You shouldn't lock a thread just because you disagree with Obama's policies

[bananas]

My thread "National Man of Mystery" was locked:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1650562&mesg_id=1651233

Chemisse (1000+ posts) Wed Aug-03-11 04:15 AM
Response to Original message
6. Locking
While DU encourages vigorous debate, including harsh criticism of Obama from the left, 'assassinating American citizens' crosses the line.

Obama's assassination policy has been reported by the NYT, WP, and Salon:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/07/assassinations

Wednesday, Apr 7, 2010 07:08 ET
Confirmed: Obama authorizes assassination of U.S. citizen
By Glenn Greenwald

(updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV)

In late January, I wrote about the Obama administration's "presidential assassination program," whereby American citizens are targeted for killings far away from any battlefield, based exclusively on unchecked accusations by the Executive Branch that they're involved in Terrorism. At the time, The Washington Post's Dana Priest had noted deep in a long article that Obama had continued Bush's policy (which Bush never actually implemented) of having the Joint Chiefs of Staff compile "hit lists" of Americans, and Priest suggested that the American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was on that list. The following week, Obama's Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, acknowledged in Congressional testimony that the administration reserves the "right" to carry out such assassinations.

Today, both The New York Times and The Washington Post confirm that the Obama White House has now expressly authorized the CIA to kill al-Alwaki no matter where he is found, no matter his distance from a battlefield. I wrote at length about the extreme dangers and lawlessness of allowing the Executive Branch the power to murder U.S. citizens far away from a battlefield (i.e., while they're sleeping, at home, with their children, etc.) and with no due process of any kind. I won't repeat those arguments -- they're here and here -- but I do want to highlight how unbelievably Orwellian and tyrannical this is in light of these new articles today.

Just consider how the NYT reports on Obama's assassination order and how it is justified:

<snip>

[Skinner]

1. Hmm.

We can't really expect the moderators to know all of the evidence for all of the claims made on this website. In the case of the "assasinates american citizens" claim, I think that it is, on its face, a pretty provocative claim when it is offered without any context or supporting evidence, and I understand why your post was shut down. I think, in the future, my advice is to provide some documentation for particularly provocative claims when you make them, to avoid something like this happening again.

[bananas]

2. Are you saying that neither you nor the moderators were aware of Obama's policy on this? nt

[Skinner]

3. I'm going to repeat myself.

My advice is to provide some documentation for particularly provocative claims when you make them.

[bananas]

4. Two Americans were summarily and extrajudicially executed by their own government today

Just wanted to be sure you were informed - so that you can't pretend you didn't know:
"That’s right, not just one, but two, Americans were summarily and extrajudicially executed by their own government today, at the direct order of the President of the United States."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2030886

[bananas]

5. NYTimes News Headline: Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen

More documentation has just come out:

NYTimes News Headline: Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2082924

Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2083316

[Skinner]

6. Apparently you misunderstand my advice.

Don't tell me here in the ATA forum. Provide some documentation for particularly provocative claims when you make them.