People are not upset that Al Awlaki was killed, but how

[jpgray]

And I don't mean they necessarily oppose death by Hellfire, or utterly oppose such targeting of any US citizen for any reason. Some may not even oppose firing missiles into nations when the authorization to do so is so general as to have almost no limitations.

What upsets many is how this act is justified, and what that means in the future for this country and the rest of the world. There was a hideous logic in the Bush administration that the UN, international law, foreign courts, and generally anything and everything would be recognized as binding authority--so long as it came to justifying or rationalizing what we had done. When it came to constraining our actions, however, very few authorities were recognized as binding, and at times essentially none was recognized.

This goes hand in hand with the idea that laying down any of the expanded powers of the executive since 2001 amounts to a surrender in the war on terror; that the failure to use every means available represents a failure to responsibly punish terrorists and prevent their attacks; that any restoration of lost protections or constraints can only mean retreat and defeat.

This attitude is why the Patriot Act has been extended by this president. This attitude is why extraordinary rendition and warrantless wiretapping continue. This attitude is why Guantanamo won't be closed. This attitude declares that Al Awlaki was killed in the only reasonable way he could be killed, and to impose any further check or due process on his killing would represent a profound weakness and irresponsibility on the part of the president.

I'm surprised to see that view enjoys such wide popularity here.

[ret5hd]

1. here here. knr

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. This "people" isn't upset in the least.

:hi:

[_ed_]

8. Do you care about civil liberties?

What legal process can you cite for this tyrannical action? And are you comfortable with President Perry having the power to unilaterally sentence an American citizen to death?

If you're not upset, you must be privy to the secret evidence in the case. Because I haven't seen any actual evidence.

[Splinter Cell]

10. Here here.

[Gregorian]

3. Two things come to mind as I endure these days.

Love thy enemy takes more strength than getting revenge. And it works better. It makes for a better world. What happened to common sense? What happened to following the words of brilliant people like Martin Luther King, or Jesus. What happened that made people turn into robots. Into monsters. Into raving lunatics who cheer on defeat like it's a victory.

And, let alone shredding of the Constitution, why would we spend trillions on something which threatens us magnitudes less than problems like the untreated diseases so many millions are dying from because of lack of health care? Spend a trillion on something that has the same risk as being struck by lightening, yet deny us services for that which kills millions per year. Even if it's half a million per hear.

It isn't insanity. People are not this stupid. Well, many are. It is that we the people are not in control. It's about making profits. And we're the pawns.

[Splinter Cell]

11. ???????

What planet do you live on? So we should allow these people to destroy innocent lives? :wtf:

[MNBrewer]

4. Precisely

Lots of these DU'ers have John Yoo in their corner.

[Atypical Liberal]

5. Many years ago...

Many years ago we fought a war against a man who could declare anyone he wished a traitor and sentence him to die a traitor's death. We rejected the rule of the whims of a king in favor of the due process of law.

[stranger81]

6. I'm also surprised, and disappointed as hell.

If Al-Awlaki's murder enjoys such wide support even at DU, then the fight for this country is already over.

[Honeycombe8]

7. I haven't heard that "many" people are upset. A few are. What authority...

was the act committed under? It was a CIA operative authority thing, wasn't it? Was it conferred by Congress? I'll have to look that up. But I guess Obama could've stopped it. Dunno. Don't care. Glad the evil man is dead.

[AngkorWot]

9. A number of people were upset when the government assassinated David Koresh.

There they were, a group of american citizens exercising their constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion, not hurting anybody. And the Bill Clinton and Janet Reno came along with their jackbooted thugs, trampled all over the constitution and murdered every last single one of them.

Those people are kooks.