Of course everyone we kill is a threat to America so that’s no problem. We don’t do collateral damage anymore—it’s so 1970′s.

And if a citizen feels threatened by a government agent?

“… this new American criminal justice system …”

It comports so wonderfully well with the new, Sunstein approved, “Official American History” paradigm that it must reflect a new, overarching, multi-”system” directive, David.

‘Tis merely preparation, methinks.

Behold … Fortress Amerika!!!

We fear nothing. We are exceptional.

(It’s not our fault we are better than everyone else. That is simply how Gawd wants it to be.)

(Hey. How come ALL the money goes to those people? That is simply … Oh? Yeah. Right!”)

DW

This just brings out in the open what the CIA has been doing for years and years and years.

One day another Philip Agee will go public with another peek behind the bloody curtain.

The gap between what Americans believe about our foreign policy and what actually unfolds instead is nothing short of breathtaking. Both in terms of what motivates it and how it is carried out. It’s all done behind closed doors.

From piloting drones by remote control to sticking the knives in bellies, murder is committed in the name of American imperialism day after day after day.

But then the reactionaries do own our foreign policy, don’t they? No less so than they do our economy.

Progressives point this out over and again of course. But nothing changes. And since 9/11 it’s ever more a Blackwater world.

We are left only to suck it up and take it. What a shame.

“We’ve always been at war with Americans Eastasia”

Who is qualified to make the accusation which the President is prepared to act upon with deadly force? Any old John Q. Citizen? Or only those of the Secret Inner Circle (NSA, CIA, DIA, FBI, B of A?)?

We have these:

“follow a set of defined policy and legal procedures that are very carefully observed”

It’s called “Rule of Law” and “Due Process”, and part of it is some quaint thing about “Confronting one’s accusers” and “Innocent until proven Guilty,” not “Dead on someone’s whim”.

Dick Cheney.

The Jason Bourne movies revolve around assassination squads set up by rogue parts of the government. The core message in those movies is the rejection of these activities because it’s not us. We are better than that. Assassination of US nationals isn’t even considered “rogue” anymore.

And how does one define a “threat to other Americans”. Americans are far more threatened by the financial terrorists on Wall Street than they are by al Qaeda.

Never knew what was happening in those movies. Even sat thru one in a theater & was completely baffled.

We’ve only authorized assassinations abroad so far, but why limit it to that? Terrorist Americans within our borders are much more dangerous than the ones overseas. If they’re not shot on sight they’ll kill us all.

Yes, I’m kidding. They haven’t gone that far yet. But why stop when you’re on a roll?

By what authority? And who is so omniscient? Think of the Bright bulb W or Alhz Reagan….it’s so reassuring and so not what we stand for.

The US Constitution is so pre-9/11. I mean really. Who cares if Americans arent allowed to be deprived of life without due process? The 5th Amendment clearly had outlived its usefulness.

In order to fight the eternal War on Terror our President needs more flexibility than having to abide by the Constitution. Only the expediency of dictator style powers will get the job done. President orders someone an enemy of the state, they order them dead, and then the US assassinates its own citizen. Clean, fast, and flexible. Its the only way to deal with American terrorist in a way that keeps the Americans we dont assassinate safe.

As to this claim, “follow a set of defined policy and legal procedures that are very carefully observed”, no need to worry. If they actually cared about due process, they wouldnt need some new fancy policies, they could just use the ones we have. Thats just a bone to throw to those extremist law and order types or hippie Constitution lovers. Dont you worry. Those defined policies and legal procedures wont hamper our eternal War on Terror one bit.

Shorter DNI Blair: “If assassination is good enough for foriegners, it’s good enough for Americans!”

We’ve always been killing innocent civilians in the name of corporations; it goes back to long ago when Europeans did the same thing (British East India Tea Company anyone?). Witness the bloody CIA Coup de etat killing legally elected Salvadore Allende, plus many other Chileans. Most US citizens probably didn’t even know why or how that happened, and if told, just shrugged their shoulders, turned their heads and looked the other way.

I’ve been pondering this US cleric in Yemen, amongst others of his ilk. To me, it’s just such a short step between the blood on our hands all over the planet killing “damn furriners” to just killing us Yanks. I mean: why not? Seriously. Why not?

If any one of us somehow gets in the way, or is perceived as …. (fill in the blanks), don’t be holding out much hope for that there old “rule of law,” whatevertheheck that means anymore.

And Hugh: years ago, I read Ludlum’s first Bourne novel (while living in a 3rd world country). It was a reasonably good read, and they made good movies out of it. But yes: the notion that it’s “wrong” to kill Americans is just sort of quaint and outdated these days, isn’t it?

Suggest reading most of John LeCarre, esp recent novels to get a good “bead” on all that “secret spy” stuff and what it all really means (the fiction approach, that is).

That’s just what I was thinking: if the government can kill Americans abroad without judicial process, why not here, where they’re right in the Fatherland, I mean homeland? Why not disappear them, imprison them, torture them, kill them?

It seems like the Constitution and the Bill of Rights only remain for the purpose of being invoked at Fourth of July picnics. It’s all jungle ball now.

Now they admit they *hold* for themselves the right to KILL ANYONE to protect this illusion. It’s so incredibly shocking.