Signs we are well on the way to an Imperial Presidency

by Michiel2005

DOJ to America: we won’t reveal the circumstances under which you can be assassinated by us
[Via Boing Boing]

The DOJ has rejected a Freedom of Information Act request from the New York Times that asked the agency to reveal the legal basis for the newly unveiled American program of strategic drone-attack assassinations of American citizens off the field of battle.

Summary:

* The government dropped a bomb on a U.S. citizen,

* who, though a total dick and probably a criminal, may have been engaged only in propaganda,

* which, though despicable, is generally protected by the First Amendment;

* it did so without a trial or even an indictment (that we know of),

* based at least in part on evidence it says it has but won’t show anyone,

* and on a legal argument it has apparently made but won’t show anyone,

* and the very existence of which it will not confirm or deny;

* although don’t worry, because the C.I.A. would never kill an American without having somebody do a memo first;

* and this is the “most transparent administration ever”;

* currently run by a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

For Christmas, Your Government Will Explain Why It’s Legal to Kill You

[More]

This shows just how broken our system has become, because the GOP have been even more outspoken regarding the ability of the President to kill anyone anywhere, even American citizens.

American citizens are not protected by the leaders of either party. You can be killed simply by their word without any over site at all.

Almost everyone in the media and in Washington, from both parties, were quite happy with the assassination of an American  citizen, without trial, without due process, purely on the word of the Executive Branch, which will not provide the reasons for why it made that decision or how.

Solely on its own word, any President now has the ability to kill anyone, anywhere, including American citizens, without having that decision examined by anyone else.

The complete destruction of the Bill of Rights, really begun under the administration of George Bush and continued under the administration of Obama, looks to be complete sometime in the next decade.

This will only get fixed when Congress starts doing its job and demanding that the Executive branch recognize that it is a co-partner. a first step would be the rescind the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, removing the Executive’s ability to wage war anywhere.

Until Congress does this, we will continue along a path seen about 2000 years ago with the fall of the Roman Republic. Look at the fall of democracy in parts of Europe.