I agree that Hegseht needs to be removed, and immediately. Bradley, on the other hand, needs to be sent back to basic training and given a lesson by Sen. Mark Kelly on following legal orders, not illegal ones.
The Democrats' complaints are meaningless drivel without the means to enforce them, which the "Democratic" (sic) Party willfully surrendered when it abandoned Congress to the RepubliKlans. Thus we can assume the Democrats will merely continue mouthing their meaningless complaints when the Regime brings its oath-breaking military presidential death-squads home to murder No-Kings demonstrators, Trans people, anti-ICE protestors, Blacks, other POC and anyone else on its extermination lists.
.??????.are you saying that the Dems are wrong in their complaints and accusations against the bombing of people who they assume, with no proof, are drug smugglers?
I am saying no such thing, and I suspect you know that. What I am saying is part of a truth so terrible most of us cannot bear to acknowledge it: that because the Democrats fear their billionaire owners more than they fear the RepubliKlans, the Christonazis have conquered the nation. Because that is true, the Democrats' have no way to enforce their complaints, which reduces them to meaningless words -- statements that however courageous they might sound, change absolutely nothing and are therefore intentionally fraudulent. And so it will remain until We the People achieve the disciplined solidarity to form a new party of the 99.9 Percent -- a party free of the neoliberal capitalist shackles imposed by the ruling-class triumvirate -- the high-tech Übermenschen, the Epstein Pervocracy and the Christonazi fanatics -- and enforced by their MAGAT lynch mobs.
it always strikes me as sadly humourous(life is a box of paradox) how so many people say, 'must'. people who, pretty much, have no say in the matter WHATsoever...but if it makes you feel any better...it's only virtual ink...
It's also a legal one as many legal experts have pointed out. The breaches have been so egregious that the UK, a member of the Five Eyes Alliance, has been withholding intelligence regarding activities in the Caribbean from the US government.
This follows the decision of the US government to exclude the Five Eyes partners from classified information related to the war in Ukraine.
As we feel more and more like helpless victims ourselves..able to do little more than walk the streets at a protest with nothing changing, no one listening or caring, caught up with the arrogance of money, power, and self-righteousness..…
The damage that Trump/Hegseth/Noem/etc are doing to our standing in the world and our relationships with our allies is to me the scariest part.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, we may find out that not only does the would-be emperor have no clothes but also that the nation has no friends.
It’s totally bizarre that Trump continues to target and kill “narco-terrorists” in small boats hundreds of miles from the U.S. coast—without due process—while at the same time pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted last year by a U.S. judge and sentenced to 45 years in prison plus an $8 million fine for drug trafficking. The administration seems completely upside down.
This was the guy who boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses and they’re never even going to know it.” He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras and a man was killed in prison to protect him - which gives some clues why Trump may have felt sorry for this fellow grifter.
Prosecutors said Mr. Hernández was key to a scheme that lasted more than 20 years and brought more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States. He used drug money to manipulate the vote in two elections. He has all the hallmarks of a Trumper.
The public does know. And this public (me) is sick in my stomach over this. Twenty strikes! No evidence. These activities by the US military are terrorism. I want a full investigation and indictments and prosecution of the actors.
how much does it take for people to realize that this administration doesn't care about what you want? and, between the executive branches, they've pretty much got it sewn up tight... SCOTUS just ok'd the gerrymandering in Texas...but it's nice that now they'll rig elections right out in the open...i appreciate the transparency...
Bradley knows better. Do you think Bradley was threatened by Trump, and therefore coerced to take the blame away from Hegseth? I believe Hegseth is guilty as hell and did give the order to "Kill them all." And Trump had to authorize it because DJT is a micromanager and knows "everything" that is going on! They are all insane and should be locked away!
i was going to say something like, 'what's the difference?...they're tried, found guilty and Trump pardons them...'
but he's already making himself look bad with the pardons he's handed out...that might push it over the edge...though i doubt it...
and i'm SURE he's getting off on having pardoned the Honduran whatever he was, in light of that it's in direct contrast to what he says he's doing with those boats they're blowing out of the water...fits his personality profile reeeeeeal well...
The United States and the Great War on Anything That Floats
SATIRE: A Caribbean Comedy of Errors, Courage, and Cocaine
“According to Admiral Bradley, the men were still combatants because the wreckage floated, which means in theory they could have paddled to safety, rebuilt the boat, and relaunched their cocaine startup before lunch.”
