US-born cleric calls for death of all Americans

[Turborama]

Source: ABC (Australia)

ELEANOR HALL: An Islamist cleric who was born in the United States is calling for the death of all Americans in a new video message posted on the web.

This is the man that international authorities have linked to the recent intercepted cargo bombs sent from Yemen to the United States.

His video threat comes as the Obama administration is being challenged in court over its reported decision to put him on a CIA hit list, as Paula Kruger reports.

PAULA KRUGER: The latest message from Anwar al-Awlaki appears to have been made before authorities foiled a plot involving explosive packages sent from Yemen to the United States.

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3061307.htm

---

US says it has legal authority to kill American-born Anwar al-Awlaki

An ACLU lawsuit is challenging the legality of including Anwar al-Awlaki on a secret 'kill list.' The US says killing the cleric, an Al Qaeda member, would safeguard national security.

By Warren Richey, Staff writer / November 8, 2010

Responding to a lawsuit challenging the legality of including an American citizen on a secret government “kill list,” a Justice Department lawyer argued in federal court on Monday that the US government has the legal authority to target and kill a US-born Islamic cleric believed to be hiding in Yemen.

Douglas Letter, the Justice Department’s terrorism litigation counsel, while stressing that he was neither confirming nor denying the existence of such a list, told US District Judge John Bates that Congress in the wake of the 9/11 attacks had authorized the executive branch to use all “necessary and appropriate” force against Al Qaeda and associated groups.

He said the Obama administration has determined that the targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki would be legal and justified to safeguard US national security. “If we use lethal force we do so consistent with the law,” Mr. Letter said.

His arguments were part of a government effort to win dismissal of the lawsuit, which is being argued by the American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer told the judge that the administration’s plan would violate constitutional protections and international law.

Full article: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/1108/US-says-it-has-legal-authority-to-kill-American-born-Anwar-al-Awlaki

[madrchsod]

1. bin laden must be so sad...he`s no longer the big dog....

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. I suspect he's been pushing lilies for a while

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Death of all Americans. I am sure he was just mistranslated...

or misunderstood.

[Turborama]

5. Here's the translation

From the article in the OP...

ANWAR AL-AWLAKI (translation): Do not seek any permission when it comes to the killing of the Americans. Fighting the devil doesn't need a religious edict, deliberation, prayer or guidance. They are the party of the devil and fighting them is the personal duty of our times.

We reach that moment when it is either us or them. We are two opposites that will never meet. They want something that cannot happen unless they wipe us out. This is a decisive battle. This is a battle of Moses and pharaoh; this is a battle of righteousness and falsehood.


Or were you being sarcastic?

[earcandle]

8. Try putting yourself in their shoes, given what we have done to their people.

Are we gonna take responsibility for what has been done in our
name or not? 

If not, we are lumped in with those who have caused genocide
in many countries,
whether you like it or not. 

I think we need to clean up our act or pay the consequences of
that which we know not.  

Bring the contractors home, learn their stories.  Give them
amnesty and healing.
Fix the problems.   We can be forgiven as a whole if we hang
the perps.  

[Turborama]

10. I was just posting the news and the quote

I haven't expressed an opinion.

Let me ask you though, are you sympathizing with what Anwar al-Awlaki said?

[earcandle]

12. Are you in denial of what we have done to the people of the muslim faith?

[earcandle]

14. I don't know this guy's motivation. But maybe he is trying to be a hero and laying his life on the

line to try to stop us from droning and killing in the name of
something we made a war on, much like the war on drugs.  

[Frank Booth]

17. Or maybe he's just a power hungry, ruthless sociopath no better than any other

sociopath.

[Luminous Animal]

25. If so, then he has much in common with the U. S. government.

[earcandle]

50. He'd be more significant if he was acting as hero. Nevertheless, he is one of us.

What did he actually do that made him appear power hungry and
ruthless? 
And where is the evidence for that?  Or is this grandstanding?

