Bravo Senator Ron Wyden! (D – Oregon)

Every American has the right to know when their government believes that it is allowed to kill them.”

— Senator Wyden in the confirmation hearings for potential CIA director, John Brennan

I know I frequently take the cautious stance, but we need a serious public discussion about the use of drones and oversight of the use of drones, both domestic and abroad. The CIA decided to and did kill an American citizen in Yemen with a drone strike. Maybe he was a terrorist. I’ll give the government the benefit of the doubt and suggest that he probably was a terrorist.

But, after I gave President George W. Buffoon and shoot-my-friend-in-the-face Cheney the benefit of the doubt when he said Iraq had monstrous Weapons of Mass Destruction that they were planning on using against the US (when they didn’t) and launched this nation into 2 wars that have caused the greatest depression in my lifetime, I’m telling you not to trust any president with the power to snuff out people in a non-declared war without some very significant and serious oversight. The right to due process is a central tenet to the laws of this land and have been summarily dismissed because of the invisible “war” on “terror.”

This nation is supposed to have checks and balances to keep power under the control of the will of the people. George W. Buffoon severely altered that balance of power with his Republican House and Senate and the Patriot Act. This must be rectified.

“Go get the terrorists with the drones” sounds really good until they are flying the friendly skies of the USA looking for Americans that disagree with the balance of power.

This is serious! This is about who we are as a people.