It seems that the rights and privileges of being a United States citizen are slowly being whittled away, such as the belief that a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil is innocent until proven guilty.
According to an article on The Daily Mail, a confidential Justice Department memo states that it is legal for the Government to kill a U.S. Citizen on U.S. soil utilizing a drone:
The U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be ‘senior operational leaders’ of the Islamic terrorist organization Al Qaeda or ‘an associated force,’ according to a confidential Justice Department memo leaked on Monday.
The U.S. government can do so even if there is no clear evidence that the American targeted is engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.
The news was first reported by NBC’s Open Channel, which obtained a copy of the 16-page document and released it to the public.
The undated memo, which is not an official legal document, sheds new light on the reasoning behind a reported increase in the number of drone strikes used against Al Qaeda suspects in recent years — including those aimed at American citizens — under the Obama administration.
The memo, ‘Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen who is a Senior Operational Leader of Al Qa’ida or An Associated Force,’ was reportedly provided to members of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees in June by unnamed administration officials.
It was provided on the condition that authorities keep the memo confidential and not discuss its contents publicly, according to NBC.
‘The condition that an operational leader present an “imminent” threat of violent attack against the United States does not require the United States to have clear evidence that a specific attack on U.S. persons and interests will take place in the immediate future,’ the memo states.
Now I wonder how long it will take for the Obama administration to claim that ‘right wing extremists groups’, like the Tea Party, are somehow connected to Al Qaeda…
Anyone wish to give me odds on that bet?
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