printHe oversees nothing but destruction. But practically everyone except Rep. Ron Paul (and most assuredly Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio) is praising the exercise of an extrajudicial, unconstitutional execution by President Barack Obama.
Anwar al-Awlaki was terminated today in Yemen (in violation of that country’s sovereignty). According to the say-so of U.S. officials, this American-born cleric is said to have “played a ‘significant operational role’ in plotting and inspiring attacks on the United States.”
Good enough evidence in the court of the imperial presidency and his adherents and architects (like Dick Cheney).
Outside of a war zone, as Awlaki was, lethal force can only be employed in the narrowest and most extraordinary circumstances: when there is a concrete, specific and imminent threat of an attack; and even then, deadly force must be a last resort
“The targeted assassination program that started under President Bush and expanded under the Obama Administration essentially grants the executive the power to kill any U.S. citizen deemed a threat, without any judicial oversight, or any of the rights afforded by our Constitution. If we allow such gross overreaches of power to continue, we are setting the stage for increasing erosion of civil liberties and the rule of law.” (The Center for Constitutional Rights)
WARNING: Thanks to the wastrel ways of the killer-in-chief and his predecessor (Genghis Bush), America is getting weaker, not stronger. A weakened bully is extra vulnerable.
Note to all Americans who want to go out into the world and soak up the sensation of spring in Arabia, Asia and elsewhere: As hard as it is to grasp, the world is not your friend. Remember what befell a couple of American hikers who wondered into … Iran, after backpacking across … Iraq. You heard right. Their touchy-feely friends stateside vouched for their amaaazingness and thirst to embrace the world. Apparently, the feeling in Iran was not mutual. (By the way, who paid the million-dollar ransom for those bozos? Did taxpayers subsidize that stupidity?)
UPDATE I: A chilling thread on my Facebook Page. Having skimmed the general thrust of the comments, here is my response:
“What are you freedom fighters so afraid of? The rule of law? Due process? A court of law? Twelve jurors? A Judge? You can’t just assert a man’s guilt; you must prove it with credible evidence. You can’t accept the say-so of the state. What is most chilling in a thread I’ve only skimmed is that, if I were to be arrested tomorrow by the Obama-Bush bot apparatus, and you were all told I as was a militia member (read “Missouri Police State: Beware Of People Like … Mercer”; I qualify)—you’d all be, ‘Yeah, yeah , that makes sense. We could see it coming. Go get Ilana.’ All of you except for Bill Meyer and a few others.”
UPDATE II (Oct. 1): As I put it in my latest column, politicians parlay human vice into votes. The Obama fairy dust is dissipating. The president is good at coordinating terrorism-related killings. (Or perhaps he is simply lucky on this front.) Perhaps this most cynical and wily of politicians is simply playing to the crowd. Murder is one way to unite the bifurcated American voter.
Myron: Your analogy about attacker vs. attacked extinguishing borders doesn’t work in this instance. For one thing, Israel is attacked from Gaza and the West Bank with more than words. When last did Yemen attack the US? That “country” harbors a couple of clerics who write fiery tracts on the Internet. For another, I am unable to tell how bad al-Awlaki’s authentic words were because, er, I can’t access them in the original. I have to contend with US government filtered hearsay. Besides, US law gives wide latitude to speech. We’d have to show that this man was an organizer, a direct funder of terrorism and terrorists. Due process takes care of all that—you know, the pesky need to shore-up your case with evidence.
The BHO strategy works: “According to an Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in late August, … 60 percent of those surveyed approved of his handling of terrorism. Just 36 percent approved of his handling of the economy, an all-time low for Obama.”
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; … nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law …”
That makes it MURDER.
“The Congress shall have Power…
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;”
In the absence of such an action by Congress, again that makes it MURDER.
It is also an illegal act of war against a country that has done us no harm and has no capacity to do us harm.
The fear campaign against ‘Mooslims’ is just as ridiculous as the far older one against the ‘Joos’, and is becoming as deadly. But it comes from the same nihilist basis.
I hate Nazis.
Many people, whose opinions I’d normally respect, are falling over themselves in collective blood lust over this state-sponsored killing. Apparently the American sheeple feel adequately insulated from this terrorist and delude themselves with thoughts akin to “My government would never come after ME, it’s just going after ‘terrists’ that deserve it.”
John Danforth
I do not think the fear of “Mooslims” is irrational or overblown. I do think its misdirected tremendously and its not very coherent – fearing organizations like Al-Qaeda is extremely stupid on a civilizational or conventional military perspective. What must be feared and fought is immigration of those Muslims (a majority I think, though could be wrong) who would desire, or at least not oppose the slow encroachment of Islamic Sharia norms, customs, and later jurisdiction into Western lands. All that’s required to stop this is filter immigration better or stop all immigration from Muslim countries. There’s no need to break habeas corpus, or trample on civil liberties or tolerate the TSA molesters, or launch multi trillion dollar wars.
I’m not as fretful about Yemen’s “sovereignty” – in that it recalls some arguments I had 30 years ago about Israel firing back at Lebanese rocket attacks — “Well Lebanon fired at Israel” “No, that was the PLO” “OK, then Israel hit the PLO positions” “No, it was Lebanon” … until finally I said “Latitude X Longitude Y fired at Israel and Israel fired back at X,Y and whether you call it Lebanon, PLO, or Dog Manure doesn’t make a difference!”
