Although it may sound like an idyllic holiday to you water lovers out there, riding the waves anywhere between the coasts of South America and the United States could get you blown to smithereens.

For the second time in two weeks, the U.S. government — on the orders of Donald Trump and under the direction of Secretary of Defense (or War) Pete Hegseth — has specifically targeted and brutally murdered, in international waters, persons they suspected of being drug dealers smuggling narcotics into the United States. They were not in U.S. territorial waters; there was no attempt made to intercept, arrest and charge them. They were just liquidated.

On the first occasion, when eleven people lost their lives, it was later noted that there was no conclusive evidence that they were actually members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization as suspected, or even that they were indeed headed for the U.S. coast. It was not provably self-defense, as claimed by the Trump administration to justify the offensive military action. When questioned by reporters, Hegseth said:

“We knew exactly who they were, exactly what they were doing, what they represented, and why they were going where they were going.” And when a reporter asked, “How did you know?” Hegseth replied:

“Why would I tell you that?” [Haley Britzky, CNN, September 15, 2025.]

Perhaps the better question is: Why wouldn’t he?

This time, the body count was “only” three. And this time, the administration had their explanations ready. In a Truth Social post yesterday morning, Donald Trump offered the following (the all-caps emphasis is, of course, his):

“This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US.

“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital US interests. The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No US Forces were harmed in this Strike.” [Id.]

He even posted a video of the boat in the sea before and as it exploded in a ball of orange flame.

As to whether these actions might be violations of international law, Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office:

“We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was, like, it’s spattered all over the ocean. Big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place.” [Danny Kemp, Barbara Agelvis and Patrick Fort, AFP, September 15, 2025.”

Either he forgot to mention — or the reporters judiciously chose not to write about — the floating body parts.

*. *. *

All reports indicate that the boats were in international waters, and not within the 12-mile U.S. territorial limit. Were these then acts of war — first strikes against citizens (whether criminals or not) of the sovereign nation of Venezuela? Or was it a case of 14 counts of cold-blooded murder? That is for the international authorities to determine.

But on a simpler and more personal level, let’s think about it this way:

You are at home. Your neighborhood watch just reported the presence of a suspicious-looking individual wandering around, seeming to be scoping out the various houses as he strolls from street to street. You have a family to protect: a spouse, children, pets. So you grab your legally-registered hunting rifle and head outdoors, finally spotting the stranger in the next block, headed in the general direction of your home. You don’t stop him, ask who he is or what he’s doing there. You don’t call the police to check him out. You — the self-appointed judge, jury and executioner — just hunt him down, take aim and pull the trigger, ending his life without a word.

He hadn’t tried to break into your home; he wasn’t anywhere near your property. You didn’t even know who he was . . . whether he was simply visiting a friend or relative in the neighborhood, or perhaps a potential homebuyer. Or even an annoying door-to-door salesman.

Did you have a right to take the law into your own hands and decide that this man was an imminent threat to you and your family?

Hell, no, you didn’t! And you would deserve the life sentence that awaited you after you were legally charged and tried for first-degree murder.

*. *. *

Even in the context of a much-needed war on drugs, there are legal boundaries that must be observed. The United States — my United States — does not go around slaughtering people on a presumption of guilt . . . or for any other reason. We wait until they are within our territorial jurisdiction, arrest them, and let the legal system govern the next steps. It’s called due process. And it is the American way.

This is not:

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/16/25