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“Black Blood, White Lies: The Corporate Piracy of “The Skipper” and the Venezuela Deception” - 13 December 2025

Te Wheke of Corporate Colonialism

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Ltn

13 Dec 2025 — 9 min read

They call it “justice.” They call it “fighting narco-terrorism.” But when the US military descends from helicopters to seize an oil tanker in the Caribbean, let us call it what it is:

piracy with a press release. The seizure of “The Skipper” off the coast of Venezuela on December 12, 2025, is not a strike against drugs; it is a calculated move in the geopolitical chess game for the black blood of the earth.

As the media reports on “war fears” and “dramatic raids” as reported by RNZ, a different truth emerges from the shadows—one voiced by those who have served the machine.

Tony Cowden, a veteran of the Special Forces and CIA, stripped away the patriotic veneer with a single Instagram post:

“We weren’t there to make things right, we were there to make the oligarchy richer” as revealed by Shawn Ryan Show.

Background: The “Narco-Terrorism” Trojan Horse

The script is tired, but the audience is captive. Just as “Weapons of Mass Destruction” paved the road to Baghdad, “Narco-Terrorism” is the asphalt for the highway to Caracas. The NZ Herald cites Homeland Security officials claiming the operation targets a “regime” flooding the US with drugs as reported by NZ Herald. This narrative conveniently ignores the reality of the global energy market. The US has not stopped buying Venezuelan oil; it has simply monopolized the purchase order. While “The Skipper” is seized for “illicit” trade, American corporate giant Chevron has been quietly granted licenses to pump and export that very same oil as reported by Reuters.

Decoding the Propaganda

The official story is one of heroic interdiction. US forces, including the Coast Guard and Marines, seized the tanker to stop “illicit oil-shipping networks” funding Hezbollah and Iran as reported by CBS News. The vessel will be brought to a US port, and the oil—stolen, in the eyes of Caracas—will be “kept” by the US as reported by RNZ. But verify the details: the ship was formerly known as Adisa, linked to sanctioned Russian oligarchs. This isn’t just about stopping bad guys; it’s about eliminating the competition in the black market so the approved oligarchy can monopolize the resource.

Analysis: The 5 Hidden Connections

1. The “Prize” is 303 Billion Barrels
The media focuses on the “drugs,” but the math tells the real story. Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves in the world—303 billion barrels, dwarfing the US’s 68 billion as confirmed by Visual Capitalist. This is not a war on drugs; it is a hostile takeover of a competitor’s inventory.

The “Prize”: Proven Oil Reserves (Billions of Barrels). Source: EIA/Visual Capitalist.

2. The Chevron “License” vs. The “Sanction”
While the US military seizes tankers like “The Skipper” for “sanctions evasion,” the US government explicitly authorized Chevron to resume operations in Venezuela. The result? US imports of Venezuelan crude skyrocketed from zero in 2021 to over 222,000 barrels per day in 2024 as revealed by Reuters. The “sanctions” are not a wall; they are a gate, and Chevron holds the key.

The “Chevron Effect”: US Imports of Venezuelan Crude (2021-2024). Source: EIA/Reuters.

3. The “Oligarchy” Revealed by the Ringawera
Tony Cowden’s Instagram post is not just a rant; it is evidence from the inside. A man with 22 years in Special Operations and deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as detailed by Capable Inc admits the “duality” of enjoying war while knowing it was for “money, not national security.” When he says, “I’m so critical of this admin and the lies they’re telling to get Americans on board for attacking Venezuela,” he is connecting the whakapapa of American interventionism: from the poppy fields of Kandahar to the oil fields of the Orinoco, the mission is profit.

4. The “Naval Build-Up” is a Subsidy
The NZ Herald mentions a “major naval build-up” as reported by 1News. This is not defense; it is a taxpayer-funded security service for corporate shipping lanes. The “war fears” justify billions in military spending, which flows directly into the coffers of defense contractors, while the “seized” oil offsets the cost. It is a self-licking ice cream cone of imperialism.

5. Buying the Law
Why does the policy favor Chevron? Follow the money. In 2024, the Western States Petroleum Association shattered lobbying records, spending $17.3 million in California alone to fight accountability as revealed by CalMatters. On the federal level, Chevron pours millions into ensuring that the “rules” of international trade are written in their favor as reported by OpenSecrets.

Buying Influence: 2024 Lobbying Spend (Millions USD). Source: CalMatters/OpenSecrets.

Implications: The Cost of the “Dream”

The seizure of “The Skipper” is a symptom of a diseased system. The “neoliberal fantasies” peddled by corporations—whether it’s Air NZ’s “Dream Seats” or Chevron’s “energy security”—are built on the back of dispossession. For Māori, this resonates with the confiscation of land for “public works” that end up in private hands. The US is confiscating Venezuela’s sovereign resources under the guise of “law enforcement,” depleting the mauri of a nation to fuel the profits of an oligarchy.

Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou

We must see through the “white lies” of the official narrative. The seizure of “The Skipper” is not a safety measure; it is a robbery. Tony Cowden sees it. The data proves it. The “Oligarchy” is not a conspiracy theory; it is a business model. As kaitiaki of the truth, we must reject the fear-mongering and recognize that the war machine does not protect us—it feeds on us.

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Ivor Jones The Māori Green Lantern Fighting Misinformation And Disinformation From The Far Right

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https://www.rnz.co.nz

https://www.nzherald.co.nz

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