Yes! I think AK could be a great unifier at this desperate time. Proven integrity (a very rare thing), incorruptible, courageous, patriotic, moderate, electable, and of course it has to be a straight white Christian man this time because we canβt risk anything else with the total collapse of democracy at the door. All I want right now is the rule of law restored, and there are about 4 people I trust for that, and only 2 are male. ππ
Iβm a forever feminist and lifelong Democrat, and I totally agree with you - and Iβd vote for Adam Kinzinger in a nano second. Heβs the real deal, truth and integrity. We could get back on track with him.
Iβve been saying this since before signal gate. Almost all of the feedback Iβm getting from the center to center right is that this will never happen. None of them will be called the justice. Nothing will happen. Well, Iβm tired of it! This really should be the last straw.
Same here. I called Sen. Roger Wickerβs offices, on behalf of my 102 year old mom, his constituent in MS. after Signal gate. I ask how they could possibly keep Hegseth in office. I was told the Armed Services Committee planned to do an investigation. I asked why they needed an investigation with all the incontrovertible evidence available to them and the public. The answer was that they were planning an investigation.
Hegseth should never have been approved for the job in the first place, and his behavior is beyond belief at this point in time.
Same here. I called Sen. Roger Wickerβs offices, on behalf of my 102 year old mom, his constituent in MS. after Signal gate. I ask how they could possibly keep Hegseth in office. I was told the Armed Services Committee planned to do an investigation. I asked why they needed an investigation with all the incontrovertible evidence available to them and the public. The answer was that they were planning an investigation.
Hegseth should never have been approved for the job in the first place, and his behavior is beyond belief at this point in time.
Miles' 'insider' perspective validates the level of disgust i have for all the trump gang, and particularly trumpaholic voters who are the sustenance of the trump virus.
1. are there any 3rd world countries that are white? guess not eh!
2. germany and other europeans may take advantage of trump by giving their fascists like afD a one way ticket to usa, and then we'll be stuck with them...
3. and what will the trump opposition in congress do???? prolly NOTHING. jeffries and schumer (and even obama) will give big speeches, say smart things (that only intellectuals on this substack will understand the nuances thereof), never call trump a dictator, never call noem a racist, in fact they'll never even go to the 'muslims for trump', 'latinos for trump', 'blacks for trump', etc and say THIS IS WHAT TRUMP VOTERS VOTED FOR. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE RACIALLY PROFILED BY TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, VOTE DEMOCRAT OR ELSE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE DEPORTED BY TRUMP - WHETHER YOU ARE A CITIZEN OR NOT.
i always knew we had an education problem in our country, but i never fully understood the volume of people who are incapable of thinking for themselves....
and the 'love conquers hate liberals' will stick their heads in the sand and wait for the day when everything will be bright and beautiful again. they are the people we also need to target to make them realise that 'doing nothing but think beautiful thoughts' makes them COMPLICIT.
for F**KS SAKE....how much worse does it need to get for the real americans to wake up and fight to get our country back????
this is a real war.
a war of speech.
a war of our rights.
a war of all minorities.
a war started by white supremist dictator trump.
it's up to us to hear the words of the great human rights activists bob marley and peter tosh who sang
GET UP. STAND UP. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT. GET UP. STAND UP. DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT...
i hope more people start coalescing around organizations like https://represent.us/ that you recommended Miles.....anything they can do to kick those fat asses off the congressional gravy train will be a positive.....
KEEP IN MIND, TRUMP AND HIS RADICAL VIEWS OF HOW TO RUN GOVERNMENT AND (HIS LIES) ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HARD WORKING AMERICANS, IS WHAT PEOPLE LIKED AND VOTED FOR (no matter how misguided they were and how lobotomized they became by drinking the trump koolaid)....
Seriously, 'same old same old' democratic 'gifting to the people in order to get their votes' will just mean we'll get another trump in the future.....
ARE TRUMPβS BOAT ATTACKS AND MURDERS ON THE HIGH SEAS A PRELUDE TO DARKER DAYS AHEAD?
WHERE IS ALL THIS TAKING US IF CONGRESS AND THE COURTS FAIL TO ACT?
Prior postings have included summaries [with a detailed Appendix on my Substack page] of why Trumpβs unilateral missile attacks on boats on the high seas and the murders of all their occupants violate International Law, the Geneva Convention, U.S. laws and judicial decisions, the U.S. Department of Defense Rules and the U.S.Military Codes. Thus far, all 80 occupants on all of the boats he ordered destroyed have been murdered, with not a single survivor to take captive.
