There’s one measure that quietly passed in the House along with Friday’s massive defense bill that libertarians may like: a ban on drone strikes against U.S. citizens.
The idea that the United States military could target citizens with Hellfire missiles from an unmanned aerial vehicle caught prominence when Sen. Rand Paul held an epic 13-hour filibuster demanding to know whether the Obama administration thought it had the authority to carry out such a strike.
Attorney General Eric Holder eventually answered “no,” the administration does not, as long as the person is not actively engaged in combat against the United States.
Still, many members of Congress did not want to take Holder at his word, and a ban, authored by Georgia GOP Rep. Paul Broun, was slipped into the National Defense Authorization Act among a block of amendments approved only on a voice vote.
The amendment says the “Department of Defense may not use a drone to kill a citizen of the United States,” except in the same case Holder noted.
“The prohibition … shall not apply to an individual who is actively engaged in combat against the United States.”
“I reluctantly supported the NDAA because it is critical that we provide for our national defense and give our men and women in uniform the resources they need,” said Broun. “However, I am deeply concerned that the bill doesn’t go far enough to protect U.S. citizens from government overreach, and I plan to continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that Americans’ rights are protected.”
The Senate is now working on its own version of the bill.
Source: Huffington Post
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
Does it also include self declared enemies of America too? They promote violence against Americans and join enemythe groups yet we must use restraint when protecting our loyal citizenry!
huh???