Politics

Apparently, it's a pattern:

Pete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagement

Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement.

The anecdote is contained in a book Hegseth wrote last year in which he also repeatedly railed against the constraints placed on “American warfighters” by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions.

Also, here is a tweet he had on killing those people. I think he might be a psychopath:

https://archive.is/inGoJ

USians, write your representatives, tell them how you feel about your government committing war crimes. It feels good to take action. And before someone says, "but it won't do any good" let me say that defeatism plays directly into the fascist playbook.

The comments in here are simply heartless. Where is the respect?!

The US Navy's Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group barely escaped with their lives after being threatened by two wounded men clinging to wreckage in the middle of the ocean. Were it not for the superior firepower, tonnage, air support, satellite reconnaissance and missile range of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers today we would be looking at a tragedy instead of a war crime.

Brave survivors, we hope you recover from the trauma that you've suffered today at the hand of these two mortally wounded men who were remaining buoyant in an aggressive manner.

"self-defense to protect Americans in vital United States interests.”

Even that is a fucking confession! Mere "interests" do not justify self-defense!

That's exactly like saying I'm justified in shooting you if I decide stealing your money is in my "interest."

Killing in "self defense" implies that there were no other ways to stop the "attack". They could easily have safely intercepted and boarded the suspected vessels.