CIA assassinations-- now on Fresh Air...

[TreasonousBastard]

Jane Mayer, who wrote the article for this week's New Yorker (subscription required to read it, so no link for you cheap bastards) is being interviewed right now by Terri Gross.

There are two Predator programs at the moment, the one run by the military and the one run by the CIA. The CIA one is secret, with secret targets and largely secret missions. Unless they want to brag about a terrorist they killed.

Back in the bush days, plans were drawn up to have CIA hit squads out there, but they never happened because assassination is illegal. Besides, we just dumped on the Israelis and made them stop their assasination plans.

But, for some reason, unmanned drones never seemed to be the same as snipers waiting in the bushes, and they happily went on with their missions. At this point, the CIA claims that they can use a drone to knock off any enemy of the US anywhere in the world. Theoretically, they say they have the right to knock one off in Saskatachewan, or Paris.

MP3 download of the show sometime after 3PM today. And the New Yorker should be on newsstands.

[clear eye]

1. So killing w/ a bunch of dead civilian collateral damage is O.K.,

but killing the same person by sniper, isn't. Oy.

[midnight]

2. Anything goes in this lawlessness known as America..... K&R

[bertman]

3. You nailed it, midnight.

After watching Frontline's "The Warning" last night, it was astonishing to see the arrogance of Alan Greenspan as he argued that investment bankers should have no regulation because whatever they did would be regulated by the markets.

Yes, I know this is apples and oranges to CIA assassinations, but it is the same mindset: we are above the law. Or we are a law unto ourselves.

Rec.

[theoldman]

4. I always thought that it only was illegal to assassinate a politician.

I don't think it is illegal to assassinate military personnel.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. The CIA is working on the assumption that...

this is an extension of a military operation, so is governed by the rules of war and not civil law.

They seem to think that this now allows them to perform previously illegal assassinations.

[votingupstart]

6. i will be interested to hear about it n/t