*******************
"If this happened as described in the Post report, it was, at best, a war crime under federal law. I say 'at best' because, as regular readers know, I believe the attacks on these suspected drug boats — without congressional authorization, under circumstances in which the boat operators pose no military threat to the United States, and given that narcotics trafficking is defined in federal law as a crime rather than as terrorist activity, much less an act or war — are lawless and therefore that the killings are not legitimate under the law or armed conflict," the attorney wrote.
McCarthy goes even further, suggesting that, "even if you buy the untenable claim that they are combatants, it is a war crime to intentionally kill combatants who have been rendered unable to fight. It is not permitted, under the laws and customs of honorable warfare, to order that no quarter be given — to apply lethal force to those who surrender or who are injured, shipwrecked, or otherwise unable to fight."
Indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe Department of Defense, purposely renamed The Department of War (now we know why) by a sick, pathetic, and always immoral president...
The buck always stops at the top. And while the babbling idiot Hegself my have given the orde it was undoubredly supported by the Crimminal president who continues to show his administrations utter and complete disrespect for the law, both domestic and international law.
Hegseth, those following his orders, as well as the Crimminal president Donald J. tRump should be punished for War Crimes Against Humanity.... Jailed. And the keys thrown away until......
Andrew McCarthy... Fmr US Attorney. Frequent FOX News contributor. Republican. Wrote a book alleging collusion in 2016 to deny Trump the presidency. Defended the "Death Panels" Sarah Palin alleged. Defended claims linking candidate Obama and Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground.
ReplyDeleteIn short... no liberal squish. McCarthy believes the entire operation off the coast of Venezuela and the bombing of these boats, is illegal.
We have the film folks.
If the reports, and the video are found to be accurate, there were survivors of that strike. Our military knew that. And in violation of all norms and the military rules of engagement established and known as the Geneva Conventions, carried out a decisive attack to kill the survivors.
Additionally, the Dept of War/Defense "Law of War" manual plainly states there is a prohibition against declaring a "No Quarter Given" order.
Now before the idiot class shows up and claims I must approve of drugs being smuggled into the US and drug abuse amongst our young people, as some are want to do, let me say categorically, I do not, in any way shape or form.
Full Stop.
And I fully support long prison sentences for anyone arrested, tried and convicted for drug trafficking and smuggling into the United States.
Including Chapo Guzman of Mexico and the former president of Honduras, both of whom have been found to have worked together to smuggle and distribute millions of dollars of cocaine into the US.
Sadly though, President Trump announced a pardon of that drug smuggling president of Honduras over the Thanksgiving weekend.
So maybe he only cares about Venezuelan smugglers.
He cares absolutely nothing about proper ethics or morals. For tRump the Criminal president and his henchmen only that which serves the American Fuhrer matters.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who the political human was but she was all about claiming Venezuelan oil as spoils of war for the USA. Had to be high level because she was on all the right wing shows.
ReplyDeleteSo, all the veteran groups I follow on social media are livid about Hegseth's handling of, well, everything. They trained on not following illegal orders. They understand all too well that if the USA gets away with killing survivors then all bets are off when it's an American clinging to the boat.
Also, they aren't stupid. Pardoning a literal drug trafficker who told folks that he wanted to stuff cocaine up the noses of gringos let everyone know the boat attacks was never about drugs.
As for our trolls, Dave Miller? Where is their proof that the boats held drugs? Any evidence? Instead of killing the survivors why weren't they brought aboard and arrested? Seems to me to be the logical next steps if indeed stopping drug trafficking was the point of the missions.
That said, I'm leaning towards Trump desires (with the passion of MAGA loyalists waiting for the next Trump merch to drop) the oil reserves in Venezuela. It's rumored they are larger than what the Saudi's are sitting on and y'all know how much Trump wants to be not just in the company of the Saudi's but an equal at the table.
Always, follow the money or in this case greed.
Grey... there has been no stated proof, only a "Trust me" from our Joe Isuzu fact challenged government.
DeleteAccording to Maritime Law, which up until the Trump Admin, the US of A fully supported, survivors of an attack are to be rescued. Then if need be, you can sink the remains of the craft you bombed.
Clearly that was not done in this instance and all you have know is this...
Not even the trolls are showing up to defend this.
Les, I imagine you are correct in where the order originated. But... the other day, Trump publicly said he didn't want that, so Hegseth is hanging on the line all by his lonesome.
ReplyDeleteCause we all know, Trump will hang a guy in a minute to save his skin.
It's Monday Afternoon...
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon, the Trump Administration, based on the WH Press Secretary, briefing, that it is a fact the US military ordered and carried out a second strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs, killing survivors of a first strike.
Despite clear military rules and laws and the Geneva Conventions, the second strike, under no circumstances, can be legal. As a matter of fact, the US Military DoD manual specifically says a strike on survivors of a previous boat strike, is illegal.
At this point, the admin is saying the strike happened and in spite of Sec Def/War Hegseth's words in September when he said he was totally in charge of the strike, that actually, the Admiral on site issued the order.
It's going to be an interesting week.
