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[speculawyer]

I wonder if the next call of duty will feature double tapping.

It is a bonus your Colonel level sniper can get in XCOM.

Edit: But in that game, it just means you get 2 shots during your turn.

 

[teruterubozu]

Yeah. Obama is not somehow beholden to Bush Jr.'s foreign policy. They're both simply symptomatic of a political system that coddles the ultra-rich, defense contractors first and foremost among them.

I think he's being sarcastic - as in, yeah the illuminati!

 

[antonz]

The Double Tap has nothing to do with ensuring target is dead otherwise it would be a near instant follow up.

The Double tap is intended as a follow up to kill would be rescuers who are clearly "terrorists"
. Hell we see the tactic used quite clearly in the video wikileaks leaked out. Iraqi civilians gunned down in road. People come out to see what's going on and try to take wounded to hospital and Copters open fire on the people.

The invention of drone aircraft allows the government to wage war without ever having to declare war now basically. If we had to send jets etc in to do what we do on a daily basis these attacks wouldn't be happening

 

[Sayah]

USA is a bully state. Not surprising. We're also the ones in human history to have ever used the atomic bomb and turned living innocent human people into radioactive stains.

 

[Kad5]

So the CIA is a terrorist organization.

 

[nitric0]

Nicholas.

 

[kame-sennin]

The Double Tap has nothing to do with ensuring target is dead otherwise it would be a near instant follow up.

The Double tap is intended as a follow up to kill would be rescuers who are clearly "terrorists"
. Hell we see the tactic used quite clearly in the video wikileaks leaked out. Iraqi civilians gunned down in road. People come out to see what's going on and try to take wounded to hospital and Copters open fire on the people.

The invention of drone aircraft allows the government to wage war without ever having to declare war now basically. If we had to send jets etc in to do what we do on a daily basis these attacks wouldn't be happening

Yea, you're right, my first response was wrong. Targeting civilians is a longstanding military tactic in and of itself and has been used by the U.S. in WWII, Vietnam, and Iraq, among other places.

 

[antonz]

Obama loves drones because it solves an issue for him that he cant deal with. What to do with live terrorists. Easier to kill them and let god sort them out then capture them and then have a conundrum of what to do

 

[Blader]

Most of the country supports the drone war. It's bewildering.

It's not bewildering at all. Of course people are going to support military action where their own soldiers aren't put at risk.

 

[Zapages]

Lets just hope human rights groups catch a drift of this.

Also let's hope Pakistanis don't vote in PPP, MQM, PML-N, or PML-Q... Hopefully Imran Khan can win the election and new person with new thoughts to help Pakistan become a better country!

 

[gdt]

This is disgusting. I'd have to think long and hard about drone strikes, but fuck this double tap shit right up the ass.

 

[Macattk15]

Lets just hope human rights groups catch a drift of this.

Also let's hope Pakistanis don't vote in PPP, MQM, PML-N, or PML-Q... Hopefully Imran Khan can win the election and new person with new thoughts to help Pakistan become a better country!

What are those human rights groups going to do? What can they do?

 

[Kenshin001]

Did anyone bother reading the stories the tweets linked to?

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Thirteen people were killed and several wounded Thursday in an attack suspected to have been carried out by an American drone or drones against the camp of a local Taliban commander in South Waziristan, a Pakistani intelligence official based in the area said.

The remotely piloted aircraft fired four missiles into a compound in the village of Raghzai, near Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, which was being used as a base by the Taliban commander Wali Mohammed, local residents and officials said.

Not sure why people are spilling tears over the Taliban and their supporters.

 

[Tesseract]

all wars are crimes, ya'll.

 

[Gallbaro]

I agree that President Obama should be impeached and jailed, for his executions without due process.

 

[Tesseract]

I agree that President Obama should be impeached and jailed, for his executions without due process.

you better be ready to retroactively impeach and jail every president, ever. grab yo shovels, we be cuffing skeletons.

