Drones Get Some!!!

Centurion40 · January 31, 2012, 10:27:27 AM

Woohoo!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/31/world/meast/yemen-drone-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

QuoteSanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Three suspected drone strikes hit militant targets in southern Yemen Monday night and Tuesday morning, killing at least nine people believed to be linked to al Qaeda, Yemeni security officials said.
The missiles struck Abyan province near areas that have been taken over by Ansaar al-Sharia, a militant group with links to al Qaeda, three security officials said.

The militant group took over large parts of the province in May after government forces evacuated a number of security posts and military bases. The group announced Abyan as an Islamic emirate and is calling for the implementation of Sharia law.
Two Yemeni security officials said the drone was from the United States. U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday there was a U.S. strike, but provided no additional details.

eyebiter · October 03, 2012, 03:56:22 PM

LongBlade · October 03, 2012, 08:04:04 PM

QuotePeople in the United States imagine that drones fly to a target, launch their deadly missiles with surgical precision and return to a U.S. base hundreds or thousands of miles away. But drones are a constant presence in the skies above the North Waziristan tribal area in Pakistan, with as many as six hovering over villages at any one time. People hear them day and night. They are an inescapable presence, the looming specter of death from above.

And that presence is steadily destroying a community twice the size of Rhode Island. Parents are afraid to send their children to school. Women are afraid to meet in markets. Families are afraid to gather at funerals for people wrongly killed in earlier strikes. Drivers are afraid to deliver food from other parts of the country.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gibson-drones-civilians-20121004,0,1147467.story

I'm not seeing much downside. It's generally a bad idea to go to war with the United States.

Bust out the Toby Keith:

QuoteHey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list,
And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell,
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell.
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you.
Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc

Arctic Blast · October 03, 2012, 10:33:57 PM

Any time you include this phrase in your argument :

Quote from: LongBlade on October 03, 2012, 08:04:04 PM

Bust out the Toby Keith:

You have already lost.

Jack Nastyface · October 05, 2012, 04:21:14 PM

Quote from: LongBlade on October 03, 2012, 08:04:04 PM
I'm not seeing much downside. It's generally a bad idea to go to war with the United States.

No...no downside whatsoever...unless you consider the fact that N. Warziristan and / or Pakistan never actually went to war against the USA.

Bison · October 05, 2012, 04:33:19 PM

Sorry Jack but you are naive to facts if you think there is some sort of passivity to the activity that uses the region as a launching point.

Jack Nastyface · October 05, 2012, 05:24:33 PM

Remaining "...naive to facts..." is something I learned here. Take for example the following:
Fact: the local gov't of Warzistan has never declared war on the USA
Fact: the federal Pakistan gov't has never declared war on the USA
Fact: the local Warziri population hasn't declared war on the USA
Fact: AQ and taliban honchos who move into the Warziristan region probably don't send out greetings cards to all of the new neighbors to let them know that they are now living next to one of America's "most wanted".
Fact: Guilty by regional proximity is a shoddy excuse for justifying civilian casualties.
Fact: The US military has taken great efforts to avoid civilian casaulties and remain sensitive to local tribal concerns. Your blanket justification of "serves 'em right to live near a bad guy" is an affront to the literally thousands of hours that the US military spends on trying to prevent this kind of thing from happening. I am betting that the many military personel who plan and execute these kind of operations do not celebrate or diminish civilian casaulties with your candor.

Jack "I don't need no stinkin' facts" Nastyface

Bison · October 05, 2012, 05:50:10 PM

Well I'll let you live in the world you choose to create for yourself, but the simple fact is that Al Queda and the Taliban use it as a launching point. Openly and with local support. Sorry. I'll allow the rainbows and unicorns resume their local programming.

LongBlade · October 05, 2012, 08:40:44 PM

Quote from: Bison on October 05, 2012, 05:50:10 PM
Well I'll let you live in the world you choose to create for yourself, but the simple fact is that Al Queda and the Taliban use it as a launching point. Openly and with local support. Sorry. I'll allow the rainbows and unicorns resume their local programming.

If the bad guys there decided to quit shooting at us and leave us alone, the drones would go away.

The "collateral" damage is avoidable: don't hold meetings at home. The bad guys choose to live in harm's way and choose to continue to court our wrath. That math isn't difficult.

0kult13 · October 06, 2012, 06:20:21 AM

"If the bad guys there decided to quit shooting at us and leave us alone, the drones would go away."

Maybe if the good guys were not in the bad guys country they would not get shot at ?. Maybe if the bad guys did not have so much in the way of natural resources the good guys would not stay to be shot at. maybe if al queda spent more time in syria they would be rebels and not terrorist and get free arms from the good guys...oh wait....they do

MikeGER · October 06, 2012, 06:42:17 AM

Quote from: 0kult13 on October 06, 2012, 06:20:21 AM
Maybe if the bad guys did not have so much in the way of natural resources ...

the only resource Stan can provide is donkey shit an 72virgins-bangers ::) ... and a large life fire range to test the latest hardware ... like drones ;D

GDS_Starfury · October 06, 2012, 07:17:04 AM

actually the region does have a lot in the way of mineral resources.

0kult13 · October 06, 2012, 07:21:24 AM

Quote from: MikeGER on October 06, 2012, 06:42:17 AM
Quote from: 0kult13 on October 06, 2012, 06:20:21 AM
Maybe if the bad guys did not have so much in the way of natural resources ...

the only resource Stan can provide is donkey shit an 72virgins-bangers ::) ... and a large life fire range to test the latest hardware ... like drones ;D

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

what da ya think all the roads the good guys built are for..... freedom or access. wars always create roads because its good business. Even better the good guys pay for em.

guess whos mining it all ?

china because they are not in the war of...opps on terror

Keunert · October 06, 2012, 02:17:43 PM

I do understand the military reason to attack beyond borders of countries you are at war with. I still think that LB's comment is cynical. The people living there did neither elect their governments, nor do they have any rights or do participate in the political course of their country. most of them are really poor and do not have the means to just leave the place and start all over again in some other place.

i believe that the us military is amongst those with the highest concern on civilian casualties. at least for me, believing that the US does not accept civilian casualties with a light heart is one of the reasons why i am not that much concerned with the US striking in sovereign countries without declaration of war.