Here's more to ponder... from the actual Department of Defense Law of War Manual, page 1088, Section 18.3.2.1
ReplyDeleteThe requirement to refuse to comply with orders to commit law of war violations applies to orders to perform conduct that is clearly illegal or orders that the subordinate knows, in fact, are illegal. For example, orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.
Can this be any clearer? Someone committed a war crime. Since the Admin admitted today they fired a second strike on the boat, there can be no debate on that fact.
The only question is who is getting thrown under the bus on this.
Trump pardons ex-Honduran president serving 45 year term for being part of the operation that smuggled 400 tons of cocaine into the US. All the while
ReplyDeletetargeting fishing boats and sending an Armada towards Venezuela. Go figure.
Even Orwell couldn't make up crap like that.
Worth over $10 billion. All to influence the elections in another country. Great foreign policy.
DeleteYou are very likely spot on Dave.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son at one time was a fund raiser for Boston College. He was having lunch with a very wealthy alumni who knew and had had business deslings with tRump. The gentleman told my son that his impression of tRump was he would have sold his own mother if he believed he could have make a buck. He found him to be as unethical as anyone he had ever had business dealings with.
Grey One talks sass may just be on to a very plausible explanation for tRump's motives and actions. With his greedy a*s nature follow the money may very well lead to tRump's investment accounts.
If the allegations are true then we can expect the administration to start the blame game at a very swift pace. If I was pete I would look for a hole to crawl into because he is the most likely target to get blamed for everything and probably will be blamed for the WH destruction to build a dance floor.
ReplyDeleteSkud... what are you talking about? The Administration admitted yesterday there was a second strike, it was meant to kill the survivors and they said, was ordered by Admiral Bradley, under the authority, previously announced, by Sec Def/War Pete Hegseth.
DeleteThe action is in clear violation of the rules and conventions of war, as accepted by the US in Geneva and beyond.
Trump abandons Hegseth who then blames the Admiral for giving the order. Admiral's don't fart unless they receive orders so... this is sounding more and more like a SNAFU of epic proportions.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else getting vibes of Lord Farquaad? I mean, they didn't say it but the vibes are all over the place of "some of you are going to die and that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make".
If I were a service person I'd be reexamining my loyalty to a leader willing to toss me aside like so much garbage.
You got it correct Grey... they are trying to throw Admiral Bradley under the bus. These clowns will be running like crazy to avoid blame for this. And Trump has already left the building with his "I would not have done it" response.
DeleteIf we only had military lawyers who could have helped make sure our strikes were lawful and legal. But of course, those guys were fired in February.
This is indeed a major cluster f*#k for US military forces, our reputation overseas and another loss of prestige for the US of A.
But here's our problem, Part Infinity... What's to stop President Trump from simply pardoning everyone involved?
Nothing says "Look, I'm a Nazi", like "Kill them all".
ReplyDeleteIt all comes down from the Felonious Fuhrer.
Former Sec. of Defense Mark Esper recalls Trump asking, “Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something."
Rep Pramila Jayapal note, "Remember the militarized raid on a Chicago apartment building in the middle of the night where agents rappelled from helicopters and zip-tied sobbing children? It has resulted in ZERO criminal charges two months later. The cruelty, chaos, and fear are the point."
True leadership lies in accepting responsibility/accountability for both the bad decisions as well as the good ones. As President Truman famously said, the buck stops here. Unfortunately there is ABSOLUTELTY NO ONE in the tRump regime of corruption that shares President Truman's ethical strengths. In truth the entire tRumpublican party lacks ethical and moral strengths.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has failed to see that tRump would kick his own family under the bus to save his own a*s is as blind as a bat.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed that the Trump cabinet has survived intact for 11 months.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the hiring criteria again? Wrestling Federation wife at Dept. Education? Bizarre road kill enthusiast at HHS? And he is once again asking
son-in-law for diplomatic help. GeeeeeeZ
Who knows BB... what we do know is this... On Thursday RFK will ax the Hep B Vaccine, responsible for a 99% drop in infections in both kids and teens.
DeleteThe wisdom of a Dunce with magnificently dangerous delusions.
DeleteHere's how GOP Senator Rand Paul summed it up yesterday.
ReplyDelete1. On Sunday November 30, Sec Def/War said the entire story from the WAPO was "fake news" and the event, the bombing of defenseless survivors, did not happen.
2. On Monday, December 1, he said he was unaware of all of it, he did not see it, nor order it and it was ordered and carried out by Adm Bradley.
Paul correctly pointed out the contradiction in the Secretary's words. Either Hegseth lied on Sunday when he said it never happened, and he did know about it, or he is incompetent and doesn't know what is happening in his department.
Either way Paul says, Hegseth needs to resign.
Here's Sen Rand Paul's exact quote...
ReplyDelete"It looks to me like they're trying to pin the blame on somebody else and not them. Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn't happen. And then the next day, from the podium of the WH, they're saying it did happen. So either he was lying to us on Sunday or he's incompetent and didn't know what had happened."
Explain it to me like I'm a first grader... where is Sen Paul wrong?
He knew about AND he lied. Exactly as his Fuhrer does.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, he should resign, or be fired. And tRump, who knew as well, he should be impeached with #3 abd then convicted by th3 senate. But it won't happen. This nation is too far gone.