 

[Zapages]

What are those human rights groups going to do? What can they do?

build more awareness about this situation.

 

[DTKT]

As is the case with most displays of violence, replace "Muslim extremist" with American and it suddenly becomes a lot more acceptable to people. If terrorists were employing these tactics on US soil we'd be appalled.

Most of the country supports the drone war. It's bewildering.

I don't think everyone understands how deadly these strikes are for civilians. As per a few months ago, I was sure those were very precises strikes and that civilians were almost always outside the blast zone.

I know better now, but I don't think that's the case for everyone.

 

[darthbob]

What are those human rights groups going to do? What can they do?

They can get hit with a drone strike if the U.S. Govt. has their way.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

And my conservative parents think I'm crazy when I say we are the problem with the Middle East, not the spooky boogieman Muslim terrorists.

perhaps the us is "a" problem there but certainly not the only and definitely not anywhere the biggest; no wonder your parents disagree with you. btw, pakistan isnt in the mideast

 

[commedieu]

I agree that President Obama should be impeached and jailed, for his executions without due process.

We didn't get anyone impeached or jailed over killing more people than drone strikes ever have, in Iraq and Afghanistan, due to a 100% lie.

The hell makes you think these shipments of freedom are going to do the trick?

I just understand the way the world works the older I get. This is the way it works, just try to avoid dying due to this bullshit. Thats about all we can do.

 

[TAJ]

This is disgusting. I'd have to think long and hard about drone strikes, but fuck this double tap shit right up the ass.

Hell, I like drones in theory. They fly slower and lower. That gives you a much better chance to see if you should take the shot than in a fighter bomber, assuming of course that you care.

That doesn't sound right, either. We're just randomly taking out people over there for no reason?

Surely there's an explanation for this stuff. I find it hard to believe the US are just like some evil villain in a movie that just kills people for absolutely no reason whatsoever. There's gotta be something to gain by it.

Did you see the Wikileaks helicopter video or read about the "Kill Team"? Some of these guys definitely get off on killing civilians.

EDIT: oops, beaten

 

[Laughing Banana]

Did anyone bother reading the stories the tweets linked to?

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Thirteen people were killed and several wounded Thursday in an attack suspected to have been carried out by an American drone or drones against the camp of a local Taliban commander in South Waziristan, a Pakistani intelligence official based in the area said.

The remotely piloted aircraft fired four missiles into a compound in the village of Raghzai, near Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, which was being used as a base by the Taliban commander Wali Mohammed, local residents and officials said.

Not sure why people are spilling tears over the Taliban and their supporters.

The funerals? The weddings?

Unless you think all of them are Taliban supporters? Or that their deaths are justified if the Taliban purposefully hidden near them? Or that their deaths are justified if the persons they are mourning on (who could be their families, friends, I don't know) happen to be a Taliban member?

 

[out0v0rder]

how does one student know exactly where every drone strike is happening.
oh he just reads the news never mind. it would be better if he had his own drones confirming the kills instead of relying on web links.

 

[Mgoblue201]

http://i.imgur.com/ykXqG.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
I don't buy the comparison to Bush. The Iraq War alone has done far, far more damage than the drone strikes, including more than one hundred times the civilian deaths (though in the case of the Iraq War a good deal of them were the result of insurgents).
[quote="Kenshin001, post: 45408769"]Did anyone bother reading the stories the tweets linked to?

[I]ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Thirteen people were killed and several wounded Thursday in an attack suspected to have been carried out by an American drone or drones against the camp of a local Taliban commander in South Waziristan, a Pakistani intelligence official based in the area said.

The remotely piloted aircraft fired four missiles into a compound in the village of Raghzai, near Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, which was being used as a base by the Taliban commander Wali Mohammed, local residents and officials said.[/I]

Not sure why people are spilling tears over the Taliban and their supporters.[/QUOTE]
I agree that these types of reports aren't useful unless we distinguish between civilian and militant casualties, but I think that follow up attacks and targeting funerals are indefensible, because they inevitably result in civilian deaths. The only good thing is that these types of attacks have fallen since 2009/2010.

