I’m suffering from conflicting principles.
I consider myself to be a civil libertarian, in that I cherish the liberties granted to me by the U.S. Constitution. I also consider myself to be loyal to my flag and to our national security interests; accordingly, I detest those who forsake those interests in an effort to bring harm to my fellow citizens.
Thus, the conflict is erupting now as President Obama acknowledges that unmanned drone aircraft have killed at least four Americans in the ongoing war against international terrorism.
Should we be launching these drones over suspected terrorists in U.S. airspace? No. That goes too far. However, we’ve deployed these weapons on the battlefield in Afghanistan and in other hot spots where terrorists lurk. Americans, sadly, are among those who seek to kill their fellow Americans. Are these people enemies of the state? I consider them to be precisely that.
They become fair game, so to speak, when they take up arms against American military personnel. They have betrayed their citizenship and in my view no longer qualify as “loyal” Americans.
The Constitution, though, grants all Americans the right of due process. Killing these so-called Americans in a military operation circumvents that due process. However, I keep coming back to whether these individuals have virtually surrendered their rights as citizens when they take up arms against their nation.
I’m going to need some time to think all this through. I haven’t made up my mind. I’m open to some thoughts on the subject.