Citizens+on+the+Terrorist+Watch+List

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4. Citizens on the Terrorist Watch List are entitled to the same rights and protections as all citizens.
 * QUESTION 4: PRO-A

Graham Devine

American citizens put on the Terror Watch List are suspected or thought to have the ability to potently harm the United States and its citizens. “Inclusion on the watch list can keep terrorism suspects off planes, block noncitizens from entering the country and subject people to delays and greater scrutiny at airports, border crossings and traffic stops.”(Savage). A person on the Terror Watch List still has his or her natural rights and if they are or were a citizen of the United States then they are entitled to the rights of constitution. A example of someone not getting their rights was Al-Awlaki who died in late September by a United States drone strike. Al-Awlaki was “Born in the United States to Yemeni parents, al-Awlaki went to college here… he’s a U.S. citizen.”(National Review). The U.S. government did not acknowledge Al-Awlaki’s rights as a U.S. citizen and he should have gotten a trial because of the 5th and 6th Amendments that should have given Al-Awlaki the right to a fair court trial. He was entitled to the same rights and protections as any other citizen.

"Al-Awlaki’s Just Demise - The Editors." //National Review Online//. National Review, 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. . || QUESTION 4: PRO-B Lydia Eicher

American Citizens on the Terrorist Watch List are entitled to the 5th Amendment. We have this Amendment to prevent that a small group of people decide important things without giving good reasons. Al-Awlaki, an American citizen, was killed on September 30th, 2011 without due process. By taking his right to due process away, the government violated his Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which says that no one shall be “deprived of live, liberty, or property, without due process of law (Shane).” Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director of the A.C.L.U. (American Civil Liberties Union) said that “as we've seen today, this is a program under which American citizens far from any battlefield can be executed by their own government without judicial process, and on the basis of standards and evidence that are kept secret not just form the public, but from the courts (quoted in Shane).” Killing a person and not publishing the reasons leads to a violation of United States and international law. “Al-Awlaki was born here, he’s an American citizen, he was never tried or charged for any crimes (Goodman) ,” said Ron Paul, the Republican of Texas who is running for president. Because he is a citizen he has the right to due process. Even if we are very scared about our security, it is not okay to take a person’s right to due process away.

Goodman, J. David. "Awlaki Killing Incites Criticsm on Left and Libertarian." // The New York Times // 30 Sept. 2011: n. pag. // The New York Times //. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <[|http://www.nytimes.com]>.

Shane, Scott. "Judging a Long, Deadly Reach." // The New York Times // 30 Sept. 2011: n. pag. // The New York Times //. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <[|http://www.nytimes.com]>. || Stacy Gibson
 * QUESTION 4: CON-A

Once a person is put onto the Terrorist Watch List, meaning they pose a threat to the rest of the citizens of the U.S., they are no longer entitled to the same rights and protections of all citizens. Anyone who is considered a threat to America, even if they are natural born American citizens, is, according to the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, able to be denied rights (during a time of War). One recent example of a person who fits into this category is Anwar al-Awlaki who was recently shot down by U.S. drones because he “ posed an unusual danger to the U.S. homeland” (Byman). The fact that al-Awlaki was a threat to the lives of Americans and it is currently a time of war- War on Terror- based on the Fifth amendment, al-Awlaki is able to be denied the right to due process and life. Also, according to Richard who writes for the //Daily Beast//, killing al-Awlaki was considered the only way to take care of the situation because, even though he was an American citizen, he was located in Yemen meaning that he must first be handed over to the American government before the right to due process could apply; but since the Yemen government is so weak and disorganized, there was no way to bring al-Awlaki to the U.S. meaning the only way to stop the problem would be to kill him without following proper due process procedures. This may not seem like the best way to handle the situation, but when a single person threatens the well-being of an entire country, the loss of one life is more preferable then the loss of hundreds. __ Works cited: __ Richard. //The Daily Beast.// Quoted from an in class discussion on October 4, 2011. Byman, Daniel. "More Than a Feeling." //Foreign Polocy//30 Sept. 2011: n. pag. //The Washington Post//. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. || QUESTION 4: CON-B Place Your Name Here ||