Between yesterday and today, the White House, the War Department and the U.S. Navy have been engaged in verbal gymnastics and double-talk to try to explain away how our government on September 2, after an initial missile attack on a boat that killed 8 and left 2 survivors clinging to the boat wreckage in the water, launched a second attack which they knew would kill the survivors. While Admiral Frank Bradley was offered up as the fall guy claiming to have issued the actual order for the second missile strike that killed these survivors, it was well understood by the Navy Seals present at the scene that the message to leave no survivors had originally come down from former Fox News celebrity and now Trump warlord, Pete Hegseth.
Yesterday, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the strikes were conducted in βself defenseβ in international waters and βin accordance with the law of armed conflict.β She further declared that Admiral Bradley βdirected the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and THE THREAT FROM NARCO TERRORISTS WAS ELIMINATEDβ.
Not only is Leavittβs claim that all of these missile strikes on boats on the high seas were committed in βself-defenceβ patently ludicrous, but their second claim that they were βin accordance with the law of armed conflictβ is so absurd that they must think that the American people are morons to buy it. Below is an Appendix setting forth most, if not all, of the laws, conventions, decisions, and rules defining βarmed conflictsβ, which, in essence, state that there must be two parties engaged in an armed conflict, rather than one party unilaterally attacking another. [Thatβs why they call it a βconflictβ, rather than a unilateral attack like the ones Trump ordered on boats on the high seas].
While all this may appear to be flailings in the night to try to cover-up their outrageous conduct and sophomoric legal claims justifying it, I believe that there is a pattern that is starting to appear and which foretells very dark, serious threats to our democracy ahead. And I believe that all of these unilateral attacks on boats on the high seas are only the beginning of a carefully designed strategy hatched by the ultra-right wing Heritage Foundation, which drafted Project 2025 for Trump to promote once they helped him return to the WhiteHouse.
Where is this all going?
Letβs start with Trumpβs Veterans Day campaign event at Stevens High School in Claremont, New Hampshire, on November 11, 2023, where Trump declared:
ββ¦[W]e pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country..... βTheyβll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream... THE THREAT FROM OUTSIDE FORCES IS FAR LESS SINISTER, DANGEROUS AND GRAVE THAN THE THREAT FROM WITHINβ (emphasis added).
Trump makes no bones about who is behind the threat from within. They are our migrants. Trump is obsessed with migrants and has repeatedly said that they are βpoisoning the blood of our country,β and called them βanimals,β βnot people,β while repeatedly dehumanizing them.
This is exactly how Hitler denounced the Jews.
So putting this all together, Trump is making it clear that he has the absolute right to decide who to murder and how to murder people attempting come to the United States to sell narcotics, whom he classifies as βnarco-terroristsβ.
And given his declaration that βThe threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous
and grave than the threat from withinβ, we can expect that he intends to dispense with the same legal restrictions and safeguards domestically as he has done internationally by branding βcommunists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our countryβ as βterroristsβ. .... βTheyβll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream....β
Perhaps he also intends to invoke what he may claim to be his inherent emergency power to suspend the Constitution and invoke marshal law to deal with these and other domestic βterroristsβ and call up the National Guard and U.S. military to enforce his orders.
We are already well on the road to an authoritarian government, led by a very unstable, unpredictable but determined huckster, who, like Hitler, forged a bond with his devoted followers, who are beginning to see him for what he really is. Absent the courage of Congress and the Supreme Court to deal with him, there may still be time for the American people to resist these encroachments on our rights and liberties and to make our voices and ballots known next November.
APPENDIX
THE LAW OF βARMED CONFLICTβ
1. Geneva Conventions (1949) β The Baseline Definition
The Geneva Conventions do not supply a single sentence definition, but Article 2 and Article 3 set the functional standard.
A. International Armed Conflict (IAC)
Common Article 2:β¨An international armed conflict exists in any case of declared war or any other armed conflict between two or more States, even if one of them does not recognize the state of war.
Meaning:
Any use of armed force between states triggers an IAC.
No threshold of intensity, duration, or number of casualties is required.
Even a single exchange of fire between state armed forces qualifies.
B. Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC)
Common Article 3:β¨A NIAC exists in situations of protracted armed violence between
governmental armed forces and organized armed groups, or
such groups fighting each other.
