Drone Fleet To Expand- Civilian Death Statistics
Drone Fleet To Expand- Civilian Death Statistics
“While the 2012 presidential election racket focuses on gaffes, Romney’s binders, and Big Bird, the CIA and the Pentagon are currently busy finding ways to increase their military power and influence around the globe. According to the Washington Post, CIA Director David Petraeus wants an increased drone fleet to “bolster the agency’s ability to sustain its campaigns of lethal strikes in Pakistan and Yemen and enable it, if directed, to shift aircraft to emerging Al-Qaeda threats in North Africa or other trouble spots.”
And with the final presidential debate on Monday focusing on foreign policy, the issue of drone strikes could not be more prescient. President Obama and former Governor Romney both carefully tiptoed around discussing anything of real substance concerning domestic issues and the economy, and will both look to outhawk each other next week concerning the use of unmanned armed drones overseas — if it is even discussed at all.
It’s easy to see why they might want to avoid the subject. The use of drone strikes have increased exponentially under the Obama administration, becoming a signature aspect of his incredibly aggressive and reckless foreign policy. And while the president and his advisers defend both their supposed legality and precision while simultaneously bragging when convenient and denying when pressured that the drone program even exists, a closer look at the use of Predator drones tells a very different story.
Despite claims from the administration that drone strikes have killed very few civilians, multiple independent reports confirm that Obama is severely downplaying the wreckage that these drone strikes inflict. It is ultimately impossible to get exact numbers, but a new study from Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute finds that the number of Pakistani civilians killed in drone strikes are “significantly and consistently underestimated” by tracking organizations which are trying to take the place of government estimates on casualties.
There are estimates as high as 98% of drone strike casualties being civilians (50 for every one “suspected terrorist”). The Bureau of Investigative Journalism issued a report detailing how the CIA is deliberately targeting those who show up after the sight of an attack, rescuers, and mourners at funerals as a part of a “double-tap” strategy eerily reminiscient of methods used by terrorist groups like Hamas.”* Jimmy Dore (The Jimmy Dore Show) and Steve Oh (COO of The Young Turks) deliver the sobering statistics of deaths directly caused by drone strikes and what part drones may play in future warfare.
*Read more from Robert Taylor/ PolicyMic:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/16949/predator-drone-strikes-50-civilians-are-killed-for-every-1-terrorist-and-the-cia-only-wants-to-up-drone-warfare
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I get it. But what I’m saying is that the diplomatic option has not been used, there are no talks, just tons of attempts to bully from both sides. America is supposed to be a civil country, it should know better than to adopt the enemy’s policies of killing whoever and having no regard for life. but the military option of drones is JUST CREATING MORE ENEMIES. Do you get THAT? Innocent people have died, man, and their families are joining taliban to fight against America! Read the report.
The answer is – YOUR MOM
"Intelligence"? The US government has no "intelligence". No integrity, no morals, no honor, no honesty, no dignity, no scruples, no respect, no conscience, no discretion, no remorse, but least of all, "intelligence". Here’s a good example-911.
of course. What’s bigger than a galaxy?
Look, I know this will sound bad to a lot of people – but I’m wondering what is so bad about the notion of military robots in general… I completely understand the outrage over killing "suspects" – obviously that is violating due process and is fucking wrong – but during wartime, killing enemy militia remotely who are definitely militia… what is wrong with that? that saves the lives of people who would otherwise have to go into combat
thank you! it is very good for me
Yeah, it’s a good policy to read. Really gives understanding to what and who we deem as a potential military target.
Drones don’t fly "way up high in the atmosphere". They come in fast & low over the terrain or treetops, suddenly it’s upon you.
ED209..
Yeah, I’m saying that the American Government doesn’t care how outraged the people get. Nothing changes
Black ops 2 is going to happen for real
conscience, remorse and scruples aren’t necessary traits for our success, they are good qualities for individuals or neighbors but a superpower can’t allows afford these luxuries. furthermore we do have intelligence, or more accurately we did. our skills were honed to a razors edge during the cold war but after the soviet union fell we didn’t have a rival to spur us on so we started to atrophy. also by intelligence i mean covert actions and use of human terrain.
I don’t know how it started, don’t think anybody can say for certain how/why it started. It’s an old problem.
But that’s the reason they’re giving for it’s continuance.
There’s not enough people in America that have brains or balls to do that. They’re all convinced they have freedom; Dumb asses.
how do you get defense from that??! This is the damn problem. No one can voice their opinion without having to worry to be declared a friend of the enemy.
