Say Hello to the Death Panel

Secret panel can put Americans on kill list’ | Reuters.

This is a pretty important read.  Not that I have much sympathy for al-Awlaki, but if I may invoke the slippery slope here, it sets an incredibly dangerous precedent.  Let’s review the details:

1)  There is a secret panel that can authorize the government to assassinate people, even if the are U.S. citizens.

2)  We’re not sure exactly who is on this panel.

3)  We’re not sure exactly how this panel arrives at their decisions.

4)  This panel is not provided for by any existing law or executive order (that we know of at least).

5)  The amount of oversight the President has on this panel is “fuzzy.”

6)  People on this list are not notified of it.  They receive no due process whatsoever.  They will presumably find out they are on this list when a drone drops a bomb on their house.

Am I the only one just a BIT concerned here?  There should be mass protests in the streets of every major American city!  What’s that?  There are?  Oh, good.  Wait, what’s that?  These protestors are seeking the re-election of the people who instituted this system?  Oh…. well then.