Are Drone Strikes War Crimes?

[Kraenen]

I think you mean Laos.

No, unless they went into Laos as well.

[Beavis]

No, unless they went into Laos as well.

Pretty hilarious that you're claiming I don't know history.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Stopped watching the video when he intentionally misinterpreted what somebody else said.

Not that I agree with the drone strikes, but misinterpreting a guy saying he wants to protect our children from indiscriminate acts of terror into a guy saying he wants to protect our children by committing indiscriminate acts of terror is stupid as fuck.

The only reason drone strikes are being used is because they're cheap and safe.

True, but lets say we were justified going after Bin Laden (which we were) and seeking revenge on the Twin towers. I don't see them paying to rebuild the buildings, but we are fixing thier country? Can you see a problem there?

Why would pay to rebuild our buildings when they didn't destroy them? Are you blaming an entire country for the acts of those few terrorists?

[Kraenen]

Pretty hilarious that you're claiming I don't know history.

Well, you don't. You don't think hundreds of thousands of people were killed in Cambodia. The proof is right there.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

You guys do realize that drones are piloted, right? The cockpit just happens to be in a trailer somewhere instead of on the plane. Silly thread is silly.

Whether they are piloted or not is irrelevant to their use in executing people without a trial.

[Dreknar20]

Whether they are piloted or not is irrelevant to their use in executing people without a trial.

so we are supposed to put enemy combantants on trial before killing them?

[Wiyld]

Not sure what you're talking about. Could you put it more succinctly?

OK.

I'm saying that the US is going about our activities in places like..lets say Pakistan, the way we are because we're getting greedy.

We went in without any permission and took out Bin Ladin. Now, don't get me wrong here, I was ELATED the day he died. However we went about it wrong, and while his death was very symbolically significant to many of us in the West, the way we did it ended up not amounting to anything.

What we should have done, is found out where he was, which we did. Issued Pakistan an ultimatum, to either handle the situation on their own, allow us to come in and deal with it unilaterally, or have war declared on the spot.

But.. we don't want to piss off Pakistan and nothing pisses people off like ultimatums. We want them to be our buddies because the more allies we have in the region the better right?

Another example would be Saudi Arabia. EVERYONE knows the Saudis are behind a lot of the 'terrorist' actions around the world, either directly or just through funding. Yet be dance around that fact instead of going right to the source and drawing a line in the sand. We want to keep our cheap oil and air bases over there so we drop bombs on people in huts instead of cutting off the dragons head.

We in the US want to keep our 'friendships' while simultaneously undermining those same nations. In the end its the little people who get stepped on by both sides.

[Kasierith]

Whether they are piloted or not is irrelevant to their use in executing people without a trial.

In which case it is the act itself that is reprehensible; the drones can be used as a means to an end for such crimes, but their use is not, in itself, the crime.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

In which case it is the act itself that is reprehensible; the drones can be used as a means to an end for such crimes, but their use is not, in itself, the crime.

True, but I think the reason drone strikes are being used in this way is because there's no risk to any pilots. They can just load up another drone if they get shot down. It's like, people more readily eat cheese if they know they have more cheese waiting for them, but hesitate if that's the only cheese they have.

It's not that I disagree with drones, it's that I disagree with how they are being used.

[Beavis]

Well, you don't. You don't think hundreds of thousands of people were killed in Cambodia. The proof is right there.

Look it up. I'm not your reference librarian, so I'm not going to type it out for you, but I assure you that your understanding of the Vietnam War is incorrect.

[Deleted]

I love drones personally, it means my lads and I get to stay nice and safe while somebody pilots a robot using their playstation. If I had my way every patrol, every FOB and every convoy would have an armed drone following them for support, marvelous things.

[Beavis]

Whether they are piloted or not is irrelevant to their use in executing people without a trial.

The assassination is the problem. The fact that it's done with a drone has nothing to do with that, so the question itself is moot.

[Wiyld]

It's like, people more readily eat cheese if they know they have more cheese waiting for them, but hesitate if that's the only cheese they have.

I demand a source!!!

LOL

[Bigbamboozal]

OK.

I'm saying that the US is going about our activities in places like..lets say Pakistan, the way we are because we're getting greedy.

We went in without any permission and took out Bin Ladin. Now, don't get me wrong here, I was ELATED the day he died. However we went about it wrong, and while his death was very symbolically significant to many of us in the West, the way we did it ended up not amounting to anything.

What we should have done, is found out where he was, which we did. Issued Pakistan an ultimatum, to either handle the situation on their own, allow us to come in and deal with it unilaterally, or have war declared on the spot.

But.. we don't want to piss off Pakistan and nothing pisses people off like ultimatums. We want them to be our buddies because the more allies we have in the region the better right?

Another example would be Saudi Arabia. EVERYONE knows the Saudis are behind a lot of the 'terrorist' actions around the world, either directly or just through funding. Yet be dance around that fact instead of going right to the source and drawing a line in the sand. We want to keep our cheap oil and air bases over there so we drop bombs on people in huts instead of cutting off the dragons head.

We in the US want to keep our 'friendships' while simultaneously undermining those same nations. In the end its the little people who get stepped on by both sides.

I couldn't agree more.
You know I get the feeling that no matter what side of the world you get up on, and no matter what political sort you prescribe to, you probably want the leader there to just not fuck it up too bad, so you can get on with life, take care of your own, and not have to worry about shit blowing up b/c some assholes in charge of whatever can't get along and play nice.
Pretty sure that's a universal feeling around the planet.
And you know...when we examine history...pretty sure we can figure out who the fuck is always in the middle of it.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

The assassination is the problem. The fact that it's done with a drone has nothing to do with that, so the question itself is moot.

Read my followup post. My gripe isn't with drones themselves, my gripe is their overly liberal use, which I think is due in part to them being no-risk. That's not to say I think we should have risk, it's that no-risk shouldn't mean lower standards.

[Kraenen]

Look it up. I'm not your reference librarian, so I'm not going to type it out for you, but I assure you that your understanding of the Vietnam War is incorrect.

That's hilarious. You really don't think that happened in Cambodia?

[Beavis]

Read my followup post. My gripe isn't with drones themselves, my gripe is their overly liberal use, which I think is due in part to them being no-risk. That's not to say I think we should have risk, it's that no-risk shouldn't mean lower standards.

Yep, that's probably true.

[Sorrior]

Yes i believe they should be considered as such. I really wish i could remember the line from Gundam Wing in regards to Mobile Doll tech. But it was roughly that when you remove men from the battlefield you lose what little humaity there is in war.

In short they are dangerous and just shy of hunter killers in my mind which are far too dangerous to employ.

[Beavis]

That's hilarious. You really don't think that happened in Cambodia?

I know what happened in Cambodia. And Laos. You apparently do not.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

I demand a source!!!

LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CMzGZxg_Fk