The Geneva text uses βarmed conflict not of an international character,β but modern law (ICRC, tribunals, DoD) interprets this to require:
Protracted (sustained) violence β more than sporadic riots or unrest; and
Organization of the armed group β identifiable command structure, ability to conduct military operations.
2. Additional Protocols of 1977 (reflecting customary international law)
Additional Protocol II (NIAC)
Reiterates that armed conflict requires organized armed groups operating under responsible command and exercising control over territory sufficient to carry out sustained operations.
Although the U.S. is not a party, the Department of Defense recognizes that many AP II rules reflect customary international law, especially the distinction between mere internal disturbances and NIACs.
3. U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual
The DoD Law of War Manual (2015, updated) gives a clear modern operational definition.
DoD Definition of Armed Conflict
βArmed conflict exists when there is a resort to armed force between States or protracted armed violence between governmental authorities and organized armed groups.ββ¨(Paraphrasing DoD Manual §§3.4β3.5)
Key DoD Elements:
IAC: any use of armed force between states. No intensity threshold.
NIAC: requires (1) intensity and (2) organization.
Internal disturbances (riots, isolated violence, criminality) do not rise to NIAC.
DoD adds:
The U.S. may be in an NIAC with non-state armed groups even if hostilities occur outside a single theater(e.g., operations against al-Qaeda or ISIS).
Recognition of βarmed conflictβ does not require both sides to acknowledge hostilities.
4. U.S. Military Law (UCMJ) & Federal Statutory Framework
The UCMJ does not define βarmed conflictβ directly, but uses the term in relation to:
war crimes jurisdiction (10 U.S.C. Β§ 950t and following);
application of the Law of War; and
offenses βin the context of and associated with hostilities.β
U.S. federal courts (e.g., in GuantΓ‘namo cases) and military commissions rely on the international law definitionabove:
U.S. Acceptance:
An armed conflict exists when hostilities reach the threshold recognized under Common Article 2(between states) or Common Article 3 (non-international).
5. International Criminal Tribunalsβ Clarifying Definitions (Customary Law)
Tribunals such as the ICTY provided influential, widely adopted definitions:
βTadiΔ Testβ (ICTY 1995) β Widely Used by DoD and U.S. Courts
An armed conflict exists when:
Intensity of violence rises above internal disturbance; and
Organization of the parties allows sustained military operations.
This test is incorporated into U.S. practice via the DoD Manual and U.S. court opinions.
Unified, Legally Accurate Working Definition
Putting all authorities together, the accepted legal definition is:
An βarmed conflictβ exists whenββ¨(1) there is armed force between two or more States (IAC), ORβ¨(2) there is sustained, protracted armed violence between governmental forces and one or more organized armed groups, or between such groups (NIAC).
Riots, internal tensions, sporadic violence, or criminal acts do not constitute armed conflict.
6. Why the Definition Matters
Recognizing an armed conflict triggers:
applicability of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol rules,
the Law of War (LOAC) obligations,
war crimes jurisdiction,
POW status determinations in IAC,
protections for civilians and detainees, and
limitations on targeting, detention, and use of force under DoD directives.
One thing I would add to your detailed list of the law is that the first thing Trump did was dismantle JAG oversight of our military. That was the clue that they were not going to follow any laws. At the assembly of our top military leaders Hegseth said exactly that. They are purposely breaking the law to see how far they can go and to gaslight us in the process. Iβm also puzzled as to why there is no clamor to release the video of the boat strike and execution of survivors. They film everything! In my city they produced a video of storming of an apartment building to look heroic. Why do we not demand all the video of that scene where flash grenades are used on children and they are zip tied for hours in their underwear. They are filming all their crimes so demand the evidence.
Totally agree Tony. They eliminated JAG oversight the way they eliminated so many Inspectors General of departments. All without pushback from Trump's cowering minions.
thank you. a brilliant piece. intelligent and accurate....this perspective validates the level of disgust i have for all the trump gang, and particularly trumpaholic voters who are the sustenance of the trump virus.
and what will the trump opposition in congress do???? prolly NOTHING. jeffries and schumer (and even obama) will give big speeches, say smart things (that only intellectuals on this substack will understand the nuances thereof), never call trump a dictator, never call noem a racist, never call kegsbreath a murderer, they'll decline to do anything... in fact they'll never even go to the 'muslims for trump', 'latinos for trump', 'blacks for trump', etc and say THIS IS WHAT TRUMP VOTERS VOTED FOR. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE RACIALLY PROFILED BY TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, VOTE DEMOCRAT OR ELSE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE DEPORTED BY TRUMP - WHETHER YOU ARE A CITIZEN OR NOT.
