Dear Pete Hegseth, I’m Grateful the Japanese Navy Spared My Grandfather’s Life

[RocksInMyHead]

Yet they look nothing like the ones being blown up. Now show us a picture of one of the suspected drug boats with fishing gear.

If you can't see similarities between this:

and this:

then I might suggest an eye exam. They are, of course, not identical, but they are of similar size and shape. Could those white blurs at the front be bundles of coke? Sure. They could also be coolers full of fish or piles of nets though. The point is, we don't know.

Furthermore, I was responding to another poster's assertion about what fishing boats in the Caribbean look like. It's pretty clear that fishermen in the Caribbean use whatever boats they have at their disposal, and thus it's impossible to tell at a glance what a particular boat might be employed in doing without a clear view of what's inside.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

We have also been on a Global War on Terrorism since 2001, and these drug smugglers have been designated as terrorists. So now they are no different than ISIS and should be treated as such.

As I mentioned in another post, the power granted by Congress to the President to designate enemy combatants applies only to terrorism. This authority does not extend to narcotics or other offenses. If the President of the United States wishes to label a drug trafficker as an enemy combatant, he must first seek approval from Congress to broaden the scope of the enemy combatant parameters.

 

[BCP1928]

As I mentioned in another post, the power granted by Congress to the President to designate enemy combatants applies only to terrorism. This authority does not extend to narcotics or other offenses. If the President of the United States wishes to label a drug trafficker as an enemy combatant, he must first seek approval from Congress to broaden the scope of the enemy combatant parameters.

I believe that the argument goes that they are designated as terrorists because they are terrorists. They are running drugs as an act of terrorism.
They are not just a criminal cartel running drugs for money, they are terrorists smuggling poison into the country. And having made that designation, it allows Trump to do just about anything he feels like. Including, he thinks, land operations against these terrorists in Venezuela, a country whose regime he would like to topple. Just by coincidence, of course.

 

[Bradskii]

During wartime, a combatant is lawfully subject to lethal force wherever the person is found – unless and until the individual offers to surrender. Therefore, only posisitive identification of an enemy target is required to use lethal force.

So you are advocating the execution of drug dealers wherever the person is found. So in Louisiana for example. The authorities can just shoot people if those people are positively identified dealing drugs. You must agree with that. It's literally what you just said.

So do you wanna revise that position or are you going to stick with it? Do you wanna qualify it in some way? Age of the dealer? What he or she is dealing? The amount? Can they blow them up as they transport the drugs? If they shoot down a plane, can they kill any survivors? Is collateral damage acceptable? First time offender? What if it's a businessman?

C'mon, let's tie this down nice and tightly so we know exactly how you want this war on drugs to operate.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

We have also been on a Global War on Terrorism since 2001, and these drug smugglers have been designated as terrorists. So now they are no different than ISIS and should be treated as such.

We also had this administration label car keying vandals as “terrorists” just a few months ago so forgive me if I find their designations of terrorism to be sorely lacking.

 

[Yarddog]

Poor poor narco terrorists drug smugglers. If only they had the same level of outrage for the kids they kill every year with their cargo.

Aren't we glad Jesus doesn't have this attitude.

 

[Yarddog]

I wish liberals would show the same level of empathy and compassion for an unborn child that they do for murdering rapist drug smugglers.

I wish people that call themselves Christian would remember that we all deserve a death sentence. It is only the love and compassion of God that Jesus died so we might live. If we can't show compassion, we shouldn't call ourselves Christian.

If so, abortion would be completely banned.

I am pro life but being pro life I must put all human life at the same level. The mother's life is just as precious as the baby. There are times when the mother may need to be saved, as horrible as that may be.

But here is an interesting question, if you had the chance to kill the 9/11 hijackers before they boarded the planes that killed 2,977 people, would you? But every year, 72, 776 people in the US die from fentanyl, and 29,449 with cocaine. That is over 34 9/11 attacks in the United States every year! So yes! I celebrate the deaths of every single one of these monsters so that innocent people can live.
So who is more "pro-life?"

Our laws do not call for the death penalty for drug traffickers. These people can be stopped and have the drugs confiscated and get information from those arrested.

Killing, indiscriminately, is murder. There is no difference between a missile strike and stopping the boat and shooting each person in the head. It's an execution.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

If you can't see similarities between this:

View attachment 374207

and this:

View attachment 374208

then I might suggest an eye exam. They are, of course, not identical, but they are of similar size and shape. Could those white blurs at the front be bundles of coke? Sure. They could also be coolers full of fish or piles of nets though. The point is, we don't know.

Furthermore, I was responding to another poster's assertion about what fishing boats in the Caribbean look like. It's pretty clear that fishermen in the Caribbean use whatever boats they have at their disposal, and thus it's impossible to tell at a glance what a particular boat might be employed in doing without a clear view of what's inside.

Although from what I see, it is hard to see how similar the boats are. I can't determine how long the boat is, nor what engines it is using. But I can definitely tell that one has fishing gear with no drugs, and the other has drugs with no fishing gear. Can you at least acknowledge that?

 

[Oompa Loompa]

As I mentioned in another post, the power granted by Congress to the President to designate enemy combatants applies only to terrorism. This authority does not extend to narcotics or other offenses. If the President of the United States wishes to label a drug trafficker as an enemy combatant, he must first seek approval from Congress to broaden the scope of the enemy combatant parameters.

