61–70 of 160 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
We need to understand that these death planes save lives: https://medium.com/matt-bors/yemen-bombs-yet-another-wedding...
You make it sound like that was an absolute truth. In what ways did the killing of those children and women in the main article save lives?
It is always intriguing that people in the West are so sheltered from the fact that this has been going on for over a decade. And they then are, not surprisingly, surprised that the people at the receiving end of this and those that are from the area are very upset about it. What if some other nation had been bombing remote villages in your country whilst attempting to target "terrorists and extremists", but often ki…
The links you posted reference Iraq, which was not a very nice place over the last decade. In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader. He'll usually have access to several small arms and enough money to feed and pay several dozen militia fighters. To legitimize his power he'll coordinate attacks on US personnel, usually ambushes, and make deals with people who have connections to global "terro…
And what happens after you kill that guy?
>In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader...
It is always intriguing that people in the West are so sheltered from the fact that this has been going on for over a decade. And they then are, not surprisingly, surprised that the people at the receiving end of this and those that are from the area are very upset about it. What if some other nation had been bombing remote villages in your country whilst attempting to target "terrorists and extremists", but often ki…
The links you posted reference Iraq, which was not a very nice place over the last decade. In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader. He'll usually have access to several small arms and enough money to feed and pay several dozen militia fighters. To legitimize his power he'll coordinate attacks on US personnel, usually ambushes, and make deals with people who have connections to global "terro…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The links you posted reference Iraq, which was not a very nice place over the last decade. In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader. He'll usually have access to several small arms and enough money to feed and pay several dozen militia fighters. To legitimize his power he'll coordinate attacks on US personnel, usually ambushes, and make deals with people who have connections to global "terro…
Kill that guy. The force of his personality is what's holding his local power structure together, and if he's dead there's a good chance that the whole thing will collapse This is true. But what happens next? A collapsed power structure is not a nice place to live. Someone has to deal with crime, resources, arbitration, and taking out the rubbish (qv http://www.luton-dunstable.co.uk/Luton-ISIS-recruit-Abu-Aziz... ).…
Warlords do serve a social purpose. But it's better for everyone if a stable government serves that purpose instead. The nature of being a warlord is such that they won't respond to reasoned arguments or give up the power they've risked their lives to build. The only way to get them to step aside to allow democratic governance is to kill them or convince them to surrender.
Killing a warlord has nothing to do with the concept of justice. The term "outlaw" originally applied to people who lived outside of the protection of the legal system, meaning that they could be robbed or killed by anyone. If a local leader wants the protection of justice, they should run for office or go through an official process to wield the sanctioned power of the state. Otherwise, they should be prepared to either get down or lay down when just democratic rule comes to their region.
And this is how you create more terrorists. When you see an innocent family member being killed and you have nothing around you - no food, no education - hate overpowers you and you hate the people who did this to people you loved.
Imagine for a moment that drones were flying over the US and at anytime may strike. You don't know where or when but you are in constant fear of an attack.
Next time you go to an outdoor wedding take a moment and think about how that would feel. Do you absolutely know that everyone attending is not a 'person if interest' or even just related to one?
It is always intriguing that people in the West are so sheltered from the fact that this has been going on for over a decade. And they then are, not surprisingly, surprised that the people at the receiving end of this and those that are from the area are very upset about it. What if some other nation had been bombing remote villages in your country whilst attempting to target "terrorists and extremists", but often ki…
The links you posted reference Iraq, which was not a very nice place over the last decade. In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader. He'll usually have access to several small arms and enough money to feed and pay several dozen militia fighters. To legitimize his power he'll coordinate attacks on US personnel, usually ambushes, and make deals with people who have connections to global "terro…
On the surface of it, they would seem to hold a somewhat naive historical view of power dynamics, and how cultural and socioeconomic and forces really work.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Kill that guy. The force of his personality is what's holding his local power structure together, and if he's dead there's a good chance that the whole thing will collapse This is true. But what happens next? A collapsed power structure is not a nice place to live. Someone has to deal with crime, resources, arbitration, and taking out the rubbish (qv http://www.luton-dunstable.co.uk/Luton-ISIS-recruit-Abu-Aziz... ).…
Iraq has a democratically elected government. Whether or not they are accountable, rights-respecting, impartial or even just is up for debate. But they can't govern without being able to impose the rule of law through a monopoly on force. Warlords do serve a social purpose. But it's better for everyone if a stable government serves that purpose instead. The nature of being a warlord is such that they won't respond to…
You're arguing "force first; justice later". In particular, you're arguing that state justice, and your particular version of it, is the only valid and legitimate kind of justice. This leaves no room for what's called "natural" justice.
But there's no point in trying to convince me. It's the neighbours of the people being bombed that you need to convince, that American death from the air with no trial or public evidence is "justice" and "the sanctioned power of the state". After all, is it how you deliver justice in your own country?
So long as America continues to kill unaccountably and without due process, people (especially those close to the bomb) will regard America as just another warlord, just another outlaw.
get down or lay down when just democratic rule
Get your face in the dirt and submit, citizen! Welcome to democracy! (You may want to work on your messaging here)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The links you posted reference Iraq, which was not a very nice place over the last decade. In many cases, a strong personality would emerge as a local leader. He'll usually have access to several small arms and enough money to feed and pay several dozen militia fighters. To legitimize his power he'll coordinate attacks on US personnel, usually ambushes, and make deals with people who have connections to global "terro…
> The question is, do you have a better plan? Because the guys at the Pentagon would really like to hear it. Stop invading other nations for oil then complain the locals dislike you and kill your troops.
I don't really think the drones are the problem. The problems are: - Lack of intelligence. The drone may be hovering overhead, but you still need local intel. Which is unrealiable - The weapons are not designed for the task. A hellfire missile is not the right weapon to target a single individual. There will be collateral damage unless the target is standing in a deserted area by himself. Also, while the hellfire may…
Collateral, incorrect targets, and martyrs enrage the populace and get recruits. Killing the head keeps the group from getting too big. Keeping them out of the courts allows for any real grievances they have to remain unheard by the voters (out of sight out of mind means they won't be fixed). This gives the MICC a great target to keep them running.
I've heard that one should never blame one evil what could instead be attributed to stupidity, but I do not agree with such logic. Under that rule, there would only be stupidity.
If you happen to work for one of the contractors in this program: I kindly ask you to think about your goals and your ideals for humanity. I used to work for a sub-contractor to the military-industrial complex. I quit for ethical reasons. Never looked back. Thank you.
I'd like to have this subject discussed much more often than it is nowadays. Military is on an extreme of the ethical-unethical scale but there are many more cases which would deeply fall into the unethical side of the scale and are not being talked about at all.