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Right-Wing Mad Scientist and His Mindless Murdering Drones
A US drone firing missiles into a village in northern Pakistan killed at least 19 people over the weekend. The targets were militants said the US military. The victims included six dead children said a local tribal elder.
"Suspected US drone kills Suspected Taliban Commander." That's becoming the stuff of very suspect news stories. The reporting is so weak there's almost nothing confirmed except that the killer operator is far away in front of a computer screen somewhere.
Suspected killing of suspected people by suspected killers covered by unsuspicious media? It would be sci-fi if it weren't so damn here-now. And it's only going to get more so.
The Democratic administration made a big deal recently of cutting the cumbersome F-22 fighter jet -- we don't need it any more said the President. What he didn’t say is that the defense department is seeking $3.5 billion for unmanned aerial vehicles. Funding is expected to increase to $55 billion by 2020. The air force is currently training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots.
Drones have been around since the US led NATO war in the former Yugoslavia. Since 06, drones have launched hundred of missiles along the Afghanistan Pakistan border kllilng as many as 700 civilians according to Pakistani officials.
Forbes magazine's “king of the armed drone makers” is a little known company called General Atomics whose founder James Neal Blue came up with the drone as a way of defeating Soviet-backed Sandinistas by blowing up oil pipelines in Nicaragua. He’s a fervent anti-communist and quite possibly the next Erik Prince -- only his mercenaries aren't Blackwater's flesh and blood killers, but conveniently inanimate machines, more expensive up front, but safer politically.
General Atomics is small by defense industry standards, but it has a lot of friends in Washington. Between 2000 and 2005, GA was the top corporate sponsor of privately funded congressional travel. So perhaps no surprise, there’s little resistance to more drones in the US arsenal.
They're not cheap -- between $10 million and $12 million apiece per GA Reaper -- Their success rate is disputed, they kill civilians and even General David Petraeaus says they make people hate us.
But President Obama has a problem. Every American military commanders wants more troops but maybe, someday, the president's anti-war base will get restive.
How to heed the commanders and quiet the critics? Welcome to the super drone bonanza. The pilotless drone is the military's version of cash for very clunky policy.
- Posted in
83 Comments so far
Show AllThe blood of innocent Pakistanis, Afghanis, and Iraqis is now on Obama's hands. These are his war crimes.
When will the anti-war movement wake up from its Obama slumber?
Oct. 5, 2009: March on D.C. to protest U.S. (now Obama's) wars
Duh ?
During his presidential campaign Obama promised to bomb Pakistan. It is one of the few campaign promises that he kept.
Next story...
"During his presidential campaign Obama promised to bomb Pakistan. It is one of the few campaign promises that he kept."
And your point is...?
He also kept his promise to escalate the Afghan war/occupation. So what? War crimes are war crimes, promised or not.
Yes, all those Obama voters can pat themselves on the back for a good job for helping in the killing of more innocent people. I remember trying to talk sense into a lot of these folks. So many of them were vehemently against the war in Iraq, yet they believed Obama was going to change all that, even when he was outright claiming there would be more war!
To those Obama voters: the blood of innocents is on your hands.
Why didn't you vote for Nader?
They were too mesmerized by the sickeningly smooth-talking huckster that was shoved in front of their faces selling his Bill of Goods (Dem primaries), before being shoved down their throats, (Dem Convention/Nomination).
All I can say is: gullible dumb asses.
Alright, alright! I didn't vote for Nader because I thought it would equal a vote
for Palin/McPain. Obama smooth-talked me. I didn't do my home work. I was all Ron-Pauled up until he dropped/was pushed out. I'm SORRY! What was I THINKING? I F#@ked up! So, freefood, pay any taxes lately? Then you too can join the ranks of baby killers. I love America. I hate Amerika. We are all complicite. We are marching steadily toward a "Sky Net" future. Give me one more chance, please. I WILL vote for Nader.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to live in the USA without paying federal taxes to kill people. The ballot box is one place to make a stand. If your candidate is unlikely to win at least you have a better chance of having your vote counted accurately. Obama made his war intentions clear: voting for Obama, and people in Congress of supporting the wars, is not merely conspiracy to commit murder, it is voluntary active participation in the crimes.
On July 4th, 2003 my neighborhood errupted in an ungodly pyrotechnic display of jingoistic enthusiasm for the war in Iraq-Nam. Then and ever since, I've observed "Independence Day" locked in the house with curtains drawn.
I've been voting in presidential elections since 1964. Whether I picked winner or loser, I ultimately regretted the outcome. In '08, I voted for Obama. Same result.
