What you're saying is accurate if we were truly at war and the accused had taken up arms and engaged us on the battle field. What we are doing is a grandiose police action, killing citizens who merely talk shit about us. The NDAA goes so far as to say just to be "belligerent".
The White paper states that the US government can kill its own citizens if:
(1) An informed, high level-official of the U.S. government has determined that the targeted individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States. (Who would that be? It sure as hell isn't a judge)
(2) Capture is infeasible, and the United States continues to monitor whether capture becomes feasible; and
(3) the operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles.
Concerning item 1 above, the White paper also states:
"The condition that an operational leader present an 'imminent' threat of violent attack against the United States does not require the United States to have clear evidence that a specific attack on U.S. persons will take place in the immediate future,"
Not only is the "kill list" secret, the citizen being targeted has no opportunity to challenge their designation as a terrorist, thus being denied due process.
From Adam Serwer, writing for Mother Jones....
"The Obomba administration claims that the secret judgment of a single "well-informed high level administration official" meets the demands of due process and is sufficient justification to kill an American citizen suspected of working with terrorists. That procedure is entirely secret. Thus it's impossible to know which rules the administration has established to protect due process and to determine how closely those rules are followed. The government needs the approval of a judge to detain a suspected terrorist. To kill one, it need only give itself permission".
This is unprecedented, outrageous and dangerous.
