Well, yes. It's equally evil for the government to murder a Syrian as an American, but more legal under American law. The American has more legal protections under the American Constitution. That's what a large part of the article is about. So moving into killing Americans was a step further and a new legal precedent.

I know for the non-American reader it might come off a bit... wrong, but yes. To be clear, I'd rather we didn't go around droning folks or sending JSOC on an FFF mission unless they're, say, directly engaging troops.

It is incredibly unnerving to see one's own government explicitly authorize the death of a fellow citizen without due process of law.

When you read the Bill of Rights, "due process" is not a right reserved for US citizens. No person should have that right infringed, so it's just as unnerving to see the government explicitly authorize the death of a fellow person without due process of law.