the voters need it spelled out for them...that trump is not governed by our great american democracy, our great american constitution, our great american laws, he's not governed by any morality as expressed in all the teaching of all god's holy books, he is governed by his wealth and his horrible, selfish vengeful billionaire thoughts. he is unamerican and unethical. in this day and age of the social media induced shortest attention span in the 'history of humanity' (i jest - but not really) the old f**king biden democrat bipartisan approach is useless...
i always knew we had an education problem in our country, but i never fully understood the volume of people who are incapable of thinking for themselves....
and the 'love conquers hate liberals' will stick their heads in the sand and wait for the day when everything will be bright and beautiful again. they are the people we also need to target to make them realise that 'doing nothing but think beautiful thoughts' makes them COMPLICIT.
for F**KS SAKE....how much worse does it need to get for the real americans to wake up and fight to get our country back????
this is a real war.
a war of speech.
a war of our rights.
a war of all minorities.
a war started by white supremist dictator trump.
it's up to us to hear the words of the great human rights activists bob marley and peter tosh who sang
GET UP. STAND UP. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT. GET UP. STAND UP. DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT...
i hope more people start coalescing around organizations like https://represent.us/ that you recommended Miles.....anything they can do to kick those fat asses off the congressional gravy train will be a positive.....
KEEP IN MIND, TRUMP AND HIS RADICAL VIEWS OF HOW TO RUN GOVERNMENT AND (HIS LIES) ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HARD WORKING AMERICANS, IS WHAT PEOPLE LIKED AND VOTED FOR (no matter how misguided they were and how lobotomized they became by drinking the trump koolaid)....
Seriously, 'same old same old' democratic 'gifting to the people in order to get their votes' will just mean we'll get another trump in the future.....
Thanks ajay. Totally agree on all points. Insofar as an education problem, it shines and sinks at the top with Trump demonstrating that his education never went beyond the 4th grade, after which he either bluffed his way into getting a high school diploma or having someone take his tests for him. And let's not forget that Trump's father bought him into Penn's Wharton School of Business and Finance, where his professor, William T. Kelley, said: "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had".
We have to change that pardon power. One person should not be able to pardon just anyone. Not sure how to do it, but it's crucial now that we have no norms.
As we have seen, Trump has egregiously abused the pardon power for family, friends and for personal, business and political benefits. It's an absolute disgrace, but then again, Trump himself is a walking disgrace!
Trump is the Commander in Chief. Hegseth is playing a game blaming the Admiral gave the order. Why are they patrolling boats 1300 miles away? Why not have our Coast Guard (which Trump has probably also whittled down) patrol 50 miles off of our coast line? It just is a blame game!
That is exactly what the Coast Guard does, except they go much farther out than 50 miles. Itβs been their job since the 1800βs, and they are good at it. They intercept four times the amount of cocaine annually as US Customs and Border Patrol without brutalizing or murdering the fishermen who the cartels force to transport the drugs. For starters, look up Coast Guard interdiction on the US Naval Instituteβs website.
Thanks for the pulse check Adam!! Agree, Mark Kelly is calling Trump and Hegseth's bluff, making them look stupid. We all need to do what we can to support Kelly, Slotkin, et al...Oh, and if you're joining the ene... I mean Democratic side, can you please push them to the center so I don't have to vote for a Sanders or AOC pinko...(joking, sort of)
It better grow into something bigger! What Hegseth did was commit murder using our military. There must be accountability.
Adam
Thank you for supporting Mark Kelly. He is truly the epitome of an American Hero and you both deserve our support and admiration.
In the weeks ahead, please continue to let us know how we can support Kelly and you!
I would vote for both of them. Party doesn't matter. I trust them.
Yes! I think AK could be a great unifier at this desperate time. Proven integrity (a very rare thing), incorruptible, courageous, patriotic, moderate, electable, and of course it has to be a straight white Christian man this time because we canβt risk anything else with the total collapse of democracy at the door. All I want right now is the rule of law restored, and there are about 4 people I trust for that, and only 2 are male. ππ
Iβm a forever feminist and lifelong Democrat, and I totally agree with you - and Iβd vote for Adam Kinzinger in a nano second. Heβs the real deal, truth and integrity. We could get back on track with him.
Pete needs to be out of office⦠Hell, they need to all be held accountable
He needs to be out of office AND in jail!
