Time for a global Ban on Lethal Drones.

[georgephillip]

I disagree. They can be a great tool in the war on terror. We just need a president who has his finger on the button and has morals and respect for the law. I.o.w., not obama.

Can you suggest a viable Republican OR Democrat presidential prospect who would question the military industrial complex without winding up like JFK?

It isn't like China, Russia or Iran is going to stop if we bow down to them. Idiot.

China and Russia still have the power to vaporize millions of Americans, including rich Americans, so it isn't too likely they're worried about US drones killing their children. Iran on the other hand has already shot down an unarmed US drone, and none of the three authoritarian states is killing hundreds (thousands?) of innocent human beings on the opposite side of the planet from their homelands. That should tell you something about your government's commitment to human rights.

 

[dilloduck]

Most of the world uses drones in warfare. We can't even ban the creation of nukes so this is just silly.

Rules of war are not silly to those who are truly interested in them. They serve a purpose but it's probably not what you think.

 

[R.C. Christian]

Let's put the problem into the right context. Whether you care about rag heads or not should not be a consideration. Imagine if you're a villager herding your goats with your sons, just minding your own business. Every day you can hear those things buzzing around faintly. It makes you tense and uneasy. You never know when you or someone you love (rag heads love their children too) are going be obliterated by a hellfire missile just because some bad guy is hiding amongst you, was hiding amongst you, or was rumored to have hidden amongst you.

Finally, the moment comes. You find your child in pieces. You first condition is despair, and unimaginable grief. Nothing can assuage the anguish of your bereavement. This must be a bad dream but it isn't.

After some time you have accepted the loss. You've chosen anger over sadness and you're looking for some payback.

You are now a perfect candidate terrorist indoctrination.

 

[ScienceRocks]

air strikes would do the same thing.

 

[R.C. Christian]

There is really no difference except from a cost benefit standpoint.

But, for the person on the ground who isn't the bad guy it's rather dehumanizing to realize that some guy with a joystick in an air conditioned hangar is killing you half a world away.

To a Muslim, this must be especially insulting. The point being is that we're just making more terrorists with this drone business.

 

[georgephillip]

In war you make the other mother fucker die with the least amount of death on your side. I'd support turning half of our airforce into drones and drone bombers....

We don't have to risk the lives of our people because of technology. Some people seem to think we should be riding horses. Truly Obama is killing the terrorist and you're bitching? If Obama doesn't kill the terrorist you're bitching. Is there any winning?

War isn't sustainable. We can't kill them all and let Goldman Sachs sort 'em out.
For the last two generations the US has been the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet.

We don't have to beat our swords in plowshares; we do need to stop the mass murder of people who pose no threat to our homeland, or we will reap the whirlwind:

"Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?"

Russell-Einstein Manifesto

 

[numan]

For the last two generations the US has been the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet.

So, so true.

Payback is inevitable, since Americans are too stupid and brainwashed to be able to form an intelligent government.

.

 

[Trajan]

UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Christof Heyns has urged a pause in the corporate progress towards a new world order where machines have the authority to murder human beings.

Heyns wants a global moratorium on the development and deployment of lethal autonomous robots (LARs) which differ from drones in that the former decide when to attack a target without any human input on their choice.

United Nations News Centre - UN human rights expert urges global pause in creation of robots with ‘power to kill’

Which probably sounds comforting to Yemenis although al-Qa'ida might be unhappy about the loss of new recruits:

"SANAA, Yemen -- The United States’ launching of eight drone strikes in Yemen in the span of 13 days has ignited widespread outrage in the country.

"The anger over the strikes, which came as an al-Qaida-related threat shuttered U.S. embassies and consulates in Yemen and 15 other countries, has overwhelmed attention to the threat itself, which many here view skeptically anyway.

“In the end, I think the American reaction has been far more than has been reasonable,' said Abdulghani al Iryani, a Sanaa-based political analyst. 'It comes off almost as a show of strength. But, ultimately, it may end up backfiring, as al-Qaida is getting more attention now than they would have even if they carried out an attack.'"

SANAA, Yemen: Yemenis outraged at spate of U.S. drone strikes - Guantánamo - MiamiHerald.com

What's the one thing any country addicted to war can not afford to run out of?
Enemies.
There seems to be little chance of that occurring as long as thousands of innocent Muslims continue to die from US drones and whatever comes next.

pardon my french but, simply put- the UN can get fucked.

 

[georgephillip]

UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Christof Heyns has urged a pause in the corporate progress towards a new world order where machines have the authority to murder human beings.

Heyns wants a global moratorium on the development and deployment of lethal autonomous robots (LARs) which differ from drones in that the former decide when to attack a target without any human input on their choice.

United Nations News Centre - UN human rights expert urges global pause in creation of robots with ‘power to kill’

Which probably sounds comforting to Yemenis although al-Qa'ida might be unhappy about the loss of new recruits:

"SANAA, Yemen -- The United States’ launching of eight drone strikes in Yemen in the span of 13 days has ignited widespread outrage in the country.

"The anger over the strikes, which came as an al-Qaida-related threat shuttered U.S. embassies and consulates in Yemen and 15 other countries, has overwhelmed attention to the threat itself, which many here view skeptically anyway.

“In the end, I think the American reaction has been far more than has been reasonable,' said Abdulghani al Iryani, a Sanaa-based political analyst. 'It comes off almost as a show of strength. But, ultimately, it may end up backfiring, as al-Qaida is getting more attention now than they would have even if they carried out an attack.'"

