Sunday, May 19, 2013

BBC : US drone strikes: Memo reveals case for killing Americans

The legal basis for using drone strikes to kill US citizens has been disclosed in a leaked justice department memo.

US officials can authorise the killing of Americans abroad if they are leaders of al-Qaeda or its allies, according to the document obtained by NBC News.

Lethal force is lawful if they are judged to pose an "imminent threat" and their capture is not feasible, it adds.

US drone strikes against militant suspects in countries such as Yemen and Pakistan are deeply controversial.
MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft

Under President Barack Obama the US has expanded its use of drones to kill hundreds of al-Qaeda suspects, arguing that it is acting in self-defence in accordance with international law.

Critics argue the drone strikes amount to execution without trial and cause many civilian casualties.
Legal framework
The undated 16-page Department of Justice white paper published by NBC gives more details of the justification for the use of drones outside recognised war zones.
It says sovereignty is not deemed to have been violated if the host nation gives its consent, or is unwilling or unable to suppress the threat posed by the individual targeted.

It also sets out a "legal framework" for the use of lethal force against US citizens in foreign countries.

It concludes that such killings do not violate the US Constitution as long as:

  • An informed, high-level official of the US government has determined that the targeted individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the US
  • Capture is infeasible and the US continues to monitor whether capture becomes feasible
  • The operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles

The paper adopts a broad definition of "imminent threat", saying it is not necessary to produce evidence that a specific attack is being planned if the target is generally engaged in plotting against the US.
'Remarkable document'
It also asserts that courts should not play a role in reviewing or controlling such decisions.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the white paper was a "pretty remarkable document".
Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the ACLU, said in a blog post the paper revealed "both the recklessness of the government's central claim and the deficiencies in the government's defense" of its drone strike policy.

"This sweeping authority is said to exist even if the threat presented isn't imminent in any ordinary sense of that word, even if the target has never been charged with a crime or informed of the allegations against him, and even if the target is not located anywhere near an actual battlefield," Mr Jaffer added.

The ACLU has helped the relatives of three Americans who died in drone strikes sue the Pentagon and CIA. Their lawsuit claims the deaths were unconstitutional.

Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda suspect born in the US state of New Mexico, was killed by an unmanned plane in September 2011.

Samir Khan, a naturalised US citizen who produced an online magazine promoting al-Qaeda's ideology, died in the same missile strike.

Awlaki's 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman, who was born in Colorado, was killed a month later.

The Obama administration has been under growing pressure from politicians in Congress to share more details of its drone strike programme, including secret legal documents.

Last month the UN launched an inquiry into the impact of drone strikes on civilians.

Prision Gaurd gets ass handed to her

 

NRA backs 54 Colorado Sheriff's Lawsuit Against Gun Control

The NRA is proud to support a lawsuit filed today in federal court by 54 Colorado county sheriffs, the firearms industry trade association, several firearms retailers, individuals with disabilities and other parties, which challenges the State of Colorado's recently enacted gun control laws.

"The National Rifle Association, the many plaintiffs in this case, and the law-abiding gun owners in the state of Colorado know that the recently enacted gun control laws are unconstitutional," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox.

The laws being challenged include an unconstitutional magazine capacity limit which has a negative effect on all law-abiding citizens, and disproportionately so on disabled adults. Also, the law requires 'transfers' to be conducted through a federally-licensed firearms dealer as if they are selling the firearm from their own inventory. This creates administrative and regulatory burdens on the dealers, the cost of which dealers will not be able to recoup. It is reasonable to assume that many dealers will not be able provide this service, making it impossible for firearms owners to comply with this unenforceable, unconstitutional law.

Pussy Obama is trying to take our guns

As we reported last month, on April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor and several countries abstaining. The vote in the General Assembly pushed the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by consensus. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature on June 3. 

According to a May 16 Amnesty International article, a senior US diplomat--Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman--has confirmed the U.S. government will be quick to sign the new treaty.  According to the article, Countryman said on Wednesday that the United States would sign the ATT "in the very near future."  

If the deeply problematic treaty is signed, the fight will move to the U.S. Senate, where the Obama administration would need to find 67 senators to ratify the treaty.

Of course, anti-gun Amnesty International approves of the treaty and is advocating its signing and ratification.  In addition, Amnesty International has gone so far as to claim that the treaty will not affect "domestic gun control regulations."

On the contrary, the ATT does indeed threaten the rights and privacy of American gun owners. Signatories will be encouraged to keep information on the "end users" of arms imported into their territory and supply such information to the exporting country. Exporting nations, nearly all of which have civilian firearm control regimes far harsher than the U.S., will be encouraged to take the firearm control laws of an importing country into account before approving a transfer of arms. And the treaty also encourages states to adopt domestic legislation to facilitate the treaty's onerous requirements.
A majority of senators have already made clear their opposition to ratifying the ATT. On March 23, 53 senators endorsed an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2014, "establish[ing] a deficit neutral fund" to oppose United States entrance into the treaty. Additionally, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), along with 32 cosponsors, has put forth a concurrent resolution expressing the Senate's opposition to the ATT, as it "fails to expressly recognize the fundamental, individual right to keep and to bear arms and the individual right of personal self-defense... and thus risks infringing on freedoms protected by the Second Amendment."

