US Media Ignores 7 US Drone Strikes On Yemen In First 12 Days Of March

[DesMoinesDem]

We already know that ignoring America’s extrajudicial killings of unnamed brown people halfway across the world is uninteresting to most US media outlets. But this month, the establishment press has really outdone itself.

On March 2, a US drone strike slammed into a vehicle parked near the town of Shebwan in the Marib province of Yemen, reducing the car and its two occupants to rubble. This due-process free assassination of a suspected militant sleeping in his car kicked off a series of US drone strikes across Yemen over the next ten days, most of which have been entirely ignored by the US news media.

...

On March 7, a suspected US drone strike killed 15 people…15!! That’s not to say that drone strikes are excusable as long as only a handful of people are killed, just that 15 people is a really high number that at the very least warrants further investigation by news outlets that possess the resources to do so. But to date, as far as I can tell, not a single US or Western media outlet has bothered to report on this strike.

The same goes for a drone killing carried out days later.

According to The Yemen Times, the target of the drone strike that incinerated a vehicle on March 10 was a 16-year-old boy whose loved ones have also been targeted by drones:

...

But don’t expect to hear about this from mainstream US outlets anytime soon. They’re far too busy obsessing over Russia’s invasion of Crimea because a foreign government’s violation of international law is far more newsworthy than possible war crimes being committed by one’s own government.

http://raniakhalek.com/2014/03/17/us-media-ignores-7-us-drone-strikes-on-yemen-in-first-12-days-of-march/

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Shhhh! This week's meme is "Putin is bad."

There are a handful of Reuters and other reports about the drone strikes. But I didn't hear about them until now. Thank you.

[totodeinhere]

10. It's one thing to oppose the drone strikes. But I hope that your comment is not

implying that this week's meme about Putin is wrong. Just ask any LGBT in Russia if Putin is bad or not.

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. Russia has terrible policies toward its gay population.

But it's the Crimea crisis that everyone is talking about.

[former9thward]

21. Why don't you ask any LGBT in Ukraine if their government is bad or not.

There are no good guys here despite people's attempt to paint that picture.

[Bonobo]

22. Did you VOTE for Putin?

No? Do then you have more responsibility for Obama's actions since they are carried at with a percentage of your authority.

Don't you agree?

[former9thward]

24. I didn't vote for Bush or Putin.

I did vote for Obama but I don't feel any responsibility for the actions of any of the three. I am not sure what your point is.

[Bonobo]

25. "I don't feel any responsibility for the actions of any of the three."

I think my point SHOULD be obvious but I thank you for your honesty.

It is really stunning though to hear you say that though.

I think perhaps you need to really think about it some more.

[former9thward]

29. Yet another one of your posts where you say nothing.

Especially making any point at all.

[Bonobo]

34. I didn't think I needed to tell you the sky was blue, but here goes.

YOU (and I) are more responsible for what our country does.

Putin can be criticized, but we don't OWN his actions in the way we OWN our country's.

So when we kill innocent people the blood is on our hands.

Putin's blood is not.

You OWN those deaths in Yemen, Mr. former9thward, whether you choose to see that or not.

History will NOT excuse us. Nor should they.

Clear enough this time?

[former9thward]

38. It is finally clear what your view is.

It is not mine. If I work against those policies then I am not responsible.

[LisaL]

31. I think it's "Putin is evil."

Whatever that means.

[bvar22]

2. Drones are Weapons of Terror.

Can you IMAGINE if any other country used silent Drone Assassinations in YOUR neighborhood?

...and then tried to make it all OK because their intelligence indicated that there was a "terrorist sympathizer"
hiding in your neighborhood?

[Fumesucker]

3. But.. But.. Crimea... Ukraine.. Putin... Snowwald..

[WillyT]

8. Snowwald... Bwahahahahahahahahahaha....

I'm stealing that...

[grahamhgreen]

36. What about the missing plane????

[reformist2]

4. I really, really thought Obama would deliver on the war/peace issues. How wrong I was. :(

[Rex]

5. Corporate media pays millionaire hosts/anchors to report on what the M$M paymasters approve of.

Always been that way. That is why America ranks so low in 'freedom of the press' around the globe.

[jtuck004]

6. Oughta be a song in this. Maybe "Murdering Children in the Park"

Where's Tom Lehrer when you need him?

And it wouldn't be 1st degree, didn't intend for it to happen, it was (insert the excuse you like best here) but..wait, didn't we just hit this topic over Florida and carried guns? He didn't do it intentionally, yes? Just being a bully...

A List Of Children Killed By Drone Strikes In Pakistan and Yemen
From 2013 - Article here.