SANAA, Yemen: Yemenis outraged at spate of U.S. drone strikes - Guantánamo - MiamiHerald.com

What's the one thing any country addicted to war can not afford to run out of?
Enemies.
There seems to be little chance of that occurring as long as thousands of innocent Muslims continue to die from US drones and whatever comes next.

Provide evidence that thousands of innocents die.

"As part of our ongoing monitoring and reporting of CIA and Pentagon drone strikes, the Bureau has already recorded the names of hundreds of people killed in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

"At the end of January 2013, the Bureau was able to identify by name 213 people killed by drones in Pakistan who were reported to be middle- or senior-ranking militants.

A further 331 civilians have also now been named, 87 of them children.

"But this is a small proportion of the minimum 2,629 people who appear to have so far died in CIA drone strikes in Pakistan.

"The Bureau’s work suggests 475 of them were likely to have been civilians."

Naming the Dead: Bureau announces new drones project: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

 

[georgephillip]

For the last two generations the US has been the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet.

So, so true.

Payback is inevitable, since Americans are too stupid and brainwashed to be able to form an intelligent government.

.

Americans appear "too stupid and brainwashed" to understand the insanity of "choosing" between Democrat OR Republican in their voting booths.

 

[georgephillip]

I wouldn't say total ban, but some restraint would be nice.

Maybe a Ramadan timeout?

"Thursday saw the greatest drone activity, with three attacks on al-Qaida targets, the first in Mareb and the second and third in southern Hadramawt, killing at least 11.

"The exact death toll and the identities of those killed remain unconfirmed.

"Outrage over the strikes has spread to the capital, where the dismay over their frequency was heightened by their timing, during the final days of Ramadan and the start of the Eid al Fitr holiday, one of the holiest and most festive times of the Islamic year.

"The anger built on tensions caused by two days of unprecedented flyovers of the capital by one or more manned, American-made spy planes.

SANAA, Yemen: Yemenis outraged at spate of U.S. drone strikes - Guantánamo - MiamiHerald.com

Imagine Persian drones over DC during Christmas?

This is the problem with having so much peace within your own land that you know longer understand the ways of the world. Iran would LOVE to have drones over DC and probably would if they had the ability.

The US government is directly responsible for the mass murder, maiming, and displacement of millions of innocent civilians in the Middle East and beyond. Whether the Persians would do the same doesn't change the reality of today. Worry more about the integrity of your government and less about that of the "other."

 

[DailyPolitrix.]

I think it's a great idea. But since we're dealing with lawyers here, the definition of what constitutes a drone would likely change.

 

[georgephillip]

People 100 years ago could of argued for the airplane to be illegal
People 300 years ago could of argued for the gun to be illegal


You see there's always going to be people that argue a stupid case for the same reason.

The gun, manned aircraft, and the unmanned drone all have a human being deciding when to take the life of another human being; that's about to change:

"LARs (lethal autonomous robots) differ from armed drones and other remotely controlled weapons systems because they have the ability to decide when to attack a target, Christof Heyns, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, stressed.

“'While drones still have a "human in the loop" who takes the decision to use lethal force, LARs have on-board computers that decide who should be targeted,' Mr. Heyns said as he presented his latest report to the UN Human Rights Council.

“War without reflection is mechanical slaughter,'

United Nations News Centre - UN human rights expert urges global pause in creation of robots with ‘power to kill’

 

[ScienceRocks]

Why not just pull out of the middle east? Bombing them will never stop them.

Airplane, troops or drones...Doesn't matter. Build America...

Anything else is just retarded.

 

[ScienceRocks]

If we pull out I better not hear any of you people bitching about Obama being weak. Obama should focus on Infrastructure, science and technology here in America.

I hate hypocrites.

 

[numan]

'
Ho-hum! And what ever became of bans on landmines, depleted uranium, napalm, exploding bullets, etc.?

The satanic cult of war profiteers and the militarists reigns supreme in the modern world, and the rulers of the USA are the chief devils of the cult.

Nothing will change until a general global collapse puts an end to the brainwashed insanity of our "advanced" so-called civilization.

Meanwhile, don't be surprised if you or your children wind up being bombed by drones.

After all, it is so profitable to destroy countries and then re-build them -- and the USA has been untouched, so far!! The war profiteeers must be salivating at the thought of the money to be made arranging general mayhem and destruction in the USA and then forcing the survivors to pay for re-constructing their country!

.

 

[ScienceRocks]

You think this isn't world wide Numan? China, Iran, or Russia doesn't matter.

America probably should focus on bettering ourselves but to think war isn't going to happen isn't based on logic.

 

[numan]

'

I certainly don't expect logic from Americans.

.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Never happen, as the US will never agree to it.

 

[georgephillip]

'
Ho-hum! And what ever became of bans on landmines, depleted uranium, napalm, exploding bullets, etc.?

The satanic cult of war profiteers and the militarists reigns supreme in the modern world, and the rulers of the USA are the chief devils of the cult.

Nothing will change until a general global collapse puts an end to the brainwashed insanity of our "advanced" so-called civilization.

Meanwhile, don't be surprised if you or your children wind up being bombed by drones.

After all, it is so profitable to destroy countries and then re-build them -- and the USA has been untouched, so far!! The war profiteeers must be salivating at the thought of the money to be made arranging general mayhem and destruction in the USA and then forcing the survivors to pay for re-constructing their country!

.

I sincerely hope you're going to resist the urge to become Hillary's domestic policy adviser. I'm expecting Catholics in Mexico to stand in for Muslim's in Pakistan and Yemen once the US can no longer afford to borrow enough money to kill civilians on the opposite side of the globe, but it never occurred to me the US homeland might one day face the prospect of rebuilding itself while its one percent moves off-world?

Kissinger would be impre$$ed.