Letters: Were terrorist killings justified?
Waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, by the Bush administration was akin to the crime of the century, some said, and foreign-born terrorists had to be afforded the same rights as U.S. citizens.
Yet killing two American-born terrorists, Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, neither of whom was even indicted, is cause for celebration and chest-thumping by the Obama administration and most of the left, including Ellis Henican ["Battle in the realm of ideas," News, Oct. 2]. The hypocrisy of the left is palpable.
Bob O'Hara, West Bay Shore
Talk about the killing of al-Awlaki as being unconstitutional is total nonsense ["Al-Awlaki and the bounds of power," Editorial, Oct. 3]. Al-Awlaki was a traitor fighting against the United States. His aim was to kill as many Americans as possible. He forfeited all rights of a citizen. Justice was served.
Jay Noah Cutler, Valley Stream
Once every four years, Americans get the opportunity to vote freely on who they want to lead our country. With the primaries not that far off, it is important to know what each candidate stands for. In a world filled with global terrorism, America needs to choose a president willing to step up and defend our country regardless of where that threat comes from.
In the article "Attack on Americans a first for U.S." [News, Oct. 1], GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul of Texas condemned the killing of al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born al-Qaida terrorist. He labeled the killing an assassination and an act Americans should not accept casually. A note to Paul: When your body has cancer, you remove it regardless of whether it is part of you. His message hit me loud and clear. If you want to continue to live free of terrorism, do not vote for Rep. Ron Paul.
Some individuals and commentators have raised questions and expressed outrage that we are setting a dangerous precedent by killing United States citizens who are actively trying to kill other Americans and damage our government infrastructure.
My answer is that al-Awlaki's actions come under the category of traitorous to the nation that raised and educated him. The word traitor does not get much use today, but it certainly fits here. President Barack Obama, whom I do not favor in general, did the right thing. Traitors have, historically, been executed for betraying their country.
We are engaged in a war that will not go away. There are many reasons for this war. The mistakes made by us and other nations in the Middle East have fostered a hatred of the West which is, in some ways, justified. But we must defend ourselves while insisting on negotiations between the warring parties.
That means the Israelis and the Palestinians must be forced to sit down, cut the rhetoric and solve their problems. We must negotiate with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan. And we may need to sit down with Iran.
I believe we can begin to defuse the anger that exists between us and the Muslim world. Perhaps we need to return to some traditional values, while the Muslim world comes a bit further into the 21st century. The fate of humanity may be in the balance.
Nicholas Dallis, Smithtown
