Letters: American values and the use of drones
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Re “What Rand Paul got right,” Opinion, March 12
We have a fighting force overseas ranging from grunts on the ground to Army Rangers and Navy SEAL teams, all trained, willing and expected to risk their lives on behalf of American values. Here at home are the police, FBI and our National Guard units. Acceptance of assassination is not, so far as I know, considered an American value.
Had FDR ordered someone “killed on sight” who could have been captured, as Jonah Goldberg posits in his column on drone warfare, I have no doubt that much of the world, including many Americans, would have been shocked. This is not about assassinating Americans here or abroad; it’s about the irreversible punishment of anyone who hasn’t been legitimately proved guilty.
Jon K. Williams
Goleta, Calif.
Has our government killed Americans at home and without trial? Ask an American Indian, a British loyalist born in America or a southern Confederate combatant.
Should the military use the most up-to-date tools to do this? Let’s hope so. Anything less would involve needlessly risking Americans’ lives. Having served in the Navy, I always asked myself why the Marines thought the best tool to break down a door was a 19-year-old Marine.
Drones are used to kill the enemy. Why should American servicemen risk their lives when we can kill the enemy without putting a soldier in harm’s way?
Pete Alberini
La Mirada
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