US Born Yemen mullah Anwar Awlaki now shovelling coal

[skiptex 225]

The law of the U.S. Constitution is designed to protect the rights of Americans, even those accused of crimes, no matter how horrific. If there is enough evidence to prove a suspect is guilty, then it should be presented in a court of law. Even that "sicko doctor at fort hood" will be tried in a courtroom, not assassinated extra-judiciously.

yep.. and the doctor in Texas will be put to death.. its Texas.. thats how we roll here..

as for the news this morning.. then maybe Anwar Awlaki should have booked a flight to the USA to present himself in a court of law

may you have a fantastic day.. have to leave office!! 4 hr friday work days rock!!

[The_Dude 1,142]

Was there any attempt made to do so ?

It's a moot point, a Yemeni judge ordered his capture, dead or alive.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

yep.. and the doctor in Texas will be put to death.. its Texas.. thats how we roll here..

The trial of Nidal Hasan has nothing to do with "how we roll in Texas" - he is being tried in a military court

as for the news this morning.. then maybe Anwar Awlaki should have booked a flight to the USA to present himself in a court of law

may you have a fantastic day.. have to leave office!! 4 hr friday work days rock!!

Thanks

[skiptex 225]

Why would you think that I have not read the opinions to which I am responding?

Was there any attempt made to do so ?

Wife of Mah..

i was talking about myself... listening to your opinion, since it different from mine..

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It's a moot point, a Yemeni judge ordered his capture, dead or alive.

So we're like Yemen now ?

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Wife of Mah..

i was talking about myself... listening to your opinion, since it different from mine..

Ah. I didn't understand.

Different opinions are what make discussions (and internet message boards) interesting !

[The_Dude 1,142]

So we're like Yemen now ?

Yes, we are a sovereign nation that has laws and a judicial system. Awlaki was tried in absentia, but that was his own choice to participate in his defense. I would rather he actually stand trial, but I imagine he and his followers would accuse any court that is not religious based of being some sort of kangaroo court. This was an unteneble situation. There is no way he would allow himself to be taken alive, and there is no court of law in which he could have received either a fair or unbiased trial.

[luckytxn 2,265]

U.S. officials have given Anwar al-Aulaqi a newly elevated designation on the day of his death by drone strike, describing him as “chief of external operations” for al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen.

The new title, cited by officials at the White House and the CIA, reflects Aulaqi’s evolution from Muslim cleric to alleged terrorist plotter, as well as a desire by American officials to persuade the public that the extraordinary killing of a U.S. citizen overseas was warranted.

U.S. officials also disclosed what they said were new details about Aulaqi’s operational role, saying that he personally had instructed a would-be suicide bomber who boarded a Detroit-bound plane in 2009 to detonate his device over American airspace to maximize casualties.

(View gallery: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/12/26/GA2009122601423.html?sid=ST2009123103109" style="color: rgb(12, 71, 144); text-decoration: underline; ">The failed plane bombing in Detroit.)

When he first surfaced on U.S. counterterrorism radar, Aulaqi was mainly seen as a militant cleric, a native of New Mexico who was acquiring a disturbingly large audience for his English-language sermons online.

More recently, he was portrayed as an increasingly operational figure for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen-based off-shoot is known.

But on Friday, U.S. officials including National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor described Aulaqi as “chief of external operations.”

A U.S. intelligence official said that CIA analysts and others had been referring to Aulaqi by that designation for some time, saying that he was “intimately involved in the attacks that have come closest to hitting the United States.”

Umar Farouk AbdulmutallabIn December 2009, Aulaqi “specifically instructed” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to wait until his Christmas Day flight had crossed into U.S. airspace before detonating the bomb he had hidden in his underwear, an Obama administration official said. Abdulmutallab was subdued before he could ignite the explosive.

Aulaqi also had “a direct role in supervising” AQAP’s attempt to mail parcels packed with explosives to addresses in the United States last year, the official said.

Yemen experts have expressed skepticism about the escalating assertions about Aulaqi, and characterizations of him as a key operational figure.

“Certainly Aulaqi was a threat, but eliminating him is not the same as killing Osama bin Laden,” said Gregory Johnsen, an expert on Yemen. Johnsen noted that other AQAP figures are more influential in the organization, and more important to its operations. Among them are Naser Wuhayshi, the head of the organization, and Qassim al-Raymi, its military commander.

U.S. officials counter that it was Aulaqi who pushed the organization, which is comprised mainly of Saudis and Yemenis, to make hitting American targets a top priority. “He said publicly that was his goal,” the U.S. intelligence official said.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yes, we are a sovereign nation that has laws and a judicial system. Awlaki was tried in absentia, but that was his own choice to participate in his defense. I would rather he actually stand trial, but I imagine he and his followers would accuse any court that is not religious based of being some sort of kangaroo court. This was an unteneble situation. There is no way he would allow himself to be taken alive, and there is no court of law in which he could have received either a fair or unbiased trial.

Yes, he was tried in absentia by a Yemeni court (partly based on sharia.)

This is the first time ever that a U.S. citizen has been approved for targeted assassination. I think it establishes a very dangerous precedent, but then again I'm more of a Constitutionalist than many today. I don't like the Patriot Act either. Chipping away at Americans' rights and freedoms in the name of "security" is not something that makes me feel any safer - it makes me feel less safe.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Yes, he was tried in absentia by a Yemeni court (partly based on sharia.)

This is the first time ever that a U.S. citizen has been approved for targeted assassination. I think it establishes a very dangerous precedent, but then again I'm more of a Constitutionalist than many today. I don't like the Patriot Act either. Chipping away at Americans' rights and freedoms in the name of "security" is not something that makes me feel any safer - it makes me feel less safe.

It was his choice not to participate in his own defense. I despise the patriot act, and actually applaud the efforts of tea party activists to repeal it. But none of that mitigates the fact that this guy was an unrepentant terrorist who campaigned to motivate people to take up arms against our country and our citizens. I think he should have been afforded an American trial to determine his guilt, but by his own actions, that was impossible.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It was his choice not to participate in his own defense. I despise the patriot act, and actually applaud the efforts of tea party activists to repeal it. But none of that mitigates the fact that this guy was an unrepentant terrorist who campaigned to motivate people to take up arms against our country and our citizens. I think he should have been afforded an American trial to determine his guilt, but by his own actions, that was impossible.

Yes it was his choice. And under Yemeni law (he was a dual citizen) he was well aware of the consequences.

But (in my opinion) the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution are far more precious than the amount of "security" gained by extra-judicial actions like these that serve to weaken those rights.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Yes it was his choice. And under Yemeni law (he was a dual citizen) he was well aware of the consequences.

But (in my opinion) the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution are far more precious than the amount of "security" gained by extra-judicial actions like these that serve to weaken those rights.

I would tend to agree with you, had he been killed before his trial in Yemen. However, he was not, and the state of Yemen ordered his capture dead or alive.

[Ban Hammer 13,501]

is there a blue moon out? i'm agreeing with wom!

[The_Dude 1,142]

is there a blue moon out? i'm agreeing with wom!

So you dont' think that the judgement of another nations judicial system is sufficient to judge someone to be guilty of a crime?

[skiptex 225]

is there a blue moon out? i'm agreeing with wom!

BLUE MOON is a great beer!!!