Was Awlaki a terrorist? Does it matter?

Hey Readers,

On September 30, 2011, US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki was hunted down by a US drone armed with Hellfire missles and killed. He was reportedly a terrorist and a threat to the United States.

However, how, exactly do we know he was a terrorist? Could this information be wrong? What if all Anwar al-Awlaki wanted was peace and freedom just as we desire here in the US, and he was simply speaking out against the US foreign policy and actions?

What if he was put on a list for no other reason but standing up for that right?

Was there proof that he had a violent past? I cannot seem to find anything outside opinions of the mainstream media pundits who say al-Awlaki may have communicated with known terrorists and may have even been involved in recruiting members of Al-Qaeda. If he was indeed a criminal and a “terrorist” then why was he not arrested and tried?

Is the assassination not illegal according to executive order #12333 issued by President Ronald Reagan, section 2.11 Prohibition on Assassination, which states that no person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.

REFERENCE: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12333.html#2.11

Here is a video that was uploaded back in July, 2011 with Awlaki speaking about why the world resents America…please watch.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/29871580[/vimeo]

This is actually the second time we have heard the news of al-Alwaki’s death. Here are 2 articles from December of 2009 stating that Awlaki was killed in pretty much the same manner. What proof do they have this time? What are we to believe?

FOXNEWS Article: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2009/12/24/imam-linked-ft-hood-rampage-believed-al-qaeda-killed-airstrike/

Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/200912246820930737.html

I think there are many questions that need answered. Kudos to Jake Tapper, Senior White House correspondent for ABC news. He simply asked if we were going to hear from the White House the evidence that this man, this US citizen, was indeed a terrorist.  Watch this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6bgwZGZiIo[/youtube]

What do you think? Do you think this was justified in the name of the war on terror, or do you feel that he deserved due process? When it comes to assassinating US citizens, do you think that we deserve PROOF that he was a terrorist?