 

[tafer]

One of the lesser known facets of the CIA's drone program is that any male killed by these missiles is reported as (by the Pentagon and echoed, but rarely expanded upon, by the media) a militant irrespective of whether or not he was a combatant much less a target. And that's not even to mention were those in the near vicinity to come to tend to the wounded from this apparent explosion, they too would be labelled as combatants and fired upon.

Terrorists like human shields.

The Government doesn't give a shit because official policy is anyone over the age of 18 and male is automatically labeled a terrorist if killed in a strike.

Kids with "potential hostile intent" are considered valid targets:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/08/us-military-detained-afghan-teens
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2012/12/marine-taliban-kids-120312w/

 

[Kenshin001]

The funerals? The weddings?

Unless you think all of them are Taliban supporters? Or that their deaths are justified if the Taliban purposefully hidden near them? Or that their deaths are justified if the persons they are mourning on (who could be their families, friends, I don't know) happen to be a Taliban member?

Who was the funeral for? Can you c&p from the linked article about the funeral?

 

[Bear]

Who was the funeral for? Can you c&p from the linked article about the funeral?

I just skimmed the article since I'm familiar with the story already, but it's common practice. The one of the biggest strikes was the funeral of Khwaz Wali Mehsud.

The CIA duly killed Khwaz Wali Mehsud in a drone strike that killed at least five others. . . .

Up to 5,000 people attended Khwaz Wali Mehsud’s funeral that afternoon, including not only Taliban fighters but many civilians. US drones struck again, killing up to 83 people. As many as 45 were civilians, among them reportedly ten children and four tribal leaders.

Source

I'm sure no Americans are shedding tears over Mehsud himself, but killing nearly a hundred people just for knowing him (or being related to someone who does) is a nasty tactic that probably ends up motivating more militants than it kills. Keep in mind that the official American statistics don't count any adult males as civilian casualties. Any 18+ muslim male is written off as terrorist if killed, so civilian casualties end up significantly under-reported.

 

[Socreges]

Utilitarianism gone mad.

 

[chaostrophy]

As an American citizen, I just hope that if I'm ever killed in a terrorist attack, no one will use my name or memory to justify this sort of murder. I was against the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the drone strikes from the beginning. But I still live here, I still pay the taxes that finance this, IMO I deserve the worst any terrorist has to offer.

 

[Zaptruder]

Utilitarianism gone mad.

There's nothing utilitarian about these actions.

A tiny utilitarian bubble (efficiency of drones over fighter planes) in a sea of madness (waging war for what goddamn reason).


Also, it's clear to me now why America continues to operate such an overwhelming military force - any less and they would be open to reprisals for their actions all around the world. People would seriously consider it, because they're such goddamn shitbags.

And American citizens aren't all that innocent either; with their extreme apathy and turning a blind eye to all this bullshit.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

As an American citizen, I just hope that if I'm ever killed in a terrorist attack, no one will use my name or memory to justify this sort of murder. I was against the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the drone strikes from the beginning. But I still live here, I still pay the taxes that finance this, IMO I deserve the worst any terrorist has to offer.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I'm not sure how an NYU student is revealing evidence of war crimes when all he's doing is citing freely available reports.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

I'm not sure how an NYU student is uncovering evidence of war crimes when all he's doing is citing freely available reports.

You would be surprised how much of this is swept under the rug by the US government. As has been said before, anyone over 15 and male is automatically a militant, so whenever you hear stories about drone strikes killing X number of militants, or an article about how accurate drones are, the actual situation can be (and is) very different.

 

[timetokill]

Love watching Obama get a free pass on this shit. What a country.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

But please, award this man another Peace Prize. Two terms aren't enough. Let's have three. Feeling down about yourself? Just watch another of his heart warming election campaign videos!

 

[ProfessorLobo]

Love watching Obama get a free pass on this shit. What a country.

