by Jeanine Molloff
CIA Director candidate John Brennan all but cries crocodile tears for the ‘agony’ he feels, every time a presidential ordered ‘targeted’ drone murder is decided. In fact, Brennan claims to go through such deep agony over these extra-judicial assassinations that he felt the need to share this information with Congress during his confirmation hearing. (Source : readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/15942-brennans-obscene-testimony) Brennan further defended the extreme secrecy of the drone assassination program and the president’s official ‘kill list,’ using ‘national security’ as the excuse that keeps on giving.
Aside from the fact that the ‘national security’ claim is the Obama administration’s ‘get out of jail free’ card for multiple crimes against humanity, (ie. political prosecution of dissidents including journalists (ie. Julian Assange), extroardinary rendition aka kidnapping, enhanced interrogation techniques aka torture and extra-judicial assassinations aka. the presidential weekly kill list); Brennan’s claim to ‘agonize’ over each week’s ‘kill’ is so obscene a lie– even Dick Cheney would blush. (Source : readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/15942-brennans-obscene-testimony)
The Leaked ‘White Paper’—US Citizens CAN Be Murdered by Drones…
Earlier this week a DOJ Memo, simply dubbed The ‘White Paper’, leaked to MSNBC much to the irritation of the Obama administration. The ‘White Paper’ was researched and written by DOJ attorneys, engineered explicitly to provide ‘legal cover’ for ANY President, ordering ‘secret targeted killings’– including when the target is a U.S. citizen. These ‘targeted murders’ are conducted with the president acting as judge, jury and executioner. Due process rights to an open trial with the right of cross-examination has now been reduced to a quaint joke by the ‘white paper.’ No president is ever required to provide proof that an actual crime was committed (other than the crimes of the presidential death squad itself). Realistically, this ‘white paper’ grants ‘secret political prosecutions’ and subsequent ‘death squads’–bureaucratic ‘legitimacy.’ Murder by presidential whim–is now ‘legal’ by secret courts.
This policy DOES INCLUDE THE MURDER OF U.S. CITIZENS. In fact, the concluding paragraphs of this 16 page memo specifically covers the extra-judicial murder of U.S. CITIZENS.
…”In conclusion, it would be lawful for the United States to conduct a lethal operation outside the United States against a U.S. citizen who is a senior, operational leader of al-Qa’ida or an associated force of al-Qa’ida without violating the Constitution or the federal statutes discussed in this white paper under the following conditions:
(1.) an informed, high-level official of the U.S. government has determined that the targeted individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States;
(2.) capture is infeasible, and the United States continues to monitor whether capture becomes feasible; and
(3.) the operation is conducted in a manner consistent with the four fundamental principles of the laws of war governing the use of force.
…”In conclusion, it would be lawful for the United States to conduct a lethal operation outside the United States against a U.S. citizen who is a senior, operational leader of al-Qa’ida or an associated force of al-Qa’ida without violating the Constitution or the federal statutes discussed in this white paper under the following conditions:
(1.) an informed, high-level official of the U.S. government has determined that the targeted individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States;
(2.) capture is infeasible, and the United States continues to monitor whether capture becomes feasible; and
(3.) the operation is conducted in a manner consistent with the four fundamental principles of the laws of war governing the use of force.
As stated earlier, this paper does not attempt to determine the minimum requirements necessary to render such an operation lawful, nor does it assess what might be required to render a lethal operation against a U.S. citizen lawful in other circumstances. It concludes only that the stated conditions would be sufficient to make lawful a lethal operation in a foreign country directed against a U.S. citizen with the characteristics described above.”
MORE: http://www.ukprogressive.co.uk/op-ed-drone-wars-doj-legalised-death-squads-secret-courts/article21766.html
No comments:
Post a Comment