Obama administration to release drone memo on killing U.S. citizens
 

Obama administration to release drone memo on killing U.S. citizens

Rather than appeal a court order that the so-called “drone memo” be released under the Freedom of Information Act, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. concurred with the decision of Solicitor Gen. Donald Verrilli not to pursue the appeal and agreed to release a redacted version of the document, the officials said.

Administration lawyers are asking that the document be redacted to hide classified information, officials confirmed, although the legal reasoning will be legible.

The news leaked a day before the Senate was scheduled to hold a procedural vote to advance the judicial nomination of the writer of the memo, David Barron, a former Justice Department official nominated to serve on the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

The promise of disclosure did not appear to derail a promised filibuster of the nomination by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul said last week that he had read the memo and wasn’t satisfied.

And in an advance excerpt from his prepared remarks, released Tuesday, Paul said he would oppose the nomination of “anyone who would argue that the president has the power to kill American citizens not involved in combat.”

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“I rise today to say that there is no legal precedent for killing American citizens not directly involved in combat and that any nominee who rubber stamps and grants such power to a president is not worthy of being placed one step away from the Supreme Court,” Paul wrote.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, said he had lined up the Democratic votes to confirm Barron.

“I think we'll be OK,” Reid said. “I don't know if everybody -- but certainly most everyone in our caucus is satisfied.”


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I regard the position of the terrorists in question as 'constructive combat.' That is, they are engaged in planning, directing, or supporting armed terrorist actions, including actions against America and Americans; they are armed and surrounded by fighters, and they would be virtually certain to engage in combat with ground forces if such were sent to 'arrest' them.

I think the basic rule that Americans actively engaged in hostile combat are subject to lethal force can be extended to these situations.

But how do you know that is the case? Look to the bold in your comment.

I would favor a court reviewing the evidence and signing off before such strikes are carried out.

Thanks, a trial by peers is the only rule of law. When you allow a government arbitrarily decide that's a totalitarian regime.

How do you know it isn't?

What, you think we should announce intentions to go after domestic terrorists in the media, then wait to see if public opinion supports it? Wait for feedback from Limbaugh, Alex Jones and the John Birch Society?
Run national security like the "birther" nonsense? The government can't do anything until the fucking Tea Party signs off on it?

You're either insane or as dumb as a day is long.

I'm going to the gym.

Have a nice night.

Dave

The government has no right to just execute Americans because the say they broke the law. We have rule of law by trial of our peers.

Too bad the BLM doesn't a fleet of Reapers. They could've simply retreated from that deadbeat Cliven Bundy's militia and popped a dozen Hellfire's into that crowd of seditionists. Done deal. ;)

Better yet just give the Department of the Interior 40 or 50 Apaches and paint 'em up in war paint. :D

I'm not sure I agree with that, Bob. They WANT federal agents to do something violent. That would be the validation they seek. Nope, I think the best thing to do is exactly what's being done. NOTHING. Just let the freaks stew in their own shit as the hot Nevada sun works on them. Sit back and watch as they become a pain in the ass to each other and the local citizenry. 100-110-120 degrees, longer, hotter days. Maybe send in moles to spread rumors, fire them up and turn them against each other at the most.

If it's done right, they'll implode on their own. Don't take any of the pigs down unless you have indisputable proof they fired first.

Dave

Unless you're a heavily armed insurrectionist. Then you just die the same as any enemy combatant would.

Dave