Like many of you, I was surprised when the United States killed one of its own citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki, without even the pretense of due process. This is especially surprising considering that Osama Bin Laden was the subject of numerous charges, arrest warrants, and indictments by grand juries before he was killed - yet Anwar al-Awlaki was assassinated without even the judicial oversight required for a wiretap.
Many of you have written about this more eloquently than I have, so I'm trying not to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, in the spirit of activism, I'm hoping to make this diary more about the community than myself, to solicit advice and talking points so that we can write our representatives & senators more effectively, and urge caution around this new approach to justice.
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, I'm lending you my ear.
Here's a starting point for what a letter to congress might look like.
Hello,
I'm writing to express my concerns about America sentencing its own citizens to execution without trial, and I'm concerned that the safeguards in place might not be appropriate nor sufficient.
Although Anwar al-Awlaki's death is certainly a victory for America's military and intelligence community, the process by which it was ordered sets a dangerous precedent. Even Osama Bin Laden was the subject of numerous charges, grand jury investigations, and arrest warrants. And when he was killed, he was killed by operatives who had a warrant for his arrest. Anwar al-Alwaki, however, wasn't charged with any crimes, there were no indictments against him, and yet his killing lacked the judicial oversight that even a wiretap would demand. After a very mixed record of capital punishment in this country, I would suggest we need to make it harder, not easier, to take the life of one of our own citizens.
The War on Terror is a new kind of war, and new tactics are to be expected. However, before we put more Americans on the list for targeted killings, I would urge transparency and increased safeguards around this new process.
Thank you,
Johnny Boston
That's just a two minute draft, but hopefully folks can work with it, personalize it, and send it out.
Thoughts:
It's important to support the troops, and assume good faith behind this killing.
Comparing this with other precedents might be a good idea too.
Is your senator/rep a member of a relevant committee?
How else can you personalize it to stand out from the pile of letters?
This draft seems kind of inflammatory, a calmer approach might be better.
Links
The US Senate:
http://www.senate.gov/
The US House:
http://www.house.gov/