President Obama Launches Death Panels

No, Elite Members, don't go rushing to Grandma's home; Kathleen Cruella Sebelius is not reaching to pull Grandpa's plug, YET. Instead, American citizens are now being designated for "targeted killings" by the Federal Government's Defense/Intelligence apparatus, using Predator drone attacks inside Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and soon, possibly, in Cheyenne, Wyoming or Wasilla, Alaska. (See, Humble Post of September 7, 2010).

As a Former Elite Member said to me Friday: "The President has no legal authority to summarily execute American citizens, does he?" Well, Mags, that is the very Life and Death questions posed in the 9/7 Post, which inexplicably U forgot already, hence your current status, along with "Out in the Wash", Tom. So, just one last reminder, on 9/7, it was said that war is too important to left to the Generals or the Courts, so we must have a national debate on the President's wartime power to kill identified American citizens as enemies of the State. As expected, Your Humble Blogger's Clarion Call was immediately answered. On 10/6, National Columnist, Jonah Goldberg, wrote in his very derivative article:

"Any number of credible reports say the US-born al-Awlaski is the world's leading al Qaeda propagandist. He has directly inspired and recruited terrorists to kill US troops and civilians. ... So I hope he gets his toe tag sooner rather than later." ... The Obama Administration is right: this is no job for the courts. Wars and how we fight them are political decisions, properly left to Congress and the President. ... So let's have Congress and the President come up with some clear, public rules [for targeted killings]."

My two reactions to JG opinion piece: (1) hey, my free speech is his paid speech. I asked for a national debate, so no whining permissible when an acolyte picks up the cudgel. (2) I'm just a bit uncomfortable w/. marking for legal assassination a citizen identified as a "leading propagandist" who merely inspires volunteers for any cause, however despicable. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I must say that I am very pleased that the debate has now begun in earnest. Jonah Goldberg asserts that selecting al-Awaki for death is an easy decision. I'm not so sure, particularly as Your Humble Blogger himself has been described by some as an inspiring conveyor of ideas for the cause of conservative values. Accordingly, JG's very aggressive response to my demand for the political branches of government to address this crucial war powers' authority exemplifies why Mags and everyone else should join this Great Debate now vehemently and loudly. Let your voices be heard in the public square tomorrow.