When was war declared against Venezuela?

[Delldude]

No we are supporting war against Trump's hero

Whadda bout no audit?

 

[Zavulon]

Also unflagged vessels are supposedly considered pirates by international law, so I've read.

It could be a reason to suspect her in piracy and/or slave trading or being an American ship. But if the captain of US Navy ship already know that she is an unarmed Venezuelan Cocaine Clipper - he have no legal right to stop it in high seas.

 

[IM2]

I'll look around for ***** to give over your heroes of the NARCO world. Try the same place I looked for Sympathy for your heroes Boko Harem.

This is a post from an idiot.

 

[Delldude]

It could be a reason to suspect her in piracy and/or slave trading or being an American ship. But if the captain of US Navy ship already know that she is an unarmed Venezuelan Cocaine Clipper - he have no legal right to stop it in high seas.

Explain why.

 

[Zavulon]

Explain why.

Because not demostration of flag is not a crime for a ship, as well as for person is not a crime not to have with you your id-card. If you don't have id, and police have reasons to suspect you being a criminal, they have right to detain you for identification. When your identity is confurmed (and you are not a criminal) - police should release you. But if police patrol on the street already identified you as John Smith, loyal citizen, with no criminal record, they have no right to stop you to check your documents (or, even less, shoot you without cheking). (One of advantages of Safe City system in Moscow - police don't annoy loyal citizens, because in most of cases they don't need to check their documents).

Same way, in the international sea law there are only two crimes - piracy and slave-trading. Misusage of flag is not a crime per se. It is a reason to stop and check the ship, if it really belongs to your flag (or to a country you have such agreements with). Like, you can say: "We can reasons to believe that some of speedboats were, in fact, registered in the USA. And, therefore, all flagless speedboats in Carribean should be checked for being American boats". But if the captain of US Navy ships believes that the boat is, in fact, American, he (according US laws) can't just sink it and possibly kill US citizens, without even attempting to stop it.

New York policeman may believe that weapon -trading is a crime. As a person he can be unpleased by his relatives killed with firearms. But if he came in Texas and start hunting and murder legal (according Texas laws) weapon-traders - he will be a criminal.

 

[Darkwind]

A Venezuelan boat that the U.S. military destroyed in the Caribbean last week had altered its course and appeared to have turned around before the attack started because the people onboard had apparently spotted a military aircraft stalking it, according to American officials familiar with the matter.

Just because the reporting does not fit the narrative you believe in doesn't mean it isn't accurate.

Is said to have.

By whom? The left cannot be believed to tell the truth regarding the United States or Trump.

 

[Darkwind]

Here are a few sources of info you should consider availing yourself of.

Did the President’s Strike on Tren de Aragua Violate the Law?

By applying the tools of war to civilians, the Trump administration is entering unprecedented—and deeply problematic—legal territory.

www.lawfaremedia.org

The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas? What You Need to Know about the U.S. Strike on the Caribbean Vessel

Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane join Tess Bridgeman to unpack what you need to know about the US attack on a vessel in the Caribbean.

www.justsecurity.org

Neither of which is legitimate.

 

[kyzr]

Same way, in the international sea law there are only two crimes - piracy and slave-trading. Misuse of flag is not a crime per se. It is a reason to stop and check the ship, if it really belongs to your flag (or to a country you have such agreements with). Like, you can say: "We can reasons to believe that some of speedboats were, in fact, registered in the USA. And, therefore, all flag-less speedboats in Caribbean should be checked for being American boats". But if the captain of US Navy ships believes that the boat is, in fact, American, he (according US laws) can't just sink it and possibly kill US citizens, without even attempting to stop it.

Drug trafficking is also a violation of law. But you are mixing up the flag issue.
Speedboats don't have flags, they are confirmed drug runners before they are destroyed.

Big oil tankers have flags. The US Navy captures any tanker trying to run the blockade of Venezuela, no matter what flag it flies.

 

[peacefan]

Boat Suspected of Smuggling Drugs Is Said to Have Turned Before U.S. Attacked It​

The Trump administration has argued that the summary killing of 11 people it accused of running drugs was legal under the laws of war.

A Venezuelan boat that the U.S. military destroyed in the Caribbean last week had altered its course and appeared to have turned around before the attack started because the people onboard had apparently spotted a military aircraft stalking it, according to American officials familiar with the matter.

The military repeatedly hit the vessel before it sank, the officials added, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The administration has claimed the boat was carrying drugs.

The disclosures provide new details about an operation that was a startling departure from traditional drug interdiction efforts, escalating President Trump’s use of the military for matters typically handled by law enforcement. Legal specialists have disputed that it was lawful for the military, on President Trump’s orders, to target and kill drug smuggling suspects as if they were combatants in a war.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/us/trump-drug-boat-venezuela-strike.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20250910&instance_id=162263&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=65145149&segment_id=205638&user_id=fecdfdffdaaa11107b72f0f4f6e429cc

Does declaring war against drug smugglers mean we can bomb people in Mexico? Importantly, where is the hard evidence the trump government made about the boat and the people in it?

Vitally, have the Repub's in Congress scheduled hearings on the matter of the government's claimed justification? If not why not?

Trump and his GOP didn't need to.
Venezuela had opened an illegal, quasi-secret drug and human trafficking war upon the US long before Trump's naval encirclement.

 

[peacefan]

A competent POTUS would have waited until the boat was at least in U.S. waters to murder the crew.


