It’s legal to kill Americans with drones?

: By Staff

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Killerfr Drone

Obama's record on civil liberties is dismal at best and many on the left contend it is worse than the previous administration's record under George W. Bush, although one might contend their memory is shorter than accurate. Updated Feb 11

The use of "Killer Drones" by the US is more controversial worldwide than domestically, which is perhaps changing as more about the program is revealed to the American people and the perpetual war dogs are starting to be disregarded by the media.

Leaked U.S. justification for drone killings assailed as rewriting definition of ‘imminent threat’

Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Civil and human rights advocates Tuesday denounced a leaked Obama administration “white paper” that sets out the legal justification for killing U.S. citizens suspected of being members of al Qaida, an issue certain to arise during the confirmation hearing Thursday of White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to be CIA director.

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DoJ memo: It’s legal to kill Americans with drones

SALON - Natasha Lennard

NBC obtains a confidential document on legal reasoning behind targeted killing, which the ACLU calls "chilling"

Organizations including the ACLU and the New York Times have for some months been engaged in lawsuits to gain information from the government about the legal reasoning behind the targeted killing of U.S. citizens Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son in a 2011 drone strike. A federal judge told the Times that the Obama administration does not, under law, have to provide legal justification for its targeted kills.

However, a confidential Justice Department memo obtained by NBC News sheds some light on the legal reasoning for including U.S. citizens on Obama’s controversial kill lists. According to the ACLU’s Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer, “it’s a pretty remarkable document.”

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Rachel Maddow interviews Michael Isikoff who uncovered the leaked document

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Entrusting the Kill List to 'High-Level Officials' Sets a Reckless Precedent

Conor Friedersdorf - The Atlantic

Obama fans should think about who it would've empowered in the last administration -- and who it might empower in the next.

In yesterday's item on the Obama Administration memo that asserts broad latitude to extra-judicially kill Americans, I noted the assertion that the U.S. would be able to use lethal force against a citizen when, among other conditions, "an informed, high-level official... has determined that the targeted individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States."

Rather than repeat arguments about the Orwellian redefinition of what constitutes an "imminent threat," I want to focus today on the part about vesting the power to secretly kill in high-level officials. The memo isn't just saying that the president himself possesses the power to declare someone an Al Qaeda operative who'll be killed. The claim is that others high up in the executive branch can do so too. The memo doesn't even seem to require informing the president.

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Of Course Jon Stewart Has His Take On Drones

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Complete Updated List of Organizations Who Have Applied for Drone Permit

It's a bit surprising to look down the list of groups who want a permit to fly a drone... OK, police departments in Texas you might expect... but the University of Florida? Have they found a new way to read the Auburn coach's play signals? And the Indian Tribal Office in California? Let's hope they're not wanting to take their land back!

Here's the complete updated list which was released to the Electronic Frontier Foundation under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Up w/Chris Hayes: How America Kills

In this series of 5 videos, Hayes and his panel discuss the use of drones for killing enemies of America.

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Thanks for visiting InnerSelf.com, where there are 20,000+ life-altering articles promoting "New Attitudes and New Possibilities." All articles are translated into 30+ languages. Subscribe to InnerSelf Magazine, published weekly, and Marie T Russell's Daily Inspiration. InnerSelf Magazine has been published since 1985.