Above The Law. Why Bother?

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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/world/middleeast/secret-us-memo-made-legal-case-to-kill-a-citizen.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

This memo is about avoiding accountability!

Flawed as it may be, governing by a consistency of law is all there is. Government is either a government of laws or it is not! "It too difficult to follow the law this time" will lead, in a very short time, to lawlessness by the government.

This whole argument over 'We The People's' government secretly ordering the killing a person (a USA citizen no less) has been heard before. (The police in USA said it was too difficult to get convictions of criminals if police personnel could not 'cut corners' and had instead to follow the rule of law. (You know, like reading 'Miranda Rights' to accused and the like.) But by making the police follow the law, makes the police better!)

Now, the government of USA is saying, following the national and international law to fight an enemy is too difficult; let us cut corners again. (Yes I remember when using torture was once against the law in USA.) In this memo, USA is again claiming to be above the law, the process of determining the killing is secret with no accountability, and the official at all levels who makes and passes on the decision is _immune_ from legal prosecution!!!

Missing in this are many real issues, like:

1. At what point does a USA government official become 'above the law' (national and international)?

2. Does being 'above the law' extend to only USA President/Vice President?

3. Are Secretarial Department heads also 'above the law?' How far down the chain of command does being above the law extend?

4. If one is allowed to ignore the law this time, why bother following any law?

There are Constitutionally mandated laws that are being ignored by 'We The People"'s governments today. This memo outlines another step of absolute, and unchecked, power being exerted by government. What possibly could go wrong?

A very sad aspect of this whole idea is that there is no real reason to even contemplate such extraordinary action. (Regardless of how much noise Anwar al-Awlaki made about attacking USA; USA and the government of USA were never at risk.) By the actions outlined in this and other "SECRET" memos, USA and the people of USA are at risk of losing everything that made USA who USA was.

Ema Nymton
~ @ : o ?
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