And if Donald Trump approved or encouraged these actions, then impeachment and criminal referral are not optional: they're required to defend the rule of law...
NEITHER DO WAR CRIMES. This is why our six Congressional members' message was critical. The first boat was murder, as will be the last.
Good comment Thom L. From AI overview:
"There is no statute of limitations on war crimes under international law, as established by the 1968 UN Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity and confirmed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This means that individuals can be prosecuted for war crimes at any time, regardless of how long ago they were committed."
WE are going to get them for these murders. I have been saying it for weeks. Before Dems take Congress, however, I swear the ICC just might nab Donold or Pete. Still sure that the reason TRump didn't attend G20 is he thinks there is a secret warrant for him. There are 125 countries he can no longer visit---they would have to turn him over to the Hague.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been the primary Republican critic of the policy:
Due Process Concerns: Paul has forcefully argued that the strikes amount to "extrajudicial killings" without due process, which he compares to practices in countries like China and Iran. He has questioned the lack of evidence presented to the public and the killing of individuals without a trial or formal accusation.
-Constitutional Authority: Paul maintains that going to war requires a vote by Congress and that the administration is overstepping its constitutional authority by treating a law enforcement matter as a military one.
-Bipartisan Concern: Despite the near party-line vote, some sources indicated there was a broader, quiet "bipartisan concern" among many Republicans regarding the expansion of executive power and potential violation of national and international law.
In summary, the dominant Republican position is in favor of the lethal force as a necessary counter-narcoterrorism operation, though a few voices have raised significant legal and constitutional objections.
I've asked my MAGAT senators to comment. I want to hear from Wicker and Bacon et al. Maybe Thom can contact them. Both object to Trump Ukraine policy.
I worked with Moe Davis, who is an expert on the subject. As cjhief prosecutor at Git-mo, Moe resigned from the position after he refused to use evidence obtained through torture and because of political influence and pressure in prosecutions. He retired from active duty in October 2008.
I hope that you are correct regarding the warrant by the ICC. I hope that warrants also exist for Hegseth and Vance. We have a criminal organization running the US right now.
Me too, Alice. The ICC has a warrant for Putin and one of his ministers for kidnapping, so they do administrative people too. I hope they get them.
AI Overview on Geneva Conventions: "No single body fully enforces the Geneva Conventions, as their enforcement is a shared responsibility. Nations are primarily responsible for enacting and enforcing their own laws to punish violations, while international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecute individuals for the most severe crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so."
TRump should have stuck to people "in the middle of 5th Avenue". Now he and Hegseth have dragged Seal Team Six into this. Sickening and just what the Congressional Six were talking about.
If by a miracle (and that will be what it takes) the Trump regime is deposed. I predict that the incoming Democratic administration will do nothing to hold the regime and malefactors responsible before the law. The excuse will be the same as used after the civil war: national reconciliation, and again it will turn around bite them in the as; Lost Cause v.2,0
Yes, that always seems to be the excuse for political malfeasance and illegal acts, doesn't it - at least where the offenders were (or are) Rep[ublicans?
There are plenty of offenders on the Democratic side, but the whole idea of my country (party) right or wrong my country (party)
Notice how anxious MAGA was for the release of the Epstein files,when they thought it was only Democrats,and how their ardor has cooled learning that Trumps name and face shows up hundreds of time and other Republicans as well.
We are eager to point out the hypocrisy and "sins" of others, but rush to cover up and hide our own.
It is not a matter of being a convert or converting, but the penalty to be paid for conversion.
MTG is not a convert. She has simply defected from the current leader of the cult,if even that.
BTW. MTG just said, in so many words, that congress is an old persons home.
If you are waiting or expecting the current crop of MAGAts to convert, you will go to your grave, a better likelihood is expecting MBS to start wearing a tefillin and going to Temple.
You might find an occasional conversion, but nothing that will make a difference, you come across like the homely obese step sister waiting for the prince to show up.
But I think William is right. Both parties take care of each other. Nixon should have been prosecuted but never was. Bush Jr. started an illegal war under false pretenses. Don’t hold your breath for the powers that be to do the right and moral thing.
In that regard I can''t think of, nor want to live in a world in which there was no diversity, equity or inclusion., but the democrats took it too far.
Too many organizations formed, especially non profits, which none the less constantly beg for donations to pay the salaries and expenses of the officers and executives.
And these organizations constantly competing for and demanding not only priority, and recognition but trying to force the rest of the country to conform to and prioritize their particular issue.. simultaneously becoming hall monitors of speech and punishing those that strayed.
All they have done is force these people "underground", where they have built up anger, angst and frustration
And along comes Trump, he gives them license to "be all they are" and out in the open and he becomes their hero, their savior, and they willingly, empty their bank account for him.
