If you're not comfortable with being a country who reigns death from above onto not just jihadists planning on killing Americans, but on everyone else around them, , check out the Bureau for Investigative Journalism:
They've been keeping track of all the drone strikes the US has been doing around the world. In 2013, we've gotten better, killing just 3 children (and a 153 terrorists). I don't think any child should die from a drone strike - or killer robot in the sky strike - and probably most of the 153 terrorists who've been killed had 1 or 2 or more kids themselves, who will each grow up to try and avenge their fathers by strapping on a bomb, or trying to learn to fly a plane into a building, or blowing up a ship in the gulf of Adan, or driving a truck into an embassy laden with explosives, or something more heinous.
I never was comfortable with W's targeted robot killings. I am still not comfortable with the Obama administration's (the CIA's mostly) targeted killings. If Venezuela, Iran or Cuba had these, and they were flying over the US or Canada or any of our allies, think we'd be pissed off about it? Do you think we'd be "at war" with that country (not just the organization piloting the drone, but the who country who harboured them?).
I don't know what a good ratio of "terrorists : children" kills are. I would think "zero" would be the best number. Yes, there's not been a successful terrorist attack on the US since Obama took office - the underwear bomber blowing his own genitals off doesn't count. But if it was President Palin, or President Romney, and they were blowing up Yemenis, Pakistani, Sudanese, Malian, Somalian, or any other country's citizen, even if those citizens were really really evil people who wanted to kill Americans but who had not done anything against America yet... do you think the nation would be OK with it?
9 years ago
Why should we take the govt at its word that the non-children killed were all terrorists? *Any* adult male in a strike is classified as an enemy combatant. Very convenient definition for drone apologists.
ReplyDeleteMurder by drone: Obama should be ashamed.
I concur.
ReplyDeleteDDF and i watched "Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies", a Dana Carey comedy special last night, filmed for HBO just prior to the 2008 election. ANd Dana poked a huge amount of ridicule on W and Cheney. I could see how Obama might continue drone strikes for a year or so after taking office.. but to do it now for the 5th year.. and to increase it... and to take ANY collateral damage to ANYONE, other than the "evil doers" (as W used to call them, in the Dana Carvey bit) ... civilian, journalist, fruit vendor, cab driver... I don't care. If they were not actively plotting to detonate a device "later that day" or to kill someone within a few minutes, there's no justification for killing them with flying robots.
But then Barack is doubling down, and nominating Brennan for the head of the CIA... the same guy who engineered W's drone program originally... ugh!
Same as it ever was... same, as it ever was.