So why hasn't congress stopped him yet?

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Our laws do not call for the death penalty for drug traffickers.

The laws of armed combat says that lethal force can be authorized against an enemy combatant once the enemy target has be confirmed and is not surrendering. Nothing more. Just another reminder, we are not talking about criminals, we are talking about designated terrorists and combatants in the global war of terror. No different than ISIS.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

We also had this administration label car keying vandals as “terrorists” just a few months ago so forgive me if I find their designations of terrorism to be sorely lacking.

If you are referring to ANTIFA, they are considered domestic terrorists. But because they are on US soil, they fall under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, not the military. So what is your point?

 

[GoldenBoy89]

If you are referring to ANTIFA, they are considered domestic terrorists.

Only by this fascist administration. Who else would see anti-fascists as terrorists?

But because they are on US soil, they fall under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, not the military.

Goodie!

So what is your point?

That this administration likes to play fast and loose with terms like "terrorist" and given the recent defenses of extrajudicial killings of people merely accused of being terrorists, I'm even you can see where the concern starts to set in.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

So you are advocating the execution of drug dealers wherever the person is found. So in Louisiana for example. The authorities can just shoot people if those people are positively identified dealing drugs. You must agree with that. It's literally what you just said.

No, because that person would be under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, not the military. Even if Osama Bin Laden was found in Louisiana, he could only be arrested. You understood nothing about what I said.topic?

Under the law of armed conflict, soldiers may lawfully engage certain individuals at any time based on their status. Civilians may be targeted based on their conduct, specifically while they are directly participating in hostilities. The conduct that qualifies as direct participation in hostilities is not defined in the relevant treaties that refer to civilians losing their protection from attack—Additional Protocols I and II. And, the exact scope of the term remains the source of disagreement (see here and here).

Understanding Self-Defense and the Law of Armed Conflict - Lieber Institute West Point

US rules of engagment need to distinguish between status-based targeting, direct participation in hostilities, and self-defense targeting.

lieber.westpoint.edu

 

[Bradskii]

No, because that person would be under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, not the military.

Oh, no. You don't get out of it that easily. You are classing those who deal in drugs as terrorists. The police and the FBI would deal with them on US soil. And they are entitled to use deadly force against terrorists. So the questions still stand.

Do you account for the age of the terrorist? Does it matter what he or she is dealing? Is the amount relevant? Can the police or the FBI kill them up as they transport the drugs? If the police or the FBI or the airforce down a plane or blow up a truck, can they kill any survivors? Is collateral damage acceptable? What if the National Guard is involved? What if Trump involves Marines in a US city?

 

[Yarddog]

The laws of armed combat

We are not at war with Venezuela or drug traffickers. The drugs, if any on the boats, are not headed to America, at least not directly.

says that lethal force can be authorized against an enemy combatant once the enemy target has be confirmed and is not surrendering.

Surrender has not been offered to any of the boats.

Nothing more. Just another reminder, we are not talking about criminals, we are talking about designated terrorists

6 Mexican cartels and 2 transnational cartels have been designated terrorists by Trump but drug traffickers have not, nor has Congress designated the cartels as foreign terrorists. This leaves the legality of using deadly force against the vessels leaving Venezuela in serious doubt.

and combatants in the global war of terror. No different than ISIS.

The Cartels are not designated combatants under the global war on terror.

 

[Hans Blaster]

The words "Mexican Navy", "seizes", and "Pacific Ocean" are confusing me.

"cocaine" seems to match, one out of 4 is passing score, right?

 

[Servus]

That is what some Caribbean fishing boats look like. Others look like this:

View attachment 374200

or this:

View attachment 374201

or this:

View attachment 374202

Those look even less like the purported pictures of drug boats than the one I posted.

 

[Servus]

The United States has been waging a "war on drugs" since the 1970s. Efforts have included punishing both drug sellers and users, as well as covertly attempting to destroy sources of drugs in Latin America. So far, these strategies have not proven effective. It appears that the USA consumes more drugs than any other country.

Do Americans use illegal drugs more than other industrialized countries because of their proximity to certain borders? We hear that much fentanyl comes from Canada and China, but why don't Canadians use it themselves? And with China's population being three times larger than the U.S., why don't they face similar fentanyl issues?

You obviously have a specific reason in mind. So spit it out because I'm not going to play the guessing game approch, even if I'm sure I know what someone's getting at.

 

[Servus]

Looks the same from where I am sitting. Address your own log.

I can't. This person won't give it back to me.

 

[Servus]

If you can't see similarities between this:

View attachment 374207

and this:

View attachment 374208

then I might suggest an eye exam. They are, of course, not identical, but they are of similar size and shape. Could those white blurs at the front be bundles of coke? Sure. They could also be coolers full of fish or piles of nets though. The point is, we don't know.

Furthermore, I was responding to another poster's assertion about what fishing boats in the Caribbean look like. It's pretty clear that fishermen in the Caribbean use whatever boats they have at their disposal, and thus it's impossible to tell at a glance what a particular boat might be employed in doing without a clear view of what's inside.

Actually they don't look alike.

Look at the difference between the prow of the vessel in the top picture and the rowboat style boat in the bottom picture. The prow of the one in the top picture has a cargo hold. The top boat has no seat slats like the bottom boat, but rather a cargo space like a flatbed. The top boat also appears to have two large powerful outboard engines. The type of boat in the bottom picture would have a small single outboard motor.