Tournament: Indiana | Round: 1 | Opponent: No One | Judge: No One
Targeted Killing 1AC
Contention 1: The Status Quo
The United States is committed to a policy of targeting people based on characteristics which suggest they may be terrorists.  We never know unless we do a posthumous investigation.  This strategy of signature strikes is at the heart of our targeted killing program and will continue.  The Huffington Post explained on June 19: 

Huffington Post 13 June 19, Drone 'Signature Strike' Witness Responds To Obama Speech: 'I Don't Trust A Single Word' http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/drone-signature-strike_n_3421586.html /bgb 10/11/13

Jalal Manzar Khail was at home on March 17, 2011 as dozens of men
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that drones sometimes make mistakes, but said their work must carry on. 

Now, every male over 18 in specific zones is considered an enemy of and potential target for the U.S. Zenko 13  (Micah Zenko, Council on Foreign Relations January 13)  Council Special Report #65, Reforming US Drone Strike Policies i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf? /bgb 8/20/13  

Whereas previously President George W. Bush had only permitted the  targeted killing of specific
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hoc methodology meets the principle of distinction  for the use of lethal force.

There is zero accountability for the decisions of who dies.  Amnesty International 13 Amnesty International 13 The Devil In The  (Still  Undisclosed)  Detail  Department Of Justice  ‘White Paper’ On Use of  Lethal Force Against u.S.  Citizens made Public http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/the_devil_in_the_still_undisclosed_detail.pdf   /bgb 8/20/13

The troubling absence of transparency in relation to the administration’s lethal force policy was   likewise
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growing exercise in which we have been engaged for well over a decade…”

Contention 2: Harms

First – civilian targeting

Because of signature strikes, up to 98 of all those killed by targeted killings are civilians.  These include targeting first responders and funeral processions. Taylor 12

Taylor 12 (Robert, Policymic) Predator Drone Strikes: 50 Civilians Are Killed For Every 1 Terrorist, and the CIA Only Wants to Up Drone Warfare http://www.policymic.com/articles/16949/predator-drone-strikes-50-civilians-are-killed-for-every-1-terrorist-and-the-cia-only-wants-to-up-drone-warfare

Despite claims from the administration that drone strikes have killed very few civilians, multiple
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tap" strategy eerily reminiscient of methods used by terrorist groups like Hamas.

The negative will cite vastly different numbers only because the US government defines anyone it kills as a militant. The process is immoral, destructive of nations and individuals, and must be stopped.  Ali July 18
The drone call! Personality and Signature Strike Logistics.  OpEd News.  (Yasmeen Ali)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-drone-call-Personalit-by-Yasmeen-Ali-130718-744.html

Targets killed by drone aircrafts of whose identity cannot be determined fall under the term
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has not spelled out what and how this change is to come about. 

We demand that that the signature strike program be ended immediately on the grounds that it is immoral. Sager 13

Sager 13 (Josh)  Forcechange.comBan Drone Strikes on Targets for Simply “Looking Suspicious” http://forcechange.com/21561/ban-drone-strikes-on-targets-for-simply-looking-suspicious/

It is a widely known fact that the U.S. is currently using
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back and allow our government to commit such terrible acts in our names.

Recognizing the need to end the intentional slaughter of unnamed people is a prerequisite to all other concerns, both consequential and philosophical. Hart 79
H. L. A. Hart in 79 (former principal of Oxford University, Tulane Law Review, “The Shell Foundation Lectures, 1978-1979: Utilitarianism and Natural Rights”, April, 53 Tul. L. Rev. 663, l/n)
Accordingly, the contemporary modern philosophers of whom I have spoken, and preeminently Rawls
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over mere increases in aggregate welfare even if the protection cannot be absolute.

Second, is terrorism. Regardless of tactical advantages, signature strikes are strategically counterproductive. They turn local insurgents into anti-US terrorirsts. Kurth 13
(Audrey Kurth, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, July-August 13) Why Drones Fail.  Vol. 92, Issue 4 /bgb 8/23/13

The war-weary United States, for which the phrase "boots on the
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to embrace killer drones as the centerpiece of U.S. counterterrorism.

And signature strikes actually alienate and kill our allies, destroying our ability to combat terrorism effectively. Greenfield 13

Greenfield 13 (Danya, Aug 19) The Case Against Drone Strikes on People Who Only 'Act' Like Terrorists http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-case-against-drone-strikes-on-people-who-only-act-like-terrorists/278744/
The problem with signature strikes is that they open the door to a much higher
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justice and accountability from the United States--which has not been forthcoming.

