[Mrs. Don-o]

Problem with this is that killing children, family members changes our culture.

[WayneS]

I agree with you. Taking a human life, even that of an evil person, is not the best thing for one's soul.

If a target can be eliminated without causing collateral damage then I think said target should be eliminated without causing collateral damage. I do not support targeting individuals who are not on the CIA's "hit-list" nor do I support taking a "kill them all let God sort them out" approach (although I retain my right to joke about it).

With that said, if a target cannot be gotten to without taking out some of his family/friends/neighbors then we need to do what we need to do - opportunities to kill dangerous terrorists should not be wasted.

Finally, I want to note that in the above scenarios I am referring to drone strikes, not actual combat. Our Soldiers and Marines need to be able to operate without being second-guessed at every turn when they are actually on the ground fighting the enemy face-to-face.

[thoughtomator]

Our culture has transformed radically in the past 30 years, and not for the better.

Respect for due process, and 4th Amendment rights in general, died here on 9/11. A quick search reveals that there was plenty of support for the extrajudicial murder of Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki (and also your honorable objections to it, kudos).