The U.S. Department of Defense has assassinated at least 87 Venezuelan nationals, alleging that they were drug traffickers, by blowing up their vessels on the high seas. In one incident, two out of eleven crew members survived the initial attack. Forty-one minutes later, U.S. forces decided to kill the survivors. The Trump administration claimed that, even though the two men were in the middle of the ocean clinging to debris and not even wearing shirts, they still posed a threat to the United States and its national security interests.
Threat Under the High Seas
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The TMI Show" talk show. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Re “87 Venezuelan nationals”: The only report on the attacks on non-combatant boats I’ve seen for which the US bothered to identify the victims … revealed one Colombian and one Ecuadorian.
This is not to suggest that the murder of ANY Venezuelan nationals can be sanely justified. Of course, the initial war crime is the attacks on non-military, non-threatening, non-combatant, unarmed vessels.
The only connection between drug imports to the US and Venezuela was a now defunct CIA operation run from there.
Finally, a more appropriate punishment/deterrent “obliteration” action to deal with the US opiod problem*** would be to raze to the ground the Sackler compound in a nationally televised combined bomb and missile attack on Christmas Day. However, we will probably only see a blanket, family post & pre-emptive pardon … for all alleged crimes of the past and all they “might” commit in the future.
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*** see Purdue Pharma settlement @ tinyurl.com/47rf4s5a
The two narcoterrorists who survived the first strike were using their cellphones to call in a strike on the US Navy ships keeping America safe from those narcoterrorists who each would have killed millions of Americans had they not been stopped in a totally legitimate US military action .
This has been irrefutably proven. Of course, the proof is all TS/SCI/NOFORN/BBR, so no one without a TS/SCI/NOFORN/BBR clearance and a Need to Know can ever be allowed to see any of that proof, but every qualified person who has seen it has said the proof was irrefutable, but their statements and identities are all TS/SCI/NOFORN/BBR, so don’s ask.
LOL!!!! RAOTFLMAO!
Clearly, this is all part of Trump’s “plan” to get ready to invade Venezuela to secure its vast oil fields for the American people (after making sure that the multinationals are allowed to jack up the prices charged to the American people).
Again, when looking for whom to blame for all of this, I truly blame neither Trump nor the Republicans. This is the behavior I expect from them. Violence, brutality, disregard for human dignity and the rule of law, etc.
The democrats? I know that even if, somehow, Trump loses the next election, the dems will do nothing of any true substance to hold anyone accountable. They, the democrats, are the ones I am pre-blaming. In theory, they understand the concepts of law and order (except when they refuse to even look into why Nancy Pelosi and other dems, as well as Republicans, are making so much money off the stock market that the only possible explanation that doesn’t involve divine intervention is insider trading).
The word “assassinated” is reserved for victims who are well-connected: usually rich, powerful, and/or white. (Also occasionally, pretty white women.) Next time, please use a word that does a better job of not acknowledging the humanity of the victims. If you can’t stomach “narco-terrorists,” at least say “losses” or “collateral damage” (because, um, the alleged drugs were the target) or similar. Get with the program.
It was most merciful of the US to kill the survivors, who otherwise might have been eaten alive by sharks!
Do “narco-terrorists” force-feed fentanyl to people? Dump it in the water supply?