The result is a three time increase in the number of sworn enemies of the US.  Bowden 13  (Mark Boweden 13, Aug 14)  The Atlantic  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/09/the-killing-machines-how-to-think-about-drones/309434/?single_page=true  /bgb 8/20/13

Reporters and academics at work in zones where Predator strikes had become common warned of
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future generations of terrorists,” he wrote on his blog late last year. 

This dramatically increases the risk that terrorists will use nuclear weapons. Cetron 7
Marvin Cetron, 2007 (president of Forecasting International).  May 1, 2007.  The Futurist.   Online.  Internet.  Accessed April 12, 2010 at http://www.nsaww.com/media_publications_2007-05.html.

Terrorists will gain weapons of mass destruction. The elite among tomorrow's terrorists will have
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they soon may be able to obtain them from either Islamabad or Tehran.

A terrorist nuclear attack could end all life on the planet. Ahmed 4 Mohamed Sid-Ahmed, 2004.  “Extinction!”  Online.  Internet.  access April 12, 2010 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/705/op5.htm.

What would be the consequences of a nuclear attack by terrorists? Even if it
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When nuclear pollution infects the whole planet, we will all be losers.

Third is proliferation.
US policy spurs global drone proliferation. US policy is key to how other actors use drones. Zenko 13 Zenko13  (Micah, Council on Foreign Relations January 13)  Council Special Report #65, Reforming US Drone Strike Policies i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf? /bgb 8/20/13  

The second major risk is that of proliferation. Over the next decade,  the
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credibly engage with the  international community to shape norms for responsible drone use.

The status quo will result in massive drone use, targeting the U.S. and its allies. Zenko 13 Zenko13  (Micah, Council on Foreign Relations January 13)  Council Special Report #65, Reforming US Drone Strike Policies i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf? /bgb 8/20/13  

In short, a world characterized by the proliferation of armed  drones—used with
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more likely to use lethal force against the United States  and its allies.

Future drones will bring a Terminator mentality, as fully autonomous drones, make their own decisions about targets, to the peril of all human life.  Engelhardt 9 Tom Engelhardt,  American journalist and author April 7, 2009, “Terminator Planet: Launching the Drone Wars” file:///Users/Jake/Desktop/drones20pdf27s20uncut/tom_engelhardt_terminator_planet.html

In other words, our drone wars are being fought with the airborne equivalent of
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of creating a Terminator planet should give us pause for thought... or not

Plan: The United States federal government should adopt a statutory restriction banning the use of signature strikes.
Contention 3: Solvency

 It is imperative the Congress ban the use of signature strikes.  Griffin 13
Griffin 13 (Rebecca, Jan 11) Peace Action West http://blog.peaceactionwest.org/2013/01/11/will-congress-take-on-drones-in-2013/

In 2012, the Obama administration approved the use of so-called “signature strikes,” allowing the targeting of people whose identities are unknown. Targeting based on patterns of behavior rather than evidence of an imminent threat to US interests sets a dangerous precedent, increases the likelihood of blowback, and vastly increases the risk of killing innocent civilians. Congress should push for greater transparency in the use of signature strikes and ultimately to end their use.

Congressional restriction is the only way to solve.  Griffin 13.

Griffin 13 (Rebecca, Jan 11) Peace Action West http://blog.peaceactionwest.org/2013/01/11/will-congress-take-on-drones-in-2013/
Since President Obama took office in 2009, his administration has dramatically increased the use
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any president’s reined in terms of some of the decisions that we’re making.”

Plan sets an international norm to end all signature strikes.  Zenko 13
Zenko 13  (Micah, Council on Foreign Relations January 13)  Council Special Report #65, Reforming US Drone Strike Policies i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf? /bgb 8/20/13  

The current trajectory of U.S. drone strike policies is unsustainable.  Without
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actors  and shape development of a normative framework for acceptable use  of drones.

The world will follow, solving civilians, terrorism and proliferation.  Zenko 13
Zenko13  (Micah, Council on Foreign Relations January 13)  Council Special Report #65, Reforming US Drone Strike Policies i.cfr.org/content/publications/attachments/Drones_CSR65.pdf? /bgb 8/20/13  

Beyond the United States, drones are proliferating even as they are  becoming increasingly sophisticated
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should be informed by comparable efforts in the realms of  cyber and space.