Native Organizers Alliance - Bombing in International waters is illegal

 

Patricia, At Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, we recognize the sacredness of all life and we stand for peace and diplomacy -- not violence against people here or abroad. Our history, from first contact with colonialists to Standing Rock in 2017, is a series of militarized episodes as avenues to take our land and eradicate our cultures and communities. Military acts only lead to the subversion of rights and usually spiral into wars and war crimes and denial of human rights. Last week, Trump’s administration bombed 11 people on a small boat near Venezuela. They were unarmed and posed no threat. It was an extrajudicial assassination in violation of international law. According to reporting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told U.S. forces to “kill them all” before ordering the airstrikes on these civilians, which led to a second strike that killed several survivors clinging to the wreckage of the boat. That’s a war crime, and it follows 20 similar airstrikes in recent months that have been kept almost entirely secret. These operations have reportedly led to the deaths of more than 80 people already, and it’s clear the administration does not intend to stop. These operations lack any statutory, congressional, or constitutional basis that would permit their authorization by anyone, including the President or the Secretary of Defense. In other words, these strikes almost certainly violate both American and international law. Please act now if you agree that we need diplomacy, not militarism: Tell Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth now. SIGN and SEND About a month ago, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, which the administration now calls the Secretary of War, told military generals to be “ruthless” and said that the U.S. military’s prior efforts to include trans servicemembers, support diversity, and address climate change were “woke garbage.” Now, he’s murdering random people without any proof of wrongdoing in a series of premeditated military actions designed to disrupt and to promote confusion and provocations in Central and Latin America. The United States should not be allowed to establish a precedent that any administration may claim unilateral authority to kill first, investigate never, and declare every target a terrorist without proof. This is not how a democratic nation should operate. If the House does not act to begin impeachment proceedings, this policy will expand. If the Senate does not convict, future administrations will treat this as a license to kill civilians and outside any recognized battlefield. Senate Armed Services Committee leaders have pledged vigorous oversight. They know the law was broken. The public pressure we build now will determine whether impeachment becomes inevitable or whether Hegseth escapes accountability. We must defend human rights and international humanitarian law. There is only one path forward for Secretary Hegseth. Congress must impeach and remove him from the Department of Defense immediately. Please sign and send your message now. Hawwih (thank you) for making the connection between our history and the use of violence now. Judith LeBlanc (Caddo) Executive Director BUILD NATIVE POLITICAL POWER

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