Justice Department memo reveals legal case for drone strikes against Americans

A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.

The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects abroad, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.

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This is quite worrisome. Apart from natural questions of justice regarding democratic processes and the fundamental rights of citizens, this measure by the United States Department of Justice should concern all revolutionaries, for obvious reasons. The proposal is to allow for the targeting of United States citizens abroad using drone attacks authorized by an unaccountable "high official" in the DOJ so long as there is some suspected connection to "terrorist" organizations which "threaten" the United States. Their line of reasoning allows for but a meager step before such attacks are executed on American soil without due process. Anybody who can be deemed a security risk to the American government, which includes not only suspected Islamist radicals but also communists and socialists, will be eliminated without trial. Indeed, it is not difficult to ascertain how such a policy contains the germ for the suppression of domestic struggle, and do not be fooled, comrades, that is certainly the intended direction. This issue not only strikes at the very root of democratic procedure, but it unveils bourgeois "democracy" for what it truly is: an instrument for class rule.

Very disconcerting news.. When coupled with the latest attempt to disarm the population, it's clear that the bourgeoisie are taking increasingly drastic measures to ensure the reproduction of their social class. The persistent failure of capitalism to recover from the crisis is the impetus behind this militant trajectory.

Very concerning development.