Posted on 04/07/2010 7:24:39 AM PDT by kristinn
In late January, I wrote about the Obama administration's "presidential assassination program," whereby American citizens are targeted for killings far away from any battlefield, based exclusively on unchecked accusations by the Executive Branch that they're involved in Terrorism. At the time, The Washington Post's Dana Priest had noted deep in a long article that Obama had continued Bush's policy (which Bush never actually implemented) of having the Joint Chiefs of Staff compile "hit lists" of Americans, and Priest suggested that the American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was on that list. The following week, Obama's Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, acknowledged in Congressional testimony that the administration reserves the "right" to carry out such assassinations.
Today, both The New York Times and The Washington Post confirm that the Obama White House has now expressly authorized the CIA to kill al-Alwaki no matter where he is found, no matter his distance from a battlefield. I wrote at length about the extreme dangers and lawlessness of allowing the Executive Branch the power to murder U.S. citizens far away from a battlefield (i.e., while they're sleeping, at home, with their children, etc.) and with no due process of any kind. I won't repeat those arguments -- they're here and here -- but I do want to highlight how unbelievably Orwellian and tyrannical this is in light of these new articles today.
Just consider how the NYT reports on Obama's assassination order and how it is justified:
The Obama administration has taken the extraordinary step of authorizing the targeted killing of an American citizen, the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have shifted from encouraging attacks on the United States to directly participating in them, intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Tuesday. . . .
American counterterrorism officials say Mr. Awlaki is an operative of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the affiliate of the terror network in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They say they believe that he has become a recruiter for the terrorist network, feeding prospects into plots aimed at the United States and at Americans abroad, the officials said.
It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for targeted killing, officials said. A former senior legal official in the administration of George W. Bush said he did not know of any American who was approved for targeted killing under the former president. . . .
"The danger Awlaki poses to this country is no longer confined to words," said an American official, who like other current and former officials interviewed for this article spoke of the classified counterterrorism measures on the condition of anonymity. "Hes gotten involved in plots."
No due process is accorded. No charges or trials are necessary. No evidence is offered, nor any opportunity for him to deny these accusations (which he has done vehemently through his family). None of that.
Instead, in Barack Obama's America, the way guilt is determined for American citizens -- and a death penalty imposed -- is that the President, like the King he thinks he is, secretly decrees someone's guilt as a Terrorist. He then dispatches his aides to run to America's newspapers -- cowardly hiding behind the shield of anonymity which they're granted -- to proclaim that the Guilty One shall be killed on sight because the Leader has decreed him to be a Terrorist. It is simply asserted that Awlaki has converted from a cleric who expresses anti-American views and advocates attacks on American military targets (advocacy which happens to be Constitutionally protected) to Actual Terrorist "involved in plots." These newspapers then print this Executive Verdict with no questioning, no opposition, no investigation, no refutation as to its truth. And the punishment is thus decreed: this American citizen will now be murdered by the CIA because Barack Obama has ordered that it be done. What kind of person could possibly justify this or think that this is a legitimate government power?
(Excerpt) Read more at Salon.com
Maybe he thinks it his own version of marque and reprisal.
What did Obama do to lose Salon’s grace? I mean, he’s done a lot of things, it would be interesting to see exactly what set the SF’s lefties’ heads ringing.
Rush was talking about this issue shortly after 1pm.
It’s not the sand where their heads are firmly planted
They have the GPS location of our homes from the Census field work last summer and fall.
They know where to find any of us if we might become politically active in opposition.
The bastards are fascists of the first water.
Maybe it’s a trial balloon?
DU’s earlier response is reported to have been dead silence. I dunno if things have gotten yakkier since.
Like others, I couldn’t help but check DU. Personally I don’t care if islamics are killed even if citizens. I thought that way under Bush and now hussein.
It’s hilarious watching a majority over on DU going the whole ‘it’s ok when WE do it’ dance. They can’t help it. That kind of wingnut drives me insane. They have no principles, it’s all about us vs them to those types.
Suddenly war and privacy, 2 of the biggest things they complained about for 8 years are suddenly fine to them when it’s democrats that they insanely “trust” are in charge. Those types are mental children that should not be allowed to vote.
C’mon, don’t be like those that I talked about in my previous post. Had Bush had Adam Gadahn killed would you be complaining? I doubt it. These ‘citizens’ are traitors and deserve to be killed.
Of course, the main problem is to limit it to only islamic terrorists. IF that can be done, I have no problem whatsoever with taking them out when we can.
Dude, work on your consistency of position.
The point is our traitors get a trial to establish the condition.
Please define “enemy combatant.” I can think of at least one hundred reasons offhand why posters to this website might be considered such by this administration at some point
It’s consistent. I didn’t care about the islamics under Bush or under hussein. Screw em.
Obama’s acting like a Third World dictator. Uh, did anybody think to check whether he was from the Third World?
Have you been watching the news out of Michigan, Caesar? Right wing terrorists running amuck. How long before the next one and how long before we are all lumped into "right wing" and ergo "terrorist." Are you sure you want this guy permitting the assassination of "American terrorists" when the term terrorist is so open to redefinition? Remember Napolitano's report from last year on pro-life and 2nd Amendment bumper stickers? Sure it was retracted, but the skids have been greased.
0kaka is destroying this country and that is TERRORISM, pure and simple!
Assuming that Bin Laden was given free reign in the US, he couldn't have done this to us in such a short time.
It takes a dedicated army of communists headed and financed, beginning by Soros to grab power then by our tax dollars to march on, whether we like it or not.
___________
His wife knows it .......
(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100407032734AAXom0z)
How about Slate's grace?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:h48mGzvCGaIJ:www.slate.com/discuss/forums/thread/3795213.aspx+Never+Attended+any+of+the+Faculty+Meetings,+obama&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
I think this is the whole point. Obama and his ilk are so power drunk and so insane that they have come up with this to “set the precedent”. The precedent for declaring anyone who disagrees with him a terrorist or enemy of the state and order his/her assassination. The man and ALL of those surrounding him need to be removed poste haste and with full force. I feel like the American people have become so steamrolled that they are totally in a stunned state. This is unbelieveable. CO
>>...and advocates attacks on American military targets (advocacy which happens to be Constitutionally protected)...
>
>Sedition is Constitutionally protected?
Sedition is inciting a rebellion; which is distinct from advocating action against military targets, especially if those targets are engaged in what is believed to be invalid [military] actions.
I.E. It is not sedition for someone to say “we need to fight back!” against military personnel if, say, those military personnel were looting and/or raping the people of that community.
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