flown-the-coop said:

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jacketman03 said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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AtticusMatlock said:

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The threat profile is completely different. This is not a surviving couple of Taliban soldiers hiding under a bush after an Apache ambushes their convoy. Those guys would have returned to the fight as quickly as they could.

The guys on these boats are mules. They are usually fishermen who are paid a bunch of money to go from point A to point B, most are not even involved with the cartels other than just being paid for this one task. Clinging to the burning wreckage of a boat, these guys were no longer a threat to the United States. Pick them up, get some intel, charge them.

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Are they fisherman doing this one thing, just mules, simply getting paid?

Or do they have intel and are worthy of being charged (by the way, not sure we actually have jurisdiction to charge them - so they would have to be treated as enemy combatants and sent to Gitmo or similar)?

Or we finish the job.

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If they're criminals, you arrest and charge them. If they're unlawful enemy combatants, you detain them and send them to Gitmo. If they're neither, you capture them, then release them (you know, what we did after later strikes).

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It's better where we left them.

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Authority comes from the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) (46 U.S.C. 7050170508) which we have been using since 1986…it's a pain in the a$$ process and that's why I'm not totally against the strikes. I just think we need to make an attempt to follow our laws and procedures and second strikes don't appear to be legal, but we will see.

After thinking about it, my opinion is the SEALS are so used to double tapping terrorist in the desert who can crawl into a hut and join the fight tomorrow, that they didn't think about the nuanced difference with combatants disabled at sea…at least the first time, and then they figured it out.

Let's be completely honest here, the reason why Trump/Hegseth is ordering second shots onto survivors is so they can't be paraded in front of a camera to say they were just fishing.

It's a strategic decision to maintain a tight grip on narrative control. Whether that's the right or wrong decision, up for debate.

So Navy is not allowed to sink other boats? Or only if they get it on the first shot?

I have no issue with a 2nd pass to ensure the targets were destroyed.

Back when i worked for the Brits, they had labels for certain kinds of workers. Complicators and completer / finishers.

Citing maritime laws, arresting guys at see, flying them around, interviewing them, making sure they are comfortable, then sending them back to try again seems complicated.

I made quite a nice living being a completer / finisher. Trump takes a similar approach.

If people think he's wrong, impeach him for vote for Walz in 2028. Until then, cheer on the fight Trump continues to take to the enemies of the United States.

There are a bunch of rules and regulations, but to summarize the DoD Law of War Manual:

-You may attack enemy vessels that are valid military objectives.
-Once a vessel is incapacitated or surrendering, further force must stop.

Complicators and finishers…interesting analogy, different rules than manufacturing.

Tergdor said:

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Let's be completely honest here, the reason why Trump/Hegseth is ordering second shots onto survivors is so they can't be paraded in front of a camera to say they were just fishing.

It's a strategic decision to maintain a tight grip on narrative control. Whether that's the right or wrong decision, up for debate.

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their orders are to pick up survivors and none will make it to camera. Some are fisherman, some bus drivers, some local gangsters, a big mix.

Fdsa said:

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Tergdor said:

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Let's be completely honest here, the reason why Trump/Hegseth is ordering second shots onto survivors is so they can't be paraded in front of a camera to say they were just fishing.

It's a strategic decision to maintain a tight grip on narrative control. Whether that's the right or wrong decision, up for debate.

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their orders are to pick up survivors and none will make it to camera. Some are fisherman, some bus drivers, some local gangsters, a big mix.

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…at this point those guys are terrorists hauling contraband. Does not matter what they do on their free time. But when driving a high speed boat, out in the middle of ocean no where and transporting drugs…..they deserve to die. I personally doubt the story is true.

Fdsa said:

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Tergdor said:

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Let's be completely honest here, the reason why Trump/Hegseth is ordering second shots onto survivors is so they can't be paraded in front of a camera to say they were just fishing.

It's a strategic decision to maintain a tight grip on narrative control. Whether that's the right or wrong decision, up for debate.

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their orders are to pick up survivors and none will make it to camera. Some are fisherman, some bus drivers, some local gangsters, a big mix.

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If they're willing to pick up survivors it makes me wonder why they hit them twice anyway. I have a hard time believing that a boat wasn't incapacitated after the first strike.

But who knows, I wasn't there.

Pretty decent breakdown of the incident.

This is an entirely unconvincing - and potentially dangerous - legal analysis published by these former JAGs.

