U.S. Citizen Targeted in U.S. Bomb Strike

Another big victory for the war on terror -- Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in a drone bomb strike in Yemen on September 30.  This man has links to terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, believed to be responsible for many cyber attacks on the United States, and is said to be a very successful recruiter of Jihadists.  He was placed on the "Capture or Kill" list making him a target for assassination under the Obama administration, which eventually led to his demise.

However, there is a twist in this story; al-Awlaki was an American born citizen of the United States.  He was also not convicted of any crime or even put on trial. According to the Constitution of the United States, every American has the right to a fair trial.  So what happens when a nation breaks its own laws?  Many politicians on both sides of the aisle were quick to praise the military and the President for their successful mission. Very few politicians took notice that an essential American right was disregarded in the process.  

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is a single American patriot that could say that Anwar al-Awlaki is a law abiding citizen.  We know he has links to U.S. terrorist attacks, was outspoken on his anti-American beliefs, and spent much of his life in Yemen living with extremist groups.  What we do not know is if he ever actually broke the laws of the United States or killed anyone. Still, this administration did not waste time to figure out if he did indeed break the law.  Instead our government went rogue from the constitution, abandoning any respect for American's rights by assassinating one of the individuals, that under the Constitution, they swore to protect.  

The American justice system is set up to protect the innocent and in the United States we judge, based on fact, what can be proven. We do not judge with our guts or our hearts. Even though all evidence tells me that this was a terrible individual who by human standards of justice deserved death, I must also remember that the Constitutional Rights that protect my freedom are the same ones that were supposed to be protecting his.  And his rights were trampled, it matters not if he did or did not deserve death.  

I do not believe that the United States has nor had any intention other than protecting the American people in this strike. However, they overstepped the boundaries that "We the People" gave to them in order to protect ourselves from governmental abuse of power.  The government does not owe fair treatment to al-Awlaki, they owe it to the people of the United States to ensure that we never are sentenced without a trial.  

This administration should have gone about apprehending this criminal according to the laws it swore to uphold.  And as Christians, let us not celebrate any death except that of our Savior and let us not succumb to fear and give up our rights for an illusion of safety.