Iβve been saying this since before signal gate. Almost all of the feedback Iβm getting from the center to center right is that this will never happen. None of them will be called the justice. Nothing will happen. Well, Iβm tired of it! This really should be the last straw.
Same here. I called Sen. Roger Wickerβs offices, on behalf of my 102 year old mom, his constituent in MS. after Signal gate. I ask how they could possibly keep Hegseth in office. I was told the Armed Services Committee planned to do an investigation. I asked why they needed an investigation with all the incontrovertible evidence available to them and the public. The answer was that they were planning an investigation.
Hegseth should never have been approved for the job in the first place, and his behavior is beyond belief at this point in time.
Same here. I called Sen. Roger Wickerβs offices, on behalf of my 102 year old mom, his constituent in MS. after Signal gate. I ask how they could possibly keep Hegseth in office. I was told the Armed Services Committee planned to do an investigation. I asked why they needed an investigation with all the incontrovertible evidence available to them and the public. The answer was that they were planning an investigation.
Hegseth should never have been approved for the job in the first place, and his behavior is beyond belief at this point in time.
Mark Kelly is wonderful π₯³πππ»
I am so glad people are speaking out. Folks like you and Senator Kelly have to make people care about illegal orders.
Mark Kelly IS doing it right, and so are you, Adam. Thank you.
Thanks Adam. Miles Taylor is speaking out too. Good to see and read his Substack as well.
Defiance.org is fantastic...so glad they are partnering with another great pro-democracy organization, RepresentUs! #congressionalcourage
Miles' 'insider' perspective validates the level of disgust i have for all the trump gang, and particularly trumpaholic voters who are the sustenance of the trump virus.
1. are there any 3rd world countries that are white? guess not eh!
2. germany and other europeans may take advantage of trump by giving their fascists like afD a one way ticket to usa, and then we'll be stuck with them...
3. and what will the trump opposition in congress do???? prolly NOTHING. jeffries and schumer (and even obama) will give big speeches, say smart things (that only intellectuals on this substack will understand the nuances thereof), never call trump a dictator, never call noem a racist, in fact they'll never even go to the 'muslims for trump', 'latinos for trump', 'blacks for trump', etc and say THIS IS WHAT TRUMP VOTERS VOTED FOR. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE RACIALLY PROFILED BY TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, VOTE DEMOCRAT OR ELSE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE DEPORTED BY TRUMP - WHETHER YOU ARE A CITIZEN OR NOT.
i always knew we had an education problem in our country, but i never fully understood the volume of people who are incapable of thinking for themselves....
and the 'love conquers hate liberals' will stick their heads in the sand and wait for the day when everything will be bright and beautiful again. they are the people we also need to target to make them realise that 'doing nothing but think beautiful thoughts' makes them COMPLICIT.
for F**KS SAKE....how much worse does it need to get for the real americans to wake up and fight to get our country back????
this is a real war.
a war of speech.
a war of our rights.
a war of all minorities.
a war started by white supremist dictator trump.
it's up to us to hear the words of the great human rights activists bob marley and peter tosh who sang
GET UP. STAND UP. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT. GET UP. STAND UP. DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT...
i hope more people start coalescing around organizations like https://represent.us/ that you recommended Miles.....anything they can do to kick those fat asses off the congressional gravy train will be a positive.....
KEEP IN MIND, TRUMP AND HIS RADICAL VIEWS OF HOW TO RUN GOVERNMENT AND (HIS LIES) ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HARD WORKING AMERICANS, IS WHAT PEOPLE LIKED AND VOTED FOR (no matter how misguided they were and how lobotomized they became by drinking the trump koolaid)....
Seriously, 'same old same old' democratic 'gifting to the people in order to get their votes' will just mean we'll get another trump in the future.....
I will Not be intimidated by this president!
They don't care about our laws, why would they care about international law? We are now living in the crack house.
Thank you, Adam!
ARE TRUMPβS BOAT ATTACKS AND MURDERS ON THE HIGH SEAS A PRELUDE TO DARKER DAYS AHEAD?
WHERE IS ALL THIS TAKING US IF CONGRESS AND THE COURTS FAIL TO ACT?
Prior postings have included summaries [with a detailed Appendix on my Substack page] of why Trumpβs unilateral missile attacks on boats on the high seas and the murders of all their occupants violate International Law, the Geneva Convention, U.S. laws and judicial decisions, the U.S. Department of Defense Rules and the U.S.Military Codes. Thus far, all 80 occupants on all of the boats he ordered destroyed have been murdered, with not a single survivor to take captive.
