On Sunday, Hegseth posted an AI-faked cover of a children’s book featuring Franklin the Turtle with the title “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.” Above the image, the post read: “For your Christmas wish list…” He posted this as the scandal with Hegseth at the head heated up.
As described in this post, Hegseth's order to "kill them all" resulted in a boat in the Caribbean with 11 people on board being blown up and then a follow up strike killed 2 survivors who were hanging on to the wreckage. This so-called "double tap" has been widely condemned as unlawful and a war crime.
Defense Secretary Hegseth appeared to make fun of those concerns by posting a meme.
A day later, Toronto-based Kids Can Press, The Canadian publishing house behind the "Franklin" children's books, said in a statement posted to social media: "Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image, which directly contradicts these values."
More Reactions
“The creator of the Franklin the Turtle children's books is Canadian author (and Carleton University Journalism graduate) Paulette Bourgeois. She may wish to rev up her copyright infringement lawyers just for starters.” - Christopher Dornan, Carleton University Journalism professor
Former Rep. Adam Kinszinger (R-IL) told Hegseth, “You’re a sick man,” and later reposted the Hegseth tweet and added, “His trial is gonna be lit.”
Military veteran and Democratic congressional candidate Fred Wellman contributed, “You are so pathetic. The troops think you’re a clown try-hard loser. You’re a joke to everyone.
"He is in the national command authority for nuclear weapons, and last night he's putting out, on the internet, turtles with rocket-propelled grenades. I mean, have you seen this? This is the secretary of defense. This is not a serious person."- Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
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This topic is too big for one post.
PART 3 - “Underbussing” Mitch Bradley
PART 4 - Unlawful Orders Video
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READ MORE
‘South Park’ Humiliates ‘F***ing D*****bag’ Pete Hegseth - Daily Beast
December 1, 2025 ~ Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American (Substack - You can also find her newsletters on Facebook and YouTube)
Hegseth's use of Franklin the Turtle in meme on boat strikes condemned by book series publisher - CBS News
WHO TO CONTACT
Your opinion only matters if you speak up. "To be silent is to be complicit."
Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary
(aka Secretary of War)
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Paulette Bourgeois
author
Transatlantic Agency
68 Claremont Street
Suite 100
Toronto, ON M6J 2M5
Canada
Kids Can Press
25 Dockside Dr,
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 0B5, Canada
MORE CONTACTS
If you want to write or call someone else about this issue, check the CONTACTS PAGE. Besides frequent contacts, this page also has links to help you easily find others - senators, and representatives, of course. There's also a link to a list of committees and their members, so you can target lawmakers who would have the most influence on an issue.
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