YOU BE THE JUDGE

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 447

A great friend of mine, who is also a good and caring thinker, just sent me some questions. And I am forwarding them on to you, our 2 Paragraphs Family, for your thoughts. So here they are:

YOU be the Judge (or Law Professor) on the legality of the following.

1. A van is on an isolated desert road in Nevada apparently with drugs to sell and six guys all likely (but not guaranteed) to be dealers and noncitizens:
1. May law enforcement drone-strike the truck?
2. If two guys are writhing after the strike, may they be droned?
3. If two guys are writhing after the strike, may a US law enforcement officer show up and shoot them in the head?
2. A van is on an isolated desert road in Nevada apparently with drugs to sell and six guy all likely (but not guaranteed) to be dealers and noncitizens.
1. May law enforcement interdict the van, line up the passengers, and shoot them dead?
2. If two guys are writhing after the shooting, may they be shot in the head?
3. If a US President orders the strike in 1 above, may the President be criminally prosecuted by a liberal DA in Florida?
4. A panga boat is a few miles off the Orange County shore apparently with drugs to sell and six guys all likely (but not guaranteed) to be dealers and noncitizens.
1. May the law enforcement drone-strike the panga boat?
2. If two guys are writhing after the strike, may they be droned?
5. If a panga boat beaches at Dana Point apparently with drugs to sell and six guys all likely (but not guaranteed) to be dealers and noncitizens, must we respond only with a grand jury indictment, a free lawyer, a jury trial and, if convicted, a sentence not including the death penalty, followed by a mandatory appeal, potentially to the Supreme Court? (Which is what we did in 2019.)
6. An American Citizen in Yemen is likely to be a terrorist.
1. May the US military drone-strike the American Citizen?
2. May the military drone strike the American Citizen if he is closely surrounded by folks at a wedding party?
3. If a US President orders this drone strike may the President be criminally prosecuted by a conservative DA in Martha’s Vineyard?
7. May the US military kill an Iranian citizen and scientist working on nuclear physics?
8. May a civilian kill Hitler in 1940? Or 1945? (I’m reading the fascinating biography of Bonhoeffer)

In most of the questions above, what is the role of certain Constitutional Amendments, the Constitution's War Powers Clause, the War Powers Statutes, the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act of 1986, and Geneva Conventions and related provisions. Important if not critical things to ponder!