Between yesterday and today, the White House, the War Department and the U.S. Navy have been engaged in verbal gymnastics and double-talk to try to explain away how our government on September 2, after an initial missile attack on a boat that killed 8 and left 2 survivors clinging to the boat wreckage in the water, launched a second attack which they knew would kill the survivors. While Admiral Frank Bradley was offered up as the fall guy claiming to have issued the actual order for the second missile strike that killed these survivors, it was well understood by the Navy Seals present at the scene that the message to leave no survivors had originally come down from former Fox News celebrity and now Trump warlord, Pete Hegseth.
Yesterday, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the strikes were conducted in βself defenseβ in international waters and βin accordance with the law of armed conflict.β She further declared that Admiral Bradley βdirected the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and THE THREAT FROM NARCO TERRORISTS WAS ELIMINATEDβ.
Not only is Leavittβs claim that all of these missile strikes on boats on the high seas were committed in βself-defenceβ patently ludicrous, but their second claim that they were βin accordance with the law of armed conflictβ is so absurd that they must think that the American people are morons to buy it. Below is an Appendix setting forth most, if not all, of the laws, conventions, decisions, and rules defining βarmed conflictsβ, which, in essence, state that there must be two parties engaged in an armed conflict, rather than one party unilaterally attacking another. [Thatβs why they call it a βconflictβ, rather than a unilateral attack like the ones Trump ordered on boats on the high seas].
While all this may appear to be flailings in the night to try to cover-up their outrageous conduct and sophomoric legal claims justifying it, I believe that there is a pattern that is starting to appear and which foretells very dark, serious threats to our democracy ahead. And I believe that all of these unilateral attacks on boats on the high seas are only the beginning of a carefully designed strategy hatched by the ultra-right wing Heritage Foundation, which drafted Project 2025 for Trump to promote once they helped him return to the WhiteHouse.
Where is this all going?
Letβs start with Trumpβs Veterans Day campaign event at Stevens High School in Claremont, New Hampshire, on November 11, 2023, where Trump declared:
ββ¦[W]e pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country..... βTheyβll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream... THE THREAT FROM OUTSIDE FORCES IS FAR LESS SINISTER, DANGEROUS AND GRAVE THAN THE THREAT FROM WITHINβ (emphasis added).
Trump makes no bones about who is behind the threat from within. They are our migrants. Trump is obsessed with migrants and has repeatedly said that they are βpoisoning the blood of our country,β and called them βanimals,β βnot people,β while repeatedly dehumanizing them.
This is exactly how Hitler denounced the Jews.
So putting this all together, Trump is making it clear that he has the absolute right to decide who to murder and how to murder people attempting come to the United States to sell narcotics, whom he classifies as βnarco-terroristsβ.
And given his declaration that βThe threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous
and grave than the threat from withinβ, we can expect that he intends to dispense with the same legal restrictions and safeguards domestically as he has done internationally by branding βcommunists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our countryβ as βterroristsβ. .... βTheyβll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream....β
Perhaps he also intends to invoke what he may claim to be his inherent emergency power to suspend the Constitution and invoke marshal law to deal with these and other domestic βterroristsβ and call up the National Guard and U.S. military to enforce his orders.
We are already well on the road to an authoritarian government, led by a very unstable, unpredictable but determined huckster, who, like Hitler, forged a bond with his devoted followers, who are beginning to see him for what he really is. Absent the courage of Congress and the Supreme Court to deal with him, there may still be time for the American people to resist these encroachments on our rights and liberties and to make our voices and ballots known next November.
APPENDIX
THE LAW OF βARMED CONFLICTβ
1. Geneva Conventions (1949) β The Baseline Definition
The Geneva Conventions do not supply a single sentence definition, but Article 2 and Article 3 set the functional standard.
A. International Armed Conflict (IAC)
Common Article 2:β¨An international armed conflict exists in any case of declared war or any other armed conflict between two or more States, even if one of them does not recognize the state of war.
Meaning:
Any use of armed force between states triggers an IAC.
No threshold of intensity, duration, or number of casualties is required.
Even a single exchange of fire between state armed forces qualifies.
B. Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC)
Common Article 3:β¨A NIAC exists in situations of protracted armed violence between
governmental armed forces and organized armed groups, or
such groups fighting each other.
The Geneva text uses βarmed conflict not of an international character,β but modern law (ICRC, tribunals, DoD) interprets this to require:
Protracted (sustained) violence β more than sporadic riots or unrest; and
Organization of the armed group β identifiable command structure, ability to conduct military operations.