Instead of broadly facing issues that impact everyone, Democratic politicians have bent over backwards to c.
court and satisfy this or that special interest group
As an example all of this nonsense over transfolk,it is spurred by one cis female who tied for 5th place in a swim meet.
I lived for seven years in Santa Cruz, CA and have many friends and acquaintances of every race, ideology, sexual and gender identity.
Transfolk are about .0017 of our population, and there are even more transfolk that that, because they are in the closet.
But lumping them all under transgender is wrong and a disservice and that unfortunate situation comes from with the LGBT community itself.
Not all transwomen have a biological advantage, especially the post operative transsexual, Five years of hormone treatment and severance so the testes and penis. takes away that testosterone advantage, and in fact the transsexual loses muscle and bone mass because of estrogen therapy, even before they have the operation.
If biological advantage was really the issue, then competitors like MichaelPhelps would have to swim in his own class, being swimmers over 6' tall, because of their long arms and stroke.
You can take that example to almost every sport, where there is a cultural, ethnic, or even biological advantage (and yes there are, but speaking such in a politically correct world is a verboten.
I only use trans as an example, because it is one of two hot button issues that MAGAts and Trump have successfuly used to around the hates ad fears of Joe and Jan Six pack.
Ome thing that we differ in Daniel, is this idea of party loyalty, it makes as much sense to me as religious and ideological loyalty. Or European soccer teams, exploding into violence because their team lost.
I have a distant, about 14 cousin distant who live in New Zealand, and he is a football fanatic (English football) his team is Manchester United, he got so mad at me, he could have ripped my head off, because I puzzled at the fanaticism of European football fans.
I don't get it, I really don't, this need of humans to seek and cling to an identity.
Just realistic Daniel. There were negative people in 1938, when Chamberlain waved that piece of paper and declared peace in our time, and there were people like me saying, not so fast.
Hope can keep people hanging on, but it is also an anesthetic, Hopium hope + opium.
Actually I do think positively, about things I can control, like myself.
Diagnosed with stage 4 lung and brain cancer in 2017, put in palliative care, here I am 8 years later, Why? Because I think positively
But when it comes to the behavior of the species, I am a realist and not suckered in by words. psyops, bantering, insults, slurs.
I will tell you why Daniel. I know who I am, I know my own value, my own faults, my strengths, thus I can't be shamed or intimated by mere words.
But when it comes to others of my species, I know what to expect and not to expect from them.
What does it matter why? Why the fuck does the chicken cross the road? Why is the Earth round, Why is it that the there is not enough gravity in the universe, to account for the dearth of matter.?
I think all the Dem. voters need to watch this one closely. It seems clear the Repubs have a long-term backup plan for almost every contingency. Politicians can and have been bought in the past and will be in the future.
It seems that most all significant votes that could truly boaster the morale of Democratic constituencies and make a significant change in policy include the defections of a handful of democrats who for what ever reason they claim, side with GOP in their vote.
Dems constantly underestimate the enemy, and take everything at face value.They believe that because Trump acts and sound like a buffoon, that the Republican party is a one big buffoon.
what a mistake, They have had the Democrats playing defense, reacting (an inefficiently and ineptly) to their actions.
Then they punk us, time and again, and we bit each time, never having learned the lesson
First it was the Mueller report, and the Democrats hung breathlessly, waiting for the report to take Trump down, then a nothing burger, then the documents case, dragged out so long that he got re elected and it died, now it is the Epstein files.,
When will the Democrats and progressives ever learn?
We have right on our side, but are not aggressive and don't press the advantage, never put the Republicans on the back foot,because we are too nice, we play fair (while they don't) and go high when they go low..
Democrats who side with Republicans. Most times it is because of money, sometimes it is a fluke, like Marie Guessenkamp Perez, WA -3. Her district is predominantly rural, conservative,and voted Republican, She ran against a hardcore MAGAt, Joe Kent, Trump appointed, Director National Counterterrorism Center. meaning he is going after liberals.
Marie ran as a basically a moderate conservative, downplaying the only issues that make her liberal, pro choice LGBT rights, and some environmental issues, those issues that help but don't hurt the lumber, agricultural and food processing industries.
