Apparently on March 4th U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said it was technically legal for the U.S. to order a targeted attack on an American citizen on American soil without due process of the law, but it would only be under extreme circumstances and it would probably never happen. The Administration had no intention of doing it. The Administration had already declared it was within its rights to kill noncombatant American citizens on foreign soil without a trial if they were suspected of being terrorists, and it has already done so.
Holder’s pronouncement made sense to some people, but it made others nervous. As comedian Andy Borowitz points out, the majority of Americans are opposed to being killed by drones. So no doubt they’re reassured that in response to Representative Rand Paul’s filibuster Holder now says, “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no.”
Of course, we’ve been using drones to kill suspected non-American terrorists for some time now. Drones are inexpensive and their use will quickly spread. Blasty the drone thinks this is a great thing:
Others of us worry that we’re creating even more enemies by accidentally killing civilians in the process of hunting down the terrorists. What do you think? Are you concerned about the spread of drones? Because they’re so inexpensive do you think it will just be a matter of time before our enemies use them too?
from rocks to swords to guns to drones.
push button death from afar. friend or foe.
civilization marches on.
i feel outrage and futility. my generation is the one that did the protesting in the 60’s. i participated in ‘sit-ins’ on campus to stop the viet nam war. but now… we are the same people and we are just letting them keep escalating this scary stuff.
i don’t have any answers anymore. it seems overwhelming to me. thank goodness for people like you and the maker of that wonderful cartoon video. at least it gets us to thinking. or KNOWING about it. but then what? i feel absolutely powerless.
All the quote bad guys have got the same arms and ammunition that the good guys have and some now have even the atomic ones. It is a matter of time before the drones too spread to them. This is the bedrock of capitalism. What will the armament industry do without conflict?
I like drones (above terrorist countries). They should slow down, maybe stop bad guys from planting bombs on roads. I’ve seen videos–Yea! As for terrorists countries learning to make them, they will anyway, whether we use them or not. A few innocent citizens were killed in Afghanistan–sorry about that.
tammy,
I’m interested in history and for me the news is history in the making. I agree a lot of it is scary, so I practice my stress management techniques.
I agree about that video, that fellow did a great job!
Rummuser,
It’s not just capitalism, it’s a belief in science and technology. China and Iran are investing heavily in those areas and eventually the West will no doubt be surpassed. Both China and Iran are pushing their capabilities for cyberwarfare—which some people in our government think is an even greater threat than terrorists. It’s inexpensive and can be highly destructive.
bikehikebabe,
So it sounds as if you think our use of drones has done us more good than harm so far. You agree with Uncle Sam–he can be trusted. Does that mean you have no objection to the Feds and state/local police using surveillance and weaponized drones here in the U.S?
War has been terrorism at least since WW2 – the blitz and the Allies response to it. Targeting civilians is now the despicable policy of all states. War is terrorism now.
As to a ‘war on terrorism’ (polite) words fail me.
I have no opinion on the matter…but want you know I have read/watched this page 🙂
Evan,
I’m afraid civilians were targeted long before WW II. Go back at least as far as the ancient Greeks where they starved the enemy populations when they had the chance, and when a city state was conquered its women and children were sold into slavery. War has never been nice.
Cathy,
Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment. Does the NZ press talk much about China? Or are you too far south to worry?
NZ Press talks about China buying up farms…especially the dairy farms!
Along with imports from China, large companies (well large for us) moving operations off-shore to the labour force that makes their profits so much more 🙂
I’m not sure that warmongering is an agenda…not something I generally think about…
Cathy,
Thanks. At least they’re not worried about China becoming more expansionist and militarized. You really are far away.
Yes. Civilians have always been targeted.
A month after Sept. 11, 2001, I observed a strange plane(?) fly over my neighborhood. I remember thinking: “What the heck is that?” My research at the time revealed it was “billed” as a surveillance tool. There was no mention of it being a weapon.
How many administrations/governments, does it take for honesty and transparency to exist? I suggest it might be easier to count the number of drones in the world.
What’s the big deal over drones when everyone has a big, big bomb in their yard, waiting to be used? Like a child with a toy!
Dixie,
As I understand it the drones aren’t completely silent so they’re annoying even if they’re just for surveillance. And there is the question of how much power we give the government to spy on its citizens. It’s too tempting for people in power to equate their political interests with the good of the nation.