2. Additional Protocols of 1977 (reflecting customary international law)
Additional Protocol II (NIAC)
Reiterates that armed conflict requires organized armed groups operating under responsible command and exercising control over territory sufficient to carry out sustained operations.
Although the U.S. is not a party, the Department of Defense recognizes that many AP II rules reflect customary international law, especially the distinction between mere internal disturbances and NIACs.
3. U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual
The DoD Law of War Manual (2015, updated) gives a clear modern operational definition.
DoD Definition of Armed Conflict
βArmed conflict exists when there is a resort to armed force between States or protracted armed violence between governmental authorities and organized armed groups.ββ¨(Paraphrasing DoD Manual §§3.4β3.5)
Key DoD Elements:
IAC: any use of armed force between states. No intensity threshold.
NIAC: requires (1) intensity and (2) organization.
Internal disturbances (riots, isolated violence, criminality) do not rise to NIAC.
DoD adds:
The U.S. may be in an NIAC with non-state armed groups even if hostilities occur outside a single theater(e.g., operations against al-Qaeda or ISIS).
Recognition of βarmed conflictβ does not require both sides to acknowledge hostilities.
4. U.S. Military Law (UCMJ) & Federal Statutory Framework
The UCMJ does not define βarmed conflictβ directly, but uses the term in relation to:
war crimes jurisdiction (10 U.S.C. Β§ 950t and following);
application of the Law of War; and
offenses βin the context of and associated with hostilities.β
U.S. federal courts (e.g., in GuantΓ‘namo cases) and military commissions rely on the international law definitionabove:
U.S. Acceptance:
An armed conflict exists when hostilities reach the threshold recognized under Common Article 2(between states) or Common Article 3 (non-international).
5. International Criminal Tribunalsβ Clarifying Definitions (Customary Law)
Tribunals such as the ICTY provided influential, widely adopted definitions:
βTadiΔ Testβ (ICTY 1995) β Widely Used by DoD and U.S. Courts
An armed conflict exists when:
Intensity of violence rises above internal disturbance; and
Organization of the parties allows sustained military operations.
This test is incorporated into U.S. practice via the DoD Manual and U.S. court opinions.
Unified, Legally Accurate Working Definition
Putting all authorities together, the accepted legal definition is:
An βarmed conflictβ exists whenββ¨(1) there is armed force between two or more States (IAC), ORβ¨(2) there is sustained, protracted armed violence between governmental forces and one or more organized armed groups, or between such groups (NIAC).
Riots, internal tensions, sporadic violence, or criminal acts do not constitute armed conflict.
6. Why the Definition Matters
Recognizing an armed conflict triggers:
applicability of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol rules,
the Law of War (LOAC) obligations,
war crimes jurisdiction,
POW status determinations in IAC,
protections for civilians and detainees, and
limitations on targeting, detention, and use of force under DoD directives.
Well, thatβs an eyeful. Thanks for the Law of βArmed Conflictβ info.
One thing I would add to your detailed list of the law is that the first thing Trump did was dismantle JAG oversight of our military. That was the clue that they were not going to follow any laws. At the assembly of our top military leaders Hegseth said exactly that. They are purposely breaking the law to see how far they can go and to gaslight us in the process. Iβm also puzzled as to why there is no clamor to release the video of the boat strike and execution of survivors. They film everything! In my city they produced a video of storming of an apartment building to look heroic. Why do we not demand all the video of that scene where flash grenades are used on children and they are zip tied for hours in their underwear. They are filming all their crimes so demand the evidence.
Totally agree Tony. They eliminated JAG oversight the way they eliminated so many Inspectors General of departments. All without pushback from Trump's cowering minions.
thank you. a brilliant piece. intelligent and accurate....this perspective validates the level of disgust i have for all the trump gang, and particularly trumpaholic voters who are the sustenance of the trump virus.
and what will the trump opposition in congress do???? prolly NOTHING. jeffries and schumer (and even obama) will give big speeches, say smart things (that only intellectuals on this substack will understand the nuances thereof), never call trump a dictator, never call noem a racist, never call kegsbreath a murderer, they'll decline to do anything... in fact they'll never even go to the 'muslims for trump', 'latinos for trump', 'blacks for trump', etc and say THIS IS WHAT TRUMP VOTERS VOTED FOR. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE RACIALLY PROFILED BY TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, VOTE DEMOCRAT OR ELSE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE DEPORTED BY TRUMP - WHETHER YOU ARE A CITIZEN OR NOT.
