After listening to the nonsense spewed in Washington after the filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., over the use of drones, I believe we should all express our views on the issue.
Any U.S. citizen who embarks on a life of terrorism against the U.S. from foreign soil deserves no less than any other enemy of the free world. We must protect the law-abiding citizens of this country from acts of bombing, mass shootings and hijackings with any means at our disposal, while minimizing the loss of American troops. If you take up arms or advocate acts against us, you have forfeited your right to any due process under the laws of the country you have forsaken. It is cowardly to sit in a foreign country and hide behind your American citizenship while plotting the deaths of Americans.
Drone strikes are warranted as they are the most efficient way to deal with terrorists cells that proliferate in countries controlled by weak or ineffective governments. Some of these countries even support the activities of al-Qaida and have no argument against this effective deterrent to terrorism.
I oppose the use of ground troops, who must put their lives on the line fighting an elusive enemy in hostile countries. The only responsibility we have is to improve our intelligence to minimize the loss of innocents caught in the cross hairs.
Linda Walczak
Mechanicville