For present purposes, let's ignore the fact that this "working group" is composed of completely anonymous former JAs. Instead, here I'll focus on the most glaring… https://t.co/SnYXTRiyvo pic.twitter.com/Lq0KiYT13L

— Dr. Brian L. Cox (@BrianCox_RLTW) December 1, 2025

flown-the-coop said:

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LMCane said:

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Afterburner Podcast reporting the Venezuelan military was raised to "Red Alert" status including their SU-30s and F-16s

supposedly Trump had a call with Maduro demanding he step down and leave the country.

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Leavitt confirmed the call during her presser today.

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Correct. It still depends what one wants to believe right now. WaPo, Trump/Hegseth, MSM, 'unnamed sources' etc.

Supposedly, I have read that Maduro wants to leave but the military leadership won't let him. Supposedly Trump gave him until Friday now. Supposedly this (and the former Honduran presidents pardon from Trump) is also about getting info about our Intel folks running drugs/people smuggling for a long time, and election fraud. Supposedly, the VZ military, not Maduro, has said 'absolutely not' to Maria Machado (opposition leader) taking over, and supposedly Trump said no immunity for them.

Who are the Venezuelan Election Fraud Whistleblowers?

One of them is the former Head of Venezuelan Military Intelligence under Hugo Chavez "who has unparalleled knowledge of Venezuela's primary role in U.S. and global election fraud," General Hugo Carvajal.… https://t.co/XT1P9GU6Io pic.twitter.com/bHr5idQQ20

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) December 1, 2025

I definitely don't know what will happen, being just a guy with a keyboard. Another guys' guesses (Berntsen take from June is interesting, if one clicks through this):

THE DEEPSTATE IS IN FULL PANIC ‼️

President Trump to give a “full and complete pardon” to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking and weapons charges

🔻 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

The CIA Didn’t… pic.twitter.com/AiE1QuWxxQ

— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) December 1, 2025

It sure seems like Trump is focused on the drug trade and deep state, but if he can get as well the broader truth/secrets about the 2020 election, great. We can't keep all that firepower cruising along in the southern end of the Gulf of America forever.

Let’s make one thing crystal clear:

Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.

America is fortunate to have such men protecting…

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025

I was told Bradley was a scapegoat by someone named Alex who wanted $500.

I heard it explained in one podcast that these guys may have been alive and could've radioed their comrades for help and / or backup. In that case they're still valid military targets and got what they deserved.

Of course libs will fight tooth and nail for criminals but the explanation is pretty simple.

flown-the-coop said:

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I was told Bradley was a scapegoat by someone named Alex who wanted $500.

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maybe…Bradley is a national hero…and a great Texan.

jacketman03 said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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AtticusMatlock said:

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The threat profile is completely different. This is not a surviving couple of Taliban soldiers hiding under a bush after an Apache ambushes their convoy. Those guys would have returned to the fight as quickly as they could.

The guys on these boats are mules. They are usually fishermen who are paid a bunch of money to go from point A to point B, most are not even involved with the cartels other than just being paid for this one task. Clinging to the burning wreckage of a boat, these guys were no longer a threat to the United States. Pick them up, get some intel, charge them.

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Are they fisherman doing this one thing, just mules, simply getting paid?

Or do they have intel and are worthy of being charged (by the way, not sure we actually have jurisdiction to charge them - so they would have to be treated as enemy combatants and sent to Gitmo or similar)?

Or we finish the job.

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If they're criminals, you arrest and charge them. If they're unlawful enemy combatants, you detain them and send them to Gitmo. If they're neither, you capture them, then release them (you know, what we did after later strikes).

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The "they" you speak of are international terrorists responsible for murdering hundreds of thousands of American citizens either through overdoses or outright violent murder.

K2-HMFIC said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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AtticusMatlock said:

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The threat profile is completely different. This is not a surviving couple of Taliban soldiers hiding under a bush after an Apache ambushes their convoy. Those guys would have returned to the fight as quickly as they could.

The guys on these boats are mules. They are usually fishermen who are paid a bunch of money to go from point A to point B, most are not even involved with the cartels other than just being paid for this one task. Clinging to the burning wreckage of a boat, these guys were no longer a threat to the United States. Pick them up, get some intel, charge them.

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Are they fisherman doing this one thing, just mules, simply getting paid?

Or do they have intel and are worthy of being charged (by the way, not sure we actually have jurisdiction to charge them - so they would have to be treated as enemy combatants and sent to Gitmo or similar)?

Or we finish the job.

