IS A NEW DEADLY WAR ON DRUGS STARTING?

From CNN today: “The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The opinion, which was produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel and has not been previously reported, argues that the president is allowed to authorize deadly force against a broad range of cartels because they pose an imminent threat to Americans. The list of cartels goes beyond those the administration has publicly designated as terrorist organizations, the people familiar with the opinion said. The opinion is significant, legal experts said, because it appears to justify an open-ended war against a secret list of groups, giving the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants and have them summarily killed without legal review. Historically, those involved in drug trafficking were considered criminals with due process rights, with the Coast Guard interdicting drug-trafficking vessels and arresting smugglers. “By this logic, any small, medium or big group that is trafficking drugs into the US — the administration could claim it amounts to an attack against the United States and respond with lethal force,” said a former Pentagon lawyer who has had the opinion described to them.” Is this true? Are we going the way of the Phillipines during Rodrigo Duterte’s time as president? Duterte was recently arrested and is awaiting trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court has charged him with crimes against humanity for his alleged role in at least 76 killings. The allegations cover murders committed while he was president and earlier as mayor of Davao City. A 15-page indictment made public on Sept. 22 in The Hague outlines three counts of murder tied to his war on drugs. While the ICC filing names 76 victims, human rights groups estimate that thousands of deaths occurred under Duterte’s drug war, with some placing the figure between 12,000 and 30,000. Is this where the Trump administration is taking America? Is this where the GOP Congress is letting him take America?