What's New Robert L. Park 13 Oct 2011

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L.  Park   Thursday, 13 Oct 2011   Washington, DC

1. THE CONTRACT: AWLAKI’S U.S.CITIZENSHIP IS REVOKED.  
Last week you will recall, American-born Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim 
cleric hiding in Yemen, had his U.S. citizenship permanently revoked by a 
CIA drone strike.  But had Awlaki been accorded “due process” as guaranteed 
by the Constitution?  “War is due process,” I wrote.  Bad mistake!  We are 
not at war with Yemen.  Angry readers, many of them old friends, objected 
to what they saw as my support for an illegal action of the administration, 
and threatened to unsubscribe to WN.  It’s not like I get paid to do this, 
but they were right.  A part of me had enjoyed too much the adrenalin rush 
that comes when your team scores a goal, even if it’s against an inferior 
opponent.  Awlaki was an instigator not a fighter; his offences were 
deplorable and illegal, but not capital.  To me the most troubling aspect 
of the whole affair was how good the U.S. is at this assassin stuff.  
Satellite images tracked the target. A drone waited for the order to launch 
its missile. It was not just a lucky shot.  We have the power to take out 
anyone on Earth.  I hope we don’t.  But if we do, would someone please take 
a look at my list?

2. THE SECRET: DEMOCRACY IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SECRECY.
We are told that a Justice Department memorandum, drawn up by a couple of 
Justice Department lawyers following months of interagency deliberations, 
sanctioned the Awlaki hit in spite of an executive order banning 
assassinations, a federal law against murder, protection under the Bill of 
Rights, and numerous international agreements.   Charlie Savage, writing in 
the NY Times, says the legal debate “led to one of the most significant 
decisions made by President Obama - to move ahead with the killing of an 
American citizen without a trial.” Then why is the memorandum classified as 
secret?   This is bull shit – the President’s decision led to the memo, not