Death Panel (Literally)!Follow

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/06/us-cia-killlist-idUSTRE79475C20111006


While I don't object specifically to the killing of a militant Islamic terrorist, the implications that there is a government body able to kill U.S. citizens without so much as a documented record is slightly disturbing.

inB4varus: "Obama is a war criminal!"

This is one of those issues that I'm mildly uncomfortable about. I mean, sure, he was born in America, but even I'm not cynical enough about the government to believe that any average citizen is really in danger of showing up on that list. They know that the minute they go after someone who wasn't deserving and who the public couldn't so easily condemn, there will be so much jail time served, impeachment, blah blah blah. It's a very grey area, and they're having to be extremely careful.

What makes this whole thing just in my mind (It doesn't sit perfectly well with me, but I think I agree with the decision to go through with it) was the fact that he tried to sever all ties with America and was actively working against her. He was, essentially, an enemy combatant, and not an American citizen. Though there's some Constitutional issues still being questioned, I think he had forfeited his right to a trial.

Edited, Oct 6th 2011 5:48pm by IDrownFish

I more or less think that if you join our enemy and take up arms against the US, you are a traitor and an enemy combatant. If taking you alive is an reasonable option, then we should pursue it, if not, well, you made your choice, buddy.

I understand us citizens, by constitutional right, are all due the same level of justice, but non-citizens not so much. I believe however, that regardless of nationality all people are due the same levels of respect under the law.

So, the fact that a us citizen has been put on a hit list isn't anymore disturbing than anyone else being on a hit list. I mean in the case of al-Awlaki it's truly just a piece of paper that makes him a citizen. The guys not been a contributing member of US society much lately, if ever.

I completely agree that the scumbag raghead deserved to die in the specific.

However, in general, I find it hard to believe that none of you are outraged that the US Government has a secret council with the authority to order the death of a US citizen without due process, public scrutiny, or Executive oversight. And yet I'll make bets you're overwhelmingly against the detainment (not murder!) of non-citizen enemy combatants down there at Gitmo.

Religious/racial slurs aside, I think it's more that none of us are all that surprised. I'm distinctly uncomfortable with it, but at the same time... hell, if Bill Gates wanted me dead, there's not much I could do about it. Heck, if the guy down the street with too much beer and guns and too little sense wanted me dead, there's not much I could do about it. Odds are he wouldn't get away with it, but oh well.

Also, the guy killed wasn't on US land. I think that also makes a bit of a difference; same way that there's outrage over Gitmo but not nearly as much when we hand enemy combatants off to our allies for torture. Out of sight, out of mind, that's the way America tends to work.

I already said I wasn't entirely cool with the panel as is but, if you want me to get outraged by comparing it to Gitmo, you should do better than comparing it to a situation where we were handing out $5,000 checks to anyone who said his neighboring goatherd was probably a terrorist and detaining said goatherd for five years without charges.

I'm outraged I didn't get $5,000, though, and completely irrelevant and coincidentally, have more room to have a pool put in this summer.

Last time I checked, the mafioso around these parts didn't use predator drones.

Honestly, I thought this was kind of standard practice and had been for a long time. I don't trust our government, never have and probably never will. I fully expect all kinds of shady and illegal things from them. I'm kind of surprised the rest of you don't.

I think most of us would echo the same sentiment. We assumed this kind of panel existed anyway, so it's not shocking at all. Honestly, IMO, the shocking part of the entire story was that the intent was made public. It seems kind of like brandishing a firearm to me. Either you use it, or you don't, but you don't flash it in a crowd and draw unnecessary attention.