Kenneth Ellman

From Kenneth Ellman, email:ke@kennethellman.com, Box 18 Newton, New Jersey 07860

Phone: 9738968284 and 9739486961

From time to time killing by our military of enemy soldiers attracts special attention due to the fact that the deceased was also an American citizen. There is something incongruous about our military having to kill one of our own who is also an enemy soldier. Some may ask how can we kill an American without authority of a Court and Law.

However this type of circumstance is all too common. It has occurred many times before and will occur again. The only explanation we can have is that such “citizenship” was obtained for purposes other than living as an American. Citizenship in our nation is automatically conferred when any human being is born within our borders. It does not matter how or why the parents were in the United States. The Naturalization process for those not born here is also familiar to most Americans as such is a continually occurring reality and is regularly discussed as part of the Congressional authority to control Immigration. The difference between the two process is significant in that a Naturalized Citizen may have such Citizenship revoked under limited circumstances. Once born here, there is no mechanism to revoke Citizenship. And that is probably fortunate. For many reason, mostly good reasons, it is actually quite easy (in spite of all rumors to the contrary), to become an American citizen.

When an American takes up war against his own and our nation there always seems to be some outcry over how, under Due Process of Law, our fellow American can not be killed as an enemy soldier. Does not our law require some Judicial process before our government can kill an American?

We are so used to killing by our government only taking place in the context of a Judicial Order that we sometimes forget being an American citizen does not accord any more protection to wage war against the United States than any other citizen of any other country.

So this very brief commentary seeks to address that issue which is currently in the news.

There are two articles which are available here on kennethellman.com and I will be responding further to other writers commentary. Kenneth Ellman