government, liberty, politics

White House Claims Right To Kill Americans Without Trial

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Remember when Code Pink people would show up at hearings with fake blood on them and make a scene in front of Condoleezza Rice? They would perform similar demonstrations elsewhere at places like W.’s ranch, etc.? At the time I thought it was over-the-top but now in retrospect I think they were probably in the right. (video here)

Where have these people and their fellow travelers been since Obama was sworn in as President? I haven’t heard so much as a peep from them. Gitmo is still open for business. We are still in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan has been ramped-up. If anything, were are suffering many more casualties in Afghanistan under Obama’s watch. The 2010 Afghanistan death toll of US troops nears that of 2001-2008 combined … and this is with a Commander In Chief who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner? (pic: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

See the story below. If this was being done under Bush’s watch the left would all over it (and rightfully so), you wouldn’t be able to pick up a magazine or turn on a TV without reading/hearing about it. But now that Obama is not only supporting it but actually enhancing it, it’s okay? From the outside it seems like a horrific double-standard. In the interest of fair-play, here’s a recent double standard from the right.

“Assassin Nation” – Obama’s Right to Kill Americans: “How much evidence should the U.S. government be obliged to show before it kills you? None, according to the Obama administration. And how much evidence of your wrongdoing should the government be obliged to possess before officially targeting you for killing? That’s a secret, according to the president’s team. If judges force the government to answer that question, the terrorists will win. The Obama administration now claims a right to kill American citizens without trial, without notice, and without any chance for the marked men or women to object legally. The Bush administration’s ‘targeted killing’ program has been radically expanded to include Americans far from any war zone. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair testified earlier this year that the targeting-to-kill decision depends only on ‘whether that American is involved in a group that is trying to attack us.’ As former CIA agent Phil Giraldi noted in this magazine last April, “involved” is one helluva vague standard. … The main difference between the Bush administration and the Obama administration is that the Obama team publicly claims a right to do what Bush’s lawyers authorized behind closed doors.

Additional links:
Protests Disrupt Condoleezza Rice in San Francisco
YouTube – Dr. Rice is Reminded of the Blood on Her Hands
2010 Afghanistan death toll of US troops nears that of 2001-2008 combined …
Liberty & Govt. At Work: CC Tracking, Domestic Spying, Drones, & More
Protesters Disrupt Condoleezza Rice Appearance – KTVU

  • Dizzy

    This country has been engaged in targeted killing of Americans and non-citizens since its inception. It ramped up with the creation of the CIA not with the ascendancy of Obama to the presidency.

    He hasn't ramped up the policy so much as he's ramped up the war in Afghanistan. It's a result of the increased war activity not of a change in policy.

    Why aren't more people making noise? Well, they are, it's just about the war in general and the drone attacks on Pakistan.

    They got enraged about Gitmo when Gitmo was still torturing people and refusing to send any accusees to trial. That all changed at the end of Bush's term. They've lost their siren song. There aren't any special hearings on Gitmo or torture for them to get on TV and make a scene.

    This isn't a case of liberal media bias. The Obama administration is just better at not making themselves targets for protests.

  • David

    If you think about it, do you believe the government would even acknowledge if they had killed an American citizen without due process? It is highly unlikely. Either no one would ever know what happened to you, or it would look like a suicide or heart attack. Obama may have already exercised this and we will likely never know.

    To a certain extent, it is the media being unwilling to call extensive attention to this. But also, Obama is so good at his rhetoric that most American people cannot read between the lines to see whats actually going on and therefore become outraged at what he's doing. From my perspective, his persona seems to be becoming that of a dictator in chief.

    And of course, the CIA will always do whatever they want, as they always have.