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Because intel has never been known to be wrong…

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Floating bales of drugs recovered dispute your claims. For example

Search Assist

Authorities in the Dominican Republic recovered approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from a speedboat that was destroyed by a U.S. airstrike in the Caribbean. This operation marked a significant joint effort between the U.S. and Dominican Republic against drug trafficking in the region.


Overview of Drug Recoveries from U.S. Air Strikes
The U.S. military has conducted a series of air strikes targeting drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean, particularly those allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug cartels. These operations have resulted in significant drug recoveries.
Key Incidents and Recoveries
Dominican Republic Operations

• Date of Strikes: September 2025
• Location: Approximately 80 nautical miles south of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic
• Drugs Recovered:
  
  • Total Weight: About 1,000 kilograms of cocaine
  • Packages: 377 packages were seized by Dominican authorities after a U.S. air strike on a speedboat.

note 1 kilogram is 2.2 lbs so they found ~2,200 lbs. of what % of the total load?

The report also effectively exonerates Admiral Bradley pic.twitter.com/907DgYRWcH

— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) December 2, 2025

Sometimes people/commanders don't quite know what they are getting, in a war. Take, for instance, Bowie's "Grass Fight" where silver and gold had been hoped for.

Quote:

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James Bowie's leadership during the engagement exemplified the Texas approach to adversity: assess the situation, take decisive action, and adapt when reality doesn't match expectations. The man who would later die defending the Alamo showed on this November morning that Texas independence would be built not on dreams of easy wealth but on the willingness to fight for freedom even when the rewards remained uncertain.

The Grass Fight stands as proof that the spirit of Texas independence was never about material gain. The same men who laughed at finding grass instead of gold would continue their siege of San Antonio, eventually forcing the Mexican garrison to surrender. They understood that true victory lay not in captured treasure but in the establishment of a free and independent Texas.

Today, as Texans consider their relationship with a federal government that increasingly ignores their interests and values, the lesson of the Grass Fight remains relevant. The men who fought near Alazan Creek on November 26, 1835, showed that the pursuit of self-government requires sacrifice, determination, and the willingness to continue fighting even when immediate rewards prove elusive. Their legacy reminds us that the foundation of Texas independence was built not on silver and gold, but on the indomitable spirit of a people determined to govern themselves.

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Violently cutting off a substantial part of the drug trade (and their profits from it), is worth it.

nortex97 said:

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Sometimes people/commanders don't quite know what they are getting, in a war. Take, for instance, Bowie's "Grass Fight" where silver and gold had been hoped for.

Quote:

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James Bowie's leadership during the engagement exemplified the Texas approach to adversity: assess the situation, take decisive action, and adapt when reality doesn't match expectations. The man who would later die defending the Alamo showed on this November morning that Texas independence would be built not on dreams of easy wealth but on the willingness to fight for freedom even when the rewards remained uncertain.

The Grass Fight stands as proof that the spirit of Texas independence was never about material gain. The same men who laughed at finding grass instead of gold would continue their siege of San Antonio, eventually forcing the Mexican garrison to surrender. They understood that true victory lay not in captured treasure but in the establishment of a free and independent Texas.

Today, as Texans consider their relationship with a federal government that increasingly ignores their interests and values, the lesson of the Grass Fight remains relevant. The men who fought near Alazan Creek on November 26, 1835, showed that the pursuit of self-government requires sacrifice, determination, and the willingness to continue fighting even when immediate rewards prove elusive. Their legacy reminds us that the foundation of Texas independence was built not on silver and gold, but on the indomitable spirit of a people determined to govern themselves.

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Violently cutting off a substantial part of the drug trade (and their profits from it), is worth it.

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Nothing else was working. Not only are we eliminating terrorists and dope but the narco-terrorists know we aren't kidding around now.

Chinese military companies see drop in revenues, coke prices skyrocket, and Democrats (like Mark Kelly who is a longtime CCP business partner) are furious. China undoubtedly has been running the show in Venezuela for a good period of time (over 20 years).

Every time you hear a politician protest US military attacks on drug traffickers, you are hearing a whine about the price of cocaine going up 45 percent in a month. pic.twitter.com/LBpGpPLyiP

— J Michael Waller (@JMichaelWaller) December 2, 2025

Venezuela is vastly more significant to US interests (and not simply for their oil reserves) than any number of oddball idiotic wars the CIA/IC has gotten us engaged with. The money laundering operations almost sound innocuous at first glance but it is so enormous there is zero doubt it reached into our intelligence/political 'communities' quite deeply. China-Venezuela are the hub, but the spokes also run to Hezbollah/Europe/Mexican cartels, and of course the US and Canadian banks.

will25u said:

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The report also effectively exonerates Admiral Bradley pic.twitter.com/907DgYRWcH

— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) December 2, 2025

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That reads like typical strike orders to convoys and similar. Even that the follow-up is a matter of course, and non-specific. Which is to say, that rings true, rather than a whitewash. Its just how it would be phrased.