Part of me wanted Romney to win just so half the country would go back to complaining about war crimes instead of 5%.

 

[Kenshin001]

I just skimmed the article since I'm familiar with the story already, but it's common practice. The one of the biggest strikes was the funeral of Khwaz Wali Mehsud.

Source

I'm sure no Americans are shedding tears over Mehsud himself, but killing nearly a hundred people just for knowing him (or being related to someone who does) is a nasty tactic that probably ends up motivating more militants than it kills. Keep in mind that the official American statistics don't count any adult males as civilian casualties. Any 18+ muslim male is written off as terrorist if killed, so civilian casualties end up significantly under-reported.

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

Does this mean you'd be okay with a truckbomb at the funeral of a US Marine?

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

And why is the US bombing ordinary civilians for attending a dead, now harmless militant's funeral?

Don't forget what the government's definition of "militant" is. By your rules even attending an innocent teenage boy's funeral is off limits.

 

[coldvein]

this drone war is an ongoing tragedy. fuck this, obama.

 

[kame-sennin]

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

Up to 5,000 people attended Khwaz Wali Mehsud’s funeral that afternoon, including not only Taliban fighters but many civilians. US drones struck again, killing up to 83 people. As many as 45 were civilians, among them reportedly ten children and four tribal leaders.

What's wrong with you? We're talking about dead children at a funeral. It doesn't matter if it was a "Taliban funeral". Members of the Taliban have families who have the right to grieve. Carrying out attacks like this will ensure that there are more grieving family members - and more recruits for the Taliban.

 

[Norua]

The US has been committing war crimes for 70 years. Is this news to anybody? I don't think so.
Did anyone got sentenced for the bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima or Nagasaki? No and it'll be the same for this.

I wonder how it is portrayed on the news in the US though? Do they discuss the drone strikes regularly or is it just from time to time they mention that a drone strike killed a bad guy or two?

Anyway. People will forget, more bombs will kill innocents. What can you do?
But one day, the US is going to pay the hard way for all this shit. Sadly, it will probably affect the citizens more than the government.

 

[Gallbaro]

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

But it is not war, we have not been in a war since Korea.

 

[Kenshin001]

Does this mean you'd be okay with a truckbomb at the funeral of a US Marine?

If I was Taliban I'd be OK with that, yeah.

 

[coldvein]

at least he supports gay marriage.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

doesn't surprise me. anyone remember that video of the apache gunner who fired on unarmed people in a van and then when some people came to help he opened fire again on them. he was talkiing the whole time calling them militants or something even though they were unarmed.

 

[lexi]

doesn't surprise me. anyone remember that video of the apache gunner who fired on unarmed people in a van and then when some people came to help he opened fire again on them. he was talkiing the whole time calling them militants or something even though they were unarmed.

The collateral damage video?

The one where the person who exposed it is facing life in prison? Surprised this tweeter isn't in Guantanamo already.

 

[Farooq]

Yeah, Taliban funerals. Shitty, but its war. I guess the message is if the guy is Taliban, don't go to his funeral.

The way the Taliban recruit may indicate innocent families are being killed.

Essentially the Taliban finds families with young males.

Then they knock on door, and threaten the parents that if they don't offer one of their sons, they will kill all of their children.

As a parent, there is nothing you can do.

If one of these Taliban fighters are killed and their funeral is held. Many of these families who had their son basically kidnapped, do attend.

So...it is a bit fucked up for those families.

 

[ProfessorLobo]

The US has been committing war crimes for 70 years. Is this news to anybody? I don't think so.
Did anyone got sentenced for the bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima or Nagasaki? No and it'll be the same for this.

I wonder how it is portrayed on the news in the US though? Do they discuss the drone strikes regularly or is it just from time to time they mention that a drone strike killed a bad guy or two?

Anyway. People will forget, more bombs will kill innocents. What can you do?
But one day, the US is going to pay the hard way for all this shit. Sadly, it will probably affect the citizens more than the government.

No and also no.