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Rep. Adam Smith: "This country has not agreed to have the death penalty for drug smuggling. If we want to have that policy conversation, we can have that policy conversation, but the president has unilaterally decided that lethal force is going to be applied. It's an enormous expansion of power."

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I haven’t noticed any issues with the Religious Right wingers & the murders committed by their president! They have looked pretty hypocritical again.

Smith is right, but that is not the best framework here. Even IF we authorized the death penalty for drug smuggling (which we should not do!), that would only come after a trial before a jury. Trump is not just executing drug smugglers. He's doing it extra-judicially. That is murder.

Why hasn't anyone called it what it is? Crimes against humanity. This is why he pulled us out of the ICC. So they could commit these types of crimes with impunity. What they apparently don't know is they can still be prosecuted for committing crimes against countries that ARE members of the ICC.

Small town So. IL in 2021 some guy on FB was upset because he said someone had tried to break into his car. Nothing broken, I guess he had them on camera trying to open a door. Openly said if uhear gunshots, that’s why. For possible theft, he felt comfortable killing someone. It’s always been here.

Even if the death penalty existed, it wouldn't apply to foreign nationals who are not in the US and have not been convicted of any crime. Instead of calling Trump a murderer, opponents just argue that new legislation would be necessary to make his actions legal.

There’s absolutely NO due process or proof at all that these boats were smuggling drugs! And even if they were, there is NO evidence that they were destined for America! These “criminals” should be searched, and if guilty, they DESERVE to have a trial by jury… just like anyone else who is accused!

"I can shoot anybody I want without a trial and not get impeached" IS a big expansion of power compared with the Constitutional "You have to have a trial and there has to be a law." But it is illegal even if not enforced, murder, and a war crime.

You're about to starve 42 million Americans and take Healthcare from 20 million. With the swipe of their pen they are literally going to sentence to death 62 million Americans. I don't give a shit about drug dealers in the face of a crisis such as this. This is a travesty of epic portions.

People need to start getting good with the fact that the military...including the brass...is now controlled by KKKristofascists who are eager to get to the "following orders" part of the Project 2025 plan for ending democracy and establishing apartheid.

Trump doesn’t respect domestic or international laws. SCOTUS ruled that a president cannot be prosecuted for criminal acts that are part of the "core powers of their office". So here we are with SCOTUS making it legal to kill as part of “protect & defend” ignoring due process. I feel helpless.

It isn't power. It's force. Trump doesn't understand the difference, and that's why he's burned every little bit of power America ever had. Power is influence. Force gets punched in the face.

One reason Trump was elected is he is one of the few political figures who goes on TV and calls things what they are in plain, clear language. They’re lies, sure, but he doesn’t dance around anything or couch his opinions in waffley words.

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

(Miami Herald) - The Trump Administration has made the decision to attack military installations inside Venezuela and the strikes could come at any moment, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Miami Herald .. @miamiherald.com www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Drumpf and the Republicans have destroyed America! The country is finished! Billions spent for 40+ years on misinformation and complete falsehoods led to this complete simpleton's rise to our head of state! "We are a stupid, stupid country. STUPID!" - David Feldman

It isn’t an expansion of power, it is criminal. The orders are unjustified and illegal, hence those carrying out those orders are committing a crime, whether they know it or not. Republicans are derelict in their duty to the Constitution by letting these extrajudicial killings continue.

These are alleged drug smugglers, not drug smugglers. In fact we don’t even know the identities of those murdered, what we do know is the accusations are being Levied by accused rapists, alcoholics,, convicted felons, pathological liars, and puppy killers

To commit a war crime, you have to be at war? This is just murder. Officially State sanctioned murder, making him a supporter of terrorism.Same as Putin or the King of the north.

Never mind that there is no due process, no proof that they are smuggling, not in our country, and the expense of sending multimillion dollar cruise missiles to kill people in boats is simply ridiculous. This is all a distraction meant to keep people from asking about the Epstein files.

Even if we decided to punish drug smuggling by death, which is absurd, that doesn't give us authority to do it in international waters and there would be due process before we executed them. Nothing about this is ok. I've yelled at my senators and congresswoman. Have you?

