David Lawrance
@dplawrance.bsky.social
Longmont, photography, nature, birds, mammals, landscapes
I expect to be hearing that this was an act of compassion.
November 29, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I expect to be hearing that this was an act of compassion.
Juan Orlando Hernandez, former president of Honduras, serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and gun charges: taking bribes from cocaine smugglers, not for the 134 killings he is also associated with.
November 29, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Juan Orlando Hernandez, former president of Honduras, serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and gun charges: taking bribes from cocaine smugglers, not for the 134 killings he is also associated with.
Too bad there’s no longer a Trump casino to gamble those thousands… the place where the house always lost.
November 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Too bad there’s no longer a Trump casino to gamble those thousands… the place where the house always lost.
By default, selfie cameras reverse images like a mirror. What they don’t do is to print American flags on snot rags, a violation of the Flag Code. i.abcnewsfe.com/a/204b7c1b-b...
November 26, 2025 at 3:08 PM
By default, selfie cameras reverse images like a mirror. What they don’t do is to print American flags on snot rags, a violation of the Flag Code. i.abcnewsfe.com/a/204b7c1b-b...
Why is it thought that the leak is from a US intelligence source? There are other interests with capabilities, and motive to leak, including the Russians and the Europeans.
November 26, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Why is it thought that the leak is from a US intelligence source? There are other interests with capabilities, and motive to leak, including the Russians and the Europeans.
Vesuvius - Pompei ashhole
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Vesuvius - Pompei ashhole
Or Ghana. Or Sudan.
November 25, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Or Ghana. Or Sudan.
What happens if you put the richest man in the world in the same room with the world’s smartest machine? Surely, something great will happen. Something to rejoice about and tell the world.
November 25, 2025 at 6:14 PM
What happens if you put the richest man in the world in the same room with the world’s smartest machine? Surely, something great will happen. Something to rejoice about and tell the world.
If this government worked cohesively, I’d agree with you. Everything I hear and read may be planted nothing more than stories. But to the point, it doesn’t make a difference. It can’t be legal to blow boats out of the water like this.
November 25, 2025 at 10:54 AM
If this government worked cohesively, I’d agree with you. Everything I hear and read may be planted nothing more than stories. But to the point, it doesn’t make a difference. It can’t be legal to blow boats out of the water like this.
Not so frequently or robustly inside the East Wing recently.
November 24, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Not so frequently or robustly inside the East Wing recently.
I was posing it as a hypothetical but I believe that the intelligence on that is good and that the transporters are fishermen trying to make some good extra cash. Not that it matters if any of that is accurate. It shouldn’t make kill strikes legal.
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I was posing it as a hypothetical but I believe that the intelligence on that is good and that the transporters are fishermen trying to make some good extra cash. Not that it matters if any of that is accurate. It shouldn’t make kill strikes legal.
The Senate voted to repeal that AUMF earlier this year, but it was never ratified by the House. Presidents pretty much do whatever they want to do anyway under Article II, like declaring the Korean War as a police action. Congress, do your job.
November 24, 2025 at 7:59 PM
The Senate voted to repeal that AUMF earlier this year, but it was never ratified by the House. Presidents pretty much do whatever they want to do anyway under Article II, like declaring the Korean War as a police action. Congress, do your job.
You claim they violated the Constitution. They say they didn't. They have an endless supply of seasoned, full-time prosecutors. You have a time-pressured defense lawyer. You disobeyed your chain of command when you refused an order, violating your noncomm oath. Pray that the judge agrees with you.
November 24, 2025 at 7:44 PM
You claim they violated the Constitution. They say they didn't. They have an endless supply of seasoned, full-time prosecutors. You have a time-pressured defense lawyer. You disobeyed your chain of command when you refused an order, violating your noncomm oath. Pray that the judge agrees with you.
There's a constitutional amendment that covers that possibility. Good luck with it. The best protections are the ones covering elections.
November 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
There's a constitutional amendment that covers that possibility. Good luck with it. The best protections are the ones covering elections.
Fascists are the law when they are in power. They care.
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Fascists are the law when they are in power. They care.
For the record, I can't imagine how such a thing is legal. However, the OLC and apparently military senior lawyers have said that it is. That is what makes this so dangerous. We "know" they are mistaken and/or miscreants to justice. But, they are also the prosecution.
November 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
For the record, I can't imagine how such a thing is legal. However, the OLC and apparently military senior lawyers have said that it is. That is what makes this so dangerous. We "know" they are mistaken and/or miscreants to justice. But, they are also the prosecution.
A noncommissioned officer or junior officer is not a military lawyer and cannot be expected to be able to distinguish between a lawful or unlawful order except in certain cases, such as murdering a prisoner of war or noncombatant (eg My Lai.)
November 24, 2025 at 7:14 PM
A noncommissioned officer or junior officer is not a military lawyer and cannot be expected to be able to distinguish between a lawful or unlawful order except in certain cases, such as murdering a prisoner of war or noncombatant (eg My Lai.)
No such exception exists.
November 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
No such exception exists.
Only a military judge can determine that order is illegal. You have to disobey it to find out. If you disobeyed and the order was illegal, you did exactly the right thing (and probably ended your career path.) Should the order be found legal, the consequences for disobeying it will be severe.
November 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Only a military judge can determine that order is illegal. You have to disobey it to find out. If you disobeyed and the order was illegal, you did exactly the right thing (and probably ended your career path.) Should the order be found legal, the consequences for disobeying it will be severe.
I assume that a refusal regardless of the JAG's opinion will result in a court martial and that the JAG will also be in that position should they question the order's legality. Would you expect all JAGs to give similar opinions?
November 24, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I assume that a refusal regardless of the JAG's opinion will result in a court martial and that the JAG will also be in that position should they question the order's legality. Would you expect all JAGs to give similar opinions?
As a former JAG, you and others certainly maintain associations and share thoughts. Suppose that a pilot, missileer or a commander requested an opinion regarding the legality of a mission to sink a boat on the open sea known to be transporting narcotics from one nation to another non-US nation.
November 24, 2025 at 4:48 PM
As a former JAG, you and others certainly maintain associations and share thoughts. Suppose that a pilot, missileer or a commander requested an opinion regarding the legality of a mission to sink a boat on the open sea known to be transporting narcotics from one nation to another non-US nation.
With regard to the boats, we know that the OLC has approved the sinkings and killings. I’d bet that the same is true in the Pentagon. Doesn’t that put an officer in an impossible bind?
November 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
With regard to the boats, we know that the OLC has approved the sinkings and killings. I’d bet that the same is true in the Pentagon. Doesn’t that put an officer in an impossible bind?
He doesn’t care so much if a sorry is good or bad as long as it is about him. He loves to punch back.
November 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM
He doesn’t care so much if a sorry is good or bad as long as it is about him. He loves to punch back.