Murder without Consequence

We've come to expect the new normality of Der Furor's administration: blatant, unapologetic corruption; abuse of the justice system for the benefit of Der Furor's friends and the persecution of his enemies; destruction of the federal government for the benefit of the few; undermining of public health in the service of junk science and personal whims; the violent roundups, often on the basis simply of skin tone or vocal accent, of those suspected to be in the country illegally; and presidential speech more suitable to slobbering grade-school bullies.

But now, we can add murder.

In the name of a righteous battle against drug traffickers, the Department of Defense has attacked 22 small boats in the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing nearly 100 people without the presentation of the smallest shred of evidence of their guilt. This is bad enough, but credible reporting now indicates that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth - arguably the least-qualified person ever to hold the office - directed that the survivors of one attack be eliminated in a second strike.

Make no mistake: this is cold-blooded murder. It violates US law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the laws of war, international law, and probably a lot of other laws, too ... not to mention common morality. If we had a real, honest, functioning government, Hegseth have been sacked on the spot, along with everyone in the chain of command that participated in passing the order down and actually pulling the trigger. It is so egregious that even some Republican members of Congress - who have not heretofore covered themselves in glory by speaking out against the lawlessness of Der Furor and his cronies - are calling for "vigorous oversight" of strikes on alleged drug boats.

I predict, based on previous administration actions, that denial and stonewalling will be the order of the day. If anyone is held to account or actually punished, it will be the lowest-ranking person in the "kill chain" - Hegseth, and the generals and admirals who passed on his murderous orders without pushback, will suffer no consequences, servile Republicans will "investigate" and issue a bland and innocuous report, and the killings will continue.

I served 23 years in the United States Air Force, and am proud of my service and of our military institutions. But I am ashamed of the administration and of those in positions of military leadership who fail to speak out against the sort of actions for which we held Nazi and Imperial Japanese leaders nearly a century ago. "I was only following orders" was not a valid defense then, and it is not now.

In a recent video, six Democratic lawmakers, all former military or intelligence professionals,  reminded military personnel that they are not required to follow illegal orders. Republican lawmakers and administration spokestoadies condemned them for undermining military discipline ... but we now clearly see what happens when illegal orders are followed. If anything, the makers of the video underplayed the danger to good military order and discipline in service of "only following orders."

I'm more disgusted with Der Furor and his ghastly reign than ever. You should be, too.

Have a good day. Speak out. Demand accountability, from the top as well as the bottom.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo