But on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the second deadly strike did occur. She said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had authorized an admiral to conduct “these kinetic strikes” on the suspected drug vessel — and she said that second strike was conducted in “self-defense to protect Americans in vital United States interests.”
Even before Leavitt’s admission that the second strike happened, some legal experts and U.S. lawmakers had already expressed alarm. They argued that even if one accepts the flimsy legal pretext the administration says justifies its belligerence in the seas of the Western hemisphere, that the second deadly strike constituted either a war crime or murder.
The comments in here are simply heartless. Where is the respect?!
The US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group barely escaped with their lives after being threatened by two wounded men clinging to wreckage in the middle of the ocean. Were it not for the superior firepower, tonnage, air support, satellite reconnaissance and missile range of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers today we would be looking at a tragedy instead of a war crime.
Brave survivors, we hope you recover from the trauma that you’ve suffered today at the hand of these two mortally wounded men who were remaining buoyant in an aggressive manner.
Apparently, it’s a pattern:
Pete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagement
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement.
The anecdote is contained in a book Hegseth wrote last year in which he also repeatedly railed against the constraints placed on “American warfighters” by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions.
Also, here is a tweet he had on killing those people. I think he might be a psychopath:
That drunk fascist piece of shit better hang
Yeah that’s not happening from anything a court does
constraints placed on “American warfighters” by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions.
So if the yanks invade canuckistan, is it “Canadian Rules” war?
I’m afraid to ask, what are “Canadian rules”?
i think Canadian Armed Forces were so brutal in both WW1 and WWII that the Geneva Conventions were created to prevent the Canadian Forces from doing it again. I believe the germany complained about Canadian brutality during WWI
I don’t know why I’m surprised, but they don’t mention in the wikipedia article how they came to be. Probably for diplomatic reasons. Now I’m more intrigued.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions#Commentaries
Not everything can be learned from Wikipedia.
This might help.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/canada-germany-wwi.html
"self-defense to protect Americans in vital United States interests.”
Even that is a fucking confession! Mere “interests” do not justify self-defense!
That’s exactly like saying I’m justified in shooting you if I decide stealing your money is in my “interest.”
“self interests” Includes anything and everything according to the US.
USians, write your representatives, tell them how you feel about your government committing war crimes. It feels good to take action. And before someone says, “but it won’t do any good” let me say that defeatism plays directly into the fascist playbook.
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What are you implying?
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Cool, well let me know how that works for you, friend. smh.
Why would I help the United States? My plan is to leave. None of you will do what’s right– As a whole
My reps are all Conservative and have told me to fuck off in polite terms plenty of times. They don’t see reason. But if you have a Democrat or Independent rep, maybe. I don’t know anymore
Too bad my comment was removed. The solution will never be known to anyone
Right now, the non-fascist reps are receiving threats to stop them from opposing fascism. Until the opposite happens, the fascists will only continue to be emboldened.
Killing in “self defense” implies that there were no other ways to stop the “attack”. They could easily have safely intercepted and boarded the suspected vessels.
Or indeed, done nothing at all to them because the “threat” was 100% a lie to begin with. Venezuelan fisherman do precisely fuck-all to threaten people in the US.
