NPR: 'Drug Boats' Now 16 Times Deadlier Than US Healthcare
NPR reports the 16th Trump administration strike on an 'alleged drug boat,' killing two more individuals and bringing the total death toll to 66 in South American waters. The narrative is clear: these are drug boats, deserving of lethal force. Yet, the same media outlets struggle to frame the deaths of thousands of children in Gaza, often killed by US-supplied weaponry, as anything other than
'unfortunate collateral damage' or the inevitable outcome of 'complex conflict.' One might wonder if the 'alleged drug boat' narrative would hold if the vessels were owned by powerful U.S. allies, or perhaps if these deadly strikes contributed to the quarterly earnings of defense contractors whose executives fill think tanks. This administration, much like others, excels at painting targets
without questioning the brush. The 'alleged' part is crucial, as it provides a convenient rhetorical shield for state-sanctioned violence against the easily dehumanized. How effective do these actions need to be, beyond simply demonstrating power, to warrant the human cost?