No more. Next election I'll stay home, locked in the house with curtains drawn.
Like the sweet little old lady told the pollster: "Oh my goodness, I never vote. It only encourages the dirty bastards."
...THEY MIGHT BE, 'NOW,' BUT WE MUST NOT FORGET FOR A MOMENT THE CRIMINALS WHO STARTED THE US ON THIS EVIL PATH--THE BUSH/CHENEY/ROVE/RUMSFELD/ASHCROFT CHICKENHAWK GANG!
Under what authority is Obama conducting military operations in Iraq?
I'm still waiting for an answer.
I would say the Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq, but I don't know if the Senate has ratified it, or if it does require ratification.
Not that I support military operations in Iraq, just pointing out what may be the authority for it.
The SOFA regarded when our troops would begin withdrawal from Iraq and laws for U.S. contractors.
It may have been ratified by the Iraqi congress but I'm almost certain it wasn't ratified by ours.
I don't believe it has anything to do with conducting military operations in Pakistan.
Right, I don't think it's been ratified by ours either, and ThinkProgress did a blog post on why it needs to be.
And no it has nothing to do with Pakistan...I think that would be whatever authority Congress originally gave Bush to go after al Qaeda, but who the hell knows. And I'm too busy at work to look it up, hopefully someone else will look into it before I get home.
Professor of International Law, Francis Boyle, states that Obama's escalation of troops in Afghanistan is illegal under the War Powers Resolution (WPR):
"The Obama Administration simply ignored Section 4(a)(3) of the WPR when it announced the escalation,...U.S. armed forces are in Afghanistan originally pursuant to WPR. Its requirement that the President get Congressional consent on substantial enlargement (of forces) was put there to deal with the kind of gradual escalation we saw in Viet Nam that eventually led to 550,000 troops being there".
"Clearly, President (George W.) Bush never had authority from Security Council in the first place to invade Afghanistan, and the WPR requires that any enlargement of U.S. troops in a foreign nation be authorized by Congress."
From Newsvine, July 2009
"Under what authority?" ??
It's been many a moon since our rulers have even pretended they need 'authority' to do anything they damn well please.
I find it truly astonishing that Obama is bombing Pakistan and nobody is even asking "under what authority?"
At least Bush initially promised to get a U.N. resolution to invade Iraq, which he never did.
I guess now the U.S. doesn't even feel the desire to go through the pretense of caring about international law?
Cygnus-X1-isaHole sez: "I find it truly astonishing that Obama is bombing Pakistan and nobody is even asking 'under what authority?'"
***
Who's gonna ask?
NBC(GE) - which profits from both supplying the death machine and "reporting" lies about it?
Authority? We don' need no steenking authority!
YOU SURE GOT THAT RIGHT!
Now we can put those video game skills to work!
Drone bombs and much "collateral damage" will not win the hearts and minds of Afghans. I get a StangeLove feeling about our killing machines.
The American Killing Machine, coming soon to your neighborhood.
UAVs are currently being operated by several federal agencies within the US. I wonder how long it will be before they will become armed?
"How to heed the commanders and quiet the critics?"
One way is to buy the drones for a tenth of the price from the Russians. It would be a boon to the Russian economy while saving billions of dollars of American taxpayers money.
Seriously though, drones have wiped out more terrorist wedding parties than any squadron of US F-16's. The terrorist toddlers posing as innocent children is a particular problem as they blend into the general population in the thousands of impoverished villages throughout the region. Perhaps the military can ask the defence contractors to develop a computerized, unmanned Pied Piper drone that could round up all the children in the third world that are deemed to have a "pre-existing terrorist condition" and lead them into the local river. Of course this would eventually eliminate America's favourite targets, wedding parties, thereby saving taxpayers millions in drones.
Yes, but it would improve the number of funerals that could be bombed. It's a win-win.
I find the beginning title of this....Right Wing" hilarious! The ""Right Wing" is not in charge of our military.
The very idea of calling Obama, Pelosi, Reid and this Congress "Right Wing" will have the Republicans in stiches!!
Dear Henry,
Please try to read the article before you comment. Laura Flanders is talking about the head of General Atomics, the big drone-maker. He is a declared right-winger, like Eric Prince of Blackwater. Having these proud fascists in charge of private armies funded by the taxpayers is very scary.
GreenDragon
Dear Green Dragon.....I take your point, but please take mine....these drones are only useful, if they are being used. And its not Bush thats in charge, so I don't give a pass to those in charge. I believe muy comment was a fair one and certainly the truth.
I'd sure like to have seen the last bunch of Republicans--the ones who for 20 years have started this campaign of 'find-an-excuse-and-somebody-to-kill-control-and-profit -from--in stitches, alraight...
