Power to kill citizens leads to Senate threat over Obama appointees

Senators in both Parties today issued a threat in an official letter to President Obama to torpedo the president's appointees over the administration's contention that the government has the power and authority to kill citizens on our own soil and abroad, particularly with drones.

At issue is a statement released by the Justice Department Monday stating that it has received "secret legal opinions" that justify its belief that the government can kill citizens with drones in the ongoing war on terror. The statement was released in the context of the fight against al Qaeda and Americans who may side with terrorists.

But government watchdogs say that the entire notion of the power to kill U.S. citizens by their own government is cast so broadly by this administration that it would be easy to stray into illegal areas, such as killing passionate and vocal dissenters and opponents of the administration here at home. And the senators expressed deep concern that the supposed legal basis for this policy is being kept secret by the administration.

The senators stated that unless the president informs Congress of the precise nature of the "secret legal opinions" giving it the power to kill citizens, then the Senate may refuse to confirm any new Obama appointees for his second term.

The text of the letter can be read here.

In a related development, a popular blog is hosting today a forum that focuses on the current government power grab in a variety of areas, particularly within the context of the push for gun bans, universal background checks leading to a ban on private gun sales, and a national registry database of all gun owners.

Citizens are worried that at the very time government is attempting to disarm citizens it is also insisting that it has the authority to kill its own citizens in drone attacks.

WRSA is hosting the forum, featuring several well-known gun rights and liberty activists such as David Codrea, Claire Wolfe, T.L. Davis, and Matt Bracken. The forum began at 10 a.m. this morning and will conclude at 3 p.m. this afternoon. WRSA is live-blogging the entire forum.

The issues discussed in the forum reflect the growing concerns of citizens across the country, such as where are we today as a nation with regard to personal liberty, how did we get here, why did citizens allow the government to gain such oppressive power, and is there any hope for the future of a free society in light of the present state of affairs.

Citizen activists say that the deep concern over these issues will only intensify and probably culminate in a confrontation as long as Obama continues with his post-election stance of doubling down on extremist proposals and taking a combative attitude toward his detractors.

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A brand new entry is now available in my regular series Musings After Midnight, which is now posted at my blog, The Liberty Sphere. The very latest is "'I Shall Not Be Moved:' the bold declaration of patriots who have no intention of obeying unconstitutional laws."

Also check out: "I'll see you in the war -- Civil War II: Notes on the coming calamity to restore the Constitution."

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