Also, for your consideration:


https://tenthamendmentcenter.c...the-barbary-pirates/

THE JEFFERSONIAN VIEW

"https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2024/03/02/war-powers-the-true-history-of-thomas-jefferson-and-the-barbary-pirates/#:~:text=War%20Powers%3A%20The%20True%20History,responded%20to%20the%20Barbary%20pirates

"Note that these narrow congressional authorizations were explicit and described specific actions the president could take. They guided his decision-making and gave him very little discretion. They didn’t authorize Jefferson to take whatever steps he deemed necessary or to decide when and if he wanted to go to war. Congress engaged in the decision-making and Jefferson executed its will."
----


"CABINET MEETING

In a meeting on May 15, 1801, Jefferson and his cabinet discussed what options were available to them under the Constitution. In attendance were Attorney General Levi Lincoln, Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, Secretary of State James Madison, and Acting Secretary of the Navy Samuel Smith. The entire cabinet agreed that ships should be sent out – and if war was declared, to use defensive measures.

Lincoln’s position was the most reserved, “Our men of war may repel an attack on individual vessels, but after the repulse, may not proceed to destroy the enemy’s vessels generally.”

Jefferson’s notes also included this:

“Whether the captains may be authorized, if war exists, to search for & destroy the enemy’s vessels wherever they can find them?—all except mr L—agree they should; M. G. & S. think they may pursue into the harbours, but M. that they may not enter but in pursuit.” [emphasis in original]

In short – only in a state of war, did anyone in the cabinet believe the Jefferson administration was authorized to respond with force. And even there, Lincoln held that an attack could be repelled, but they couldn’t search for the enemy, and Madison held they weren’t even authorized to enter into enemy harbors except in an active pursuit.

By May 20, Smith sent orders from the President to Commodore Richard Dale to sail to Tripoli along with an offer of peace. ( emphasis mine)

Jefferson’s letter to the Pasha opened with “Great and Respected Friend.”

“The assurances of friendship which our Consul has given you, & of our sincere desire to cultivate peace & commerce with your subjects, are faithful expressions of our dispositions, and you will continue to find proofs of them in all those acts of respect & friendly intercourse which are due6 between nations standing as we do in the relations of peace & amity with each other”

He also explained that he was sending this squadron to observe the situation and “superintend the safety of our commerce.” Jefferson also made clear that peace could be the order of the day and the squadron was given strict orders on these lines:

“We have yet given them in strict command to conduct themselves towards all friendly powers with the most perfect respect & good order it being the first object of our sollicitude to cherish peace & friendship with all nations with whom it can be held on terms of equality & reciprocity.”

At the same time, Commodore Dale was also given specific orders on how to proceed if he found that war had already been declared against the United States:

“Should the bey of tripoli have declared war (as he has threatened) against the united states – you will then proceed direct to that Port, where you will lay your ships in such a position as effectually to prevent any of their vessels from going in or out. The essex and enterprise by cruising well on towards tunis will have it in their power to intercept any vessels which they may have captuers”

WAR DECLARED
WAR DECLARED

That’s exactly what happened in the meantime, on May 14, 1801.

The following day, Cathcart sent out a circular, to inform others that the Pasha of Tripoli declared war on the United States:

“I am sorry to inform you that our Flagstaff was chop’d down upon Thursday the 14th instant and War was declared in form by the Bashaw of Tripoli against the United States of America” [emphasis added] ( emphasis mine)


The historical events reveal Thomas Jefferson’s true view on war powers under the Constitution.

Congress “exclusively” decides whether or not the country will engage in war. Not the president.
The President can use the military to respond to attacks, but can not go “beyond the line of defense”
Even if a war is declared by a nation against the United States, the president cannot go “beyond the line of defense” – and must get authorization from Congress to engage in “measures of offense.”
Tags: Barbary Pirates, Barbary States, declare-war, History, thomas jefferson, War Powers

Obviously various terrorist groups are not nations, so they cannot (and have not) declare war against the USA. Ergo, we cannot repel a terrorist attack until they fire the first shot, even if we know it is coming. That would include, for example, not only flying airplanes into buildings but lighting off suitcase nukes or dirty bombs in our cities. It also includes armed violent aggressors crossing into our territory who have not yet physically attacked us.

That's how I understand the arguments some are making on the issue of drug cartels.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Obviously various terrorist groups are not nations, so they cannot (and have not) declare war against the USA. Ergo, we cannot repel a terrorist attack until they fire the first shot, even if we know it is coming. That would include, for example, not only flying airplanes into buildings but lighting off suitcase nukes or dirty bombs in our cities. It also includes armed violent aggressors crossing into our territory who have not yet physically attacked us.