Washington awoke this week to the sound of distant thunder, which turned out to be Representative Jim Himes sighing after viewing the Pentagon’s latest home movie. He had just watched a video that looked like the rejected pilot of a very dark Coast Guard sitcom. In it, two men clung to the shattered remains of their boat, immobile, terrified, and possibly wondering if the real crime was not cocaine trafficking but forgetting to register as official enemy combatants.
Himes, who has spent years sitting through national security briefings that could make a stoic sweat, said this was one of the most troubling sights of his career. Given that he once had to listen to a three-hour explanation of cyber defense by a man who thought a firewall was an actual wall, that is saying something.
The Pentagon’s star performer of the week was Admiral Frank Bradley, who arrived to brief Congress and brought with him the energy of a man trying to sell a broken lawnmower for full price. He explained that the two survivors of the initial strike were not rescued because the wreckage still floated, apparently supported by little white packages of cocaine. In Bradley’s mind, this meant the men could simply drift to safety, reestablish their nautical startup, and continue their journey as if starring in a bootleg sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean.
When reporters reminded him that the men had no radio, no engine, and no boat, Bradley clarified that, in his professional judgment, they were still a threat because, in theory, people have hands and hands can do things. He did not say what things. Congress did not ask.
Legal experts responded with the collective sound of textbooks falling down a staircase. They pointed out the obvious. Civilians engaged in illicit trade are not combatants. The administration countered with the equally obvious. The President had declared a formal armed conflict with drug cartels during a televised moment of inspiration, which apparently carries the same legal force as a treaty if you squint hard enough.
Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes with the enthusiasm of a man who has never met a military action he did not want gift-wrapped. Senator Rand Paul, on the other hand, emerged from the libertarian mist to point out that due process still exists, or at least did the last time he checked.
Paul demanded testimony, video, and a reminder that the Constitution is not optional. He even suggested that Congress should stop any administration that thinks summary execution is a stylish new pilot program. Several staffers fainted after hearing a Republican call for oversight.
Public debate reached new heights when Andrew Kolvet of Turning Point USA declared that every criticism of Pete Hegseth made him crave another boat explosion. Hegseth, who treats foreign policy like a video game, replied with the proud glee of a boy announcing he microwaved a fork. He confirmed another strike. U.S. Southern Command later added details, mostly adjectives, to reassure everyone that the destroyed vessel had been very illicit, very dangerous, and very boat-shaped.
By nightfall, the country had settled into its familiar posture. Some called for investigations. Some demanded accountability. Some posted emojis on social media. The Pentagon prepared another PowerPoint presentation with clip art that will haunt Congress for years.
And somewhere in the Caribbean, the ocean rolled on, indifferent to borders, politics, or the curious American talent for turning tragedy into spectacle. The tide carried what remained of a broken vessel toward the horizon, a quiet reminder that justice requires more than labels and that even the sea knows the difference between a war and an excuse.
Doesn’t maritime law require that combatants must rescue survivors in conflict! I recognize this did not happen in WWII when Indianapolis was sunk, but after WWII didn’t Geneva Convention define this as a moral obligation? It is clear to me that drumpf, Hegseth, and Bradley should revisit their moral obligation. They are all guilty of murdering these souls.
also … a bit of trivia — “The cost to the U.S. government to sink a boat with drugs in 2025 is estimated to be at least hundreds of thousands of dollars per operation, primarily driven by the cost of the munitions used and the flight hours of the aircraft involved” equivalent to operating approx 1,600 planned parenthood clinics in the u.s. (@ approx $200,00 per clinic) annually … (2024: approx 2 million patients & 9.13 million services ) …
Legally speaking, that's irrelevant since they would still not be combatants in an armed conflict with the United States but rather criminals with rights of due process. If the US navy was able to establish that the boats were carrying drugs it ought to have been well within its compass to intercept the boats and arrest those on board.
Bear in mind that federal courts have already rejected Trump's absurd claim that the US had been invaded by a drug cartel run by the Venezuelan government as a basis for deporting alleged members of the cartel to El Salvador. Members of the administration are facing criminal contempt charges for defying a court order.
I heard that the missle that killed the 2 boatmen(I refuse to call them narco-terrorists) cost $250,000. Each How these killings are justified by anyone is truly insane.
