# Mass murder on the high seas (Venezuelan "drug boat") **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 10, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910 "2025-09-10T13:44:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/201 "2025-12-02T16:49:16Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > How can you justify a second strike on survivors clinging to the wreckage? You can’t. It is quite explicitly an illegal order. > [@psychobunny](#): > > Why are the generals not refusing? Are their cushy jobs worth more than any integrity or common decency? They are being thrown under the bus regardless but what kind of country allows this? I don’t think it’s about their cushy jobs. They have been following orders without question for so long, it’s been drilled into them. This is true all down the line. The “questioning orders” part of their brains has atrophied down to a nubbin. What kind of country allow s this? Your country. It’s not a new thing. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/202 "2025-12-02T20:08:41Z")
Looks like “fog of war” with a bit of a wink-wink is the answer we’re going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/203 "2025-12-02T20:57:31Z")
They blew up one boat and saved and released two survivors, so determining their culpability in the whole operation was possible. We’ll never know about the dead two. I still believe stopping these boats would be good naval type exercises if nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/204 "2025-12-02T21:42:32Z")
It _was_ fog of war until the smoke cleared and there were two survivors. Not so foggy after that. ---
**Author:** ![de\_Worde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@de\_Worde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/de_Worde)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/205 "2025-12-02T21:51:02Z")
“Kill them all” = no witnesses ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/206 "2025-12-02T21:57:57Z")
Supposedly every drone or missile attack is videoed. I don’t think double-tap has been (or will ever be) released. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/207 "2025-12-02T22:41:16Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I don’t think double-tap has been (or will ever be) released. Nor will witness testimony from those in the command center. (Several people must know the truth of this). > [@DWMarch](#): > > That would be darkly hilarious if anybody other than Hegseth had come up with it. > Although it would not surprise me at all if someone else did come up with it and Hegseth is just reposting it without attribution. > Either way, Hegseth is an asshole. I believe you’ve made an unassailable observation. Note that the publisher of the Franklin series has lodged a complaint about the theft of their intellectual property: [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Aaqt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e8e8cd2-ed38-4aca-b850-0fd2aced7eca_683x906.png) ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Aaqt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e8e8cd2-ed38-4aca-b850-0fd2aced7eca_683x906.png) ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/208 "2025-12-02T22:43:53Z")
I read that they are specifically targeting IP like that to get liberals mad and get a big negative reaction. It’s the standard “own the libs” troll. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/209 "2025-12-02T22:45:36Z")
> [@Zoobi](#): > > Looks like “fog of war” with a bit of a wink-wink is the answer we’re going to get. Hegseth thinks we’re too dumb to realize that you don’t bounce the rubble unless you think there are survivors. Fog of war my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/210 "2025-12-02T22:46:56Z")
> [@Zoobi](#): > > It’s the standard “own the libs” troll. Yes, the originator of the ‘Franklin slaughters Venezuelans’ parody that Hegseth posted chose a character from a series known for promoting tolerance, inclusiveness, etc. The person _could_ have instructed AI to make a parody book cover featuring Pepe the Frog instead----but that wouldn’t have generated the outrage they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/211 "2025-12-02T22:57:47Z")
Although, hasn’t the owner of Pepe the Frog complained about its right-wing use, too? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/212 "2025-12-02T23:01:05Z")
I guess I don’t know much about that character, which I had assumed was created _for_ right-wing use. Hmn. I see from the wikipedia article that the 2005 creation didn’t become known for right-wing associations for an entire decade. Ignorance fought! > **[Pepe the Frog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepe_the_Frog)** > > Pepe the Frog (/ˈpɛpeɪ/ PEP-ay) is a comic character and Internet meme created by cartoonist Matt Furie. Designed as a green anthropomorphic frog with a humanoid body usually wearing a blue t-shirt, Pepe originated in Furie's 2005 webcomic Boy's Club. The character became an Internet meme when his popularity steadily grew across websites such as Myspace, Gaia Online, and 4chan from 2008 onwards; by 2015, he had become one of the most popular memes on 4chan and Tumblr. > Different types of Pepe m... