Thousands surround US air base to protest the use of drones (POLL)

[OddBall1st]

I sure wish we had drones in Vietnam.........you guy's need to walk a few jungle patrols to come to appreciate a simple drone......

You did.

http://peteralanlloyd.com/general-news/the-use-of-drones-during-the-vietnam-war/

 

[OddBall1st]

That`s like saying you wish you had the Warthog instead of the Lightning or the Falcon instead of the Mustang.

 

[Rob Roy]

The poll question is again too broad to be useful.

I want the military to have every option at their disposal including any drones they want. I object to Obama's drone war based on the fact that there is no check on who is getting blown up, no due process, etc.

If we got out of the middle east we would not be droning people... This is a buracratic problem, not a military one.

Yes! Get the fuck out of the middle east.

 

[Flaming Pie]

so obama was the one who started using drones then? told the military to get rid of troops and invent something else instead?

is that the line of bullshit you want to try to sell here?

He pulled out all the troops and expanded use of drones.

Sorry to burst you bubble.

In January 2009, when President Obama came into office, he inherited two controversial covert counterterrorism programs from George W. Bush: the rendition and harsh interrogation (including torture) of terrorist suspects, and the use of drones to kill terrorist suspects outside of traditional battlefields. Two days after taking the oath of office, Obama signed an Executive Order, which revoked the Bush-era directives authorizing torture, and reemphasized international conventions and federal laws prohibiting torture. The following day, Obama authorized two Central Intelligence Agency drone strikes in northwest Pakistan, which, combined, killed an estimated one militant and 10 civilians, including between four and five children.

Obama’s embrace and vast expansion of drone strikes against militants and terrorists will be an enduring foreign policy legacy. Whereas President George W. Bush authorized approximately 50 drone strikes that killed 296 terrorists and 195 civilians in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia, Obama has authorized 506 strikes that have killed 3,040 terrorists and 391 civilians.

Im surprised you can handle defending obamas expanded use of drones AND ISIS.

Your stamina for defending filth never ceases to amaze.

 

[Flaming Pie]

The problem isn't with the soldier who's ordered to fly the drones, it's with military planners and their corrupt political masters who see them as 'clean' and 'surgical', as if there are no consequences.

The blowback is very costly, even if it isn't measured in dollar costs to the defense industry shareholder's bottom line.

Interesting also that it was Germans who protested- apparently American citizens, in whose name they're ostensibly being sent, can't be brought to care.

Most of us care. Buck is just an exception.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

Drones are one of the tools at our disposal that give us battlefield superiority, not just through bombing, but through helping the coordination of tactical maneuver on the ground. We call them the Eye of God because it puts out this big beam of IR light so we can see it through our NODs. It could be used to mark a target, among other things. This is just the way the world works: in tandem with its advancements.

 

[Flaming Pie]

Drones are one of the tools at our disposal that give us battlefield superiority, not just through bombing, but through helping the coordination of tactical maneuver on the ground. We call them the Eye of God because it puts out this big beam of IR light so we can see it through our NODs. It could be used to mark a target, among other things. This is just the way the world works: in tandem with its advancements.

As a civilized world we should be able to look at the civilian/target ratio and determine that it is too inefficient to use drones.

Civilian casualties should not outweigh the number of targets eliminated so heavily.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

As a civilized world we should be able to look at the civilian/target ratio and determine that it is too inefficient to use drones.

Civilian casualties should not outweigh the number of targets eliminated so heavily.

I agree. I don't dispute that. Minimizing collateral to nil can be done with proper planning. These weapons are pretty precise, it's the planning of the use of them that fucks shit up. Like that hospital? Dude was a fucking retard. But we should have PID before engaging, and as long as we do, it is precise.

 

[ttystikk]

I wish we never went to war with Vietnam personally it was pointless and many Americans died.

But drones take no discipline to use which is why we are using them in about 7 different countries meanwhile we would never fight 7 different countries in a real war. Sure if it was WW3 go ahead send in the drones but no. We are creating more terrorists with every single civilian we kill. If it was my family who got killed by a US drone I would be a terrorist too really even if it just hit close to home.

This is exactly the blowback I was alluding to.

 

[ttystikk]

I agree. I don't dispute that. Minimizing collateral to nil can be done with proper planning. These weapons are pretty precise, it's the planning of the use of them that fucks shit up. Like that hospital? Dude was a fucking retard. But we should have PID before engaging, and as long as we do, it is precise.

We need to be using them a lot less, period.

It's the promise of limited collateral damage that got us the program we have today.

