Maduro upped the ante

[MRubio]

Forces loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro may have just committed one of their most brazen acts — one that threatens to plunge the country into even greater chaos.

On Thursday, Venezuela’s intelligence forces detained the chief of staff for Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader who claims to be the country’s legitimate president and who is backed by the United States. In an overnight raid, they seized Roberto Marrero from his home shortly after also nabbing dozens of journalists and two state utility workers.

This is potentially a massive escalation by Maduro and could signal a new phase in his bid to maintain power despite America’s efforts.

https://www.vox.com/2019/3/21/18275688/venezuela-maduro-guaido-marrero-intelligence

And this also:

As well as seizing Marrero early Thursday, SEBIN officers raided the home in the same building of an opposition lawmaker, Sergio Vergara.

Vergara was not arrested. He told reporters that he saw Marrero bundled off into the street.

He said around 15 SEBIN officers threw him to the floor and "ransacked" his own home for around two hours, while asking where to find Marrero, a lawyer who works in the National Assembly.

"They started to bash on the door of Roberto Marrero's place, which is a few meters (yards) from my door, until they were able to get inside," he said.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/venezuela-risks-us-reaction-arresting-guaidos-chief-staff-doc-1ew7071

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Guaido says SEBIN claims they found two rifles and a grenade in Marrero's house. I'm shocked they didn't find a tank or an aircraft carrier.

[Socal31]

1. Yikes.

Only one level away from potential outside physical intervention.

[Miguel M]

2. Call it what it is.

Foreign interventionism. We don’t like Russia doing it to us.
Hypocrisy alert; We are interfering with Ven.

[Socal31]

3. I wasn't co-signing my prediction.

South America has seen enough US involvement. This started weeks after Russia based nuclear bombers at Venezuelan air fields, which I think is rather convenient.

I'm not a big coincidence person.

[Miguel M]

5. I get it.

I wasn’t inferring your support for it. Just the nomenclature.

[MRubio]

4. Speak for yourself Miguel........

.....you've never seen me say that I don't like Russia doing whatever it is you seem to believe they do to us. My reason? Because we've likely done more to them by a factor of ten. I'm probably a lot of things you probably don't like, but one of them is not a hypocrite.

Damn straight we're interfering with Veneuzuela. About damned time as it's clear as day to anyone who bothers to look at the evidence that a once-prosperous country operated under democratically-accepted standards has been hijacked by a criminal organization disguised as 21st Century Socialism and now terrorizes most of the population..........those that still remain, that is.

Fuck them and the horse they rode in on. It's time to go.

[Miguel M]

6. I don't need to speak for you. Your support for intervention is quite clear.

At least you are honest about your hypocrisy.

[MRubio]

7. If you're going to label me a hypocrite, could you at least....

....explain how you reach that conclusion? What have I said that is hypocritical?

I've told you Miguel, multiple times I believe, that I don't give a rat's ass what Russia, or China, or anyone else does to us because 1) we've likely done the same or more to them beforehand and 2) it's our government's responsibility to stop other governments from doing to us what we don't want them to do. If they keep doing something to us that we don't want them to do, then it's time to change governments. That's my position.

Now, stop calling me names without some backup, 'k? You seem to be big on making assertions and tiny on actually supporting them.

Your main issue seems to be your opposition to intervention, which is fine. I respect, that. Mine is that I'm tired of seeing the people and the country of Venezuela bent over and fucked dry by a criminal organization that I believe needs to go.

Can we agree to disagree whether the suffering of the population here is trumped by non-intervention policies?

[MRubio]

8. Nestor Reverol, Interior Minister, is now on ChavezTV........

........announcing the arrest of Marrero and the driver of Vergara. Shown are the rifles, grenades, etc, and he's claiming that they've busted up a terrorist cell with these arrests. Claims, among other things, that they were involved in the recent "attack" against the power system that resulted in a black out for four days.

Mother fuckers gotta do what mother fuckers do.

[MRubio]

9. Venezuelan government accuses detained Guaido aide of planning attacks

Venezuela’s interior minister said on Thursday that authorities had arrested opposition leader Juan Guaido’s chief of staff for his involvement in an alleged “terrorist cell” that was planning attacks against high-level political figures.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol, during an appearance on state television, showed an image of two rifles, which he called evidence collected against Roberto Marrero.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-politics-arrest/venezuelan-government-accuses-detained-guaido-aide-of-planning-attacks-idUKKCN1R22IN?rpc=401&

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