{"id":1747,"date":"2011-10-01T14:25:45","date_gmt":"2011-10-01T14:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/?p=1747"},"modified":"2011-10-01T14:25:45","modified_gmt":"2011-10-01T14:25:45","slug":"a-matter-of-legality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/a-matter-of-legality\/","title":{"rendered":"A Matter of Legality"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
A USAF Predator with the excellent Lockheed-Martin AGM-114N Missile, intellectual property of LM. Photo USAF.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Boffin from the legal department was standing at my desk when I wandered in. The sky outside had not been able to make up its mind about raining, a light spritz coming down, and a hint of coolness behind it in the desultory breeze made me think I should start wearing a jacket.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to be in early when there are things going on,\u201d he said. \u201cThere have been complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d I said cleverly. \u201cThe Daily? More conspiracy crap? Someone accuse me of liable about LBJ?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I think we have managed to stall the Grand Jury. This is about the AGM-45. Lockheed is pissed. They left seven messages on the machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap. They have more lawyers than Carter has Pills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about, Vic? Who is Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind. You are too young. What is the problem with the Air to Ground Missile? It worked well enough on that asshole al- Alwaki and his scumbag buddy Samir Khan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is part of the problem,\u201d said the Boffin with a sigh. \u201cWrong weapon, and that is what has Lockheed upset. The AGM-45 is the Shrike anti-radiation missile from the Vietnam era. The one on the General Atomic Unmanned Combat Vehicle is the AGM-114N, the Hellfire II.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, crap,\u201d I said. \u201cWho is the idiot who was supposed to be doing the proofing on that story?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou laid her off in the consolidation of the Fact-Checking Department and the Wild Assertions unit. Remember? You said you could outsource all that truth nonsense to Wikipedia.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble crap. Are we going to be legally liable? Does the malpractice policy cover us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUSAA cancelled on us after you started attacking LBJ last year. They think you are a loose cannon, Vic. They are afraid you are going to start something else you can\u2019t finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, like Climate Change? Of course it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs what?\u201d said the Boffin, adjusting his company bow tie nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cChanging, you twit. Now what do we have to do to get Lockheed to calm down?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is nervous about what is going to happen in the defense industry, and the AGM-114N is a growth sector for Lockheed, Vic. You have to tread lightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrone strikes are a great story,\u201d I said. \u201cEveryone feels good about it. That Awlaki dude inspired dozens of attacks on American citizens. Major Hassan killed more than a dozen people at Ft. Hood, and he had been corresponding with Awlaki. And I have even more contempt for that Khan idiot. The first issue of his Inspire magazine called for automatic weapons attacks on Washington restaurants and pickup truck assaults on pedestrians.\u00a0 That is personal. Taking him out amounts to self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat leads to the other problem. We have been contacted by the ACLU about your support for the Obama Doctrine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, the notion that the President can make a finding that American citizens far from any battlefield can be executed by their own government without judicial process, and on the basis of standards and evidence that are kept secret not just from the public, but from the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap.\u201d I said, slamming my iPad down on the conference table in front of the desk.\u00a0 “US Persons” or not under law, these particular dickweeds were enemy combatants. We get confused in the conflict between Title 50 and Title 10 Authorities, not to mention Title 18, law enforcement’s authority “to maintain law and public order related to matters affecting the country as a whole.” I was getting wound up, and it wasn\u2019t the Dazbog Russian coffee I had been drinking since before dawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf getting rid of al-Awlaki isn\u2019t in the interest of public order, I don\u2019t know what its.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ACLU is just telling you that this is a troubling bit of authority to invest in the Executive Branch, and you had better be sure you want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen,\u201d I said. \u201cOur adversaries have no problems in committing acts conforming to the Obama Doctrine on British or US soil- I am thinking of the former KGB light colonel in the former and the umbrella-tipped poisoning administered in New York in the 80s in the latter.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Boffin sighed. \u201cSee, there you go again. There is no evidence of Russian assassinations on American soil. The Litvinenko and Markov murders both happened in London. They also did wet work in Germany, killing a Ukrainian national named Bandera and poisoning a KGB defector named Khohlov.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it amounts to the same thing, whether it is Britain or here. What about Oswald?