...
YEMEN

Afrah Ali Mohammed Nasser | 9 | female
Zayda Ali Mohammed Nasser | 7 | female
Hoda Ali Mohammed Nasser | 5 | female
Sheikha Ali Mohammed Nasser | 4 | female
Ibrahim Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 13 | male
Asmaa Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 9 | male
Salma Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 4 | female
Fatima Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 3 | female
Khadije Ali Mokbel Louqye | 1 | female
Hanaa Ali Mokbel Louqye | 6 | female
Mohammed Ali Mokbel Salem Louqye | 4 | male
Jawass Mokbel Salem Louqye | 15 | female
Maryam Hussein Abdullah Awad | 2 | female
Shafiq Hussein Abdullah Awad | 1 | female
Sheikha Nasser Mahdi Ahmad Bouh | 3 | female
Maha Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 12 | male
Soumaya Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 9 | female
Shafika Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 4 | female
Shafiq Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 2 | male
...

There are many more...wonder if the 2 year old had a diaper bomb?

[think]

32. Amazing how some brazenly ignore the death of these children while supporting drone attacks.

[jtuck004]

33. We are better than this. I thought. n/t

[L0oniX]

40. Our psychopathic military calls those dead children "bug splat".

I woke up to find myself in a militarized nation of world wide killers.

[Progressive dog]

7. According to Slate it is seven strikes this year

and the 15 were killed last December.

[DesMoinesDem]

9. The wedding drone strike in December is different than the drone strike this month that killed 15.

[Progressive dog]

14. Could you give a link from a real news source?

[DesMoinesDem]

15. The article quotes and links to the source.

[Progressive dog]

44. Slate disagrees with both the

number of strikes in March and when the strike with 15 dead happened.
I searched for drone strike killing 15 and every news organization missed the one after December of 2013. That includes Putin's own news-RT.

[DesMoinesDem]

45. So don't believe it. That's your prerogative.

[Progressive dog]

46. Not believing made up news should

be easy for everyone.

[DesMoinesDem]

47. If you say so.

[ProSense]

11. So

But don’t expect to hear about this from mainstream US outlets anytime soon. They’re far too busy obsessing over Russia’s invasion of Crimea because a foreign government’s violation of international law is far more newsworthy than possible war crimes being committed by one’s own government.

...drones are now being used to justify Putin's illegal invasion? Obama bad. Putin good.

No matter how much ridiculous hyperbole is pushed, these strikes do not amount to "war crimes."

Silliness.

[G_j]

13. no, //this\\

is beyond silliness.

[cui bono]

16. Really? Please show me the logic you used to get to that conclusion that

"..drones are now being used to justify Putin's illegal invasion? Obama bad. Putin good. "

[ConservativeDemocrat]

19. How about you read just about every other comment in this thread?

Starting with the very first?

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Comrade Grumpy]

42. You talkin' about me?

My post in no way attempts to justify Russia's actions. It merely points out that we've been so busy worrying about Russian aggression that we have no time to consider our own aggression.

There is a certain element of hypocrisy involved as well.

[JoeyT]

43. I don't support either one.

But I'm always amused at how some of the people that think Putin's invasion is bad are totally cool with atomizing random people. As if Putin somehow justifies us murdering innocents in a totally unrelated country.

Not war crimes? Is that sentence supposed to be a joke?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-24557333

You don't think blowing up random civilians that are trying to render medical assistance is a war crime? If that doesn't qualify, what the flaming hell does?

[G_j]

12. K&R!!!!

[Fred Sanders]

18. Too busy condemning a democratic vote in Crimea, and supporting the neo- fascists

that overthrew a democratically elected government in Ukraine is the reason they have no time for arbitrary killing by America.....America the Hypocritical, most of the world gets it.

[Demo_Chris]

20. rec

[malaise]

23. Those are freedom and democracy drones

Be still (not sure I needed the thingy).

[think]

30. And Yemen is a bastion of democracy....

[L0oniX]

39. No wonder they are sending in the drones.

[woo me with science]

26. K&R

[Catherina]

27. DU rec n/t

[840high]

28. k/r

[LiberalAndProud]

35. Is the Yemen Times an approved source on DU?

I never know about these things.

Nabil Al-Bukairi, the head of Arab Studies Forum, told the Yemen Times that drone strikes have pushed people to sympathize with Al-Qaeda, encouraging them to stand against the “so-called American invasion of Yemen.”

http://www.yementimes.com/en/1763/news/3585/Drone-attack-in-Marib-leaves-one-dead.htm

[woo me with science]

37. kick

[progressoid]

41. Freedom Drones.