Question by flercemel0n: What does the fifth Amendment to the Constitution mean?
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence [sic] to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Attorney General Eric Holder today provided the most detailed terms to date on the legal principals behind the U.S. drone campaign and the U.S. government’s legal authority to target and kill U.S. citizens…
“Some have called such operations ‘assassinations.’ They are not, and the use of that loaded term is misplaced. Assassinations are unlawful killings,” Holder continued in his prepared remarks. “The U.S. government’s use of lethal force in self defense against a leader of al Qaeda or an associated force who presents an imminent threat of violent attack would not be unlawful — and therefore would not violate the Executive Order banning assassination or criminal statutes.”
“Because the United States is in an armed conflict, we are authorized to take action against enemy belligerents under international law,” Holder said today. “The Constitution empowers the President to protect the nation from any imminent threat of violent attack. And international law recognizes the inherent right of national self-defense. None of this is changed by the fact that we are not in a conventional war.”
I thought it meant that the government could not do this for any reason, with the exception being military personel in time of war, which we are not and haven’t been since world war II, or it would be acting outside of the laws of our government… Silly me…
Best answer:
Answer by Paladin
“due process of law” now means its ok if Holder said so
What do you think? Answer below!