The drone policy that President Obama has developed not only infringes on the sovereignty of other countries, insist Nation editors in the new issue of the magazine, but the assassinations violate laws put in place in the 1970s after scandals enveloped an earlier era of CIA criminality. What’s more, by allowing the executive branch to circumvent judicial review, the kill list makes a mockery of due process for terror suspects, even US citizens—in clear violation of the Constitution.

Liberals raised a ruckus about President Bush’s human rights abuses. Silence now is not an option. The women-initiated grassroots peace group Code Pink has started a campaign imploring President Obama to ground the lethal drones and kill the “Kill List.” Add your name to the call. You can also add a personal message. After you’ve weighed in, share this post with friends, family and your Twitter and Facebook communities.

This extensive investigative report by the New York Times revealed who is actually making the final decision on the US’s biggest killings and drone strikes: President Obama himself. Last February in The Nation, John Sifton offered a brief history of drone warfare.

In an appearance on Democracy Now!, constitutional lawyer and political blogger Glenn Greenwald made clear why Obama’s “Kill List’ is such a big deal: “I really do believe it’s literally the most radical power that a government and a president can seize, and yet the Obama administration has seized this power and exercised it aggressively with very little controversy.”

 

A weekly guide to meaningful action, this blog connects readers with resources to channel the outrage so many feel after reading about abuses of power and privilege. Far from a comprehensive digest of all worthy groups working on behalf of the social good, Take Action seeks to shine a bright light on one concrete step that Nation readers can take each week. To broaden the conversation, we’ll publish a weekly follow-up post detailing the response and featuring additional campaigns and initiatives that we hope readers will check out. Toward that end, please use the comments field to give us ideas. With your help, we can make real change.