One of the best lessons I ever learned came during a college freshman English class. It was 1955, and the teacher’s assignment was for us to write a theme. The topic was to be about the civil rights movement. This was a very controversial issue at the time with Rosa Parks, the Birmingham bus boycott, and other newsworthy stories.
When my graded paper was handed back to me, it looked as if it had been in a terrible knife fight. Numerous red-ink markings said such things as, “Opinion. Where is your proof?” And now, seventy years later, I remember that lesson and try to live by what I learned.
We have opinions about many things. Most of these have few consequences. Others can be matters of life and death. For example, suppose you were the one who pulled the trigger that killed the two survivors of the boat on September 2, 2025? Someone did.
The news media have shown the moment that boat was destroyed, but not the later strikes that killed the two survivors. Only a congressional committee saw that imagery. Two sources who did see the videos of the subsequent attacks described smoke clearing and two men, who had somehow lived through the blast, clinging to a severed section of the vessel in a futile effort to survive (reuters.com/world/americas/ video-shows-final-confused-momentssurvivors- us-boat-strike-caribbeansay- 2025-12-05).
“They were shirtless, unarmed and carried no visible communications equipment. They also appeared to have no idea what had just hit them, or that the U.S. military was weighing whether to finish them off. The video follows them for about an hour. They couldn’t do it [turn the boat upright]” (Reuters).
The video showed three additional munitions being fired upon the damaged vessel. “You could see their faces, bodies….Then boom, boom, boom….” (Reuters).
A video was posted on November 20, 2025, of Senator Mark Kelly and five other congressional Democrats. Their message was, “Our laws are clear. You can refuse to obey an illegal order.” This was in response to the killing of civilians allegedly smuggling drugs on boats powered by outboard motors. President Trump claimed those who made the video were guilty of sedition and should be put to death (independent.ie/worldnews/ north-america/donald-trumpsays- six-democrats-guilty-of-seditionpunishable- by-death/a605780131.html).
Opinions formed through emotions should be evaluated against factual evidence, particularly in issues that affect human life. Americans’ opinions are sharply divided about the strikes on the boats. Can we look at the facts?
We can believe at least most of those boats were smuggling drugs, but we do not know where they were heading. We do not know if any persons were underage or females. Those who transport illegal drugs are evil. That seems to be fact. But extrajudicial killing is evil, as well. That also seems to be fact. Two wrongs never add up to one “right.” They are still both wrong.
The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Naval Operations states, “Intentional attack on a combatant who is known to be hors de combat [no longer capable of combat] constitutes a grave breach of the law of armed conflict.”
The Geneva Convention II sets forth a legal framework for the humane treatment and protection of victims of armed conflict at sea. It requires parties to the conflict to respect and protect individuals falling within the scope of the Convention “who are at sea and who are wounded, sick or shipwrecked.” Parties to a conflict are thus required, after each engagement and without delay, to “take all possible measures to search for and collect the shipwrecked, wounded, and sick,” without discriminating between their own and enemy personnel.
The subsequent missile strikes an hour after the boat’s destruction later killed two defenseless people. That action violated U.S. Military law as well as the Geneva Convention. As Christians, we learn that every life is valuable. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights….” To secure these rights, the framers drafted the Constitution. The Bill of Rights ensures everyone has due process if accused of a crime. Even the most notorious serial rapists and murderers have the right to defend themselves in a court of law. These basic principles are what make our nation a safe place to live.
Secretary of Defense Hegseth renamed the Department of Defense “The Department of War.” This is not a subtle change.
He has tattoos covering much of his body, many glorifying warfare. On his forearm is the saying, “Deus Vult.” This is Latin for, “God Wills It.” That was the battle cry of the Crusaders as they faced the Muslims in battle.
Hegseth is an avowed Christian Nationalist and places little value on the teachings of Jesus about how we are to treat each other, even our enemies. Instead, he follows the Old Testament Law of Moses that taught enemies were to be killed. For example, Joshua led his army against Jericho and put every living person to the sword— young, old, and females. Hegseth apparently believes “God wills it” applies to killing everyone on those boats.
The Coast Guard and Navy have a good record of catching smugglers. The accused are arrested and their cargo is confiscated for evidence in trials. That is what our laws require. Time will judge these actions done on the high seas. It will do so clearly and without fear.