They may indeed be about to be stiched up! Lest see where the investigation goes!
Was Bush right wing?--and so is his successor!
I may not be happy with Obama, but Right Wing he most certainly is not. Pelosdi and Reid are a disgrace to their office, but Right Wing....they are most certainly not.
But you got 50% with Bush (lol)
Cygnus-X1-isaHole writes… “Under what authority is Obama conducting military operations in Iraq?”
Under the authority of the presidents of Exxon, BP, Haliburton, General Dynamics, Boeing, American Defence Technologies, Blackwater, Lockheed Martin, Genral Atomics and host of other “very important people” I suspect.
chessgames56 writes… “Now we can put those video game skills to work!”
Phew! And I thought my teenage son was actually wasting years of his life playing his Sony Play Station. Now I realize that he’s training to be an Air Force assasin. Hell, I don’t see the point of him finishing school anymore.
Kid’s just love pointing to the military to justify the time they waste on computers.
Every morning I stand up, face the nearest gas station and pledge allegiance to the United States of Amoco.
Once the super computers (SKYNET) at the Pentagon figure out that humans can't be trusted ....... Run Sarah! RUN!
It is most advisable to the USA to spend as much of their 'borrowed' money on these kinds of expenditures, as they can.
In fact, as a 'son of his people', I would encourage the USA to continue with all of the present 'foreign policy programs', and I would encourage them to show the rest of the world their true potential: like they showed 'us'.
Show the world that a nation of liars and cowards, thieves and cheats, greedy foolish and short sighted 'slavers' who simply cannot keep their words nor be trusted to actually do the 'right thing'; does not deserve to exist.
Then the world will step in, and save themselves from you.
And our people will ride our horses through your empty cities; and you will have emptied them yourselves.
"If the USA were another nation, the USA would invade the USA in order to keep the world safe; and they would be justified."
Good Luck America, your time is becoming shorter each day.
I feel you, NativeSon, and I pray and hope with all my might that we--like every country before us, like every country in Europe (and the World, for that matter) who at one time had to answer for their ignorance, naivete, laziness, and/or complacence will either, take our government ("of the people, by the people, for the people,")out of the hands of traitors, anti-Christ-like/unGodly-false-preachers & prophets (who turn the message of Good News, goodness and Love into blasphemous and truly evil and mocking of morality and ethics that really matter and touch people everywhere on God's world full of God's people), and anti-patriots--truly, just sociopathic profiteers and control freaks who care nothing about this country and most certainly nothing about all the majority of people in this world who, for the most part, have already seen, and been taught and humbled by their own histories of tyrants and fanatics who nearly (and in some cases, did) destroyed them--I pray that the real and good God of mercy and justice does justice and judgement in this country soon--because if left up to the people and attitudes of the seemingly overwhelming bent, of the people here, to demand exponential extremes of vengence, punishment and extremes of hateful and unmerciful dealings with their perceived enemies (and every so-called, or, real, criminal, while we make more and ever harsher laws and punishments and act as if they're good and moral responses... until, THEY fall between their own cracks..., mistake, and whoever challenges their pov, lifestyle and/or right to support and hate and call for more of it on the: "heathen and un-uh-'Merikan--American, i.e.)and we were to be judged, in kind...and in the same spirit--I shudder and pray even harder and more often that the REAL God of goodness, mercy, fairness and compassion mercifully bring us to our knees and senses so we can join those of the nations and people of the world who've already been there and try to tell us so in places like this CD site postings, but "the Patriotic Curtain," is far thicker and even more insidious than the former, "Iron" one. Because, with monopolies owning and manipulating every sphere and aspect of what the majority of the people in the US receive--and/or, WILL receive--as news and current events, we are all but blind and deaf--and it would seem that our feeling has long long departed.
Well said,
I read all you posts and I'm right there with you on your thinking. Please read my posts today. I think you'll find them prophetic.
I did and they are very prophetic.
"Your words are like a cool drink of water to a thirsty heart".
Here's a concise piece that addresses the question of whether Obama's military operations in Pakistan are legal.
After you read it let me know what you think.
http://www.slate.com/id/2134396/
When I was a teenager in the seventies (long before Ender's Game had been written) and my friends and I started playing one of the first arcade video games, Space Invaders (c. 1978), we joked that we were unwitting participants in Pentagon-sponsored training for remote combat. Today with drone program that science fiction fantasy has become reality. Now we just need a good investigative journalist to dig up the link between the Pentagon and Atari, Nintendo, etc. Oh, that's right, they've all been fired.
