Admiral told lawmakers everyone on alleged drug boat was on a list of military targets

[Martin Eden]

41. I don't believe for one second they knew the identity of every person on that boat...

...and they all just happened to be on an existing list of legally authorized "military" targets. Do we have agents on the ground along the Venezuelan coast who can positively ID every person as they get on a boat?

We're not in a declared war with Venezuela, nor is there an existing Congressional authorization for military action. Just slapping the "terrorist" label on suspected drug smugglers does not make it so. Aside from illegal trafficking of drugs (unproven assertions) what acts of "terrorism" have they committed?

Trump and his strutting Secretary of "War" can be judge, jury, and executioner of people who are mere suspects, justified by an overriding concern about drugs smuggled into our country -- yet Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras convicted of trafficking 400 tons of cocaine???

It's fairly obvious what's going on here. Trump wants a war with Venezuela to change the regime and gain access to that country's vast oil deposits. He's already said ground action is next, and declared Venezuelan airspace is "closed."

This regime is also intent on expanding its power to use our military to enforce its agenda on US soil. Troops have already been deployed, and Trump stated on Sep 30 in front of our nation's top military leadership assembled at Quantico that he wants to use American cities as military "training grounds." At that same meeting, Hegseth said the old rules of engagement will no longer handcuff our "warriors," freeing them to do what they do best -- "kill people and break things."

Call it "unitary executive" or "fascism" or whatever authoritarian term best applies -- it is already happening, and our Constitutional rule of law hangs in the balance.