Clinging to the wreckage . . . . the wreckage is a fair target, espec if the survivors were trying to right the boat.
However, the order “kill everybody” is likely to convince any jury that the 2nd target was not the wreckage, it was the survivors. That is wrong. That should not be done.
Retreating from a battlefield on land = fair target.
shipwrecked at sea = must be aided, cannot be shot.
That’s not me, and it is not “International Law” (fictitious imaginary idea except as a metaphor). It is the 2nd Geneva Convention, which the United States signed on December 8, 1949, and formally ratified it on August 2, 1955.
Thee relevant statutes governing what actions may be taken against foreign terrorist organizations was posted in this thread.
I’ll reiterate the salient points.
1- The President does not have the power to unilaterally decide an organization is a a foreign terrorist organization. He doesn’t have the power to do so at all, actually.
He may direct the Secretary of State to make that declaration, but there is a set procedure for doing so that requires consultation with Congress…and a valid reason for labelling an organization as such is not “the President says they are”. Oh…and Congress can revoke the designation at any time.
2- once designated, the Administration may:
a- cut off/seize the organization's assets
b- bring charges against and prosecute anyone that aids and abets the organization
c- cut off all immigration of anyone belonging to or related to that organization
You know what the President CANNOT do according to that statute?
Unilaterally decide to kill or use military force against that organization for any reason OTHER than immediate or imminent danger.
And again…it stretches all credibility to pretend a boat that was hooking up with another boat that was headed to Suriname posed an immediate and imminent threat to the United States or its military forces.
Because drug users are a major source of both property crimes and crimes against persons. If every drug user died before their addiction caused them to commit crimes to support their habit it wouldn’t bother me at all.
Your attitude is very close to the “sexy dresses cause rape” rationale.