This is about oil. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. Trump's accusation that this is about drugs is the tail wagging the dog, a flimsy excuse to allow the US to force regime change and get one that will enable US-based oil companies to move in and take the oil. It is probably a coincidence, but now the Trump regime is lowering fuel-emissions standards and claims that if there were to be a regime change, gasoline would be cheaper.
if anyone’s not aware … in 2022 “Bongbong” Marcos began anti-drug operations by murdering drug dealers using death squads … in 2017 Trump complicated Marcos that he was doing an “amazing job” in his “war on drugs” … hmm … is Trump & sycophants taking a page from Marcos’ playbook?
that must have complicated Marcos quite a bit...i know it would ME, if i were complicated by Trump...yeah. it pays to read over what one is about to post...less complicated that way...
The need for Hegseth to resign is an understatement! This great summary underscores the need for Congress to step up the pressure for more information. Maybe we have reached a level of “critical mass” for this to happen. Thank you, Heather, for your detailed update.
Admiral Bradley must stand for a court martial and, assuming he is found guilty, be stripped of his rank and thrown in Leavenworth.
Hegseth must be removed from office and be tried for his crimes as well.
There really is no other alternative.
I agree that Hegseht needs to be removed, and immediately. Bradley, on the other hand, needs to be sent back to basic training and given a lesson by Sen. Mark Kelly on following legal orders, not illegal ones.
The Democrats' complaints are meaningless drivel without the means to enforce them, which the "Democratic" (sic) Party willfully surrendered when it abandoned Congress to the RepubliKlans. Thus we can assume the Democrats will merely continue mouthing their meaningless complaints when the Regime brings its oath-breaking military presidential death-squads home to murder No-Kings demonstrators, Trans people, anti-ICE protestors, Blacks, other POC and anyone else on its extermination lists.
.??????.are you saying that the Dems are wrong in their complaints and accusations against the bombing of people who they assume, with no proof, are drug smugglers?
I am saying no such thing, and I suspect you know that. What I am saying is part of a truth so terrible most of us cannot bear to acknowledge it: that because the Democrats fear their billionaire owners more than they fear the RepubliKlans, the Christonazis have conquered the nation. Because that is true, the Democrats' have no way to enforce their complaints, which reduces them to meaningless words -- statements that however courageous they might sound, change absolutely nothing and are therefore intentionally fraudulent. And so it will remain until We the People achieve the disciplined solidarity to form a new party of the 99.9 Percent -- a party free of the neoliberal capitalist shackles imposed by the ruling-class triumvirate -- the high-tech Übermenschen, the Epstein Pervocracy and the Christonazi fanatics -- and enforced by their MAGAT lynch mobs.
wow...i can think of at least one...
it always strikes me as sadly humourous(life is a box of paradox) how so many people say, 'must'. people who, pretty much, have no say in the matter WHATsoever...but if it makes you feel any better...it's only virtual ink...
It’s a moral imperative, my friend, not a directive.
got it...
wait. this administration has morals?
Not that I’ve noticed. Good point. 😂
i love my guitars, too, jim...great companions/therapists...
I knew I liked you for a reason
It's also a legal one as many legal experts have pointed out. The breaches have been so egregious that the UK, a member of the Five Eyes Alliance, has been withholding intelligence regarding activities in the Caribbean from the US government.
This follows the decision of the US government to exclude the Five Eyes partners from classified information related to the war in Ukraine.
https://www.politico.eu/article/tulsi-gabbard-freeze-five-eyes-allies-on-ukraine-intel/
The US is making the world a more dangerous place by it's insane foreign policies.
As we feel more and more like helpless victims ourselves..able to do little more than walk the streets at a protest with nothing changing, no one listening or caring, caught up with the arrogance of money, power, and self-righteousness..…
The damage that Trump/Hegseth/Noem/etc are doing to our standing in the world and our relationships with our allies is to me the scariest part.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, we may find out that not only does the would-be emperor have no clothes but also that the nation has no friends.
It’s totally bizarre that Trump continues to target and kill “narco-terrorists” in small boats hundreds of miles from the U.S. coast—without due process—while at the same time pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted last year by a U.S. judge and sentenced to 45 years in prison plus an $8 million fine for drug trafficking. The administration seems completely upside down.
ever hear the expression, 'follow the money'...prob work pretty well with Trump...
This was the guy who boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses and they’re never even going to know it.” He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras and a man was killed in prison to protect him - which gives some clues why Trump may have felt sorry for this fellow grifter.
