Dear Friends,
It seems to me, in the modern discussion of whether the US President can unilaterally order an American citizen killed by drone strike, the slippery slope is intentionally forgotten. While this or that terrorist who has renounced his or her citizenship is killed, and we cheer at the removal of a supposed demon, we are also cheering the demise of our own rights. This government we have elected has shown a propensity to misuse power and spit on our Constitution. We all know it even the most ardent fans of Obama. It becomes a slippery slope, because once a power is given to government it never stops there, but more is always taken. There are ways of meeting the challenge of terrorism without burning our Constitution, the only real power we have to limit the power of the elite over us, but we are given a false narrative… That the government must act now else more Americans will die at the hands of terrorists. This is not true and is an example of spurious argumentation. Unless we wake up to this fact we will loose all of our rights, cheering as it happens, because what good are all the rights in the World, if we can be killed at will?
Lately there is a debate about some new American Muslim terrorist who is at large in Yemen or some other hell hole. The media are all agog at the thought of Obama ordering the execution of that man by drone strike. They claim it would put American lives needlessly at risk if we tried to capture the supposed terrorist. They argue if we allow him to escape “justice” then Americans are put at risk from further terrorist attacks. Like Anwar Al Awlaki they claim Al Qaida will be further empowered by our not acting. This is all sophistry.
Instead of empowering the President with the ability to simply order an American citizen killed by drone strike, why not try the purported terrorist in absentia? What would be the harm of appointing the accused terrorist an attorney and give him a fair trial? Yes, the accused terrorist will not be able to make as good an argument for himself as he otherwise could, if he were at the trial, but when he or she went to a foreign country to wage war on the United States they gave up that right, and could easily get it back by volunteering to return. If the court found the accused guilty, then he or she could be legally and Constitutionally killed by drone strike, or by whatever means is most efficient. But to give an imperial President that ability is the height of stupidity.
This President, along with a very few others, Franklin Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson come to mind, have shown a complete disregard for Our Constitution, the rule of law and limited government. They use(d) the power of government like a dictator. Obama has exploited the taxing authority of the IRS to target his political opponents… with total impunity, he has sent high power guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, to undermine our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, again without consequence, and he announced in the last State of the Union address, he plans on usurping the power of Congress, to standing ovations! Since Obama has shown he will overstep his authority and do it with impunity, to give that man, or any human being such power, is idiotic! How long will it be after Obama is given the power of life and death, before he follows his heroes examples, Mao, Bill Ayers and Frank Marshal Davis, and orders the execution of Tea Party members?
Ben Franklin said, those who would trade liberty for safety will get neither. That great man was of course correct. What good is any other “right” if one is dead? Those who would give arbitrary power to any President, be that a communist like Obama or a Tea Party member, are willingly putting their own head in the noose. Only a fool does that, but even a wise man can be tricked into it, and many have. All that is needed to meet the immediate necessity is a trial in absentia… but have you noticed not one in the unbiased media has mentioned it? This is not unheard of, it is not extraordinary, certainly not as extraordinary as bestowing arbitrary power to execute Americans at will. The exigencies of the situation cannot be so great they require us to become slaves and worse. Remember this; No matter how much you agree with what they are doing today, beware what they do with that power tomorrow, because you have given them the authority to do it.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
