The US Goverment killing in our name - SECRETLY
By now most people who pay attention to the news of such things know that an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, was targeted for death and killed by a CIA drone on in Yemen on September 30. Among the other three killed in the attack - not targeted and thus "collateral damage" - was another American citizen, Samir Khan. Today's New York Times has two pieces I consider a must-read for all of us that address this topic.
Charlie Savage, who when he worked for the Boston Globe did magnificent journalism in exposing the extensive use of signing statements by the Bush administration, has a piece on the front page titled Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen. The public editor, Arthur Brisbane, devotes his Sunday column to the topic as well, under the title The Secrets of Government Killing.
There are several issues of importance in this matter. The first is that the administration has authorized the killing of American citizens not in ordinary acts of war and not even in a true combat zone, but in what can only be called a targeted assassination. The second, perhaps of even more significance, is that the authorization was granted by a memorandum that has even now not been disclosed to the American people, you know, the "We, the people of the United States" who are the legitimate sovereigns of this nation on whose behalf the government is supposed to be acting.
I do not propose to fully go through either piece - that is why I have provided the links. I do wish to explore a few aspects of the issue and fully intend to offer my own thoughts, which will be neither complimentary towards or supportive of this administration.