First of all, we "will need" an agressive electorate for 2026 to make sure there's a democratic run House and Senate. That MUST lead to IMPEACHMENT #3 and (finally) a conviction - and, I add, while they're at it, the IMPEACHMENT must include JD Vance (He's possibly worse than TRump). TRump's pedopresidency will FINALLY be over. And, while they're at it there should be accountability for the number of people DEAD because of the repeal of USAID plus the numbers of Ukrainians DEAD because of TRump's seemingly admiration of Neville Chamberlain. The American people looked the other way from, according to estimates, several HUNDRED thousand citizens needlessly dying from COVID, 34 FELONIES, another 50 or so charges, TRump being an adjudicated sex offender, and being found guilty of being a serial fruadster. (and, by the way, not based on the minutia of a mortgage loan application). Today, I listened to TRump call a reporter, repeatedly, STUPID for asking the kind of question reporters SHOULD be asking him - all I could think of was show him a mirror. The illegal conduct in this administration far exceeds Watergate, Iran/Contra, and the Bush/Cheney TORTURE regime (investigations into it blocked by President Obama - Merrick Garland's lack of will gave TRump the time he needed to avoid further legal accountability) Until "we the people" have the stomach to hold our leaders in the highest office accountable this rogue behavior will continue. Kudos to the six members of Congress willing to remind those in our military of their obligation to the constitution! (You'd have to be getting your "news" from Fox, Newsmax, or the other right wing propaganda outlets to believe the people in those boats were threats to the United States) While I'm at it, the foundation to fascism is a government/corporate partnership - and, the behavior of the "tech bros" (and other corporate leaders - not to mention the SCOTUS) calls for a MAJOR response from "we the people." Are we going to wait until these people pull us into another DEPRESSION before we act? (Time for anit-trust 101?
You are correct John,But who is going to impeach him,or Trump? Even if by a miracle the House is reclaimed we still have the Senate, and the miracle would have to double down and capture the senate and Trump would only turn around pardon him and reappoint him or a clone as Secretary of War.
Can I say Oy as well? Or is that cultural appropriation, Daniel?
From CNN report: “They’re breaking the law either way,” said Sarah Harrison, a former associate general counsel at the Pentagon who now serves as a senior analyst at the Crisis Group think tank. “They’re killing civilians in the first place, and then if you assume they’re combatants, it’s also unlawful — under the law of armed conflict, if somebody is ‘hors de combat’ and no longer able to fight, then they have to be treated humanely.”
I published this earlier: MAGA Mike is scared shitless. ‘In Triage Every Day’: A Beleaguered Speaker Says He’s Overwhelmed. In a podcast interview, Speaker Mike Johnson opened up about the crushing demands of a job that he joked was his in name only. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/politics/speaker-mike-johnson-beleagured.html
Will Congressional Republicans begin resigning en mass today?
I'm just going to leave these particular words here from Thom, because anything I say at this point will not be productive.
"If Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody,” he must be removed and prosecuted.
If U.S. commanders falsified reports to mislead Congress and the public, they must be held accountable.
And if Donald Trump approved or encouraged these actions, then impeachment and criminal referral are not optional: they’re required to defend the rule of law."
This is a rare black and white moment in Trump's criminal endeavors. Arrest these monsters. Now.
Everyone involved in this, from those in the military who murdered the crew, to Hegesth, to Turmp has blood on their hands. What appalls and terrifies me is that (depending on how the numbers are counted) just somewhat less that half of the country thinks they didn't do anything wrong. Worse, they applaud them for doing it. Before this news came out I wrote "Half the country has a moral compass and thinks that Trump is the worst president in history. Half have no moral compass and think he is the greatest." This just reinforces my observation. Link>> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/half-the-country-has-a-moral-compass
That may be true but no longer is there any further trend but rather a loss of Hispanic/African American and many groups identifying as Asian supporting the policies or administration. Thus the reason for all the gerrymandering, the interference in local election boards. My assumption is that if the GOP gets another shellacking in the midterms , watch out for an authoritarian takeover before 2028. Either the major politicos in the GOP or the military are going to have to make a decision, much like Sen Kelly suggested.
Like I said, having heard dozens of cases involving statistics, where the statisticians must be qualified and subjected to close questioning, that if the 87% are cross examined, they only say what they think the pollster wants to hear, rather than truthfully state what their actual views might be.
You should know this from validity testing....i.e. the "K" scale on the MMPI.
I agree. For those who don't know, on the MMPI psych. test for psychopathology,(From AI): "The K scale on the MMPI, also known as the Defensiveness scale, measures a person's tendency to present themselves in a favorable light, which can indicate defensiveness or denial of psychological issues. High scores may suggest that the individual is downplaying their problems, while low scores could indicate a more honest self-assessment."
This is likely why Admiral Alvin Hosley resigned so soon into his tour of duty. He did not give an explanation but resignation would have allowed him to avoid refusing an order from Hegseth that violated international law.
His official date is coming on Dec. 12th. This might be why he's leaving, but it might not save his ass. He could have declared that the order was illegal and refused it. They would have relieved him of duty, maybe thrown him in the brig.