That's how I understand the arguments some are making on the issue of drug cartels.

Yet we can and do go after Houthis, Somali pirates and other non-nation-state actors. I've always been surprised we are relatively hands off with the narcos. I get the whole extrajudicial killing thing, but seems like with all our assets it'd be pretty easy to build a case that Juan Smith is the leadership behind an organization that illegally imports a product that does harm to our citizens, and get that legal "okay" to arrange for him to meet a timely demise. And easier still to ID warehouses, transshipment points, etc. that could be eliminated.

None of which would really solve the problem, but perhaps it'd give, for example, Mexico some breathing room to retake their country?

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:

Posse Comitatus Act...

Applies to use of the MILITARY to enforce laws DOMESTICALLY.

It does not apply to INTEL AGENCIES or the USCG, and does not apply in international waters.

BAM!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Belwolf:
2020 occurred due to Covid and harvested plus fake ballots. It would be nearly impossible to pull it off again, too many laws in to many states would need to be changed.

Never underestimate the enemy.

The latest post from the White House social media sites inspired me to create this:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Belwolf:
2020 occurred due to Covid and harvested plus fake ballots. It would be nearly impossible to pull it off again, too many laws in to many states would need to be changed.

Never underestimate the enemy.

This is what scares me the most. Hundreds if not thousands of top level Democrat officials conspired to steal two elections and nothing has been done to hold them accountable. It's possible Trump is holding his cards close to his chest but I pray we are not months out from November 26 with no arrests.

You know Trump would love the idea! And the left would lose their shit:

The US Secret Service on Thursday discovered a hunting stand in a tree near Palm Beach International Airport which had a direct line of sight to an Air Force One exit area used by President Trump.

https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...s-air-force-one-exit

Shit. What do you expect with all the insane—and I do mean insane—clamor for his head by everyone on the left with the sole exception of Fetterman, whom they want to cancel?
Maybe in the Civil War Lincoln had so many enemies; but maybe not.
It feels like the nation is hearing a ticking time bomb.

One thing is clear: absolutely nothing Trump can do—nothing—will bring these lunatics back to reality.

The Dems are just upset that they are loosing their power. The only solution they want is to be in control. The nuts and Antifa are like Hitler's brown shirts, as they will do the dirty work.

Dems have been stealing elections for years. Without Fake News, gerrymandering, and election fraud they would have been out of power years ago. However the best the Republicans were able to do is Bush 43, so they pretty much gave the presidency to Obama. Pence, Paul Ryan... these are enemies of the people, almost as bad as Obama.

Trump to Increase Tariffs, Cut Subsidies to Colombia Over Drug Trafficking
He accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of facilitating and encouraging the illegal drug trade.

U.S. President Donald Trump will raise tariffs on Colombia after a public dispute with the nation’s president, who Trump labeled as an “illegal drug leader” earlier on Sunday.

“They don’t have a fight against drugs—they make drugs,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while speaking about the issue.

After accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of facilitating and encouraging the illegal drug trade on Oct. 19, Trump said he'd be cutting off U.S. subsidies to the South American nation.

“President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,” Trump wrote on social media. “It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.”
Trump added that as of Oct. 19, all forms of payments and subsidies to Colombia from the United States will be cut off, alleging that drug production in that nation is intended for “the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.”

“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely,” Trump wrote.

Related Stories
The Epoch Times
Pentagon Chief Confirms US Military Strike on Another Drug-Smuggling Vessel, Killing 3
The Epoch Times
Trump Says 2 Survivors of US Strike on Drug Submarine Being Returned to Colombia, Ecuador
The United States provided Colombia with more than $740 million in aid in fiscal year 2023 and another $580 million in fiscal year 2024, according to a government website.
The Colombian president replied in a statement that Trump “is being misled by his inner circle and advisors.”
“The main enemy of drug trafficking in Colombia in the 21st century was the person who exposed its ties to Colombia’s political establishment. That person was me. I recommend that Trump take a good look at Colombia and determine where the drug traffickers are and where the Democrats are,” he said.

The announcement was made one day after Petro accused the United States of murder following a U.S. strike on a boat in September against what Trump had said were “confirmed narcoterrorists.”

