US Lawmakers Shocked That Military Strikes Kill People
Democratic Representative Jim Himes, ranking member on the House intelligence committee, described an unedited video of a US military strike – a strike that killed two men clinging to wreckage off the coast of Venezuela – as “one of the most troubling scenes” he’s observed. Troubling for whom, exactly? The US has a rich, celebrated history of offshore 'interdictions' escalating to lethal force,
particularly in waters where their presence raises questions about sovereignty. This isn't an anomaly, it's a feature. Remember when the US Navy killed two men suspected of drug smuggling off Colombia in 1990, or the string of 'self-defense' incidents where foreign vessels were engaged? The US military's 'war on drugs' has always had collateral damage—a phrase usually reserved for civilian
casualties of conventional warfare, but apparently, struggling fishermen count too now. It appears the only thing 'shocking' here is that a congressman watched what the military does and found it 'troubling.' Perhaps the next briefing should cover the full curriculum of US foreign policy, not just the redacted clips. One might wonder: at what point does 'interdiction' become an execution, and who
greenlights these Caribbean 'search and destroy' missions? The transparency advocates calling for video release are missing the point: the problem isn't the camera, it's the trigger.