sherpa

This forum gets more and more silly and impossible to read. To the joy of many, I think my time is limited.

i guess this post makes sense to you.

I'm surprised you can't answer this. If you think the US gov and military is aware of your actions, and going to interdict, resulting in certain death, you might exercise your free right decision is a different direction.

Absolute nonsense. There is no "convention" that the US is signatory to that extends combatant rights to people from no discernable country or military force that are engaged in criminal activity.

It will never be completely effective until these murderous people have other economic opportunities in their own countries, and having the US as an insurance policy prevents that. The Biden four years set us way back. I get that people here may not share that view, but I would suggest that people here have no idea how big the drug trade and illegal immigration industry is. That comes from carrying and listening to others who have carried the massive amount of US personnel group from DEA to CIA to a host of others who have done this for years. The average "guy" who posts here has absolutely no idea. There is no way to stop it without sending a strong message that it will have fatal consequences. I don't like it, but I understand it.

We defend our people. There is no "international law" violation, as yet proven.

It isn't "blowing up boats." It is sending a message that if you engage in this murderous activity, you might end your life. Your call, and removes the claim that such people are "helpless." Free will. Clear consequences.

I have no problem with your statement I think it is absolutely foolish to allow these things to enter the country, as long as we have the ability to attempt to stop it. At a most simplistic level, that's why we have alcohol laws regarding minors. We effort to limit supply. The effort is responsible and desired. They make the choice and they live with the consequences. Still, we don't need to kill helpless people.

I am guessing you are young, have no experience in this, and naïve. Don't take that as an insult. I admire your sincerity. I just have watched this for decades. They pose a threat. Make no mistake. Suicide, by allowing this to continue, is not an "honorable," nor "Christian" solution.

Nonsense. There is a "war" on the narcotics smuggling industry, which is well funded and vibrant. In no way does that reality give a criminal activity which threatens our citizens any Geneva or other war time rules that the US is a signatory to. I have no idea how the US is determining actionable intel on these, but I would guess that they are paying informants. Discussing how they determine what to go after could very well expose "methods and sources," which we cannot do, for very obvious reasons. By the way, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the geography, but there is no way any of those boats could make it from Venezuela or Colombia to the US. They simply don't have that range. It a silly claim. They leapfrog until the product reaches the US.

This is a totally false conclusion. They are not "combatants" is any historically accepted sense. Such a conclusion is preposterous. They are criminals involved in a criminal enterprise. They are very similar to anybody intentionally spreading a deadly virus in a region for simple monetary gain. I would never advocate the killing of survivors after the threat has been eliminated, but nor would I advocate any legal prosecution of these people, which would tie up an overburdened US legal system by people who have no legal standing in the US. They made their choice. The videos of the initial strikes were well publicized and available. Further, I would be very reluctant to publicize more. We have "allowed" millions and millions of people we know nothing about to enter this country under Biden. Surely, a significant number have gravitated to the drug sales and distribution world. We have seen some kill US citizens. Putting warheads on foreheads, as we task our service members to do, has the possibility of energizing people of this ilk to seek revenge. It would be incredibly simple to find out names go after those who do this and/or their families. Enough video.

No defense of recent actions, becasue I don't know the facts, nor does anyone else here What does seem quite obvious though, per your post, is that you have no idea who the Geneva Convention applies to, and for a clue, it isn't non combatant criminal activity.

What a compost pile of a thread. People who obviously have no idea of who warfare conventions apply to, and it certainly isn't criminals involved in criminal enterprise. People speculating with no knowledge of context or fact in what was really said, or what actions were taken. Jesus take a breath.

I've been there probably twenty times. Mostly work, but also a few times doing cooking class vacations with the Mrs. So many, that I have a WordPro text file on how to do Rome in three days the most efficient way, and specifically how to do the Vatican, including recommended restaurants. I've provided this to friends and my daughter, and all have agreed. You are not going to convince me of anything different. There is nothing about St. Peter's that is in any way demonstrative of Jesus' ministry. The Pope should look close to home. By the way, since you've been there a couple times, regarding foreign visitors, you are probably aware that the Italians take your passport at the hotels for a bit. They are quite opposed to illegal aliens. I think I've been to over forty countries. The only two who did that were Italy and Russia, though the Russians went a bit further and went through my hotel room when I was out. Clumsy and obvious. Ya. We need to be lectured by the Pope on immigration issues.

Ya. Swiss Guard. My error. The Pope doesn't run a country. He has none of the issues that brings. What he runs is a religion, and his domain is completely at odds with Jesus' ministry. Nice guy, I'm sure, but looking at this objectively, I am not interested in his advice to the country who has done more for human and Christian advancement than his little palatial estate has ever conceived of, and that does not include any of the remarkable and disgusting scandals that office has been part of.

It's not what you say, it's what you do. Invite them all to Vatican City. Watch how the Swedish Guard would react in St. Peter's area that is the single most antithetical example of Jesus' ministry on earth. Physician, heal thyself.

For purposes of accuracy and simple good manners, I have never stated anything regarding this allegation, so any implication is baseless. I am unaware of any such "order," and I sure as hell wouldn't believe anything said on this site. I do know, that in my days of carrying weapons of incredible power, I would never deploy them against defenseless, non threatening people. Clear enough?

Good luck. He accused me pf being a liar and I offered ten thousand dollars if I could not prove what he claimed I lied about. He scurried away like a cockroach.

I liked your last year Thanksgiving post where you pointed out that you shared dinner with eight, (I believe), other progressives and your view summary. Again, i had dinner with kids and grandkids, with no mention of politics, as is normal here. I always wondered if you ask people to identify their political views. I have no idea what the views are of my associates. Never comes up. Certainly not at dinner.

Just to be clear, and not allow your nonsense to be suggested as true. He hasn't done anything, to anyone's knowledge, that suggests illegal orders. No need for military officers to be "reminded."

Well, you be you. I think it was insulting, political, contrived and stupid.

Ya. Dumb comment. That's the problem with Trump. He doesn't know when to not comment. A simple "military officers know they are not permitted to execute an illegal order" would have been sufficient. Hegseth should transmit less as well. An effective leadership trait is knowing when to be quiet. Still, the video was equally unnecessary and ill advise. Everyone needs to shut up and do their job.

As an ex military officer, it always bothers me when people raise that resume as though their current views are to be more weighted because of service. Everything this man did was voluntary. He chose. I have no objection to him stating the obvious, which is that one should not execute an illegal order. Everybody knows that. I don't like using military service to promote political opinion. Shut up and do your job, which you and the US Senate failed at during the shutdown.

Again, I don't have a view that anything has been done that should trigger anyone. Military officers do not need to be told that they are not to abide by illegal orders. Cabinet members do not need to threaten people, until something happens. So far, and that may change, this is nothing other than yacking.

Is anyone else thinking this is just a silly exercise? No illegal orders have been directed. Nobody needs to tell military personnel that are are not to abide by illegal orders. They know that, certainly at the commissioned officer level, where such things would originate. Looks to me like an attempt to orchestrate a completely political exercise for publicity. On to the next crisis.