Massive killoffs of civilians is pretty much inevitable when your only tool of foreign policy is a bomb.

q

Launching a bomb at a country without declaring war?

Isn't that what the Empire of Japan did at Pearl Harbour back in 1941?

Infamy then, but not now? Why?

What the **** are we doing???? What is a militant? Someone who doesn't want their country invaded? Someone who has secret plans in their basement? Do we really know where "militants" are? Do they glow in a special way we can see from an airplane? If we had information on their location, and knew what they were "up to", should we use bombs as our first instrument of foreign policy?

I believe we are once again trying to destroy a country so we can exploit it.

Joe

Those nutty Pakistanis!
Didn't anyone tell them that we're bringing democracy?

Drone driving punks from sillycone valley killing innocent civilians in Waziristan from a secure room here on US soil. ...and the home of the braaaaave.

Piss off Pakistan enough and we'll see mushroom clouds here and a Republican victory...if we're still alive.

How many simultaneous wars does it take until we aknowledge WWIII has begun?

Currently we seem to be at war with:

1 Iraq
2 Afghanistan
3 Iran (covert ops, cross border attacks- a declaration of war according to Scott Ritter)
4 Pakistan (similar to above)
5 Russia (Georgian war by proxy)

I count 5 wars currently.

and coming right up:
Ukraine... the next showdown with Russia

Also, don't forget a coup orchestrated by US in Venezuela. Does that count as war? That could make 6.

What is this? The murder and maiming of innocent people will continue until their attitude improves? That's worked so well for the Jews in Palestine over the last 60 years. Eh?

Cameiros

There can be absolutely no doubt that the U.S. Government is a criminal enterprise.
How else do you label indiscriminate bombing of civilians - women and children...
From its inception as an Anglo-Saxon colony this government has been practicing genocide and slavery.
Is it any wonder we are where we are?
Change begins with atonement; but since that is not in the cards change will happen thru catastrophe.

@fakedemocracy

Well, the key word here is WORLD War III. While the US is conducting operations on many fronts, there is little world support (other than lip service from 3-4 other countries) for these operations.

Only 2 counties have more that 1,000 troops in Iraq (UK, Great Britain).
Only 7 countries have more that 100 troops in Iraq (S. Korea, Poland, Australia, Romania, El Salvador, Bulgaria and Albania). Australia is about to withdraw.

The initial NATO force in Afghanistan consisted of roughly 3,300 British, 2,300 Canadian, 1,963 from the Netherlands, 290 from Denmark, 300 from Australia, and 150 from Estonia. Today, the French have a handful.

Hardly WWIII.

It makes me so sick to see the U.S. again raining bombs down on innocents and tribal peoples all over the world.
Here is an excerpt from the AP story on the latest drone attack on Pakistan:

"The U.S. has pushed Pakistan to crack down on insurgents, warning that they are using pockets of the northwest as safe havens from which to plan attacks on American and NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan."

Well, the obvious question is: WHY are we in Afghanistan IN THE FIRST PLACE?

I've written numerous times and encourage you all to write to the Obama campaign and tell him in no uncertain terms what we think of all his aggressive talk on Afghanistan and Pakistan:

What makes you so sure Osama bin Laden is still in a cave in the Pakistan mountains? That was 6 years ago. It would have made a difference to catch him then. But the world has changed since then. The U.S. squandered any good will engendered by 9/11. We cannot rebuild that with bombs. The movement bin Laden spawned has morphed into something much more diffuse. We have created so many enemies with our misguided, brutal wars that catching a few insurgents or whatever, won't change anything. The only way to stop making enemies and undo the damage is to get all our troops out of the middle east. After that, if the UN initiates a peace keeping or aid force we can participate in it.
Do you have other motives for continuing the military brutality in the Muslim world? Like securing oil or pipeline routes? The US is spending way too much on this futile effort at stealing other people's resources. We could have bought all the oil we wanted for what we've spent. Please-- let's stick with your plan of using the money to achieve energy independence and get our men and women out of there.

As sixkilo implied, these killings are being done by remote control drones piloted by people at joystick equipped PC's other side of the earth (civilian contractors?) - in the Golden State, whose economy largely depends of this high tech war machinery.

