How often do we have to go through this? The real issue about authorizing assassination

[howard112211]

of US citzens isn't what this guy has done or not done. It is not about him at all. Therefore all the "look how bad a guy this guy is" posts are totally useless.

The point is that the administration has officially declared that the president has the authority to order the assassination of a US citizen, based on personal judgement. If the president has the right to order this, without presenting any sort of case before a court, he can order it against anyone. Whether the person in question is a member of a terrorist group is irrelevant. If he does not have to answer to anyone, in principle there is nothing to stop him from also using it against journalists or protesters. I'm not saying that Obama will do this, but apparently he has the right to. So that makes the USA effectively a dictatorship, doesn't it?

Not so hard IMO. Why are we still stuck in the cycle that we should have already left when the patriot act was passed? :shrug: