Monday Matter-Marking Period 2 Week Four

Anwar Awlaki: Targeted for death

Because there was no due process for Anwar Awlaki, even though his death may have been justified for his acts furthering terrorism, we cannot be sure that he really did commit those acts as he had no opportunity to respond to any allegations. Killing an American without due process violates the 5th Amendment and is also morally wrong, in that Anwar Awlaki was not an immediate threat. It is true that today it is much harder to decide how to act in a war against terrorism, without clear-cut battlefields or uniforms, and it is understandable the U.S. government's worry about the threat of Anwar Awlaki. However, for the U.S. government to sponsor assassination, there must at least be judicial review. And although it is true that Awlaki's father Nasser al-Aulaqi's case against the U.S. government to take Awlaki off the targeted killing list was lost, and so legally the Obama administration was in the right, terrorism is not an excuse to ignore America's founding principles.