Legal Case for Drone Strikes on Americans

[TheWalrus]

Better yet, lets use the argument in a way im sure you can understand......FDR has ordered Asians and the descendants of Asians to be interned. You find out one is actually a Japanese operative and has given material aid to the Japs. You can't locate him specifically, so you call in a drone to hit an area he is known to be in.

That's an American citizen on American soil engaging in treason. That's not what the memo and the policy are talking about. Poor example.

Not so funny when it's on US soil.

No kidding. It's also not what this is.

And American citizens fighting on foreign soil in a combat role with the enemy is a fair target. A guy climbing a mountain with his son, not engaged in combat.....not so much. Drones are not the be all end all of warfare this President pretends it is....or did you ever stop to wonder why he ordered SEAL team 6 in to get OSB, instead of leveling the whole thing with drone strikes? You have to capture people, you have to have human intellegence to go with all the signal intelligence. We dont do that anymore....maybe youve seen the pics...i'm not allowed to post them here anymore.

So then you're not against the killing of American citizens without trial in principle, you just want them to be more directly engaged in combat? Sounds like a slippery slope to me.

[NY8123]

Actually, most Americans support this kind of thing. Some 65%, according to a Washington Post poll.


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The best historical analogy I can think of for this situation is the American citizens of German descent who fought on behalf of the Nazis in WWII. It's unknown exactly how many, but there were at least "hundreds" of them.


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What was the right thing to do with these people on the battlefield, in your opinion? Let's say it's 1945, you're plowing through eastern France on your way to Germany, and there's a town you have to get through... and you know there's an American citizen in that town fighting with the Nazis. Is it okay to call in a bombing strike, or do you have to capture that soldier and send him home for a trial?

In this situation you get what you get and of course you call in the bomb run but in the case of the drones this is basically tactical warfare at its highest, a sniper in the sky with a bigger payload. I have a problem with collateral damage, with a drone there is no way to deem who is a target of interest or who is an innocent bystander, especially in populated areas which seems to be where the trend in drone attacks is headed.

With a sniper or tactical insertion yes you put US service men at risk but you also reduce the incident of collateral damage tremendously, once you pull the trigger on a reaper drone that 500lb GBU or a hellfire missile you are leveling some ****. The problem isn't in the use against rouge US citizens it is the frequency and location of use verse the justification behind the use that I have a problem with.

The US has long had a policy of not negotiating with terrorists or terrorist states but we used to pride ourselves on being the better man as well, to me this justification is not about being the better man.

[MoFinz]

That's an American citizen on American soil engaging in treason. That's not what the memo and the policy are talking about. Poor example.



No kidding. It's also not what this is.



So then you're not against the killing of American citizens without trial in principle, you just want them to be more directly engaged in combat? Sounds like a slippery slope to me.

LOL...maybe you want to re-read that memo again.

And slippery slope? Drones used on US soils to kill US citizens sans trial isnt a slipppery slope? I'll take my scenario over yours anyday

[MoFinz]

Noone has answered the question. Why wasnt a drone strike used to kill Osama Bin Laden instead of Seal team 6?

What makes it OK to use human assets to go after Osama on foreign soil, but stealth killing technology on US citizens on US soil.....it aint like we dont already throw people in a hole with zero respect for their rights as US citizens and hold them indefinitely with no charges.

[TheWalrus]

LOL...maybe you want to re-read that memo again.

And slippery slope? Drones used on US soils to kill US citizens sans trial isnt a slipppery slope? I'll take my scenario over yours anyday

The first sentence of the memo refers to it being a legal justification for killing US citizens who are on foreign soil. Perhaps you could point me to the passage that justifies doing the same thing in this country.

[TheWalrus]

Noone has answered the question. Why wasnt a drone strike used to kill Osama Bin Laden instead of Seal team 6?

What makes it OK to use human assets to go after Osama on foreign soil, but stealth killing technology on US citizens on US soil.....it aint like we dont already throw people in a hole with zero respect for their rights as US citizens and hold them indefinitely with no charges.

1. They weren't sure if Osama Bin Laden really was in the house.
2. If he was, a missile strike might obliterate the body, making identification difficult if not impossible.
3. Without positive ID, terrorist leaders would be able to claim we hadn't really killed him.

The various accounts of the raid make it very clear why they sent in Team 6.

[MoFinz]

1. They weren't sure if Osama Bin Laden really was in the house.
2. If he was, a missile strike might obliterate the body, making identification difficult if not impossible to identify him.
3. Without positive ID, terrorist leaders would be able to claim we hadn't really killed him.

The various accounts of the raid make it very clear why they sent in Team 6. Have you not read any of the several in-depth accounts of the decision making process?

If youre not sure he's there, why waste valuable assets to take the place?

Or do you believe every kernel youre fed?

[TheWalrus]

If youre not sure he's there, why waste valuable assets to take the place?

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Or do you believe every kernel youre fed?

I'd love to hear your theory, if you have one.

[MoFinz]

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I'd love to hear your theory, if you have one.

Naww...that first emoticon showed....ya really dont......
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[TheWalrus]

Naww...that first emoticon showed....ya really dont......
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Sure I did. I'm always up for a good laugh.