War crime

Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump are committing murder

This cartoon was originally published on Pepperspectives. Click here to subscribe to Pepperspectives, where you’ll learn about the continuing threats to our democracy and the actions you can take to help safeguard it.

Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth allegedly gave an order to “kill everybody,” during a military attack on suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean. That order included a second strike to kill two survivors who were clinging to debris in the middle of the ocean.

Regardless of whether these people were drug smugglers or not — and there have been plenty of questions surrounding previous attacks on boats — killing helpless survivors isn’t a matter of national security. It’s murder. A war crime. Hell, even the Department of Defense’s own manual on the law of war specifically uses firing on shipwrecked survivors as an illegal act. (Page 448 is a good place to start.)

Trump has already smeared his shit across the reputation of the United States. Hegseth, with his illegal orders, is doing the same with the US Armed Forces. These criminals must be held accountable.

Help me keep the lights on and the cartoons flowing. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Kevin’s UnNecessary Things. Your support allows me to draw more cartoons and speak truth to power. You can also support me by leaving me a one-time tip on Ko-fi, or by clicking here to visit my Etsy store, where you can purchase signed prints of my cartoons.