[earcandle]

51. And is it FAUX news reporting his "death to all americans" stand? They lie.

[Turborama]

15. No. Now, are you going to answer my question? n/t

[Socal31]

21. You are out there, all alone. Scratch that, you are with the kooks.

If you get a knock on your door, I can't say I feel sorry for you.

[Luminous Animal]

35. I guess it is time to round up ACLU and CCR members.

[Binka]

60. Kooks Unite

The poster you replied to is full of hooey. A basic black and white kind of thinking. Well, if one could call it thinking.:crazy:

[Binka]

61. A Knock On The Door? Yes Those Pesky Avon Reps Can Be Irritating.

:silly:

[WinkyDink]

42. One cannot criticize all Muslims, so how can you all Americans?

See how that works?

[NoPasaran]

44. "We"?

You got a mouse in your pocket?

[earcandle]

49. To answer your leading question, I don't sympathize with terrorists of any kind, and I call a spade

a spade.  

[Turborama]

64. But 4 minutes later you went on to say this...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9518237&mesg_id=9519546

That (and the rest of your reactions to the OP and its subthreads) sounds like apologetics to me.

[earcandle]

52. And don't project onto me the hatred of all Americans. I am a humanitarian. I don't want anyone

murdered nor genocided.  I am against that kind of violence.

We need to heal our contractors and our soldiers who have
committed horrendous deeds so
some dumbucks who run guns can have bucks in their pockets and
I find that appalling. 

We need to cast weapons industries out of of SEC so they
cannot make profits on murder. 

[Ozymanithrax]

55. The United States has not tried to wipe Muslims...

Even when we acted with our heaviest hand.

That is moral equivalence that not even Jon Stewart would claim.

[jobycom]

31. You can tell he's American. He sounds just like most conservatives I know.

And a shocking number of people calling themselves liberal, as well.

[Luminous Animal]

33. Haha! Yep.

[Ozymanithrax]

54. I didn't think I needed to add the sarcasm smiley...

Sometimes I still forget this isn't a conversation in the line at the grocery store.

[Turborama]

65. Cool

I'm glad I asked at the end to make sure. Sometimes it's hard to tell...

[Luminous Animal]

23. How is this different than Ann Coulter saying that we obliterate Islam

by invading their countries, killing all their leaders, and converting them to Christianity?

Perhaps she was just mistranslated.

[leftynyc]

39. It's not different

That's why I think they're both barbarians and disgusting human beings. You defending one of them tells us a lot.

[Salander]

59. I suspect distortion here.

Where is the context for this quote? I suspect distortion here. If this Yemeni-American really said this the way it is reported: "kill all Americans," he would be a hypocrite, which is the worst thing you could call a Muslim. If it's translated by MEMRI, you know it is bogus.
I would suspect the translation is by MEMRI, an organization famous for distorting the truth.

[kysrsoze]

3. Dang it! ALL of us? Even American Muslims? What a jerk.

OK, now I am all for due process, but the guy is calling for the death of ALL Americans. Wouldn't that make him an enemy combatant/traitor/armed and dangerous, etc? Why didn't we just try to find/capture him, and well... Oops! I felt some compassion for those locked up in Guantanamo, but this is ridiculous. It's not as if this hasn't happened before.

[no_hypocrisy]

40. A fundamentalist Muslim would sooner kill an apostate than an infidel.

Being a Muslim in America is no protection as far as Al-Awlaki goes.

[Ozymanithrax]

56. An American Muslim isn't an apostate...

He just lives on the wrong piece of property.

[Poll_Blind]

4. Yeah, yeah...Get in line, asshole!

I'll still argue that you (and all citizens, that's the point) should have the right to a trial instead of having a Hellfire missile shot up your ass but you ain't makin' it any easier.

PB

[CLANG]

6. I won't be sweating it...

[bluedigger]

7. Sound sort of...suicidal.

A cry for help, if you ask me...

[TheWraith]

9. Okay... how about you lead by example?

Here's your suicide pill.

