Dialog: East Coast - West Coast ...'Is the President allowed to assassinate American citizens?'
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Written by RC_Anderson
Analyst's note: Absolutely must hear and carefully consider. Our topic of discussion in this broadcasts centers around the question "Is the President allowed to assassinate American citizens?" We have a growing number who believe that Mr.Obama and the cabal's National Security Strategy released in May 2011, allows for the targeted assassination of U.S. citizens including "homegrown terrorists" without due process.
Bob Anderson a retired U.S. Marine and national security consultant and open source intelligence analyst is joined by experts around the virtual round table to deliver news, studies, analysis & opinion on U.S. national security. Tonight we have seated at the table, Will Dell, a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief; Dr. Lloyd Case, a theoretical physicist and computer scientist; Paul Taylor, a professional hunter; and John Bernard, a First Sergeant, USMC (Retired). There is no more timely or topical radio show in the world today connecting-the-dots to frustrate designing U.S. enemies both foreign & domestic.
In order to help further the required national dialog, this is a topic that our team has been considering. With this broadcast, you are encouraged to listen to one of our many discussions. Speaking of his own article "Al-Awlaki Exterminated and Ron Paul Mourns!" posted on October 4th, 2011, here are the follow-on thoughts of our friend and associate John Bernard, a First Sergeant, USMC (Retired) prior to our discussion recorded above.
"These are comments I left on the ROE Facebook page this morning. The Big Peace page I fired off yesterday set off a fire storm of commentary; which is good but was about 50/50. The core issue seems to hinge on whether this guy's "Constitutional Rights" were violated while my contention is he was a free agent having purposefully and unilaterally separated himself from this Country, his "fellow countrymen" and by extension, the protection of the US Constitution.
You can't bring people "kicking and screaming" to citizenship. If this country stands for freedom, people must be given the latitude to denounce that same freedom as well!
Comments this morning (Oct 5, 2011):
"I want to clarify my position on the al-Awlaki vaporizing issue; Nobody understands nor respects the US Constitution more than I do and, I can promise you, no one is "further to the right" than I am. The principles upon which this nation was founded should be of paramount concern
The reason I believe this was a justifiable killing is that this guy denounced his American citizenship and was in fact (not fancy or in allegory) actively involved in the training, planning, plotting and general castigation of America, American Interests and American lives.
Determining to protect his "Constitutional Rights" was akin to protecting the "Constitutional Rights" of the Taliban or Al Qaeda agents - or even a German citizen. You can't bring people "kicking and screaming" to the bed of democracy - or American citizenship. He renounced his citizenship as surely as he would have, had he chosen to take up permanent residence and citizenship in Germany.
Don't think this is an advocacy for the random killing of American citizens in the commission of common crime on US property; it isn't. And as someone put it Posse Comitatus does not extend to foreign soil in any case. This guy was not going to be handed over by Yemen or any other country "unfriendly" to us.
So there are two points here: (1) he renounced his citizenship and (2) He was actively engaged in an act of war (as defined by actions in concert with a state or agency at war with the US, ie Islam) against the United States.
My "anti Ron Paul" commentary has to do with the timing of the remarks and the defense of the indefensible actions of one who has unilaterally shed his US citizenship. We can have a healthy debate over that last point, but, I believe all agencies involved both in the Bush and Obama administrations as well as our intel agencies and the department of justice came to that same decision.
Folks this is asymmetrical combat at it's worst and we are outgunned. Not only are we unwilling to name the enemy but we imprison our own for killing them while their Brothers are being blown to bits by an enemy that has no borders. We don't need to parce truth when it comes to an unrepentant individual who purposefully dissolved his connection with this country and his fellow countrymen specifically to kill them."
Here is John's original article of which he is speaking.
There are many things for which President Obama will be held accountable in the 2012 election. He initiated, approved of and presided over many decisions which have been and will be injurious to the economy of this country and it's security. The citizenry of this nation have never felt so exposed and unsure. Because of those decisions, the future hope of this country, on many levels and without definitive course correction is bleak.
