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US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

cnn.com

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Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#711

Post by midtake »

The special forces soldier bet on his team's success. He risked his life. His bet would not alter his behavior in anyway incongruous with mission objectives. Is that really that bad if the direction of the bet isn't unethical?

He could have died and this would be a non-story, just someone throwing 32k away before they were killed in action.

People are focusing on the use of confidential information and calling this insider trading, which is fair, he had knowledge that the trading public did not. But to lump him in with refs who call games wrong on purpose is ridiculous. In one example you are betting on something you want to happen anyway, it is not deception. In the other, you are profiting from deliberate fraud. I think there needs to be some sort of category difference between these two.

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#712

Post by Spooky23 »

lukan wrote: post #380
Spooky23 wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you take issue with the idea that an out of mob that burned down 35 blocks of a mid sized city was motivated by envy and resentment of the prosperous black community. Instead, you assert it was a mob that assembled to lynch a young man who was arrested for assault after he stepped on the foot of or grabbed the arm of a white female elevator operator when he tripped in the elevator. I guess they got out of hand whe…

I take issue with the statement "There were too many successful black men" and wikipedia as proof for that. Honest representation of facts is important to me in general.

[dead]

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#713

Post by etchalon »

midtake wrote: post #711

The special forces soldier bet on his team's success. He risked his life. His bet would not alter his behavior in anyway incongruous with mission objectives. Is that really that bad if the direction of the bet isn't unethical? He could have died and this would be a non-story, just someone throwing 32k away before they were killed in action. People are focusing on the use of confidential information and calling this i…

No, there doesn't need to be.

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#714

Post by ghtbircshotbe »

CGMthrowaway wrote: post #519
ghtbircshotbe wrote: post #437

Many people here are talking about how more powerful people are also corrupt and are getting away with it. All corruption is bad. This soldier put the life of everyone on the mission in danger by doing this.

They didn't make the bet until after the raid - but before the announcement. Surely they endangered people, perhaps more and different people than simply those on the mission

Can you provide a reference? From a Reuters article:

> prosecutors said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on Polymarket between December 27, 2025, and January 2, 2026, that Maduro would soon be out of office and that U.S. forces would soon enter Venezuela

Maduro was taken on January 3.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-soldier-charged-...

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#715

Post by JumpCrisscross »

pixl97 wrote: post #442
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> plenty of evidence of it happening There is circumstantial evidence. We need to collate that. But nothing trumps direct evidence. If someone has that I will bend over backwards to find a way to securely connect them with, at the very least, a reporter who can document it so it shows up in an internet search when an empowered staffer starts down this path.

The problem with this administration is that what you're saying will eventually happen. It will come out they were trading on this. And not a damned thing will happen.

> not a damned thing will happen

This is more lazy nihilism. Fortunately, it remains a minority view.

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#716

Post by HDThoreaun »

midtake wrote: post #711

The special forces soldier bet on his team's success. He risked his life. His bet would not alter his behavior in anyway incongruous with mission objectives. Is that really that bad if the direction of the bet isn't unethical? He could have died and this would be a non-story, just someone throwing 32k away before they were killed in action. People are focusing on the use of confidential information and calling this i…

I think the bigger issue is that he effectively leaked the raid. Now intelligence agencies will be constantly watching the geopolitical questions on prediction markets for big bets. Of course the Trump administration seems to be leaking through prediction markets as well and I doubt they’ll face any consequences.

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#717

Post by HDThoreaun »

fireflash38 wrote: post #688
ErneX wrote: post #607

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was the illegitimate president, he stole the last elections. Plenty of evidence of it. Add to that all the human rights crimes they committed (national guard death squads who killed in the thousands on the poorest areas of the country just to name one). This was investigated by the UN, led by Michelle Bachelet (former president of Chile).

Where do attempts to steal the election land on the spectrum of |not ok to kidnap - - - - - - - ok to kidnap|?

Ok to kidnap

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#718

Post by themafia »

samsari wrote: post #277
Frieren wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only aristocrats can play that game. The soldier is being punished for doing something not allowed for his class status. This is how a caste system works. People is not judged based on their actions but their relationship to power.

You're almost right, but "class" and "caste" are not synonyms and cannot be used interchangeably.

They are synonyms as that includes "nearly the same."

The only difference I can detect is that "class" allows members to move between groups and "castes" do not; however, all the outcomes are identical. So they are absolutely synonymous in most peoples eyes.

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#719

Post by themafia »

ghtbircshotbe wrote: post #714
CGMthrowaway wrote: post #519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't make the bet until after the raid - but before the announcement. Surely they endangered people, perhaps more and different people than simply those on the mission

Can you provide a reference? From a Reuters article: > prosecutors said Van Dyke bet more than $33,000 on Polymarket between December 27, 2025, and January 2, 2026, that Maduro would soon be out of office and that U.S. forces would soon enter Venezuela Maduro was taken on January 3. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-soldier-charged-...

Unless someone knows the bets are placed by an insider how does this create any sort of risk?

Re: US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400k on Maduro raid

#720

Post by themafia »

throawayonthe wrote: post #329
blitzar wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just couldn't, in good conscience, keep bombing childrens schools under such demoralising conditions. On the flip side: who if not me and my precision guided munitions, will protect America (and freedom) from the clear and present danger of 8 year old iranian girls.

truly so sad how the troops must feel

Troops are not homogeneous.

Some of them are into it.

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