Still, rule of law, independent judicial/Congressional determination, attempts at extradition, etc. should be tried. El Presidente is not supposed to be a demigod thug (Republican or Democrat). Paul and Johnson both objected to this “hit man” mentality:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20113962-503544.html?tag=re1.channel
and, of course, it was not much different than the “hit” on bin Laden.
In developing a dictatorship through the use of law, one should enact the laws to use against the scum. The ‘good’ citizens will applaud the effort to make the community safer by eradicating the ones who are perceived as preying on the good. The camel now has his nose under the tent flap. Eventually the ‘death panels’ come into being, medical- who gets what service. Political- who becomes ‘an enemy of the state?’ Anwar al-Awlaki’s only crime was writing comments that were considered offensive to the US Administration. Technically he was the modern day equivalent to Patrick Henry for the Muslims. (Not being Muslim, he didn’t speak for me, but that’s not the point.) The first amendment is only in effect when someone abuses the freedom of speech. What’s the ‘right’ to be politically correct worth? Apparently your life, according to the president.
@Contemplationist;
Pardon me for this, as a resident of the U.S., I can think of no more absurd proposition than the canard that our society will adopt Sharia law.
Except insofar as we adopt Christian Sharia, meaning we become more like them, with the Patriot Act, Torture, Invasions and Preemptive War, Secret Wars, Rendition, and all the other manifestations of a totalitarian state, now including open, brazen Murder. All this supposedly to fight those who supposedly hate us for our freedom and prosperity, which are being destroyed by our own government.
Now obviously it seems rational to only welcome immigrants who agree with the basic tenets of freedom. But even so, the fear-based meme is that we are all going to somehow convert to Islam and adopt Sharia law here. That’s just preposterous. Think about it: how many people do you know that are on the verge of switching to Islam?
P.S. — Even in Dearbornistan, not too far from here, there is no visible inclination to try instituting Sharia law. Consider the source, motivation, and likelihood of these fear-based memes. They are used to provide emotional support or disarm criticism of tyrannical policies, to get you to accept the opposite of the stated goal.
This Al Awlaki murder, and the subsequent reaction (support of it, and demonization of those against it), makes me realize that for all the interest over the past couple of years in the Constitution and first principles, the commitment to principle is superficial for many to most.
I understand why Obama did what he did. He didn’t want the firestorm of having a trial. He didn’t want this man speaking (By the way, where’s the passionate rebuke from the Left?? This is one issue where leftists and civil libertarians can find common ground).
The Republican support(and Tea Party approval?) is not surprising, but disappointing nonetheless. Mrs. Mercer and Congressman Paul get it: the U.S. government now has license to kill American citizens on flimsy “evidence” and hearsay. The line hasn’t been crossed. The line has been disappeared (thanks in part to a man who was a part-time constitutional law instructor …the irony).
I linked to an article describing this hit job on my Facebook page and deplored the mafia-style actions of our out-of-control government. The reaction? One like and no comments despite having over 100 Facebook friends. A collective yawn.
No one cares. No one even wonders how such a horrible precedent will be used to justify similar hit jobs here at home. I guess that would require a little thought, a little introspection, and maybe the willingness to question what our government is doing in our name.
I’m not sure what is more disturbing: Obama’s criminal behavior or America’s disinterest. How egregious does it have to be before the sheeple wake up?
John Danforth
You are fundamentally an American – and thats not an insult. You may try checking out Europe someday – how about Marseille or the Arab ghettos of Copenhagen, Oslo or Malmo? Try Bradford in England. Your perspective is understandable but laughably false. I do not support any neocon wars for “freedom.” Just because some of those blowhards warn about the threat of Sharia does not mean they are wrong. Have more nuance than that! Ilana would agree with me I think – that this problem is easily solved with immigration policy, not wars and Patriot acts.
Well, life imitates art. Today, there was a Law and Order rerun where this ex-Army guy is monitoring a “Joseph Hayden” who is apparently “Yuseef Hadeen”, an illegal with ties to suspicious guys in Yemen (!!) – etc – and the Army guy kills him in New York. It appears that Yuseef really was a terrorist but the District Attorney and a jury decide that one man cannot serve as “judge, jury, and executioner”!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629370/
… but, then, as Richard Nixon so eloquently put it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejvyDn1TPr8
“When the President (Seig Heil everyone!) does it, that means that it is not illegal”
Think. Please watch “THE PRESTIGE”…a very interesting movie starring Michael Caine and Hugh Jackman, DVD Release 2007.
Watch it twice. You will then have an idea of MISDIRECTION. If Illusionists / Magicians can do it, don’t you think the “Professionals” are much more adroit at it?
America and Americans do have enemies. If you think otherwise, you are fooling yourself. How we handle that situation says more about us than them. I was stunned by a report I watched on Friday in which a group of Americans applauded when the news of AL AL-WAKI’s sudden demise was presented. Have we become those whom we detest OR have we become so naive and ill-educated about the world outside the U.S. OR are we constantly being misdirected about everything, by whom, and why?
Two great precedents of history:
(1) Alice In Wonderland – “Sentence First, Verdict Afterwards”
http://dwi.austindefense.com/2008/07/articles/dwi-probation-jail-prison/sentence-first-verdict-afterwards/
(2) The Star Chamber in history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Chamber