The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki however, was not one of those decisions.
A few voices are beginning to ring out in dissension over Awlaki's being vaporized by US Predator drones last week which is astounding on many levels. I fully expect some knuckle-head to recommend a statue to this guy at ground zero any time now. The only legitimate argument against his killing is that he was born on American soil. However, being born on American soil does not guarantee ones actions or words will be in concert with the goals, aspirations and vision of either the Founding Fathers or the US Constitution they ratified in 1789.
While I agree that the first amendment guarantees freedom of speech, there are certainly legal statutes which limit our behavior as it affects the lives and well-being of fellow Americans. Awlaki broached that line with the temperament of an Islamic zealot having actively participated in renouncing the United States, United States citizenry, the US Constitution by his adherence to the doctrines of Islam and his repeated calls for Jihad against the United States.
Anyone not fully understanding the ramifications of that call, needs to "tune up" their understanding of the doctrines of the "religion of peace" and do a little research on this character in particular. By actively calling for volunteers to take up arms against the United States, he challenged the sovereignty of the US - through rhetoric and physical threat, effectively denouncing his citizenship! By definition he is a traitor! If nothing else resonates with those who agree with those dissenting voices, you should know that Awlaki looked forward to his own death by taking on the mantle of a Jihadist.
Would any of this stand up in a court of law? I don't know. What I do know is legal decisions have a lot more to do with influence, ideology and money than they do right and wrong..
Ron Paul saw fit to condemn the killing as "denying" an "American" his constitutional rights. Of course, once again, a dissenter is doing so from a comfortable environment while wearing the costume of a businessman rather than the uniform of a combatant who is sworn to the defense of that same Constitution. Mr. Paul might want to consider the fact that the former reprobate known as Al Awlaki was calling for the killing of American citizens and was, at least by proxy, responsible for the killing of Americans - from foreign soil, thereby effectively denying them their Constitutional rights.
He might also want to consider using his rhetorical skills to speak for those who have willingly suspended their rights so he can exercise his to defend the indefensible. For all of his supposed libertarian posturing, I have yet to hear much from the good Congressman about the plight of American Warriors unduly exposed by the insanity of COIN in an environment as naturally hostile to Americans as the Serengeti to a rabbit.
While he may find these wars - or all wars personally offensive, he should never-the-less be showing at least a little more concern for the American Serviceman already in harm's way than he does humanity in general and this because he dares suggest to be the right man for the Office of President of the United States.
He can argue for the Constitutional rights of the indefensible, the right to life for the ideological murderers of the world and the legality of wars big and small from now until the Second Coming, BUT; his first loyalty in this narrow discussion should be to the American Serviceman in harm's way. Instead, he speaks to NPR, the Christian Science Monitor, various domestic and foreign news agencies and anyone else who will listen as he castigates the decision makers involved in the killing of a man who intentionally separated himself from American society and then planned, plotted and carried out the killing of American citizens through his ideological laity!
In this piece, he tries to compare the actions and ideology of Awlaki with that of Timothy McVeigh. Again; it is astounding that someone could not understand the difference between one man and his friend acting out of anger, frustration and probably insanity - on American soil and the actions of an ideological leader of a faction dedicated to the perpetual death and destruction of everything that disagrees with them.
There simply is no comparison.
While Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols committed a single act of multiple murder and the destruction of a federal building on American soil, Awlaki joined a religiously motivated militant movement. This movement is destined to force the entire world into submission or destroy it in the process. Awlaki's decision in joining that movement and his follow-on actions made him an enemy of this country while McVeigh's and Nichols' actions made them uncommon criminals.
Muddying the waters with political tripe is not helpful. Attempting to demonize a government agency or individual for the killing a self defined enemy of this nation is unconscionable. It is an especially deplorable act when that agency is already forced to balance acts of security with the perverted need to not "offend", the offensive zealots of the world.
It looks like we are at yet another crossroad; are we willing to hold these ideological murderers accountable or are we now preparing to lay down our arms and submit to Allah?