Drones are not that fucking hard to build; if we keep making enemies around the world, sooner or later they'll start sending drones here.

Let's just say it's why I won't live in Jupiter Beach or the Hamptons.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

We need to be using them a lot less, period.

It's the promise of limited collateral damage that got us the program we have today.

Drones are not that fucking hard to build; if we keep making enemies around the world, sooner or later they'll start sending drones here.

Let's just say it's why I won't live in Jupiter Beach or the Hamptons.

I can agree with that, too. We're far overstepping our boundaries, putting planes in territories that aren't ours.

 

[Flaming Pie]

To be honest, I like most of you guys.

I feel like we could roll one up and get along just swell.

Strength with compassion is sorely lacking in the world today.

The US needs to adopt strength with compassion. Would we lose more american lives? Possibly. I would argue it would save lives on both sides.

American soldiers, americans, middle eastern civilians..

We spend alot of money fighting and protecting other nations. If we did things efficently and received some compensation (housing, food, fuel) for our protections, we could be rebuilding our infastructure at home. Our roads, bridges, powerlines, and sewers.

 

[Flaming Pie]

Oopps sorry I lost my point there. Aloha got me good.

I was going to say, we should be helping the civilians of every nation we go into war with.

Obama was not compassionate to leave the civilians of iraq at the mercy of isis.

 

[ttystikk]

Most of us care. Buck is just an exception.

If most of us care, then why did that protest happen in Germany and not here in the States?

Hence my disagreement with your assertion, ma'am.

 

[bluntmassa1]

If most of us care, then why did that priest happen in Germany and not here in the States?

Hence my disagreement with your assertion, ma'am.

Who has time to protest? My kid is in school and I have dogs I also need to make money because the mortgage won't pay itself plus this is the first I heard about a protest.

I'm sure most do care but we are too busy in the rat race to drop everything not work and protest as most people live paycheck to paycheck so they are one paycheck away from being homeless.

Sure I can be like 2 months behind on a mortgage payment but I hate playing catch up.

Not to mention do you protest? I know you don't agree with everything the government does but I haven't seen you talk about being at a protest.

 

[ttystikk]

I can agree with that, too. We're far overstepping our boundaries, putting planes in territories that aren't ours.

Yes, and stealth drones are apparently too tempting not to use. As if the aftermath on the ground isn't a dead giveaway?!

 

[ttystikk]

Who has time to protest? My kid is in school and I have dogs I also need to make money because the mortgage won't pay itself plus this is the first I heard about a protest.

I'm sure most do care but we are too busy in the rat race to drop everything not work and protest as most people live paycheck to paycheck so they are one paycheck away from being homeless.

Sure I can be like 2 months behind on a mortgage payment but I hate playing catch up.

Not to mention do you protest? I know you don't agree with everything the government does but I haven't seen you talk about being at a protest.

Yes I Do.

If you like how things are going for you, then don't bother.

If you think change is needed, then get involved.

 

[bluntmassa1]

Yes I Do.

If you like how things are going for you, then don't bother.

If you think change is needed, then get involved.

Things are going fine for me the wars don't effect my life prohibition of marijuana effects me a little though but I'm pretty sure my daughter had school on 4/20 and I have to be home to meet the school bus not sure what they would do if I'm not home damn sure wouldn't be a good thing I know they can't drop her off without a guardian.

I also don't think it would look good having a little kid at a 4/20 protest. So getting involved is pretty difficult IMO not to mention I'm an hour away from the state house and several hours from DC.

 

[ttystikk]

Things are going fine for me the wars don't effect my life prohibition of marijuana effects me a little though but I'm pretty sure my daughter had school on 4/20 and I have to be home to meet the school bus not sure what they would do if I'm not home damn sure wouldn't be a good thing I know they can't drop her off without a guardian.

I also don't think it would look good having a little kid at a 4/20 protest. So getting involved is pretty difficult IMO not to mention I'm an hour away from the state house and several hours from DC.

You don't think the state of governance of our country affects you? What do you think you could accomplish in your life with 50% more buying power? Just because you don't see the connection doesn't mean it isn't there.

And why not bring children to a protest? You afraid to teach them citizen empowerment in a democracy? Besides, the more violent tendencies of the police will be blunted as soon as they know kids are there. They'll bring news media attention, too.

 

[Flaming Pie]

If most of us care, then why did that protest happen in Germany and not here in the States?

Hence my disagreement with your assertion, ma'am.

Ok.

I care.

Why do you think it happened there vs here?

That is a good topic.