the voters need it spelled out for them...that trump is not governed by our great american democracy, our great american constitution, our great american laws, he's not governed by any morality as expressed in all the teaching of all god's holy books, he is governed by his wealth and his horrible, selfish vengeful billionaire thoughts. he is unamerican and unethical. in this day and age of the social media induced shortest attention span in the 'history of humanity' (i jest - but not really) the old f**king biden democrat bipartisan approach is useless...
i always knew we had an education problem in our country, but i never fully understood the volume of people who are incapable of thinking for themselves....
and the 'love conquers hate liberals' will stick their heads in the sand and wait for the day when everything will be bright and beautiful again. they are the people we also need to target to make them realise that 'doing nothing but think beautiful thoughts' makes them COMPLICIT.
for F**KS SAKE....how much worse does it need to get for the real americans to wake up and fight to get our country back????
this is a real war.
a war of speech.
a war of our rights.
a war of all minorities.
a war started by white supremist dictator trump.
it's up to us to hear the words of the great human rights activists bob marley and peter tosh who sang
GET UP. STAND UP. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT. GET UP. STAND UP. DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT...
i hope more people start coalescing around organizations like https://represent.us/ that you recommended Miles.....anything they can do to kick those fat asses off the congressional gravy train will be a positive.....
KEEP IN MIND, TRUMP AND HIS RADICAL VIEWS OF HOW TO RUN GOVERNMENT AND (HIS LIES) ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HARD WORKING AMERICANS, IS WHAT PEOPLE LIKED AND VOTED FOR (no matter how misguided they were and how lobotomized they became by drinking the trump koolaid)....
Seriously, 'same old same old' democratic 'gifting to the people in order to get their votes' will just mean we'll get another trump in the future.....
Thanks ajay. Totally agree on all points. Insofar as an education problem, it shines and sinks at the top with Trump demonstrating that his education never went beyond the 4th grade, after which he either bluffed his way into getting a high school diploma or having someone take his tests for him. And let's not forget that Trump's father bought him into Penn's Wharton School of Business and Finance, where his professor, William T. Kelley, said: "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had".
They don't care. Trump will pardon everyone.
We have to change that pardon power. One person should not be able to pardon just anyone. Not sure how to do it, but it's crucial now that we have no norms.
Agreed. The abuse is breathtaking.
As we have seen, Trump has egregiously abused the pardon power for family, friends and for personal, business and political benefits. It's an absolute disgrace, but then again, Trump himself is a walking disgrace!
Does the political will even exist at state levels to prosecute administration lackeys for violations of state laws? He can't pardon anyone for those.
Thank you for saying out loud what is so obvious. Kelly has been terrific. I'm sharing this!
And here you go with a poem I just keep posting:
Stand by Ruth Forman
why so afraid to stand up?
someone will tell you
sit down?
but here is the truth
someone will always tell you
sit down
the ones we remember
kept standing
Trump is the Commander in Chief. Hegseth is playing a game blaming the Admiral gave the order. Why are they patrolling boats 1300 miles away? Why not have our Coast Guard (which Trump has probably also whittled down) patrol 50 miles off of our coast line? It just is a blame game!
That is exactly what the Coast Guard does, except they go much farther out than 50 miles. Itβs been their job since the 1800βs, and they are good at it. They intercept four times the amount of cocaine annually as US Customs and Border Patrol without brutalizing or murdering the fishermen who the cartels force to transport the drugs. For starters, look up Coast Guard interdiction on the US Naval Instituteβs website.
I totally agree with you on Mark Kelly. What he said was awesome and I stand behind him 100%.
Thank you, Adam, for all you do! And thank you for fighting for our country!
I am in a terrible state of doom and gloom but people like you and Senator Kelly give me some measure of hope.
If you want a little hope access Vatican news Pope Leoβs news conference on his trip back to Rome.
Itβs a bit long but covers a multitude of issues of major importance.
Kinzinger for vice president on the democratic ticket.
Thanks for the pulse check Adam!! Agree, Mark Kelly is calling Trump and Hegseth's bluff, making them look stupid. We all need to do what we can to support Kelly, Slotkin, et al...Oh, and if you're joining the ene... I mean Democratic side, can you please push them to the center so I don't have to vote for a Sanders or AOC pinko...(joking, sort of)
THANK YOU FOR THE HOPE