Tag Archives: thanksgiving 2012

Turkey Kill List




Drones are something most us are thankful for. Even Romney and Obama agree they are swell.

Me, not so much. I get the Hiroshima argument that drones save our guys by killing bad guys along with others. But the idea of President Obama keeping a kill list and acting as judge, jury, and executioner gives me the creeps. Especially when his target is an American citizen terrorist like al-Awlaki.

Not that I’m sorry al-Awlaki is toes up, or however his toes are, but I’d have preferred to see him captured, questioned, and indulged with a few of his same constitutional rights as Obama tried to shower on Pakistani 9/11 killer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Why is the president indignant about water boarding a foreign terrorist, but proud to use the information water boarding produces to help him assassinate an U.S. citizen terrorist?

My favorite atheist right-to-lifer, Nat Hentoff, got me on this jag last week when he wrote this column about Obama and the Rule of Law. Here’s one Nat wrote for the Cato Institute in October about drone assassination . He’s authorized to say “dig this” since he’s also a jazz writer.

Anyway, enjoy your cranberry sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!