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/213 "2025-12-02T23:05:42Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I guess I don’t know much about that character, which I had assumed was created _for_ right-wing use. Hmn. And _this_ is why unauthorized use of an IP is so insidious and fucked up. Can you imagine, you are an artist, you create a character and tell a story, some assholes take your character without permission and turn it into something disgusting which represents something that you absolutely reject? It would shatter my soul. The fact that it’s mostly known (at least in western society) for its alt-right imagery is horrible. And it’s why the publisher of Franklin the Turtle is completely serious about pushing back against the shit that Hegseth is popularizing. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/214 "2025-12-02T23:09:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > And it’s why the publisher of Franklin the Turtle is completely serious about pushing back against the shit that Hegseth is popularizing. Yes, that makes sense. When an association becomes trendy it’s very tough to undo. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/215 "2025-12-02T23:20:19Z")
Yeah, I’d never heard of Franklin before, yet the image seemed clearly like a parody of an existing IP. But _even knowing this_, since this was my first exposure to it, it will be the first thing I think of from now on if I see the real thing unless it’s counteracted by a lot more innocuous imagery. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/216 "2025-12-02T23:33:54Z")
I know about Franklin from the old cartoon that was on TV a couple of decades ago. > **[Franklin (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_(TV_series))** > > Franklin is a Canadian animated preschool educational children's television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois, and co-produced by Nelvana Limited. It was followed up by a CGI adaptation, Franklin and Friends. > The animated series has also produced several television films: Franklin and the Green Knight (2000), Franklin's Magic Christmas (2001) and Back to School with Franklin (2003), alongside a theatrical movie: Franklin and the Turtle Lake ... I guess there was a later CGI series that I was unaware of. (It only lasted a couple of years.) > **[Franklin and Friends](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_and_Friends)** > > Franklin and Friends is an animated children's television series produced by Nelvana. The second adaptation and spin-off of the classic characters from the Franklin the Turtle series of children's books written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark (the first being Franklin, which was also co-produced by Nelvana Limited, the series was announced by Nelvana Limited on September 28, 2010). The series also serves as a reboot of the 1997 animated television series. The series premi... ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/217 "2025-12-03T04:06:12Z")
Shoulda gone with Caillou. Nobody would have cared. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/218 "2025-12-03T04:11:41Z")
Dora the Explorer could have a counter joke AI to post. Swiper the swiper is not her favorite, so she has precedent. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/219 "2025-12-03T05:31:56Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > They are being thrown under the bus regardless but what kind of country allows this? I strongly get the feeling that proving you’re doing something for Felon47 is the sole guiding ideology of these people, and that by doing so they get undeserved power / authority / wealth. Not that, as you mention, they won’t be thrown under the bus the MINUTE they become a liability. Not that either point is particularly original. But still, they probably felt that they 1) weren’t killing real people [read white, Christian, and American], 2) that Trump loves hard hitting killahs 3) it would (especially for Kegsbreath) show his strength as a warleader when he’s grotesquely under qualified. And now begins the serial shifting of the blame. I hope someone who was present speaks up and names names. Not that it’ll do much, or at least, not under the endless cries of “Fake News”, but it might move active members of the military who are likely to need to seriously examine illegal orders on a daily basis soon. Link for anyone who hasn’t gotten to read any of the articles about the buck-passing or the unspeakably stupid “fog of war” claims. > **[Trump and Hegseth insist they didn’t know of follow-up strike that killed...](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/politics/second-strike-drug-boat-trump-hegseth)** > > President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday sought to distance themselves from the decision to launch a follow-up strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, insisting they weren’t aware of what the military had done... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910/220 "2025-12-03T05:41:08Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Swiper the swiper is not her favorite, so she has precedent. “ICE no swiping!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-murder-on-the-high-seas-venezuelan-drug-boat/1022910.md?page=12)