[McCamy Taylor]

11. No, the US can not execute its citizens. Not legally. It's in the Constitution.

Why doesn't the CIA just go ahead and do it illegally the way that they always have? Why try to make Americans agree with their decision? Are they afraid some later Republican administration will charge them with war crimes?

I will not budge an inch on my position, even if they claim he has called for the death of all American kittens.

[Confusious]

13. In absentia, problem solved. You're welcome.

Even the United States allows trials in the absence of the accused if he is disruptive or absconds, as long as he was present at the initiation of proceedings. Rule 43(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allows a trial to take place "and the defendant shall be considered to have waived the right to be present whenever a defendant, initially present, (1) is voluntarily absent after the trial has commenced." The "initial presence" requirement - which many courts had dispensed with prior to a Supreme Court decision in 1993 - is designed to ensure that the accused has notice of the charges and proceedings. The "initial presence" requirement is not constitutional, but only required by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and therefore, American state courts need not require it. In fact, some state courts have gone ahead with trials in absentia despite the defendant not having been initially present, when there was no doubt that the defendant had made an "intelligent and knowing waiver" of the right to be present. Because there is no doubt about the Yugoslav and Croatian defendants' awareness of the charges, there is no reason to insist on the formality of an initial appearance where proceedings before the Tribunal are concerned.

[tomm2thumbs]

16. uh, we all die - duh... maybe he should call for blindness -something we could measure

or severe diarrhea - but no, he calls for death

tsk tsk tsk

[The Second Stone]

18. Yes, we are all going to die a slow and pointless death

And so is everyone else.

[provis99]

19. so is al-Awlaki goint to kill himself? He's an American.

Maybe he should start by killing himself, as an inspiration to others!

[dogfacedboy]

20. Thank You! This clown has to "go". Quickly.

[Luminous Animal]

24. Why? Bush, Powell, Cheney, Rumsfeld, & Rice

lied their asses off and we invaded two countries. We've caused massive death, destruction, illness, homelessness and misery. Obama and our congress with a complicit and compliant citizenry continues the travesty and has broadened illegal attacks into Pakistan & Yemen.

How is this clown any different from them?

[earcandle]

67. Just out.... The new progressives have plans that are going to kick some ass.

We are dumping Obama and hiring new progressive Pres/VP in
2012.

Then we are prosecuting the whole Bush/Cheney gang, and Obama
will also be prosecuted for
continuing war crimes in our name.

They will all go to prison to demonstrate that you don't fuck
with the constitution, nor
the American Democratic Public for too long and get away with
it.  Also, plans in place
to aggressively prosecute Monsanto for polluting our food and
destroying American Agriculture.

And you know about all of those fake dialysis centers run by
technicians in unsanitary conditions?
All of those corps who run them are going to be shut down
because of infection, disease, and being
in cahoots with Monsanto for downgrading food in a development
plan passed by congress in 1972
to systematically poison the American people for the fun of
it, and the dollars. 

Get out the popcorn.  The asshats, and the genociders are
going down.  Just a matter of time. 

[Goldstein1984]

22. Remember the good ol' days when gods got off their asses

and did their own dirty work?

No they want religious nuts to do all their dirty work for them. It's a little hard to take ol' Allah seriously when the best he can do is get whackos hiding in mud huts to make threats against nuclear powers.

Maybe some frogs or boils or some sort of sign.

[Luminous Animal]

26. Yes. It so much more civilized when you have political nuts with nuclear power capabilities

bombing the shit out of powerless people.

[Goldstein1984]

47. I never said or intended to say we're more civilized, only

that a serious, omnipotent god could much more effectively take on the nuclear power itself. My comment was limited only the David & Goliath scenario, not to the relative moral stature of the two.

That said, where the folks in the mud huts can beat empire is by consistently threatening terror, which will keep the superpowers, with their extremely costly military, spending money into bankruptcy. So, maybe it's the gods who are playing chess.