Prosecutors said Mr. Hernández was key to a scheme that lasted more than 20 years and brought more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States. He used drug money to manipulate the vote in two elections. He has all the hallmarks of a Trumper.
remember the "News" is feeding you what they want, when they want.
.
months of Venezuela threating to take over Guyana oil fields - doesn't make their list.
Venezuela GDP dropping from 350billion to 100billion, with rampant starvation, well that doesn't either
doesn't fit the narrative you see - can only feed you the things that make you hate Trump more .....
as if he needs any help doing that!
If Wishes Were Airstrikes
He’s not fit to serve
So now he must resign
Said Schumer in a post on X
That blew some MAGA mind
Then said Andrew Kolvet
He wished another boat
Could be blown up and sunk to hell
just so that he could gloat
Your wish is our command
Just sunk another boat
Making sure that nothing in it
Living is afloat
Quote unquote Pete Hegseth
As if it’s all a game
Doing a disservice to
Our Servicemen—for shame!
Notches in his belt
Left in sunken fragments
Twenty boats and eighty seven
”Enemy combatants”
Buried in the water
Beneath the heavy lid
Of Davy Jones’ Locker, their
Remains forever hid
Dale K. Nichols
December 5, 2025
Never Trump Poetry Substack
The public does know. And this public (me) is sick in my stomach over this. Twenty strikes! No evidence. These activities by the US military are terrorism. I want a full investigation and indictments and prosecution of the actors.
how much does it take for people to realize that this administration doesn't care about what you want? and, between the executive branches, they've pretty much got it sewn up tight... SCOTUS just ok'd the gerrymandering in Texas...but it's nice that now they'll rig elections right out in the open...i appreciate the transparency...
We really need a "not like" button.
Bradley knows better. Do you think Bradley was threatened by Trump, and therefore coerced to take the blame away from Hegseth? I believe Hegseth is guilty as hell and did give the order to "Kill them all." And Trump had to authorize it because DJT is a micromanager and knows "everything" that is going on! They are all insane and should be locked away!
i was going to say something like, 'what's the difference?...they're tried, found guilty and Trump pardons them...'
but he's already making himself look bad with the pardons he's handed out...that might push it over the edge...though i doubt it...
and i'm SURE he's getting off on having pardoned the Honduran whatever he was, in light of that it's in direct contrast to what he says he's doing with those boats they're blowing out of the water...fits his personality profile reeeeeeal well...
The United States and the Great War on Anything That Floats
SATIRE: A Caribbean Comedy of Errors, Courage, and Cocaine
“According to Admiral Bradley, the men were still combatants because the wreckage floated, which means in theory they could have paddled to safety, rebuilt the boat, and relaunched their cocaine startup before lunch.”
Washington awoke this week to the sound of distant thunder, which turned out to be Representative Jim Himes sighing after viewing the Pentagon’s latest home movie. He had just watched a video that looked like the rejected pilot of a very dark Coast Guard sitcom. In it, two men clung to the shattered remains of their boat, immobile, terrified, and possibly wondering if the real crime was not cocaine trafficking but forgetting to register as official enemy combatants.
Himes, who has spent years sitting through national security briefings that could make a stoic sweat, said this was one of the most troubling sights of his career. Given that he once had to listen to a three-hour explanation of cyber defense by a man who thought a firewall was an actual wall, that is saying something.
The Pentagon’s star performer of the week was Admiral Frank Bradley, who arrived to brief Congress and brought with him the energy of a man trying to sell a broken lawnmower for full price. He explained that the two survivors of the initial strike were not rescued because the wreckage still floated, apparently supported by little white packages of cocaine. In Bradley’s mind, this meant the men could simply drift to safety, reestablish their nautical startup, and continue their journey as if starring in a bootleg sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean.
When reporters reminded him that the men had no radio, no engine, and no boat, Bradley clarified that, in his professional judgment, they were still a threat because, in theory, people have hands and hands can do things. He did not say what things. Congress did not ask.
Legal experts responded with the collective sound of textbooks falling down a staircase. They pointed out the obvious. Civilians engaged in illicit trade are not combatants. The administration countered with the equally obvious. The President had declared a formal armed conflict with drug cartels during a televised moment of inspiration, which apparently carries the same legal force as a treaty if you squint hard enough.
