admin
When retired Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt and former CIA operative Mike Baker warned on American Agenda that global cartels are “armed and dangerous,” they weren’t offering partisan theater — they were sounding the alarm that our streets and our children’s futures are under direct assault. Millions of hardworking Americans have watched as drugs and fentanyl pour across our porous border, and our military and intelligence professionals are now saying the problem has metastasized into something more like an armed insurgency than mere smuggling. It’s time conservatives stop pretending this is only a law-enforcement issue and treat it with the seriousness of a national-security crisis.
Reports that the Pentagon has been weighing airstrikes and other limited military options against drug-production sites in Venezuela confirm what many of us feared: the cartels have become paramilitary threats operating with impunity from a hostile regime. These are not hypothetical risks; senior defense officials have reportedly discussed kinetic options to disrupt labs and distribution networks that are devastating American communities. If the administration decides to act, it must do so with precise intelligence, clear objectives, and a firm legal mandate — sloppy, rah-rah adventures would be catastrophic.
At the same time, Washington has moved real power into the Caribbean: carrier groups and a robust naval presence near Venezuela are a clear sign the U.S. is prepared to back words with force if necessary. This deployment is a statement to cartels and enabling regimes alike that America will not stand idly by while our citizens are poisoned, but it also raises the stakes for regional stability. Conservatives should cheer strength at sea, yet demand clarity on rules of engagement and an exit strategy that leaves no room for endless mission creep.
We’ve also seen the consequences of inaction — and of action — on full display: U.S. strikes on vessels allegedly tied to narcotrafficking have resulted in deaths and diplomatic blowback, and critics on the left are predictably using those incidents to smear any use of force as “imperial” or “reckless.” Those reports show the grim reality on the waterlines where traffickers operate, but they also highlight why every strike must be accountable, surgical, and supported by irrefutable evidence. America’s response must be measured and lawful, not a headline-seeking free-for-all that hands our opponents talking points.
Washington has not been idle on the legal and financial front either: Treasury and State actions have labeled Venezuelan-linked organizations as terrorist entities and slapped sanctions on regime facilitators, signaling a multi-pronged approach that combines economic pressure with force when necessary. Those designations are the tool of a responsible government aiming to choke cartel finance and legitimacy, and conservatives should back every lever that weakens narco-regimes. Still, designations are only the start — they must be paired with interagency coordination and meaningful cooperation from regional partners to turn sanctions into real disruption.
All of this underscores the dilemma Holt and Baker raised: yes, the cartels are armed and must be confronted, but a rushed or politically motivated “special operation” risks mission creep, civilian harm, and constitutional overreach. The White House must come to Congress with a clear strategy and legal justification if kinetic military action inside or near Venezuela is contemplated, and Americans must demand full oversight. Conservatives who love a secure America should be first in line to support decisive action — not blind cheerleading, but principled backing for operations that protect our people and respect the rule of law.
We should take the fight to the cartels with every lawful tool at our disposal: tighten the border, shut down the money flows, deepen cooperation with trustworthy allies, and when necessary strike at the infrastructure that enables mass poisoning of our kids. But let’s be crystal clear — strength without strategy is chaos, and anything less than iron-clad legal authority and congressional buy-in invites disaster. Patriots want victory, not spectacle; accountability, not improvised wars. The choice before Washington is simple: defend American lives with competence and honor, or watch the cartel fever spread further into our towns and neighborhoods.