I know talk is cheap from us "armchair admirals". Hosley has had such a long brilliant career, but I think there were 5 boat murders before he announced. I think he could be screwed, which is what happens to everyone in TRump's orbit.
Here we go. I just wonder what took them so long. Now we wait and see how this plays out. Will this be Trump and companies secret tape scandal that will bring the whole house down? Will the people of the United States finally decide that this is the last straw? Enquiring minds want to know.
We have to know that every independent and some not so independent news media will latch onto this like a dog with a fresh bone. I want to see how Trump handles this one. It should be good.
It seems that revelations such as these come by almost daily, yet nothing seems to happen. With a complicit Congress and an ineffectual DOJ this Administration remains emboldened to continue their lawless conduct. That said I remain prayerful that the perpetrators will face consequences at some point.
Hear, Hear! We must speak out against such atrocities if we are to claim that we are decent human beings.
Note also, that this is very much the same kind of murder as is documented from the West Bank where video shows IDF shooting unarmed Palestinians with their hands in the air in surrender after an Israeli strike.
Psychopathic dictators enable one another. They must face accountability.
Short of a new revolution, which won't happen in the Uncaring States of America, there will be no consequences for the perpetrators and the killing will only increase. How long, one wonders, before drones start attacking "suspected gang members" inside our borders? Can anything stir our citizenry from its torpor? One can only hope that the midterm elections will show that enough of us are aghast at this to turn us around by peaceful means. I am not optimistic.
Neither do a bunch of the big players---things happen when people travel. I kinda hope he and Pete feel safe surrounded by security.
The real stuff here and now is the defections you have talked about. Senate Majority Leader Thune most likely told TRump to go pound sand about their precious filibuster. Double crossed the Speaker, that was obvious, and now who knows how many of them will join MTG.
What you've said before is the likely scenario, but anything is possible with these psychos; they always think they are smarter than they are.
To say this is disturbing is an understatement. WTAF? The question is, how do we make sure that Hegseth and his minions are held to account? Will the Republicans in Congress finally grow a spine? I doubt it. What can we, the people, do? We can't wait until the Democrats regain control of Congress. What can we do NOW?
An immediate investigation needs to occur to get at the truth and a military tribunal held to court-martial Hegseth and then seek justice provided he's not in a military prison. I would prefer he be shipped to CECOT.
Defense commits extrajudicial murder. HHS inhibits the adoption of vital vaccines for children. ICE and Border Patrol detain and assault hundreds of Americans, including legal residents and citizens. DOJ engages in pointless investigations and charges tRump's political opponents, violating their own policy.
Cancellation of subsidies for health insurance, food stamps, school lunches, student assistance, USAID, scientific research - any target that they have found so far that aids average people.
Can anybody suggest a single institution or agency, a single public organization, or any group that is not a mega corporation that has not been negatively affected by the 2020 election? Can anybody suggest one single positive thing that this administration has done that makes anybody's life better off - other than billionaires and corporate executives?
IMHO there will be few negative consequences for Hedgehog or any of the criminals that engaged in this war crime. That would require enforcement of laws. The rule of law died a year ago.
And murder has no statue of limitations. We will need an aggressive DoJ after 2028 - assuming democracy is saved.
NEITHER DO WAR CRIMES. This is why our six Congressional members' message was critical. The first boat was murder, as will be the last.
Good comment Thom L. From AI overview:
"There is no statute of limitations on war crimes under international law, as established by the 1968 UN Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity and confirmed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This means that individuals can be prosecuted for war crimes at any time, regardless of how long ago they were committed."
WE are going to get them for these murders. I have been saying it for weeks. Before Dems take Congress, however, I swear the ICC just might nab Donold or Pete. Still sure that the reason TRump didn't attend G20 is he thinks there is a secret warrant for him. There are 125 countries he can no longer visit---they would have to turn him over to the Hague.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been the primary Republican critic of the policy:
Due Process Concerns: Paul has forcefully argued that the strikes amount to "extrajudicial killings" without due process, which he compares to practices in countries like China and Iran. He has questioned the lack of evidence presented to the public and the killing of individuals without a trial or formal accusation.
-Constitutional Authority: Paul maintains that going to war requires a vote by Congress and that the administration is overstepping its constitutional authority by treating a law enforcement matter as a military one.
-Bipartisan Concern: Despite the near party-line vote, some sources indicated there was a broader, quiet "bipartisan concern" among many Republicans regarding the expansion of executive power and potential violation of national and international law.
In summary, the dominant Republican position is in favor of the lethal force as a necessary counter-narcoterrorism operation, though a few voices have raised significant legal and constitutional objections.
