The Drone Debate: A Matter of Trust

[Valin]

Townhall:

Mark Davis

3/8/13

 

In conversations with those opposed to the notion of drone attacks against U.S. citizens, on or away from American soil, I ask a question as a consistency test:

 

Is your opposition based on a blanket principle that no President should have such power, or is it a spurred by a mistrust of the current administration?

 

In many cases I get the first answer, so I know I am engaged with a libertarian mindset, which I always respect and often share. We should always take great pause before empowering government to take bold action unilaterally that could result in loss of life or property.

 

But such examples abound.

 

We allow police to burst into homes, sometimes without warrants, under certain circumstances. We allow the military even greater latitude, since they are chasing enemy combatants and not street criminals.

 

But the drone era has sparked a raft of new concerns born of modern warfare. The death by drone of terrorist *Anwar al-Awlaki in September 2011 in Yemen was met with some objection by those who argued that he was an American citizen and not an active combatant at the moment of his death.

 

(Snip)

 

 

* Anwar al-Awlaki 9-11-01 connection

Anwar Al-Awlaki's Links to the September 11 Hijackers

J.M. Berger

Sep 9 2011

 

&

 

Podcast: DOCUMENTS: AL-AWLAKI BOUGHT 9/11 HIJACKERS TICKETS [VIDEO]

Catherine Herridge