"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.
War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector
enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
-John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, Thirty-fifth President of the USA

"Frankly, I'd like to see the government get out of war altogether
and leave the whole field to private industry."
-Joseph Heller 1923-, American Author

"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die."
-Herbert Hoover 1874-1964, 31st American President

"A democracy which makes or even effectively prepares for modern,
scientific war must necessarily cease to be democratic.
No country can be really well prepared for modern war
unless it is governed by a tyrant, at the head of a
highly trained and perfectly obedient bureaucracy."
-Aldous Huxley 1894-1963, British Author

"The minority, the ruling class, has the schools and the Press,
usually the Church as well, under its thumb.
This enables it to organize and sway the emotions
of the masses and make its tool of them."
Albert Einstein (in a letter to Sigmund Freud 1932)

"The cost to the good citizens for their indifference in public affairs,
is to be ruled by evil men."
Plato - 428-347 BC

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good
of its victims may be the most oppressive"
C.S. Lewis

"If I don't like it, I call it "terrorism".
Alexander Haig - US Army General
and Secretary of State under Nixon

"Think of the Press as a great keyboard on which the government can play"
Joseph Goebbels (Nazi Propaganda Minister)

"If any question why we died, tell them, because our fathers lied."
-Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936, British Author of Prose, Verse

"War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose;
then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering;
in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost."
-Karl Kraus 1874-1936, Austrian Satirist

"I have known war as few men now living know it.
It's very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it
useless as a means of settling international disputes."
-Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, American Army General in WW II

"War will never cease until babies begin to come into
the world with larger cerebrums and smaller adrenal glands."
-H. L. Mencken 1880-1956, American Editor, Author, Critic, Humorist

Zadari, our man in Pakistan, might fly away in a CIA helicopter in the nick of time. How long will the Pakistani Army sit back and refuse to defend their own borders? What are they? Abject cowards? Top generals bought off? This is weird.

Porter in an item at this link, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JI10Df01.html provides additional detail as to the precariousness of this "strategy." Another item from atimes goes into other nuances and analysis, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JI10Df02.html

Given what these two writers say and comprehend, it seems quite possible that the US aims to further destabilize Pakistan through further radicalizing the Pashtuns. A good map is always helpful, http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/afghan_paki_border_rel88.jpg

First, we have no business in Packistan. Period.

Second, they are certainly not cowards, they are just in a bad position.

I'm convinced we're engaging in more conflicts for the sole purpose of creating more terrorists. How can we have a war on terror without creating more. Every terrorist or insurgent has value for the MID.

There is only ONE real terrorist oganisation in the world, and it is called USA.

There are many organisations that resist the terrorism of the USA, and these the USA calls Terrorists.

"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats

I'm waiting for change.

Instead of Bush bombing Pakistan, we need Obama bombing Pakistan.

That's change.

rumiluvUSan and sixilo have nailed it in describing the coldblooded, coldhearted nature of techno/video game warfare, where you can push a button or two, kill twenty people you've never met, and go have a cold one. This has been well described by Howard Zinn recounting his own regretted WWII bombing experiences, and also by VietNam vets recounting their cold-blooded techno bombing in the great documentary, Hearts and Minds. This is what McCain was doing before he was shot down and became a hero. The 21st century techno-assassination method is brilliantly illustrated in the George Clooney-Matt Damon film, Syriana.

rumiluv

It would appear as if the US armed forces have not learned from the painful experience of the British during the era of the Raj. Pashtun's are a notoriously fractious bunch who practice endemic tribal warfare, blood feuds, and have only been temporarily conquered by the Mongols and Alexander the Great. Whenever an outside power tries to impose their will on them, it has turned out badly for the soldiers of said outside power. That is why when Jinnah set up Pakistan, he smart enough to make Pashtun lands autonomous and occasionally used them as shock troops (Kashmir in 1947). This also kept the Pashtuns as outside actors of the eternal Pakistani power struggle between the Punjabis and Sindh's. By attacking Pakistani territory, the US risks pissing off not only the Pashtuns, but the Punjabis and Sindhs (who are currently in the midst of fighting over who controls the government) as well. That would accomplish an all too rare feat, politically uniting a nuclear armed Pakistan against the USA.

.
What do you expect when your IDIOT-in-CHIEF, is an insane cowboy ????????

