Jeremy Scahill on Up with Chris Hayes 6/2/2012

On Up with Chris Hayes, Hayes decided to answer the criticism he received from last week's program, when he said he was uncomfortable calling all soldiers heroes because it tends to justify war, by having a whole program on war and soldiers. The first part was not very eventful as different military type guests gave their opinion regarding what's needed for better understanding and better follow through for broken soldiers. One comment stirred some controversy, when Jack Jacobs, a blowhard ex-military media expert, called for universal service of some sort that is forced on all young people.

This idea of coerced service is indicative of statist blindness when it comes to liberty and individual rights. No one should be forced into service to the State. Anyone with any understanding of individual rights should understand the opposition to coerced service without a long explanation, and if any grown, educated American doesn't understand the argument against coerced service, then they propose violation of rights as a matter of course for the State, making rights meaningless.

The most explosive part of the program was when Jeremy Scahill called the US drone attacks, which have killed innocents and even an American citizen who was never charged with any crime, murder. Scahill said Obama is practicing murder with these drone attacks. Hina Shamsi, from the ACLU, made a good case that what the administration is doing is unconstitutional. The administration is acting as judge, jury and executioner. I was inspired to see two honest liberals who aren't accepting everything Obama does with moral blinders on -- they are actively opposing Obama and his out of control administration. Saying that Bush and Cheney did it doesn't excuse the immoral and unconstitutional acts. A point was made by one guest that Congress isn't excercing its power to resist and balance executive power. The Supreme Court will also need to balance this power grab by Obama and his administration.