Trump is teaching advanced level trolling to the masses.

Let MSM get way over their skis on a story, issue short statements that deny but don't give enough for the media to leave it alone, let the usual Dems and TDSers get all spun up, then let more information out until they look like the deranged ******s they are.

On to the next one!

What has happened to the NYT? They've now released two stories in one week that make the Democrats look bad.

I'm shocked the NYT shoved some objectivity in the face of Democrat narratives. Good on them for a change.

Have you ever seen FLIR video of an Apache attack helicopter pilot stop shooting after it hits a target and a bad guy crawls out from the wreckage?

NO! They keep firing their 30mm chain gun until everyone stops moving or the bright spots are in multiple locations!

This idea…

— Shawn - We The People 🇺🇸 (@thebigmcd) December 2, 2025

will25u said:

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Have you ever seen FLIR video of an Apache attack helicopter pilot stop shooting after it hits a target and a bad guy crawls out from the wreckage?

NO! They keep firing their 30mm chain gun until everyone stops moving or the bright spots are in multiple locations!

This idea…

— Shawn - We The People 🇺🇸 (@thebigmcd) December 2, 2025

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BADASS

Need to start wiping out some of the big Mexican terrorists.

Would be cool to see footage of a few 20k SF mansions get blown to smithereens, with bosses and their families inside. Make their gaudy santa muerte adorned mausoleums in sinaloa look like the Pacific Palisades after the fire.

If these aren't evil and dangerous terrorists, then no one is. Not even sure Claudia Sheinbaum should be 'off the table'. Mexico needs to be reminded that they are crap, and we are daddy.

El Gallo Blanco said:

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will25u said:

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Have you ever seen FLIR video of an Apache attack helicopter pilot stop shooting after it hits a target and a bad guy crawls out from the wreckage?

NO! They keep firing their 30mm chain gun until everyone stops moving or the bright spots are in multiple locations!

This idea…

— Shawn - We The People 🇺🇸 (@thebigmcd) December 2, 2025

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BADASS

Need to start wiping out some of the big Mexican terrorists.

Would be cool to see footage of a few 20k SF mansions get blown to smithereens, with bosses and their families inside. Make their gaudy santa muerte adorned mausoleums in sinaloa look like the Pacific Palisades after the fire.

If these aren't evil and dangerous terrorists, then no one is.

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Press in the cabinet meeting just cannot help but ask more questions on this. The new hoax must not be ready so this horse is beaten post-mortem yet again.

Trump and Hegseth watched first attack live, then left the room. Later Bradley determined the boat had not been completely sunk so Bradley ordered it to be hit again. Cannot confirm if they saw survivors or not, things were on fire.

They again stand behind Bradley and the decision he made regarding the narco-terrorists and their boats capable of killing 25,000 people.

Never has there been a more non-story than this one.

It's incredible, frankly.

YouBet said:

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Never has there been a more non-story than this one.

It's incredible, frankly.

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As other posters went over above, this was most certainly meant to correlate with the WaPo story to create a narrative.

But the story turns out fake and then there was the shooting of the NG soldiers in DC, so they are regrouping.

I expect at least 1 or 2 more attempts to revive this story before they are prepared to move on.

🚨 HOLY CRAP! Pete Hegseth just EVISCERATED the fake news over their made up stories on narcoterrorist strikes

"This is what you in the press don't understand. You sit in your air conditioned offices, or up on Capitol Hill, and you nitpick, and you plant FAKE STORIES in the… pic.twitter.com/RurRdlKOsW

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 2, 2025

First he was well within his authority. Then the Admiral was within his authority. Then he wasn't even there, he had moved on to his next meeting. It's just the fog of war...

Hope Pete learns to make prison hooch before he gets locked up. Wouldn't want him to dry up in there.

A great breakdown by Branca who is a self defense lawyer and also on the SCOTUS bar. Actually goes over the actual definitions and what in the regulations, etc.

All of this stinks to high heaven. Why would a second strike even be ordered if they didn't see any survivors?

Fog of liquor I guess…