US politics
fromThe Atlantic
1 week agoThe DOJ's Cartels Memo Is Legal Quicksand
OLC advice claiming an armed conflict with cartels may not shield military personnel if based on false facts; obedience to illegal orders remains unlawful.
"In the 12-month period ending in October 2024 [Fiscal Year 2024], 84,076 Americans died from a drug overdose, according to the most recent available provisional statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underscoring the devastating effect these cartels have on our country. Although these numbers show a 25 percent decline since the same 12-month period last year [Fiscal Year 2023] - when the country lost 112,910 people to drug poisonings - demonstrating positive momentum in the fight against these drugs and the organizations trafficking them, the threat remains grave."