Anwar al-Awlaki is dead.  Fine: he wasn’t a nice guy.

I have some serious issues with how he was killed.  And you should, too.

The Executive, all by it’s lonesome, just murdered a  U.S. citizen, without pesky krep like due process, a speedy and fair trial.

Whacking a citizen with a drone is no different than executing him in the street.

So – we set a precedent.  Act against the interests of the United States, or threaten to,  and the government can order you to be killed and fuck due process. [1] [2]

[1] Who defines what is a threat?  Why, the guy with the gun.  Don’t worry – if you done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear [3]
[2] Not my words – that’s what Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said on the radio this morning.
[3] If you believe that I have some ocean front property in Arizona for sale, cheap.

Cross Posted to Space For Commerce.