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t have it both ways, Vic. It is either one set of bad guys or another, unless the Warren Commission was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap is right, Vic. You are going to have to clean things up. There have been complaints about the typos and the missed threads. Get hold of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d I said. \u201cI promise to do better. But first things first. What do we have to do to make LockMart happy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust print a correction. I have a draft here for your approval.\u201d The Boffin handed it over, and I glanced through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocotra House Publishing wishes to thank the good people at Lockheed-Martin, who produce the combat-proven HELLFIRE II missile system, capable of being launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms. Offering multi\u2013mission, multi-target capability and precision\u2013strike lethality, the HELLFIRE II missile is the primary 100-pound class air\u2013to\u2013ground precision weapon for the armed forces of the United States and many other nations, including whoever lost that Predator drone over the tribal areas of Pakistan last week. We at Socotra House acknowledge the superb work performed by Lockheed-Martin over decades, and that they never forget who they are working for.\u201d<\/p>\n

I dropped the paper on the conference table. \u201cFine. Now we are shills for the Aerospace Giants. What else have you got?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat threat from the ACLU,\u201d said the Boffin. \u201cThey say they may bring a suit enjoining with you with AG Eric Holder, et al.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn what grounds?\u201d I said indignantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat you publicly espouse an unconstitutional opinion supporting the murder of American citizens by Executive fiat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute. The President can pick the US Code he wants to use- Title 10 authorities for acts of war, Title 50 Intelligence authorities for the CIA, and Title 18 if he wants to go via Justice and Title 18.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a matter for litigation. And frankly you don\u2019t have the resources. I am the last lawyer you have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap. I guess we will have to soft-pedal this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our legal opinion that it is a problem legally, but not logically. The Underwear Bomber and Major Hassan were weapons deployed by al Alawki- and the AGM-114N was the only logical response. But remember the corollary: what are your views about the FSB or the Chinese Service employing the Obama Doctrine here?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shot a look out the window as I caught the glint of light in the clearing sky reflected off a jet headed toward Reagan National or the Pentagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould be coming soon to a theater near here,\u201d I said. \u201cBut in the meantime we have a war to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the professionals take care of it, Vic. You don\u2019t have the authorities any more. That is our legal position.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d I sighed. \u201cWhat else is on the menu this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a conference call with Australia at noon. Mike Daisy.\u201d He handed over a dossier on the pudgy pundit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mike Daisy. Photo courtesy Mike Daisy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWho the hell is that and why do I care?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is reported to be one of the great story tellers of the era, and you thought you wanted to learn how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember, vaguely.\u201d I furrowed my brown. \u201cHasn\u2019t he been on a world tour talking about the conditions in Chinese manufacturing plants?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. He accuses Apple\u2019s Steve Jobs of fostering barbaric conditions to produce his slick technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at my sleek iPad on the conference table. \u201cWhat is your point?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Boffin gathered up his papers and slid them into his briefcase. \u201cThe implication is clear. WalMart destroyed the American retailing sector, and imprisoned millions in sweat-shop labor in China. Steve Jobs has chosen to collude with a fascist country to strip away the labor conditions that so many thousands in this country fought and died for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to take on Sam Walton, Steve Jobs and the Chinese?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will distract the people with the drones. That is just our legal opinion. Good luck. Call if you have questions.\u201d The Boffin swept out of my office.<\/p>\n

I looked at the iPad on the table and felt a little queasy. If you can\u2019t trust Steve Jobs, who the hell can you put your confidence in? Lockheed-Martin? At least the AGM-114 is made here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lockheed-Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II. Photo LM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Copyright 2011 Vic Socotra
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Boffin from the legal department was standing at my desk when I wandered in. The sky outside had not been able to make up its mind about raining, a light spritz coming down, and a hint of coolness behind it in the desultory breeze made me think I should start wearing a jacket. \u201cYou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-socotra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1747"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1752,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1747\/revisions\/1752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}