ACLU Sues to Obtain Basic Data, Legal Justification for Predator Drone Program

[tekisui]

Source: The Raw Story

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit after federal agencies neglected to answer a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents pertaining to the legal basis for the military's Predator drone program.

The request specifically seeks information as to how the program is governed, who can be targeted, along with when and where, and the data on civilian casualties caused by the remote-controlled weapons.

It was originally filed on Jan. 13 with the departments of defense and justice, along with the Central Intelligence Agency, none of which replied, according to the non-profit.

"The public has a right to know whether the targeted killings being carried out in its name are consistent with international law and with the country's interests and values," said Jonathan Manes, a legal fellow with the ACLU National Security Project, in a media advisory. "The Obama administration should disclose basic information about the program, including its legal basis and limits, and the civilian casualty toll thus far."

Meanwhile, the globalist thinktank Council on Foreign Relations is circulating an article by Harvard National Security Journal contributor Brett H. McGurk, offering a counter-point on the use of unmanned weapons of war, opening with a rather cold-cocked headline: "Lawyers: A Predator Drone's Achilles Heel?"

Interestingly, in the article's opening paragraphs, McGurk flatly states that law and ethics "take a back seat" to the "new tactics" arising from the use of drones.

"As a former official overseeing national strategy in two warzones, I appreciate how law and ethics can take a back seat to new tactics that turn the tide against committed enemies," he wrote. "So long as the tactics are legally available, whatever the theory, then the tactics will be used. In Iraq, there have probably been more Predator drone strikes than anywhere else on earth - and with tremendous effect, degrading extremist networks and decapitating leadership cells. Drone attacks alone are not strategically sound, but when combined with a campaign to secure the population against common enemies, the strategic advantages are proven and empirical. The same strategy is now being employed in Afghanistan."

more: http://rawstory.com/2010/03/aclu-forced-sue-obtain-legal-basis-predator-drone-program/

[Robb]

1. K&R

This is an exceptionally complicated issue and needs more sunshine.

[tekisui]

2. kick