I've asked my MAGAT senators to comment. I want to hear from Wicker and Bacon et al. Maybe Thom can contact them. Both object to Trump Ukraine policy.
I worked with Moe Davis, who is an expert on the subject. As cjhief prosecutor at Git-mo, Moe resigned from the position after he refused to use evidence obtained through torture and because of political influence and pressure in prosecutions. He retired from active duty in October 2008.
This is one time Rand Paul may be correct.
I hope that you are correct regarding the warrant by the ICC. I hope that warrants also exist for Hegseth and Vance. We have a criminal organization running the US right now.
Me too, Alice. The ICC has a warrant for Putin and one of his ministers for kidnapping, so they do administrative people too. I hope they get them.
AI Overview on Geneva Conventions: "No single body fully enforces the Geneva Conventions, as their enforcement is a shared responsibility. Nations are primarily responsible for enacting and enforcing their own laws to punish violations, while international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecute individuals for the most severe crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so."
TRump should have stuck to people "in the middle of 5th Avenue". Now he and Hegseth have dragged Seal Team Six into this. Sickening and just what the Congressional Six were talking about.
This must be stopped… ICC must act. Congress must act.
If by a miracle (and that will be what it takes) the Trump regime is deposed. I predict that the incoming Democratic administration will do nothing to hold the regime and malefactors responsible before the law. The excuse will be the same as used after the civil war: national reconciliation, and again it will turn around bite them in the as; Lost Cause v.2,0
Yes, that always seems to be the excuse for political malfeasance and illegal acts, doesn't it - at least where the offenders were (or are) Rep[ublicans?
There are plenty of offenders on the Democratic side, but the whole idea of my country (party) right or wrong my country (party)
Notice how anxious MAGA was for the release of the Epstein files,when they thought it was only Democrats,and how their ardor has cooled learning that Trumps name and face shows up hundreds of time and other Republicans as well.
We are eager to point out the hypocrisy and "sins" of others, but rush to cover up and hide our own.
Speak for yourself.
A few sinners have epipanies. Most criminals plead out. Catholics have a confessional for a reason.
We only need a few...don't need converts, just some who oppose crime.
You are an example of a convert.
https://www.mind-war.com/p/psychological-civil-war-how-a-new
It is not a matter of being a convert or converting, but the penalty to be paid for conversion.
MTG is not a convert. She has simply defected from the current leader of the cult,if even that.
BTW. MTG just said, in so many words, that congress is an old persons home.
If you are waiting or expecting the current crop of MAGAts to convert, you will go to your grave, a better likelihood is expecting MBS to start wearing a tefillin and going to Temple.
You might find an occasional conversion, but nothing that will make a difference, you come across like the homely obese step sister waiting for the prince to show up.
Always so positive. Positively negative.
But I think William is right. Both parties take care of each other. Nixon should have been prosecuted but never was. Bush Jr. started an illegal war under false pretenses. Don’t hold your breath for the powers that be to do the right and moral thing.
Believe me, it's not intentional. All that stuff is history...and you don't know any history because we weren't the "powers that be".
This is politics. In Congress, it's a question of counting heads. One dissident, like Manchin or Joe Lieberman fucks up everything.
The last time there was real discipline among Dem members was during the Eisenhower administration. Sam Rayburn and LBJ.
In that regard I can''t think of, nor want to live in a world in which there was no diversity, equity or inclusion., but the democrats took it too far.
Too many organizations formed, especially non profits, which none the less constantly beg for donations to pay the salaries and expenses of the officers and executives.
And these organizations constantly competing for and demanding not only priority, and recognition but trying to force the rest of the country to conform to and prioritize their particular issue.. simultaneously becoming hall monitors of speech and punishing those that strayed.
All they have done is force these people "underground", where they have built up anger, angst and frustration
And along comes Trump, he gives them license to "be all they are" and out in the open and he becomes their hero, their savior, and they willingly, empty their bank account for him.
Instead of broadly facing issues that impact everyone, Democratic politicians have bent over backwards to c.
court and satisfy this or that special interest group
As an example all of this nonsense over transfolk,it is spurred by one cis female who tied for 5th place in a swim meet.
I lived for seven years in Santa Cruz, CA and have many friends and acquaintances of every race, ideology, sexual and gender identity.
Transfolk are about .0017 of our population, and there are even more transfolk that that, because they are in the closet.
But lumping them all under transgender is wrong and a disservice and that unfortunate situation comes from with the LGBT community itself.
Not all transwomen have a biological advantage, especially the post operative transsexual, Five years of hormone treatment and severance so the testes and penis. takes away that testosterone advantage, and in fact the transsexual loses muscle and bone mass because of estrogen therapy, even before they have the operation.
