Executive Orders 12036 (President Carter), 11905 (President Ford) and 12333 (President Reagan) prohibit United States intelligence agencies from sponsoring or carrying out assassinations. These are absolutely correct; a free people should never be ashamed of anything they do. The decision to assassinate a tyrant or terrorist should not be a secret extra-curial affair, but rather should be dealt with openly through the courts in accordance with the fixed and known written law. The defendant should be indicted and tried for tyranny before a jury. The defendant, despite being tried in absentia, should be entitled to appoint legal representatives, and if he fails to do so a public defender should be appointed for him. The defendant should be further entitled to give evidence and to call witnesses. These should be allowed to appear via video link or by recorded deposition. If the defendant wishes to attend the trial, safe conduct to and from the trial, regardless of the verdict, should be granted (As the Romans provided to Jugurtha.). If the jury finds the defendant guilty, and a sentence of death is handed down, the court should issue a writ to be executed by the intelligence agencies, the military, and/or private contractors.
This article is an extract from the book ‘Principles of Good Government’ by Matthew Bransgrove