Everything is self-limiting. The current stupidity in our political cycle will be self-limiting. Power is self-limiting. Western culture, by being unsustainable, is self-limiting. War is self-limiting.

What do you think is the survivability of a species with a brain and moral systems that evolved primarily within the limitations of stone tools, and suddenly in possession of nuclear power? I think it isn't much.

[Quantess]

27. Great, now RWers will cling to this story

and say "See? He was a terror baby".

[Luminous Animal]

28. And how is that worse than DUers slobbering, "Kill him!"

[Warren DeMontague]

30. What's worse than both those is DUers falling all over themselves to apologize

for and justify this sort of mass homicidal fantasizing.

[Luminous Animal]

32. I don't apologize for it. But like you said, it is fantasizing. Just like Coulter fantasizing

about converting all Muslim countries and converting the population to Christianity at the end of a gun.

And what conservative American advocated for killing all liberals but keeping a few around to instill fear into the citizenry?

[Warren DeMontague]

34. And that was a mighty fucked up thing to say, too.

The rantings of a sociopathic ass. Just like this guy.

But I can condemn what Coulter said without having to throw in all sorts of ancillary justifications, trying to 'understand where she's coming from'. :eyes: She's bugfuck nuts, and spewing vile shit.

[Luminous Animal]

36. And, only sociopaths would advocate assassinating her for bugfuck nuts vile shit.

[Warren DeMontague]

38. And where, precisely, in this thread is someone advocating assasinating this guy?

Because maybe I'm missing it.

I do, however, see posters falling all over themselves to justify, excuse, or otherwise explain away the man's statement.

[apocalypsehow]

66. +1.

I knew the second I saw the OP that there would be plenty of "but...but...but..." followed by a lot of slobbering rationalizations or tu quoque apologetics.

[Warren DeMontague]

29. Good news, buddy. In 200 years, all Americans alive now will be dead.

At least, the odds are fairly good for that to be the case. I suppose you never know.

[Hannah Bell]

37. son of a yemen agricultural minister & university president, relation of the present

yemeni PM.

this guy got a masters at san diego state & did graduate coursework at george washington university (which i believe is reputed to be spook u).

something else going on here.

[CJCRANE]

48. IIRC he was also invited

to the Pentagon as a VIP in the Bush era.

IMO the christian and muslim fundamentalists are two sides of the same coin.

[WinkyDink]

41. Can we not enlist international help to arrest him? Are we now James Bond writ large? Why even care?

Does the govt care what I say?

[DailyGrind51]

43. The Republicans are getting around to that themselves!

[NoPasaran]

45. I hope we fly a drone right up his ass

Eat death, shit head!

[Canuckistanian]

46. And, it's Round Two in the battle of the religious extremists

The American Christianists landed the first blow with a call for killing all Muslims, but now this plucky Islamist is now getting his own shots in.

Stay tuned....

[TwilightGardener]

53. Gonna look the other way on this while they hopefully take him out.

AFAIC, he lost his right to due process and Constitutional protections when he left the US and essentially declared war on us from abroad.

[grahamhgreen]

57. This guy is the new Osama. Don't forget he also had SECRET MEETINGS WITH THE PENTAGON! nt

[smiley]

62. suckers....

each and every one of us. The world's a stage.....

[La Lioness Priyanka]

63. asshole. nt

[earcandle]

68. So who is calling for the death of all Americans?

Plans in place to aggressively prosecute Monsanto for polluting our food and
destroying American Agriculture.

And you know about all of those fake dialysis centers run by technicians in unsanitary conditions?
All of those corps who run them are going to be shut down because of infection, disease, and being
in cahoots with Monsanto for downgrading food in a development plan passed by congress in 1972
to systematically poison the American people for the fun of it, and the dollars.

Take your pick Mr. American.

Do you like better the systematic death by the food and medical industry aimed directly at you in our
own country, or will you lose sleep over some angry scared Muslim American with no power making shit up?

Which is more real, Mr. American.

Get out the popcorn. The asshats, and the genociders are going down. Just a matter of time.