If biological advantage was really the issue, then competitors like MichaelPhelps would have to swim in his own class, being swimmers over 6' tall, because of their long arms and stroke.
You can take that example to almost every sport, where there is a cultural, ethnic, or even biological advantage (and yes there are, but speaking such in a politically correct world is a verboten.
I only use trans as an example, because it is one of two hot button issues that MAGAts and Trump have successfuly used to around the hates ad fears of Joe and Jan Six pack.
Ome thing that we differ in Daniel, is this idea of party loyalty, it makes as much sense to me as religious and ideological loyalty. Or European soccer teams, exploding into violence because their team lost.
I have a distant, about 14 cousin distant who live in New Zealand, and he is a football fanatic (English football) his team is Manchester United, he got so mad at me, he could have ripped my head off, because I puzzled at the fanaticism of European football fans.
I don't get it, I really don't, this need of humans to seek and cling to an identity.
Just realistic Daniel. There were negative people in 1938, when Chamberlain waved that piece of paper and declared peace in our time, and there were people like me saying, not so fast.
Hope can keep people hanging on, but it is also an anesthetic, Hopium hope + opium.
Actually I do think positively, about things I can control, like myself.
Diagnosed with stage 4 lung and brain cancer in 2017, put in palliative care, here I am 8 years later, Why? Because I think positively
But when it comes to the behavior of the species, I am a realist and not suckered in by words. psyops, bantering, insults, slurs.
I will tell you why Daniel. I know who I am, I know my own value, my own faults, my strengths, thus I can't be shamed or intimated by mere words.
But when it comes to others of my species, I know what to expect and not to expect from them.
That's what you say.
But why?
What does it matter why? Why the fuck does the chicken cross the road? Why is the Earth round, Why is it that the there is not enough gravity in the universe, to account for the dearth of matter.?
I think all the Dem. voters need to watch this one closely. It seems clear the Repubs have a long-term backup plan for almost every contingency. Politicians can and have been bought in the past and will be in the future.
It seems that most all significant votes that could truly boaster the morale of Democratic constituencies and make a significant change in policy include the defections of a handful of democrats who for what ever reason they claim, side with GOP in their vote.
Dems constantly underestimate the enemy, and take everything at face value.They believe that because Trump acts and sound like a buffoon, that the Republican party is a one big buffoon.
what a mistake, They have had the Democrats playing defense, reacting (an inefficiently and ineptly) to their actions.
Then they punk us, time and again, and we bit each time, never having learned the lesson
First it was the Mueller report, and the Democrats hung breathlessly, waiting for the report to take Trump down, then a nothing burger, then the documents case, dragged out so long that he got re elected and it died, now it is the Epstein files.,
When will the Democrats and progressives ever learn?
We have right on our side, but are not aggressive and don't press the advantage, never put the Republicans on the back foot,because we are too nice, we play fair (while they don't) and go high when they go low..
Democrats who side with Republicans. Most times it is because of money, sometimes it is a fluke, like Marie Guessenkamp Perez, WA -3. Her district is predominantly rural, conservative,and voted Republican, She ran against a hardcore MAGAt, Joe Kent, Trump appointed, Director National Counterterrorism Center. meaning he is going after liberals.
Marie ran as a basically a moderate conservative, downplaying the only issues that make her liberal, pro choice LGBT rights, and some environmental issues, those issues that help but don't hurt the lumber, agricultural and food processing industries.
I hope you are wrong, I fear you are right.
First of all, we "will need" an agressive electorate for 2026 to make sure there's a democratic run House and Senate. That MUST lead to IMPEACHMENT #3 and (finally) a conviction - and, I add, while they're at it, the IMPEACHMENT must include JD Vance (He's possibly worse than TRump). TRump's pedopresidency will FINALLY be over. And, while they're at it there should be accountability for the number of people DEAD because of the repeal of USAID plus the numbers of Ukrainians DEAD because of TRump's seemingly admiration of Neville Chamberlain. The American people looked the other way from, according to estimates, several HUNDRED thousand citizens needlessly dying from COVID, 34 FELONIES, another 50 or so charges, TRump being an adjudicated sex offender, and being found guilty of being a serial fruadster. (and, by the way, not based on the minutia of a mortgage loan application). Today, I listened to TRump call a reporter, repeatedly, STUPID for asking the kind of question reporters SHOULD be asking him - all I could think of was show him a mirror. The illegal conduct in this administration far exceeds Watergate, Iran/Contra, and the Bush/Cheney TORTURE regime (investigations into it blocked by President Obama - Merrick Garland's lack of will gave TRump the time he needed to avoid further legal accountability) Until "we the people" have the stomach to hold our leaders in the highest office accountable this rogue behavior will continue. Kudos to the six members of Congress willing to remind those in our military of their obligation to the constitution! (You'd have to be getting your "news" from Fox, Newsmax, or the other right wing propaganda outlets to believe the people in those boats were threats to the United States) While I'm at it, the foundation to fascism is a government/corporate partnership - and, the behavior of the "tech bros" (and other corporate leaders - not to mention the SCOTUS) calls for a MAJOR response from "we the people." Are we going to wait until these people pull us into another DEPRESSION before we act? (Time for anit-trust 101?
