Crossposted atLehigh Valley Independent
This is nuts. What would be the point of having a Constitution if the government could just decide that you're not a citizen, even though you were born here. You know, the definition of a citizen. And yet it is precisely that totalitarian power that Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA-15) wants Obama to wield:
Lehigh Valley Rep. Charlie Dent plans to introduce a resolution tomorrow calling on the Obama administration to strip cleric Anwar al-Awlaki of his American citizenship.
In a draft release provided to Penn Ave. by Dent's office, Dent says al-Awlaki is tied to al Qaeda and is linked to the Fort Hood shootings as well as the attempted Christmas Day bombings.
“As recent reports highlight, the U.S. government views al-Awlaki as a proven threat, and will take him dead or alive,” Congressman Dent said. “Being a citizen of the United States of America is more than a right; it’s a responsibility. By his own actions, al-Awlaki has voluntarily surrendered his citizenship, and we should take the necessary steps to acknowledge that. Further should al-Awlaki be captured, his rights should be limited to those of an alien held abroad in military detention.”
You can't just take an American's citizenship away. That's literally the whole point of the Constitution. It doesn't matter how much of a monster the guy is. If you are born here, you are guaranteed all the protections that the Constitution specifies. Full stop.
No one ever proposed revoking Charles Manson, or Timothy McVeigh, or Warren Jeffs' citizenship. Anwar al-Awlaki hasn't even personally killed anyone. He is charged with incitement. There is absolutely no reason he shouldn't be tried in the regular civilian courts. The precedent this would set is appalling. Dent would give politicians, not judges, the discretion to strip any American of their Constitutional rights if those politicians find a crime severe enough. That is the ultimate politicization of justice, and it's disgusting.