Meanwhile, Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes with the enthusiasm of a man who has never met a military action he did not want gift-wrapped. Senator Rand Paul, on the other hand, emerged from the libertarian mist to point out that due process still exists, or at least did the last time he checked.
Paul demanded testimony, video, and a reminder that the Constitution is not optional. He even suggested that Congress should stop any administration that thinks summary execution is a stylish new pilot program. Several staffers fainted after hearing a Republican call for oversight.
Public debate reached new heights when Andrew Kolvet of Turning Point USA declared that every criticism of Pete Hegseth made him crave another boat explosion. Hegseth, who treats foreign policy like a video game, replied with the proud glee of a boy announcing he microwaved a fork. He confirmed another strike. U.S. Southern Command later added details, mostly adjectives, to reassure everyone that the destroyed vessel had been very illicit, very dangerous, and very boat-shaped.
By nightfall, the country had settled into its familiar posture. Some called for investigations. Some demanded accountability. Some posted emojis on social media. The Pentagon prepared another PowerPoint presentation with clip art that will haunt Congress for years.
And somewhere in the Caribbean, the ocean rolled on, indifferent to borders, politics, or the curious American talent for turning tragedy into spectacle. The tide carried what remained of a broken vessel toward the horizon, a quiet reminder that justice requires more than labels and that even the sea knows the difference between a war and an excuse.
https://essayx.substack.com/p/the-united-states-and-the-great-war
Doesn’t maritime law require that combatants must rescue survivors in conflict! I recognize this did not happen in WWII when Indianapolis was sunk, but after WWII didn’t Geneva Convention define this as a moral obligation? It is clear to me that drumpf, Hegseth, and Bradley should revisit their moral obligation. They are all guilty of murdering these souls.
also … a bit of trivia — “The cost to the U.S. government to sink a boat with drugs in 2025 is estimated to be at least hundreds of thousands of dollars per operation, primarily driven by the cost of the munitions used and the flight hours of the aircraft involved” equivalent to operating approx 1,600 planned parenthood clinics in the u.s. (@ approx $200,00 per clinic) annually … (2024: approx 2 million patients & 9.13 million services ) …
I’d love to know first if they are really carrying drugs and if this is making one bit of a difference in drug sales. I bet not
Legally speaking, that's irrelevant since they would still not be combatants in an armed conflict with the United States but rather criminals with rights of due process. If the US navy was able to establish that the boats were carrying drugs it ought to have been well within its compass to intercept the boats and arrest those on board.
Bear in mind that federal courts have already rejected Trump's absurd claim that the US had been invaded by a drug cartel run by the Venezuelan government as a basis for deporting alleged members of the cartel to El Salvador. Members of the administration are facing criminal contempt charges for defying a court order.
Thank you for that.
I heard that the missle that killed the 2 boatmen(I refuse to call them narco-terrorists) cost $250,000. Each How these killings are justified by anyone is truly insane.
If you accept every claim then explain his pardon of a convicted trafficker and visas for cartel family members
It is critically important to tie these reports to the pardon granted to Juan Orlando Hernandez- a known and convicted drug lord.
There is no justice - no logic- in letting Hernandez off the hook while blowing these unverified boats out of the water.
He's lost it.
Arrest, convict, prison!
Justice must be served, Court Martial Bradley, hegseth, and trump. Get rid of the entire corrupt republican administration.
This is about oil. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves. Trump's accusation that this is about drugs is the tail wagging the dog, a flimsy excuse to allow the US to force regime change and get one that will enable US-based oil companies to move in and take the oil. It is probably a coincidence, but now the Trump regime is lowering fuel-emissions standards and claims that if there were to be a regime change, gasoline would be cheaper.
Intelligence...?? Not In the DJT administration...
if anyone’s not aware … in 2022 “Bongbong” Marcos began anti-drug operations by murdering drug dealers using death squads … in 2017 Trump complicated Marcos that he was doing an “amazing job” in his “war on drugs” … hmm … is Trump & sycophants taking a page from Marcos’ playbook?
that must have complicated Marcos quite a bit...i know it would ME, if i were complicated by Trump...yeah. it pays to read over what one is about to post...less complicated that way...
haha, well there you have it — “complimented” — didn’t realize i could go back & edit posts (1st time out)
The need for Hegseth to resign is an understatement! This great summary underscores the need for Congress to step up the pressure for more information. Maybe we have reached a level of “critical mass” for this to happen. Thank you, Heather, for your detailed update.