Unfortunately, once a treaty has been signed, it normally remains available for the Senate to ratify in perpetuity, unless a later president withdraws from it. This means that American gun owners must remain vigilant in ensuring this treaty is never ratified. The NRA will continue to keep gun owners up to date on any movement toward ratification, and will work with our allies in the Senate to ensure the treaty remains unratified

Second Letter from Senator John Stockton


 
Important Message from Congressman Stockman

AR-15 Giveaway
Dear Friend of Liberty,
    The battle for the right to keep and bear arms in America continues to heat up. President Obama and Sen. Harry Reid are not happy that they didn't pass any gun control yet this year, but they have promised that they'll be back for more.
    My name is Steve Stockman, Representative of Texas' 36th Congressional District.
    I hope you realize that the only reason Obama has not been able to ban guns is because of you.  Your activism — along with millions of concerned gun owners — is what's standing in the way of gun bans, a ban on magazines, the end of gun shows, and much more.
    Please understand, the President feels that he MUST pass some form of gun control, because he knows if he doesn't he'll be viewed as weakened when he tries to pass the rest of his socialist agenda.
    Senate Majority Leader Reid is meeting right now with wobbly Senators who he thinks he can win over. That's why it's so important to keep up the pressure!
    I also want to say thank you for all of your hard work so far, and I can think of no better way to do that than to give away, completely FREE, the firearm that Obama most wants to ban — the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle.
    You read that right. By clicking the link below, you can register to win a FREE rifle that is almost impossible to find at a gun store!
Warm regards,
Steve Stockman
Member of Congress
PS: Obama and the gun grabbers in Congress are relentless in their attack on the 2nd Amendment.  Please continue your activism in defense of liberty, and don't forget to register to win a FREE Bushmaster AR-15.
Important Message from Congressman Stockman
Important Message from Congressman Stockman

Paid for by Friends of Steve Stockman
PO Box 57135, Webster, Texas 77598

A Letter from Senator John Stockton

 
 


Dear patriot,
 
The United Nations’ so-called “Arms Trade Treaty” makes me sick! 
 
I’m Congressman Steve Stockman, and this UN Gun Grab is the biggest threat to gun owners in decades.
 
It requires an international license to own a gun.
 
It requires registration of all guns worldwide.
 
It bans all transfers of semi-automatic firearms
 
It even requires the confiscation and destruction of any gun not approved by the UN. 
 
Your gun.
 
Right now anti-gun and global lobbyists are infesting the halls of the Capitol, twisting arms and offering favors in exchange for the U.S. ratifying this gun-grabbing atrocity.
 
Obama is 100% on board and using every corrupt tool in his arsenal to approve it.
 
When international forces threaten American sovereignty and freedom, real Americans fight back!
 
I know you’re a real American, fighting for the rights of every man.
 
I hope you will join me.
 
And we must fight the UN Gun Ban without fear and without mercy.
 
Courage is the thing that keeps us free.
 
Working with my friend Senator Rand Paul I’ve introduced legislation to overturn Obama’s anti-gun Executive Orders. (HR 410)
 
I’ve also introduced legislation to:
 
>> Repeal deadly, failed, “Gun Free School Zones.” (HR 35)
 
>> Protect veterans from having their guns confiscated simply because they talked to a counselor about their wartime experiences. (HR 577)
 
But this UN Gun Grab is an entirely different threat.
 
That’s why I introduced HR 575, The Second Amendment Protection Act, which states Congress must not approve any treaty that threatens the Second Amendment.
 
But it won’t pass unless Americans rise up and demand it.
 
That means putting together an aggressive grassroots campaign to alert patriots and blow the whistle on the UN Gun Grab.
 
You’d be stunned how many patriots have no idea this is happening.
 
Help me raise a grassroots army and stop the UN Gun Grab.
 

 
 
This UN Gun Grab is much worse than anything Clinton ever did.
 
I will fight it as hard as I can.
 
But I need you with me.
 
My Second Amendment Protection Act can stop the UN Gun Grab.
 
With courage and a unified patriot front, we can do this.
 

 
 
Warmest wishes,
 
CONGRESSMAN STEVE STOCKMAN
Constitutional Republican from Texas
 
P.S.  The United Nations’ so-called “Arms Trade Treaty” is an atrocity!
 
That’s why I introduced HR 575, The Second Amendment Protection Act, which states Congress must not approve any treaty that threatens the Second Amendment.
 
But it won’t pass unless Americans rise up and demand it.
 
Help me alert patriots across the Republic and stuff this down Obama’s throat!  I just need you to go here and chip in $10 or more to help me get it done

NRA News: watch all the videos to hear what they have to say

Senator Ted Cruz















Governor Rick Perry















Former Governor and Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin














 Tv Judge Jeanine Perrio