people power, anti-intellectual stuff.

Particularly when oil makes up some 96% of the country's economy. Any idiot would treat capable oil technical/engineers very, very well.
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Chavez blew it up before any sanctions. He used that as an excuse. Brazil is in the same boat with looney lefties. They just stabed the opposition conservative leader. Funny how the "workers party" were all corrupt then cried "setup" to cover there lying asses. Proof is already out there.

Left thinking ends up a violent stinking miserable mess. Its nothing to do with sanctions.
 
moXJO said:
Chavez blew it up before any sanctions. He used that as an excuse. Brazil is in the same boat with looney lefties. They just stabed the opposition conservative leader. Funny how the "workers party" were all corrupt then cried "setup" to cover there lying asses. Proof is already out there.

Left thinking ends up a violent stinking miserable mess. Its nothing to do with sanctions.
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The Left aren't violent communist thugs you know. That'd be like calling the Neo-Nazis the Right or conservatives.

The current president of Brazil got caught taking those yellow envelopes and demanding for more. He's still in power. Got in because the previous "lefty" was accused of corruption btw.

See what being a good boy gets you?
 
luutzu said:
Particularly when oil makes up some 96% of the country's economy. Any idiot would treat capable oil technical/engineers very, very well.
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My understanding is that those with technical ability but not perceived to be "correct" politically were purged out. That being most of them.

Not the only government to have ever gone down that track and it tends to end badly.
 
Smurf1976 said:
My understanding is that those with technical ability but not perceived to be "correct" politically were purged out. That being most of them.

Not the only government to have ever gone down that track and it tends to end badly.
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Like the movie The Death of Stalin
No capable doctors were left in Moscow as they were sent to Siberia or killed.
Good movie.
 
Smurf1976 said:
My understanding is that those with technical ability but not perceived to be "correct" politically were purged out. That being most of them.

Not the only government to have ever gone down that track and it tends to end badly.
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Yes but some would say it's Trumps fault.
 
Smurf1976 said:
My understanding is that those with technical ability but not perceived to be "correct" politically were purged out. That being most of them.

Not the only government to have ever gone down that track and it tends to end badly.
Click to expand...

I don't know the details of Chavez's admin, and none regarding the oil brain trust. But from a few doco and interviews, he sound like a very admirable leader.

I've read about communists, was too young to experience it first hand but have heard stories and do have family members whose assets and career were ended because of they were perceived as "disloyal to the revolution" etc.

But from watching the results of those comrades in Hanoi with what Chavez sets out to do... it's not the same sort of ideology.

For one, Chomsky like the guy. Man, if you're a politician and Chomsky have nice things to say about you, you ought to win a few Nobel Peace Prize.

Second, Chavez permit the continuation of private media in the country. He did not close them down; he did not change their ownership. So those who own it hate his guts, and they weren't shy about having their news people saying it openly on air.

If you're a dictator... the first thing to go would be a press that doesn't tell "the truth" about you.

Then there's the social programmes he set about. Free health clinics for the peasants; free schooling, coming close to eradicating illiteracy etc.

If you contrast that to, say, Saudi Arabia... how no bad words are said about anything it does.

I guess the lesson is to share your country's wealth. Just not with the wrong people.
 
sptrawler said:
Yes but some would say it's Trumps fault.
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Obama and Trump. Would have been Bush Jr. too but he was a bit busy in the Middle East to seriously give the Venezuela problem his time.

Muduro will either die, go into exile, or be somehow locked up... else there'll be liberation in Venezuela soon. That's pretty much the message Trump, both his Sec. of States, his UN ambassador, his new national security advisor... have been saying, on TV.

It's your oil or your country my friend.
 
luutzu said:
Obama and Trump. Would have been Bush Jr. too but he was a bit busy in the Middle East to seriously give the Venezuela problem his time.

Muduro will either die, go into exile, or be somehow locked up... else there'll be liberation in Venezuela soon. That's pretty much the message Trump, both his Sec. of States, his UN ambassador, his new national security advisor... have been saying, on TV.

It's your oil or your country my friend.
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And the point is?
What would your solution be?
 
sptrawler said:
And the point is?
What would your solution be?
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Solution to what?

You were saying that people would blame Trump for Venezuela's collapse. I just said that they'd be half right.

You know that if the US were to just buy Venezuela's oil, it'd be cheaper than doing coups and waging war on the country?

But of course if you buy it, oil companies will have to pay for it at the market rate. If the gov't uses taxpayer's money to liberate the place, oil majors will get it on the cheap, sell it at market rate.

Imperialism is never good for the common plebs. Most just don't realise it.
 
luutzu said:
Solution to what?

You were saying that people would blame Trump for Venezuela's collapse. I just said that they'd be half right.

You know that if the US were to just buy Venezuela's oil, it'd be cheaper than doing coups and waging war on the country?

But of course if you buy it, oil companies will have to pay for it at the market rate. If the gov't uses taxpayer's money to liberate the place, oil majors will get it on the cheap, sell it at market rate.

Imperialism is never good for the common plebs. Most just don't realise it.
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That must be why boatloads are heading away, from imperialist countries.

I think your getting caught up in the ideology, I'm sure the real money, is moving away from oil.
If you know it has limited life, I guess they just might know also. Lol
Or maybe they are just muddling their way through life.
 
sptrawler said:
That must be why boatloads are heading away, from imperialist countries.

I think your getting caught up in the ideology, I'm sure the real money, is moving away from oil.
If you know it has limited life, I guess they just might now also. Lol
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They're moving away not because they want to move towards imperialism. They're just getting away from a sinking ship that's about to be invaded. Who can blame them really. You got to put food on the table, get your family out of harms way. You've been warned.

Oil might have, I'm guessing, 50 years left, tops.

'til then, the war machines need to grind on... if not to control the flow of oil and the money that dominates it, then it will at least ensure the war machines have fuel to run on.
 

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