My editorial regarding the murder of Anwar al-Awlaki appearing in today’s The Chaparral. An original version appeared in this Tumblr three days prior to al-Awlaki’s death.
Two Americans, two reactions
There was justified anger over the execution of Troy Davis, but why is there none over the White House and the U.S. government’s assassination of American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki?
Ivan Eland questioned this double standard, saying that “at least Troy Davis got due process (however flawed), as the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution requires, before being executed. In contrast, there has been no similar outrage that Anwar al-Awlaki, also a U.S. citizen, has been put on a U.S. government assassination list with no due process.” He argues that the Fifth Amendment guarantees that all persons, including non-citizens, cannot be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Eland also pointed that since no war has been declared by Congress, the excuse that in wars governments do not try every enemy soldier should not apply. Eland thinks that it is because the word “terrorist” was applied to al-Awlaki that the outrage do not manifest. Al-Awlaki is accused, but has neither been charged nor convicted of terrorism.
We respectfully disagree with Eland.
The real reason for the lack of outrage is because Barack Obama is the one allowing the illegal assassination to occur. The U.S. government’s extrajudicial executions carried out by their numerous Predator drones do not elicit the same kind of condemnation because Obama is president. In the same way that the ever-expanding wars compelled thousands of people to protest against them under George W. Bush and now only a handful under Obama.
On Sept. 30, the president announced the death of al-Awlaki and one other American citizen. He hailed the execution of American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki as a “major blow to Al Qaeda.” There was no due process, no habeas corpus, no trial, no jury of his peers, and no pretense of justice. The Constitution has lost all its meaning when a sitting president can claim a right to assassinate this country’s citizens with no judicial oversight.
The state of Georgia was rightfully condemned by activists and many reasonable people, but nary a peep from these same people against a murderous federal government and the murderer at its helm.
