Heat on Hegseth for boat strikes: Letters

The Issue: Outcry over Defense Secretary Pete’s Hegseth’s strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat.

I find the Democrats are off-target in criticizing President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s strategy of eliminating alleged drug boats from Venezuela (“Hegseth didn’t call survivor hit: report,” Dec. 3).

Trump should host memorials for the millions that have been lost to drugs, starting in the sanctuary cities. Grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters and friends would fill arenas and stadiums, giving voice to those who no longer can.

Donathan Salkaln

Chelsea

President Barack Obama took out innocent women and children at an Afghanistan wedding in 2008; President Joe Biden bombed a family there in August 2021 with 10 innocents losing their lives. There were crickets from the media.

Yet, when a second air strike is necessary to finish the job on an alleged drug-filled boat operated by terrorists with no regard for American lives, suddenly there’s hysteria and talk of war crimes.

Do Trump’s critics, who are blinded by hatred, think the intent of the first strike was simply a stern warning? How the hypocritical and conscience-free left sleeps at night remains a mystery.

Gary Kaelin

Commack

All of a sudden, the usual suspects of fake news, CNN, MS NOW and “The View,” all have their panties in a bunch over Hegseth’s supposed second strike against a Venezuelan drug boat.

Yet they praised Obama over his covert drone strikes, despite his responsibility for 55 civilian deaths in Yemen, 21 of which were children.

Thomas De Julio

Delray Beach, Fla.

The second strike on the alleged drug runner boat seemed like normal warfare to me: The mission is to sink the boat. If doing that takes out survivors, they’re collateral casualties.

John Piccolo

Estero, Fla.

Here’s a memo to Pete Hegseth: “Fake news” does not make an illegal order right.

The Washington Post implies he issued an order to kill two survivors clinging to the wreckage of the boat destroyed by a first attack.

I seriously doubt that former Defense Secretaries William Perry, Leon Pannetta, William Cohen or Chuck Hagel would have done that.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach, Calif.

The Issue: Greta Thunberg’s temporary ban from Venice after pouring green dye in the Grand Canal.

Greta Thunberg and her like-minded band of thugs should be imprisoned for their despicable environmental terrorism in Venice’s Grand Canal (“Greta’s dye pour ban,” Nov. 25) .

A temporary ban is barely a slap on the wrist; Italian citizens should be outraged if the offenders get away so easily.

Who knows what natural wonder or national treasure is the next stop on this crazy train?

N. Albanese

New Rochelle

The dismissive coverage of Extinction Rebellion’s Venice protest follows a familiar script: Radical action is condemned as senseless vandalism, only to be vindicated by history.

History suggests movements we mock as extreme often prove prophetic. The question isn’t whether Extinction Rebellion’s tactics offend respectable sensibilities. The question is whether, decades from now, we’ll recognize that the “senseless antics” got our attention in time to limit the most disastrous impacts of climate change.

Frederick Hewett

Cambridge, Mass.

Greta’s green hijinks should land her in orange. When will European authorities start treating this naïve, narcissistic reprobate like the adult she is, rather than a naughty kid just foolishly engaging in another prank?

Ira Cohen

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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