And let us not forget that Barack Obama has pretty well let us all know his intentions toward Pakistan should he happen to beat the "superb" ticket of McCain/Palin. If the history of the last 20 years is any indicator we will be escalating our military ops in Pakistan regardless of who the next POTUS is.

War without end. Mission accomplished!

"Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups."
- John Kenneth Galbraith

Folks,

Organize. Act. Its time to move beyond complaining, don't you agree? I suspect the key is organization, there is impact in sheer numbers.

It is obvious that the US, in the firm grip of the oil/military/industrial complex and the extremely wealthy, has basically become a psychopathic entity. Acts of war have become humdrum. The list of countries we're now at war with or occupying - Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan have been mentioned. Don't forget Sudan, we've sent assasination drones there too. You might say that the US is equally guilty in Israel's war against Lebanon - we rush-shipped new bombs when the Israelis began to use up their supply. Remember Rice said something like, "lets not rush into a cease fire" as Israel poured cluster bombs into Lebanon? The US Senate passed a unanimous resolution supporting "Israel's right to defend itself".

Its not only foreign war-making, the EPA attempts to PREVENT efforts to clean the air. The FDA makes PRONOUNCEMENTS that BPA in plastics is safe, relying on three studies - done by industry. Two months later it comes out that the National Toxicology Program (an entity in the NIH), after evaluating over 100 studies done by independent scientists, concluded there is reason for concern. When fed to monkeys in doses deemed safe by the FDA / EPA, this chemical apparently causes brain abnormalities that influence behavior and learning. Yes, at "safe" doses. Our government is literally killing us with neglect of drug safety and the environment, and is maiming our children.

We can starve the beast by not providing the dollars for this overseas killing spree, or by refusing to turn the cranks of industry (for example, refuse to work for GE, General Dynamics, Lockheed, Boeing and others war-making companies or own their stock). Or, we can gum up the works of the machinery with civil disobedience. Or, choose your own method - get busy.

Without some radical changes in direction we are headed directly towards Fascism - in fact we've already arrived.

Tanstaafl.

Question: How many simultaneous, multiple, major theater wars can we engage in until the cost results in the complete collapse of the dollar?

Question: Would a full scale attack on another oil producer like Iran produce ten dollar gas at the pump?

Question: I'm serious. If GWB is as unpopular as everyone says, why is McCain doing so much better comparatively? Their policies are exactly the same. Does anyone really doubt that they are? So, what is it? Do people just despise GWB the man? What's going on here????????

conservative:
Agree on the buck, oil and McCain poll results. I don't believe the polls in the US when the results can be changed at the flip of a Diebold switch.

preznit:
I am doing that very thing, I joined the Green party in Canada after Harper told the press not to include the leader of the green party to be in TV debates. ( Sounds very American like Ron Paul not being allowed)
I have said the same thing to others on CD and only 2 people admitted that had been on a protest march. CD is full of arm chair followers that I have given up on most of them. In fact many sound like they have never voted, or traveled beyong the end of the street. Good luck in your fight for change.
PS do what I did , move to Canada

I feel and said this the other day it is only a matter of time before Pakistan loads up a bunch of missiles and flattens parts of the US lead NATO troops in Afghanistan. US will then say Pak is helping the Taliban and move to try to control Paks Nukes something Israel has mentioned in the passed it doesn't like.

To: SnowWolf

Palin will not be president in 2012 as US will be under so much debt beacuse of Bush/cheney McSame and Palin that it will be bankrupt. (some analyst say it is already bankrupt)

Great thanks from the Americans to Pakistan. Now innocent Pakistani Civilians are being killed in broad daylight.

What is the difference between paerl harbour and Pakistan. Maybe Pakistan needs to nuke US just as US nuked Japan.

As you sow so shall you reap

Who authorized this bombing of yet another country? Did Congress say it was OK? If so shame on them. If not, then it is total lawlessness.

Joe

“We are going to win, because they love life and we love death,” said Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

He has also said: “Each of us lives his days and nights hoping more than anything to be killed for the sake of Allah.”

Shortly after 9/11, Osama bin Laden told a reporter: “We love death. The U.S. loves life. That is the big difference between us.”

So we give them what they love and they complain. When we give them what they don't love they complain, do muslims do anything else besides complain?