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If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

theatlantic.com

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Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#32

Post by blisterpeanuts »

gaius wrote: post #13
forktheif wrote: post #10

It continues to baffle me why the fact they're drones matter in the slightest. They're not autonomous, they're flown by pilots who just happen to not be sitting in the aircraft they're flying. Manned aircraft have killed huge groups of innocent civilians more than once, but apparently that's fine because the pilot was sitting in the aircraft.

It is probably easier to get pilots to bomb civilians with a Playstation controller in what looks and feels like a video game, than an actual person present.

It's not a question of "ease". Military pilots take orders; COs tell them how high to jump, and that's what they do. Either they follow orders or they are relieved of duty (and possibly face court martial).

Some drones are operated by a division of the CIA and are out of military control, however. This is probably the most worrisome aspect of the program.

However, as long as 99% of their targets are bad guys, Americans are going to continue supporting the program. It's zero risk for American pilots, and everyone likes to read about more dead terrorists with their morning coffee. More points to whoever's in charge.

Governments like Yemen's will also support it because #1 it does their dirty work for them, and #2 they can blame an evil foreign power. Win-win.

Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#33

Post by coldtea »

wil421 wrote: post #9
k-mcgrady wrote: post #5

Not all that surpising. As was made clear during the Snowden leaks the USG doesn't consider human beings who aren't US citizens to have the same rights as Americans.

This is what I find the most troubling. I used to think the US was trying to still spread democracy worldwide but apparently internally they feel if you are foreign that means there arent any laws as to what we can and cant do.

Democracy is grown (locally), not "spread" by foreign intervention. The US didn't become a democracy itself by getting invaded. If anything, it was the opposite, it threw away the external power controlling it.

Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#34

Post by stonemetal »

josefresco wrote: post #3

Weddings and funerals are actually targeted specifically because those events are two that even highly sought-after targets attend despite the dangers. Also, the subsequent funerals for those killed at the targeted wedding would then be targeted as well. You can either agree or disagree, but if you feel the target is accurate based on your intelligence the venue doesn't really matter IMHO. Civilians will be killed no…

What if we had bombed the heck out of them 20 min before\after the wedding? I understand you got to get them when you can, but it also seems like they could be a little nicer about it. They could let the wedding draw them out of hiding then start surveillance, and follow them back to their hiding place rather than start shooting immediately.

Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#35

Post by Shivetya »

badman_ting wrote: post #2

It's okay when we do it.

Lets be honest here, if Bush were doing this the press and every damn Democrat in Congress would be up in arms and demanding halts and immediate investigations.

so a better title would be, If Bush were President we'd ground out fleet.

Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#37

Post by zacinbusiness »

waxjar wrote: post #27
zacinbusiness wrote: post #14

It's not about stopping terrorists, it's about sending a message.

What would that message be? "We are barbaric so you better watch out"?

No, the message is "This is how much we treat innocent civilians who have done nothing wrong, so stop to think about how we treat people that we actually dislike."

It's nothing more than a form of terrorism, primarily against the American people.

Re: If a Drone Strike Hit an American Wedding We'd Ground Our Fleet

#39

Post by ixnu »

wil421 wrote: post #9
k-mcgrady wrote: post #5

Not all that surpising. As was made clear during the Snowden leaks the USG doesn't consider human beings who aren't US citizens to have the same rights as Americans.

This is what I find the most troubling. I used to think the US was trying to still spread democracy worldwide but apparently internally they feel if you are foreign that means there arent any laws as to what we can and cant do.

What happens when a nation's revolutionary document becomes counterrevolutionary?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

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