As Senator Rand Paul has filibustered today, one very pointed question he demanded of President Obama was:
Do you claim to have the authority to kill U.S. citizens anywhere in America at any time, without trial or due process?
This evening Senator John Thune was acknowledged by Senator Paul during the midst of his filibuster and Thune emphatically stated that Paul deserves an answer to the very pointed and basic questions that have been posed repeatedly to the White House and other designated officials.
One of the few lengthy replies to date on the matter was announced via mainstream news channels today that covered the contents of Attorney General Eric Holder's response:
"...the U.S. has never carried out a drone strike against one of its citizens on American soil, and calls a situation where such a strike may occur "entirely hypothetical" and "unlikely to occur."
However, Holder does not entirely rule out that such a scenario may occur in the future, and indicates that such a strike would be legal under the Constitution.
"It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the president to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States," Holder said.
At the heart of this issue is the integrity of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. That Amendment protects the American citizen against abuse of authority in a legal procedure.
Senator Paul's stand is quickly inspiring millions of Americans from across the country that have become disenfranchised by the "business as usual" mindset that seems to have taken over Washington D.C. It is quickly becoming apparent that this is indeed a bi-partisan issue as many Democrats wish for clarification as does the ACLU.
As noted in NaturalNews.com:
"Senator Rand has called out the administration's frightening claim that Obama might somehow believe that he has the authority to order such strikes against American citizens who may be associated with terrorist or other groups bent on attacking the country, but who do not pose an imminent threat to do so (that's why the founders included due process in the Constitution)."
Some of the most poignant comments by Senator Paul include:
“To allow one man to accuse you in secret -- you never get notified you've been accused,” Paul said on the floor. “Your notification is the buzz of propellers on the drone as it flies overhead in the seconds before you're killed. Is that what we really want from our government?”
“No one politician should be allowed to judge the guilt, to charge an individual, to judge the guilt of an individual and to execute an individual. It goes against everything that we fundamentally believe in our country."
Senator Rand Paul has stated that he will filibuster until he can no longer speak or when he receives written assurances from the Attorney General Eric Holder that the administration would not carry out drone strikes on noncombatant Americans.
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