These drones are as evil, (if not MORE evil than) anything the Luftwaffe ever did or conceived of! Not to mention the individuals in the administrations (since Reagan) who conceived of the lies and the manipulation of the North American people, here in the United Corporation of America [or, of: 'Meriker--as G.W. Bush labeled us].
Murdering-YES! MURDERING! 18 other people just because they happen to have to live in their neighborhoods, villages and homes.
I don't believe ANYTHING this or the former administrations say or said about any so-called terrorist, and I'll tell, you, if a*#holes from thousands of miles away were sending ROBOT DRONES (that some barely post-adolescent--or not--computer jocky in some office building...!?!), or anything or anyone else (for their own vengeful, hateful and greedy agendas) to kill my countrymen, women and children; and neighbors, ect.--NO MATTER WHO THEY WERE/ARE I most certainly would have to pray and truly seek my own heart and refusal to hate and be like one of these murderers and evil manipulative lars who profit from the grief, pain, sorrow of the ones THEY call (...well; whatever they have or can spin out to get the superficial, ignorant and label/status/self-centered and hradhearted people here to knee-jerk--in fear and misplaced, fanatical, rage against someone who doesn't agree with the BS idea of patriotism (which is really another product of the facist Reagan/Bush/Cheney/ Rove/ Ashcroft/ Pat Robertson- types, and only insecurity and false-pride that anyone could dare think that, 'Meriker, as G.W. labeled us, is anything but the only place in the 'world' that has people, and/or people who matter--that is; people who share common values and show evidence of true advancement and civilization because they, like, 'Meriker, and fellow 'Merikans, know religion-tv--prosperity-religion-labels-pop-media-status-and being 'too cool,' to show any real passion or emotion when it comes to caring about the "born and starving," as much as the "unborn," and already in God's hands, and how dare the world not agree with them; their relion, superficialites, rationalized and religified excuses for blindly following and doing nothing that some "preacher for the 'Kriztchun, 'n 'Merikan way of life...Sorry folks--got carried away by caring too much, it seems. About my country of birth and residence and also about God's people in the countries where we're killing families and destroying lives faster than anyone with a boxcutter and a stereotype ever could.
Within the first 2 weeks of Obamas Presidency he had already ordered a DRONE Attack along the border of Pakistan - killing at least a dozen civilians.
Now that Obamas BIG Head has been pumped full of more power he is ONLY going to Escalate these horrific DRONE Attacks.
I think we need to start working on an IMPEACHMENT Package!
We NEED to END this Menace and END these Remote Control DRONE Attacks and END these ILLEGAL Operations
We NEED to Bring ALL of our Troops Home from the Middle East and the rest of the World
And We NEED to Focus on OUR Economy, OUR People and Country
We NEED to Focus on Peace
Oh and We NEED to END the "federal" reserve - Because that is whom is Printing "Money" out of THIN AIR to supply the Funds to Pay for DRONE Airplanes and Imperialistic Invasions!
One
Big
Ass
Mistake
America
Hey, we've got to prosecute the LAST bunch of criminals--and far far worse ones at that--before we can start talking about this administration, who; give them a break, have to deal with all the evil already put in place by 20 years of greed, lies, superficiality, religion and sociopathy!
Don't
Reckon
On
Never
Encountering
How are unmanned drones launched by the U.S. any different from the V1 and V2 aerial bombs launched by the Nazis in WWII? Both are lethal, impersonal and undiscriminating between armed enemies and civilians. The United States has become the embodiment of evil that it claims to be protecting the world from.
Obama's Change.gov site listed all of this under the defense page. He wrote in print for all to read that he intended to increase the use of drones- to "expand our global reach."
These things will only change when we elect- in large numbers- candidates who say NO to war as an economic policy.
"Drones have been around since the US led NATO war in the former Yugoslavia."
Hitler used V1 and V2 drones in WWII. Although unguided, they were the moral equivalent of a yahoo shooting bullets into the air.
Remotely operated drones are barely a notch above.
Let's bring ALL military stationed abroad home and mind our own business.
It's not as if our country in in perfect shape.
All Hail the Turgid Phallus of Imperium!!!
Remember the Star Wars and the "EMPIRE?"
DRONE WARS -- is the US version of "CLONE Wars"....
Clones taken over by the EMPIRE ...it's like Scientific advances taken over for the purpose of doing EVIL.
SO "amerikkka"
SO Empire...
so "senator obama" so - "senator palpatine"
so "EMPEROR" -- so Darth Sidious - SO SITHLIKE........
Order 66...the moment the clones went from loyal battle-mates to treacherous assassins...everywhere at once...farfetched?