“US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade, and his daily activity was fishing,” Petro wrote on social media on Oct. 18. “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government.”
In another post on Oct. 18, Petro said the Colombian boat that was hit in the U.S. strike on Sept. 16 had turned off and raised one of its engines in a sign of damage. He said the boat was “presumably” in his nation’s waters and that he was demanding that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi “act immediately.”
“Provide immediate protection to the victims’ families and, if they wish, associate them with the victims in Trinidad and Tobago to initiate legal proceedings around the world and in the U.S. courts,” he said in an English translation from Spanish.

On Sept. 15, Trump said that the U.S. military had conducted its second kinetic strike against “positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”
The U.S. president said the strike, which resulted in three deaths, was conducted while the targets were in international waters headed toward the United States.

The strikes continued last week, and Trump said on Oct. 18 that the U.S. government is repatriating two survivors—one from Colombia and the other from Ecuador—from an Oct. 16 military strike on a submersible vessel in the Caribbean Sea.
“U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel. Two of the terrorists were killed,” Trump wrote on social media. “The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike.”
Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio first mentioned the strike during an Oct. 17 White House news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“It’s well known there’s an ongoing narco-terrorist operation the United States has been conducting,” Rubio said. “As far as details of any recent strikes, we’re not prepared here to announce all those details, but you'll get that information here very shortly.”

The recent ramp-up in U.S. military strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in the southern Caribbean has drawn pushback from some lawmakers who question the legal justifications and intelligence assessments guiding the policies.

“We still don’t know if the strikes are legal, and why the U.S. is not instead interdicting to get intelligence to disrupt narcotrafficking routes,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) wrote on social media after the initial strikes in September.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/...age&ea_med=section-1

All old white Boomers, every time:

https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1979633838423970046

Over the weekend, NBC ran a shocking story headlined, “Secret Service discovers hunting stand with direct sight line to Trump’s Air Force One exit in Florida.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politi...force-one-rcna238477

Media is using cautious language, maybe to avoid contaminating a future jury pool, or maybe to downplay the story. It was not a hunting stand; nobody believes that. It was obviously a sniper’s platform. Well, I suppose it could be a hunting stand if someone was hunting a president.

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is the primary air hub President Trump uses whenever he travels to and from Mar-a-Lago, his primary Florida residence and presidential base of operations. It is right down the street from where he lives.

Whenever he gets home, Air Force One (or the smaller “Air Force One Heavy Lift”) lands at PBI, not at a military base. Trump then takes a short motorcade — roughly 3½ miles east — across the Intracoastal Waterway via Southern Boulevard Bridge straight to Mar-a-Lago. That drive usually takes under 10 minutes, and local roads are briefly shut down to facilitate the trip.

The “tree stand’s” location is precisely along the approach and exit route used for every Trump arrival since 2017.

In other words, the “stand” had a direct line of sight to the door at the stop of the stairs on Air Force One where Trump enters and exits the plane. The distance is less than 1,000 feet. Trying to downplay the danger, NBC falsely claimed Trump’s plane does not “normally” park there, but many news photos between 2017-2025 show AF1 using that exact southern apron for every Palm Beach arrival.

NEW: FBI investigating elevated hunting stand at Air Force One landing zone

It hardly needs to be said, but the spots circled in the photo and map are nowhere near any “hunting grounds,” unless the deer are traveling by air these days. The “stand” was in a roadside tree just east of Palm Beach International Airport, right along the canal and service corridor that separates the Customs and Border Protection hangar from the Palm Beach County Justice Complex. It was just a few trees on the corner, not a wilderness, a park, or even a “nature preserve” buffer.

The whole area is urban-industrial, densely developed, fenced, surveilled federal-adjacent land.

There is no plausible “hunting” rationale— not for deer, not for birds, not for iguanas, not for anything. Not even for hunting lost car keys. You’d have to ignore scads of FAA and TSA laws and myriad county ordinances to believe someone innocently built a deer stand under the approach path to a runway used by Air Force One.

The Secret Service spotted the platform during “routine advance security preparations” prior to Trump’s weekend arrival. Now the FBI and local police are involved, scouring the site for clues and checking cell phone records. A “law enforcement source” told Fox that the stand appeared to have been set up “months ago,” which raises uncomfortable questions about why it wasn’t spotted earlier.

https://www.coffeeandcovid.com...ack&utm_medium=email

^^^^^^
I hope that identifiable fingerprints are found on that stand.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
All old white Boomers, every time

Because these former 60s hippies do not work, they have time on their hands, and want to supplement their retirement income with money from Soros orgs. These are paid "protesters.

Why didn't they keep the stand discovery on the down-low and wait to see who shows up?