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US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

reuters.com

21–30 of 66 posts

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#21
post #5

Does anyone keep a tally on how many civilians the US has murdered with drones?

Probably, though it'll likely take the action of another Edward Snowden for us to ever see that data.

You know, "most transparent Administration ever" and all that.

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#22
post #2

Wait, ANOTHER wedding? Didn't we do this a year or two ago also? We just wiped out 15 completely innocent people? Destroying their lives and their families forever? Can you imagine the holy hell if a foreign government did that in a US city? Shut down all armed drones. Review the entire use of them from top to bottom. This isn't a video game, there is no do-over.

Is it worse when a drone follows orders and does this than when a fighter pilot follows orders and does this?

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#23
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you imagine the holy hell if a foreign government did that in a US city? You've just stepped into that intellectual minefield that's called "American Exceptionalism". Enjoy your stay.

"American exceptionalism" does not mean "America is an exception to rules" (whatever those rules might be)

What does it mean then?

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#24
post #23
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"American exceptionalism" does not mean "America is an exception to rules" (whatever those rules might be)

What does it mean then?

It refers to the belief that Americans as a people are specially suited for doing things exceptionally.

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#26
post #12

So please remind me, who are the terrorists again? I keep getting confused ...

The repercussions are equally serious. What America is basically doing is creating more terrorists by harming innocent people. It's not a nice thing to see your loved ones get killed for no reason. Couple that with low levels of education, poverty, and you have more "Death to America" people who believe that jihad is the only way to salvation in an otherwise meaningless life.

A more cynical person might think that this was intentional -- to keep the pipeline full.

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#27
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you imagine the holy hell if a foreign government did that in a US city? You've just stepped into that intellectual minefield that's called "American Exceptionalism". Enjoy your stay.

"American exceptionalism" does not mean "America is an exception to rules" (whatever those rules might be)

> "American exceptionalism" does not mean "America is an exception to rules" (whatever those rules might be)

The term was first used by Stalin to describe and condemn the position of the prominent voice in the Communist Party of the United States of America about how, precisely, the US was an exception to the rule of inevitability of revolution. While usage has shifted in terms of exactly what rule is at issue, what you reject is exactly what American Exceptionalism has always meant.

(The idea of "American Exceptionalism", though not the term itself, is generally tied back to an older quote [EDIT: by de Toqueville -- not sure how I missed including that originally] in which particular traits were identified which made America exceptional as opposed to being an example through which democratic nations in general should be viewed -- or, IOW, that America broke rather than made the rules for democracies. Which, while from a different perspective than Stalin's use of the term, also is an instance of America being an exception to rules.)

Re: US drone strike kills 15 civilians in Yemen by mistake

#30
post #17
post #2

Wait, ANOTHER wedding? Didn't we do this a year or two ago also? We just wiped out 15 completely innocent people? Destroying their lives and their families forever? Can you imagine the holy hell if a foreign government did that in a US city? Shut down all armed drones. Review the entire use of them from top to bottom. This isn't a video game, there is no do-over.

> Wait, ANOTHER wedding? Didn't we do this a year or two ago also? More than that. I remember quite a few news reports of weddings in Pakistan being hit. On the flip side, I've also heard the authenticity of those reports called into question. If a Taliban lieutenant and his posse are drone-struck, the local warlord can claim it was a peaceful civilian wedding and score some PR points. I'm not justifying it, mind you…

> "On the flip side, I've also heard the authenticity of those reports called into question. If a Taliban lieutenant and his posse are drone-struck, the local warlord can claim it was a peaceful civilian wedding and score some PR points."

Either way, for some purposes it does not matter. Either the surviving community members are being lied to and told the victims were civilians, or the victims really were civilians, but in both cases they walk away with the notion that America is blowing up civilians. That is how you "make more terrorists".

If America wants to avoid getting caught in that sort of situation, they need to make it seem implausible that that they were involved. As long as America is droning 'baddies', the possibility that they are nailing some civilians too remains.

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