Hegseth's order is also an impeachable offense .
One more seat and/or one morally upright Republican in the House and we can begin...!!
The felon and his cronies will fall like a House of Cards....
You are correct John,But who is going to impeach him,or Trump? Even if by a miracle the House is reclaimed we still have the Senate, and the miracle would have to double down and capture the senate and Trump would only turn around pardon him and reappoint him or a clone as Secretary of War.
Oy...only takes a few Congressional Republicans to step up to get started. Hold hearings.
I reported on Al Green et al the effort just last week. Thousands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSzgOsTTDeI
Jennifer Denson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7B7oZfRlPc
Can I say Oy as well? Or is that cultural appropriation, Daniel?
From CNN report: “They’re breaking the law either way,” said Sarah Harrison, a former associate general counsel at the Pentagon who now serves as a senior analyst at the Crisis Group think tank. “They’re killing civilians in the first place, and then if you assume they’re combatants, it’s also unlawful — under the law of armed conflict, if somebody is ‘hors de combat’ and no longer able to fight, then they have to be treated humanely.”
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/politics/us-military-second-strike-caribbean
Once upon a time, I wrote "The Cultural Mis-appropriation Blues."
Is it Klezmer or is it Jazz?
Who first sang "Raz-ma taz?'
Klezmer
Jazz
Razmataz.
Yeah, Daniel, but where are those few Congressional Republicans? One has protested (for other reasons,) but now she's running for her life.
I'd like to think the dam broke via Trumpepstein.
I published this earlier: MAGA Mike is scared shitless. ‘In Triage Every Day’: A Beleaguered Speaker Says He’s Overwhelmed. In a podcast interview, Speaker Mike Johnson opened up about the crushing demands of a job that he joked was his in name only. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/politics/speaker-mike-johnson-beleagured.html
Will Congressional Republicans begin resigning en mass today?
Also.. A few Republicans "make a habit of defying Trump." https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/republicans-trump-congress-epstein-tariffs
One MORE? Is there one there already? I can't think of any.
Thanks for the update.
I'm just going to leave these particular words here from Thom, because anything I say at this point will not be productive.
"If Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody,” he must be removed and prosecuted.
If U.S. commanders falsified reports to mislead Congress and the public, they must be held accountable.
And if Donald Trump approved or encouraged these actions, then impeachment and criminal referral are not optional: they’re required to defend the rule of law."
This is a rare black and white moment in Trump's criminal endeavors. Arrest these monsters. Now.
Everyone involved in this, from those in the military who murdered the crew, to Hegesth, to Turmp has blood on their hands. What appalls and terrifies me is that (depending on how the numbers are counted) just somewhat less that half of the country thinks they didn't do anything wrong. Worse, they applaud them for doing it. Before this news came out I wrote "Half the country has a moral compass and thinks that Trump is the worst president in history. Half have no moral compass and think he is the greatest." This just reinforces my observation. Link>> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/half-the-country-has-a-moral-compass
I think its less than 30% of the country ( and it keeps decreasing) but even that number is quite nauseating.
But his hold on Republicans is a record 87% https://yournews.com/2025/11/25/5134731/trumps-unshakable-grip-on-the-gop-new-data-shows-record-breaking/
That may be true but no longer is there any further trend but rather a loss of Hispanic/African American and many groups identifying as Asian supporting the policies or administration. Thus the reason for all the gerrymandering, the interference in local election boards. My assumption is that if the GOP gets another shellacking in the midterms , watch out for an authoritarian takeover before 2028. Either the major politicos in the GOP or the military are going to have to make a decision, much like Sen Kelly suggested.
Like I said, having heard dozens of cases involving statistics, where the statisticians must be qualified and subjected to close questioning, that if the 87% are cross examined, they only say what they think the pollster wants to hear, rather than truthfully state what their actual views might be.
You should know this from validity testing....i.e. the "K" scale on the MMPI.
I agree. For those who don't know, on the MMPI psych. test for psychopathology,(From AI): "The K scale on the MMPI, also known as the Defensiveness scale, measures a person's tendency to present themselves in a favorable light, which can indicate defensiveness or denial of psychological issues. High scores may suggest that the individual is downplaying their problems, while low scores could indicate a more honest self-assessment."