I think we should have a death penalty in this country for sure but not for drug dealers but corruption. Like if you cause a HUGE bubble because you are selling everything in a circle to drive up stock prices or you take private donations for a ballroom or accept a private Jet from another country.

Let's say you use the knowledge from the committees you sit on to do some insider trading and become a millionaire in 2 years. Or you repackage a bunch of high risk mortgages with AAA rated ones to drive up the profits of your company.

As long as trump continues to kill unchallenged what is to stop him from turning on American cities . Sure he’d love to blow up California, Oregon with all those Trump hating radicals ! The more unhinged he gets the more desperate & dangerous he gets !

Whats the real reason for "tariffs"? Bend a financial knee and give him the taste he requires. I'm I wrong? What would be the quickest way to get drug traffickers attention for you to gain control and your grift? All in the name of...

Even if we changed the laws to give the death penalty for drug smuggling (and that on its own is already dystopic af), extrajudicial killing would STILL be completely illegal and criminal. Extrajudicial killing *alleged* drug smugglers in foreign countries even more so.

Just on this single thing alone theres several layers of "Go to jail immediately" if the entire republican party weren't made almost entirely of fascists and fascist enablers hell bent on defending Trump from any consequences.

It’s murder that’s it. They don’t know who is on those boats or why! He’s judge DREDD! All in the RED party who have said nothing. are accomplices. they Bragg, laugh. Just as all of you are not condoning the attack on peaceful protesters. Our out right kidnapping! killing millions cutting off aide!

Hmmm. An "expansion" of power. I might rephrase his sentence to: Its an enormous breach of the constitution - no due process - no trial - no jury. I suspect you of drug smuggling, so I'm killing you. I dissent. We have no right to murder people in international waters without due process.

Trump and this entire regime are nothing more than blood thirsty murderers. Its going to happen on American streets next. When will we say 'enough'?

Really? Like we all don’t know that? The question is what can we do about it…. This Tuesday are some really important elections, drag everyone you know out to vote!!! If you live in Mississippi - this is super important for you too!!! Vote 🗳️ 💙

Even at its best, the criminal justice system makes mistakes. I've worked on numerous cases of people charged with a crime who were factually innocent & who, upon our showing of that, had their cases dismissed or were acquitted. Among other flaws, use of a summary death penalty is irreversible.

What's going on now is not even "the death penalty for drug smuggling. " What's going on now is "the death penalty because I think you may be smuggling drugs, but you might just be a fisherman or taking your boat out for some other reason...too bad, so sad."

I can understand an impulse to couch this in ordinary terms; this is not an expansion of power. Donald Trump does not have any judicial abilities. He and every single person who is with him are -murdering people- full stop.

It's an mentally unhinged delusional narcissist using his power to threaten everyone. Guy got zero diplomatic skills. His entire life has been spent being a revengeful bullying malignant anti social agitator. Always transactional making sure he gets his share before anyone else. Disgusting human.

EVEN IF America decides on a death penalty for drug smuggling, there would STILL be a world of difference between being found guilty of drug smuggling and being accused of drug smuggling because you happen to be out in a small boat in an area where drug smuggling may be occuring!

It’s a smack in the face because we want the oil under their feet. It’s pretense and it’s the same thing they are trying to use to place troops in our beloved cities. Our land now belongs to all of us, not a few signatures on papers.

Not only the death penalty for drug smuggling but the death penalty for a suspicion of drug smuggling. Which leads into the death penalty for a suspicion of being a political opponent of Donald Trump.

Not to mention…we have no idea if any of them have actually been drug smugglers. Even if we do decide to execute drug smugglers, that requires and indictment, trial and conviction first. Not just blowing up someone we think may be.

Why aren't charges being filed for crimes against humanity by the ICC on Trump, Noem, Hegseth, Miller, and the rest of this regime? Why are there no repercussions for the bombings of these boats? Or the ICE kidnappings and arrests without due process of brown people, many who are US citizens? Why???

et.alet.al

While the US does not cooperate with the ICC, Colombia does and they could bring charges but who would arrest potus et al? Just like bibi and putin have warrants, they have to be in a country that's willing to grab them and hand them over. ICC doesn't have it's own police force.