International law generally prohibits extrajudicial killings, the deliberate and state-sponsored assasination of an individual or individuals, and the United States banned political assassinations in 1976 via an executive order. However, the Trump administration has argued that such strikes are permitted under both U.S. and international law due to the immediate threat posed by drug cartels, claiming such strikes to be a form of self-defense.

Former military officials, however, aren’t buying the Trump administration’s defense.

“If someone is retreating, where’s the ‘imminent threat’ then?” said Rear Adm. Donald Guter, speaking with the New York Times. “Where’s the ‘self-defense’? They are gone if they ever existed – which I don’t think they did.”

Insiders make bombshell claim video of Trump's deadly drug boat strike omitted key details

Last week’s unprecedented strike on a sea vessel allegedly carrying drugs to American shores was celebrated by President Donald Trump, who went on to share a video of the strike on social media. Insiders revealed, however, that the video doesn’t tell the full story.The execution-style strike was...

www.rawstory.com

if someone with the intent on delivering drugs is retreating, and you let them, you can count on at least 2 such crews trying again.

 

[toobfreak]

Boat Suspected of Smuggling Drugs Is Said to Have Turned Before U.S. Attacked It​

Good thing we took them out before they made it back into Venezuelan waters where they might have gotten those drugs past us some other way!

Legal specialists have disputed that it was lawful for the military, on President Trump’s orders, to target and kill drug smuggling suspects as if they were combatants in a war.

I guess that means that legal experts agree with Trump and some legal plants by the crazy Left made a point to DIS-agree--- you know, because they hope to win an election back.

Drug smugglers are killing 100,000 Americans a year doing billions in illegal traffic and our president is in charge of protecting his country and our borders, Ace. If you have to think for a second about choosing between some legal fine print technicality parsing of words and protecting Americans, you have a big problem. No one was doing shit, everyone's pockets were getting stuffed, and a lot of folks were dying. But YOU have a problem now because Trump cares to break up the little game.

 

[Zavulon]

Drug trafficking is also a violation of law.

Not in high seas. As well as alcohol or MJ trafficking is not a crime in the US waters. There are only two internationally recognised crimes in high seas - piracy and slave-trading.

But you are mixing up the flag issue.
Speedboats don't have flags, they are confirmed drug runners before they are destroyed.

Almost every ship has a nationality. It may not have a flag, but it may be registered somewhere, or its owner has a citizenship of some country. If it is not US citizenship and it is outside of US waters - it is non of your business. If a soldier or sailor kills unarmed civilians (doesn't matter lawful or criminal) outside battlefield (and even without formal declaration of war) - he is a criminal. If your state support crimes and make them acts of national policy - your state is criminal.

Big oil tankers have flags. The US Navy captures any tanker trying to run the blockade of Venezuela, no matter what flag it flies.

Establishing blockade is an act of war. And, in this case, it is absolutely illegal and unprovoked act of aggression. Venezuela have right to fight back (and all countries of good will, including Russia and China, have right to supply them with weapons and other resources).

 

[kyzr]

Not in high seas. As well as alcohol or MJ trafficking is not a crime in the US waters. There are only two internationally recognised crimes in high seas - piracy and slave-trading.

You forgot terrorism. Trump called drug cartels terrorist organizations since they kill 100,000 Americans a year. So killing terrorists on the high seas is happening under US law.

Almost every ship has a nationality. It may not have a flag, but it may be registered somewhere, or its owner has a citizenship of some country. If it is not US citizenship and it is outside of US waters - it is none of your business. If a soldier or sailor kills unarmed civilians (doesn't matter lawful or criminal) outside battlefield (and even without formal declaration of war) - he is a criminal. If your state support crimes and make them acts of national policy - your state is criminal.

OK, long story short, drug runners are terrorists, killing terrorists under US law is legal.

Establishing blockade is an act of war. And, in this case, it is absolutely illegal and unprovoked act of aggression. Venezuela have right to fight back (and all countries of good will, including Russia and China, have right to supply them with weapons and other resources).

Support terrorist regimes get killed as terrorists. Not very smart.

 

[Zavulon]

You forgot terrorism.

No. It is not internationally recognised high sea crime. Everyone can call anyone else terrorists.

Trump called drug cartels terrorist organizations since they kill 100,000 Americans a year. So killing terrorists on the high seas is happening under US law.

No. There is no US law in high seas. That's the part of definition of high seas.

OK, long story short, drug runners are terrorists, killing terrorists under US law is legal.

It is not legal to kill people in high seas. And it is one of the reasons why US regime is criminal by its nature.

Support terrorist regimes get killed as terrorists. Not very smart.

Really? Allowing any criminal regime to violate freedom of navigation in high seas is much worse.

 

[Delldude]

It is not legal to kill people in high seas. And it is one of the reasons why US regime is criminal by its nature.

Is it legal to kill people, say in the mountains of Afghanistan?

 

[Zavulon]

Is it legal to kill people, say in the mountains of Afghanistan?

It is legal if you were invited by their legal government to do it.

 

[Delldude]

It is legal if you were invited by their legal government to do it.

We were invited after we attacked Al-Qaeda and created their government.

 

[Zavulon]

We were invited after we attacked Al-Qaeda and created their government.

It was done by permission of UN SC and, therefore was also legal.

 

[Delldude]

It was done by permission of UN SC and, therefore was also legal.

You said their legal government, there was none.

 

[Zavulon]

You said their legal government, there was none.

There are tree possible legal reasons to use military force: self-defense, invitation of a legal government, decision of SC UN. There was latter.