Do you know what we do in the middle east/what our purpose is besides protecting interests? We are also there to advance these people to modernity. Now, is it wrong that children died? Yes, and I hope they take appropriate measures to mitigate events like this. Know this, that no war is without casualty of innocents. TYT likes to use emotive responses to handle delicate situations; they occasionally slant things liberally as well.
A drone a day helps keep al Qaida away.
Yeah more shit from the Young JERKS! They are the enemy, we are supposed to KILL THEM!
Oh…
Oooooooh! :O
WHY? Who made America the authority to prance around the world bringing other people’s standards up?? They don’t want it! If that is so, go to Saudi Arab where there is still no democracy, but since Saudi Arab is a pal there’s no touching that subject.
Emotive responses were not used after 9/11 to go into Iraq? People actually thought Saddam was responsible for 9/11.
Human beings are dying, not sheep. What that says about America is that we are inhumane people.
Should I take it from this trollish response that you support the United States’ drone program? Or am I misunderstanding your reply?
Battling an insurgency is completely different than fighting a total war. Nice try schmucko!
well to start with i wouldn’t have declared war on iraq or afghanistan or even on terror. this shouldn’t have been treated as a military conflict but as an intelligence one. as for the war being based on lies, most wars are at least partly based on them but a lie can achieve good or bad. i don’t like to lie personally as i’m bad at it and it really just causes more trouble down the line but i still believe they can be used to accomplish some good, at least in the short term.
Technology to control people is playing with fire. It will be bad at first but eventually those stuffed shirts will be choking on their own blood.
these news are totally wrong sir ask those people in pakistan they will tell u how many children died in drones how many pregnant women and how many old people died in there CIA is is just shit nothing more then that and ISI is standing with CIA and killing there own people
Not everyone understands LOAC, and what a combatant is. I doubt TYT even knows.
The first step is to not use the money that empowers them. I can’t stress that enough. Does that make sense?
I love Steven Oh. BRING HIM ON MORE!
Oh Fuck. Are you a Zeitgeister? I cannot talk to you people. You all have an irrational fear of the wealthy and, by extension, wealth.
I’m a wealthy person who loves money, much like a chef loves knives. We both know the utility and dangers of the tool.
If you’re a Gold Standard dude. You guys don’t understand that printing money should NEVER have interest attached.
If you just mean, End the Fed and have the govt print it’s own money in proportion to economic need, then great. We agree.
Depends how hard they come down. I don’t want to lose my job but if everyone becomes to scared to come out of their houses, well lets just say I wouldn’t be opposed to take action against them.
But what I would like to do I probably shouldn’t post on a public forum.
Silly lets have more human solders die and screw the fake secular middle easterns
LOL, so this terrorism started because we killed other peoples children? Right…
Stop this at all costs. Presidents always lose support when their handlers force them into wars. The difference is we have a conscience they don’t. They are merely puppets. Now maybe people will take this seriously. We are gonna stop this!
I know where the troops are and where drones are being fired. Taliban comes in from Afghanistan into Pakistan, their land is still occupied by American troops. America has bases in Saudi Arabia!!!
"Don’t rely on Military Power." -Sun Tzu.
"Must maintain moral influence." -Sun Tzu.
"No nation ever benefited from a prolonged war." -Sun Tzu.
I have seen in recent history many accounts of peace loving men getting assassinated. Are you suggesting that these same men are now targeting the bad guys, because it’s never been that way.
Seriously, I’m not sure where whats his face (on the right) gets the idea that we’re going to have fucking drones patrolling the US. What kind of stupid, post apocalyptic bullshit world is he living in? You rather have troops on the ground getting killed? Ideally we’d have no war, but I’d rather have unmanned drones doing the work over there instead of people.
you think it’s bad now? wait when the first sub-orbital drones start to fly
Don’t speculate
i went to Chicago area twice. I missed a few of the toll gates. I tried to go online and pay them when I got back home but you had to identify which points you didnt pay at to do so and I didn’t know. Now they have sent me a fine for it. They photograph your car. We are in a surveillance society. We have no privacy.
this is the first time i have even heard of LOAC – my god – so much info on this out there
This is a horrible moment in history! We must never ever use drones like this again! Stop this because they won’t
American people do not have the spine to do that.
More drones.
sure baby
It doesn’t matter what you post, nothing will come of it. The spirit of Liberty and Rebellion is dead in this land. The people have been blasted with a blindness and have become like sheep lead to the slaughter. What’s more important, working or Liberty; Slavery or freedom?
I am saying don’t demonize the tool demonize the tool user.
2018 done and done.
those two cant do the classic "OFFFFFF COURRRRSSSSSEEEE"
Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do when marshal law comes?