I wish every member of Congress would do their job and do what they are supposed to do.
All that Thom Hartmann is suggesting. But I know that 99% of Republicans won't. Sadly, even most Democrats seem too cowardly to speak up about it.
This is likely why Admiral Alvin Hosley resigned so soon into his tour of duty. He did not give an explanation but resignation would have allowed him to avoid refusing an order from Hegseth that violated international law.
Good comment Kay, but consider this:
His official date is coming on Dec. 12th. This might be why he's leaving, but it might not save his ass. He could have declared that the order was illegal and refused it. They would have relieved him of duty, maybe thrown him in the brig.
I know talk is cheap from us "armchair admirals". Hosley has had such a long brilliant career, but I think there were 5 boat murders before he announced. I think he could be screwed, which is what happens to everyone in TRump's orbit.
Retiring with your tail between your legs is not honorable.
Here we go. I just wonder what took them so long. Now we wait and see how this plays out. Will this be Trump and companies secret tape scandal that will bring the whole house down? Will the people of the United States finally decide that this is the last straw? Enquiring minds want to know.
We have to know that every independent and some not so independent news media will latch onto this like a dog with a fresh bone. I want to see how Trump handles this one. It should be good.
It seems that revelations such as these come by almost daily, yet nothing seems to happen. With a complicit Congress and an ineffectual DOJ this Administration remains emboldened to continue their lawless conduct. That said I remain prayerful that the perpetrators will face consequences at some point.
Some of us work on this stuff every day.
Hear, Hear! We must speak out against such atrocities if we are to claim that we are decent human beings.
Note also, that this is very much the same kind of murder as is documented from the West Bank where video shows IDF shooting unarmed Palestinians with their hands in the air in surrender after an Israeli strike.
Psychopathic dictators enable one another. They must face accountability.
Impeach Hegseth and T-Rump now.
Easier said than done.
Unfortunately.
How long till the insurrection act? And honestly, does a megalomaniac really need to use such an act to kill, intimidate and imprison citizens?
Short of a new revolution, which won't happen in the Uncaring States of America, there will be no consequences for the perpetrators and the killing will only increase. How long, one wonders, before drones start attacking "suspected gang members" inside our borders? Can anything stir our citizenry from its torpor? One can only hope that the midterm elections will show that enough of us are aghast at this to turn us around by peaceful means. I am not optimistic.
Consequences can come from the ICC in the Hague. Former Philippine President Duterte is on trial for killing "drug dealers" right now.
Things are getting real here right now.
We do not have a treaty.
Neither do a bunch of the big players---things happen when people travel. I kinda hope he and Pete feel safe surrounded by security.
The real stuff here and now is the defections you have talked about. Senate Majority Leader Thune most likely told TRump to go pound sand about their precious filibuster. Double crossed the Speaker, that was obvious, and now who knows how many of them will join MTG.
What you've said before is the likely scenario, but anything is possible with these psychos; they always think they are smarter than they are.
To say this is disturbing is an understatement. WTAF? The question is, how do we make sure that Hegseth and his minions are held to account? Will the Republicans in Congress finally grow a spine? I doubt it. What can we, the people, do? We can't wait until the Democrats regain control of Congress. What can we do NOW?
An immediate investigation needs to occur to get at the truth and a military tribunal held to court-martial Hegseth and then seek justice provided he's not in a military prison. I would prefer he be shipped to CECOT.
Defense commits extrajudicial murder. HHS inhibits the adoption of vital vaccines for children. ICE and Border Patrol detain and assault hundreds of Americans, including legal residents and citizens. DOJ engages in pointless investigations and charges tRump's political opponents, violating their own policy.
Cancellation of subsidies for health insurance, food stamps, school lunches, student assistance, USAID, scientific research - any target that they have found so far that aids average people.
Can anybody suggest a single institution or agency, a single public organization, or any group that is not a mega corporation that has not been negatively affected by the 2020 election? Can anybody suggest one single positive thing that this administration has done that makes anybody's life better off - other than billionaires and corporate executives?
IMHO there will be few negative consequences for Hedgehog or any of the criminals that engaged in this war crime. That would require enforcement of laws. The rule of law died a year ago.
All of their crimes will be pardoned prior to any criminal enforcement within the US. Only international laws can be pursued.
"You’d expect rogue militias or failed–state paramilitaries to speak that way. You don’t expect it from the man running the Pentagon."
Watchootawkinbout' Willis?
Such should not only be expected, but anticipated from the "rogue militia" that is now the "US."
Or, more precisely..."y'all."