BS: License to Kill

Subject: BS: License to Kill
From: Greg F.
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 07:39 AM

[excerpts] It's open season, folks! Wear blaze orange...
****

CIA agents licensed to kill Americans who work with terrorists,
officials say

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press
First published: Wednesday, December 4, 2002

WASHINGTON -- American citizens working for al-Qaida overseas can legally be targeted and killed by the CIA under President Bush's rules for the war on terrorism, officials say.

The authority to kill U.S. citizens is granted under a secret finding signed by the President after the Sept. 11 attacks that directs the CIA to covertly attack al-Qaida anywhere in the world. The authority makes no exception for Americans, so permission to strike them is
understood rather than specifically described,these sources said.
...
The Bush administration said the killing of an American in this fashion was legal.

"I can assure you that no constitutional questions are raised here. There are authorities that the President can give to officials," said Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, after the attack. "He's well within the balance of accepted practice and the letter of his constitutional authority."
...
Previously, the government's authority to kill a citizen outside of the judicial process has been generally restricted to when the American is directly threatening the lives of other Americans or their allies.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press.

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: GUEST,T-boy
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 07:41 AM

Er ... remind me. How many Americans have Al-Quaida killed. Not to mention odd Kenyans, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 07:47 AM

Does this mean that the US presidency has revoked the Executive Order against assasination?

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: kendall
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 08:48 AM

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth only makes the whole world blind and toothless. (Gahndi)
Oh when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn. (Pete Seeger)

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Amos
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 09:00 AM

That Condolezza Schwartz certainly does get around!!

Seriously, though, I am not sure her authority on Constitutional authority is very trustworthy.

A

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 09:26 AM

Don't tell the CIA, but both Breezy and Punch the Horse are working with Al-Quaida - Hull is the main headquarters.

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 09:44 AM

Geeziz....."accepted practice".........."Constitutional authority"..........Someone needs a new copy of the Constitiution and the subsequent amendments....

Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused,
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.

But there's a woman on my block,
Sitting there in a cold chill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
.....Bob Dylan......"License to Kill"

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Amos
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 09:54 AM

Let's see -- you can now be killed by your government "intelligence" agency if they interpret your actions as consituting terrorist activity? Field judgement by trained killers replaces due process, hey? What a brave new world indeed!

This "secret finding" process -- the traditional legal position dictated by the President for CIA black ops -- is a crazy bypass of law. Justified by -- let me guess -- "necessity", right? The whole Oliver North Contras flap was launched om a series of these secret findings.

Bush's machinery is loose on the land. Well done, well done, psychos everywhere!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Troll
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 12:58 AM

So what you are all saying is that an American who is giving active aid and comfort to those who, by their own words and deeds, seek to destroy our country and its people, should not be killed.
Interesting idea. I can see where there might be violations of that persons civil rights, but I rather feel that if you set yourself against a Government, you forfeit certain things.
It's kinda like the guy who murders his parents and then cries "Mercy" because he's an orphan.
As I said, interesting idea.

troll

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: Hrothgar
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 04:06 AM

This is the same philosophy that sees people held without beig tried as criminals or granted the rights of prisoners of war.

Subject: RE: BS: License to Kill
From: GUEST,Taliesn
Date: 05 Dec 02 - 07:14 AM

Well I'm wondering if the present administration ,with its newly minted "rubber stamp" One Party Congress , has already made an exception for the American Taliban captured.

I guess they're making the distinction of "in the field" black ops the way Isreal's Mossad "hit squds" operates. Yes, we are now in the "looking glass" all world war of the 21st century and I can effortlessly predict that some of the John Pointdexter-class of right wingnutter hawks won't be able to resist to "overstep" whatever bounds there even are and cause a few Iran-Contra class scandals only there will be John Ashcroft's DoJ giving out plenary indulgences with the "rubber stamp" Republican Congress guranteed to "never" do any investigations , forget "hearings", that would harm Dubya's gang its re-election shot.

Obviously we're now on the slippery slope of " In war ,anything goes" policy.

Yes, I have that little confidence in an All Republican Gov't which will undoubtly mean packing the Supreme Court next.
Watch for it.