Sometimes, We Just Kill Traitors

Oh Snap!

Those attorney free Drones Gone Wild and the recent sweet al Yemenilicious hit on al Awlaki brought some funintended consequences at a recent event populated by all the populars. As ppl lol'd another Hellfire event that incinerated not one but 2 American born hajies in a foreign land several inappropriate handwringers kept bringing up the something Amendment.

"No 'Merican shall be dissed/deprived of life, liberty, bling or property w/out due process of law." 

If Awlaki was in fact the architect of terrorism attacks then perhaps his demise is to be welcomed. But we don't really know, do we? There was no xparent, legal, reviewable process by which he was placed on Great Satan's hit list. There was no judicial procedure, nor any public airing of the charges against him. He had no opportunity to respond to specific allegations.

 K. fair enough. Yet whose fault is that? Hanging in a enemy rich environ free for all war zone like Yemen bears certain costs. Kinda tough to deliver a restraining order in a slave trading nation/state (of sorts) that simply has no internat'l legal codes of nigh unto any type.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu-Bakr al-Qirbi totally proved Uncle Leon was totally correct!

In magical spots in the CENTCOM Gap - Drones are the only game in town bay bee

"The U.S. has requested the extradition of other Yemeni citizens, but we refused to turn them over because our constitution prohibits the extradition of Yemeni citizen to another country -- and this would apply to al-Awlaki. Beside all of this, al Awlaki is in an area where we are conducting operations against al Qaeda, and he is one of the people targeted for capture in those operations."

 As per 44 -

 "The death of Awlaki is a major blow to al Qaeda's most active operational affiliate. Awlaki was the leader of external operations for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In that role, he took the lead in planning and directing efforts to murder innocent Americans. He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Xmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up U.S. cargo planes in 2010. And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda."

 Back to due process

“What constitutes due process in this case is a due process in war" best defined perhaps  “As a general matter, it would be entirely lawful for the United States to target high-level leaders of enemy forces, regardless of their nationality, who are plotting to kill Americans both under the authority provided by Congress in its use of military force in the armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces as well as established international law that recognizes our right of self-defense"

 Or - it's war time kids.  And in wartime Great Satan is kinda crazy and unpredictable. Sometimes we just kill traitors, sans attorneys, modesty or restraint  


Pic - "Make no mistake, this is further proof al Qaeda and its affiliates will find no safe haven in Yemen or anywhere around the world”