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Liberals are fine with what we know about drone attacks. But as the ACLU notes, the program has grown exponentially, and that has expanded the risk of collateral damage. The ACLU simply thinks that the American people, conservative or liberal, have a right to know how big the drone program is, how we are using the drones, and how many innocent people we are killing as collateral damage. The information has been requested, the Department of Defense has opted not to release that information, and the ACLU is pressing with a FOIA lawsuit.
It's not like FOIA suits aren't filed all the time. You want to know how many civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq, you have to file a FOIA suit, because the Department of Defense doesn't track this information, the Labor Department does, and it's confidential.
betamanlet's contention that other FOIA lawsuits aren't being filed in regards the other activities going on in Iraq or Afghanistan is simply erroneous. It's just so customary, that it doesn't get noted by the press.
This is boring. I liked hearing about how liberals are angry that Americans aren't dying.
Yes, what you show PROVES my point. Would they be asking those questions if there were a pilot? no... The ONLY reason the drone bothers them is because no american can get killed.
Drones have the potential for killing innocent civilians, that's why some liberals are against them. When you kill innocent civilians, there is the potential to turn them into the terrorists of the future. What would you do if a innocent relative was killed this way?
The ALCU's concern is not about use of drones in battlefields or theaters of war (Iraq, Afghanistan...). Their concern is about their use in other countries - ie against targets in Yemen- and against Americans abroad. The focus is on drones as this is the US's favored delivery method in these situations -but the real question is under what circumstances the US can target & kill Americans or locals in other countries where the US is not at war.
"On February 3, 2010, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair confirmed, in public remarks at an open session of the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives, that the Unites States operates a program to target and kill individuals abroad. He further confirmed that this program can involve “direct action [that] involve[s] killing an American.” Investigative news reports suggest that at least three U.S. citizens are on a list of individuals who can be targeted and killed, using drones or other means."
"Since at least 2002, the United States government has used unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct “targeted killings” overseas. Many of the drone strikes have taken place on bona fide battlefields—for example, in Afghanistan. In 2002, however, the U.S. conducted a drone strike in Yemen that killed several individuals including a U.S. citizen. According to news reports, the frequency of drone strikes has increased significantly over the last few years, and in particular in the last year. Unofficial estimates of the number and rate of civilian casualties in drone strikes vary significantly, from a rate of less than 10% to a rate of more than 90%."
Drones have the potential for killing innocent civilians, that's why some liberals are against them. When you kill innocent civilians, there is the potential to turn them into the terrorists of the future. What would you do if a innocent relative was killed this way?
This is as they say, not rocket science.
Uh, and piloted airplanes have the potential for killing civilians. Water has the potential for killing civilians. If you airlift in water, and people drink too much, they can die of water poisoning.
Liberals are fine with what we know about drone attacks. But as the ACLU notes, the program has grown exponentially, and that has expanded the risk of collateral damage. The ACLU simply thinks that the American people, conservative or liberal, have a right to know how big the drone program is, how we are using the drones, and how many innocent people we are killing as collateral damage. The information has been requested, the Department of Defense has opted not to release that information, and the ACLU is pressing with a FOIA lawsuit.
It's not like FOIA suits aren't filed all the time. You want to know how many civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq, you have to file a FOIA suit, because the Department of Defense doesn't track this information, the Labor Department does, and it's confidential.
betamanlet's contention that other FOIA lawsuits aren't being filed in regards the other activities going on in Iraq or Afghanistan is simply erroneous. It's just so customary, that it doesn't get noted by the press.
Thanks for all those words. I really did read them but honestly I dont care.
liberals are both for and against this.
thats all I am saying....
as for the ACLU, bottom line here they want to give away state secrets to our enemies. I think that is stupid.
Bottom line is reality doesn't conform to your black and white hypothesis.
hmmmm. I thought my statement was a particular shade of grey.
and I thought you liberals like those grey areas... all that "there are no absolutes" and all?
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