The government is permitted to use lethal force on its citizens in recognized war zones — no matter if prior intelligence exists about the suspect — if they are believed to pose an “imminent threat” to the United States.

The structure of this policy also justifies past military action by the United States on its own citizens in non-domestic areas — including the drone strikes in Yemen which killed three Americans, including Anwar al-Awlaki, in September 2011 .

The framework to this controversial document is alarming and rightfully has many Americans puzzled.

Legal experts also have questioned the necessity of the memo, saying it appoints the White House as “judge, jury and executioner.”

Since it was released, President Barack Obama and his administration have been under growing pressure from politicians in Congress to release more details concerning their drone strike programs. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 10 other senators have written to the president asking him to release all other memos on the subject — including a supposed list of targeted Americans.

Although releasing this information is something the American public deserves, it still will not legitimize the fact this memo was kept in secrecy for so long.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said her committee received the memo last year, and now is in support of further examination of its policies. Regardless of her statements, it still is difficult to imagine how so many of our top political leaders could withhold information like this from their constituents for almost a year.

The “white paper,” as this memo has been called, challenges our basic civil rights and makes the freedoms of this country more elastic. Instead of needing concrete information to defend the targeted killings of American citizens, the government can justify the use of drones if they deem the person poses an “imminent threat,” but never reveal what this threat entails.

Are we to believe anyone our government tells us is a “senior operational leader” of al-Qaida is so, even without any evidence?

As American citizens, we always have understood certain policies and orders exist privately within our government and are kept hidden from us to protect our safety.

But this policy stretches that understanding.

Instead of working to cover its tracks, the White House should first try to explain this information to its people and regain any trust that might have been lost.