He's in a hurry to get US troops out, and US and coalition fatalities are falling: (Reply #101)

In the discussion thread: The Guardian: I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on [View all]

Response to NuclearDem (Reply #100)

Mon Dec 30, 2013, 03:10 AM

ucrdem (15,502 posts)

101. He's in a hurry to get US troops out, and US and coalition fatalities are falling:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324665604579081193199072318

However, Afgahn military fatalities are rising, not from drones, but from Taliban insurgents, the ones we're aiming the drones at. So it appears that drones are doing the fighting previously done by US troops. The fact that Afghan security forces are getting hit harder as we leave suggests that drones at this stage of their technology aren't as effective as troops, and that's pretty much the point made by the article author, though not necessarily by Guardian.

In any case, whose interests are do you think are served by trying to turn the public against drones, for whatever reason?

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162 replies	Author	Time	Post
The Guardian: I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on [View all]	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	OP
Every time I read about the drone program, it enrages me. Land of the free? Psh. (nt)	anti partisan	Dec 2013	#1
That looks like an old out of style drone.	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#4
True, all that money spent on killing machines could be going toward a "Green New Deal"	anti partisan	Dec 2013	#7
Applause!	swilton	Dec 2013	#82
+1 Putting people back to work is so "Ross Perot".	L0oniX	Dec 2013	#11
Yeah! Putting people back to work is so "Ross Perot".	Enthusiast	Dec 2013	#59
Even more disgusting........Home of the brave.	SammyWinstonJack	Dec 2013	#12
k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t	Laelth	Dec 2013	#2
...	KG	Dec 2013	#3
Frightening stuff n/t	cinnabonbon	Dec 2013	#5
Our masters, the US Military. Their piggy bank, the US Treasury. nt	valerief	Dec 2013	#6
Probably shouldn't have read this first thing in the morning.	99Forever	Dec 2013	#8
And for the cost of just one of those hell fire missals	zeemike	Dec 2013	#9
n/r	marmar	Dec 2013	#10
We are targeting . . .	another_liberal	Dec 2013	#13
Our sociopath gov has made war clean to keep us from seeing what our vote gets us.	L0oniX	Dec 2013	#14
+1 One week of experiencing this in Fairfax County, VA, or Boston...	woo me with science	Dec 2013	#16
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Dec 2013	#41
I consider us all to be complicit in murder.	L0oniX	Dec 2013	#42
K&R. nt	DLevine	Dec 2013	#15
Compared to WW2..	iamthebandfanman	Dec 2013	#17
Did someone threaten to destroy the US lately? The wedding party in Afghanistan, the nearly two	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#23
+100	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#52
Sickening! I cannot even think of what we did in Libya and the ongoing brutality in that country	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#108
Lesser of two evils is still gut-wrenchingly evil.	woo me with science	Dec 2013	#18
Green for victory!!...	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#19
?	whatchamacallit	Dec 2013	#43
It's OK you don't understand. The OP knows what it means...nt	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#69
Green? No, pink. For more detailed info on drones, read CODEPINK (although admittedly I have not).	proverbialwisdom	Dec 2013	#65
Code Pink? LOL...	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#68
Their goofy antics as they confront raw power are entirely forgivable.	proverbialwisdom	Dec 2013	#71
+10 (nt)	reACTIONary	Dec 2013	#80
I love Code Pink.	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#109
Of course you do...	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#117
And Sid loves errant drone strikes?	think	Dec 2013	#122
That's a pretty weak attempt...	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#125
Yes, your posts are so enlightening.	think	Dec 2013	#126
You've got a long way to go, grasshopper...nt	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#127
You are correct. I am lacking. Perhaps you'd like to comment on the thread topic	think	Dec 2013	#128
This message was self-deleted by its author	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#129
This message was self-deleted by its author	think	Dec 2013	#131
This message was self-deleted by its author	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#132
This message was self-deleted by its author	think	Dec 2013	#136
This message was self-deleted by its author	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#138
Sorry. I didn't get it. I am slow.	think	Dec 2013	#142
I self-deleted to avoid the confusion.	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#143
You two self deleting everything fucked up the thread...	snooper2	Dec 2013	#144
Is that supposed to mean something or a genuine acknowledgement that Democrats have always respected	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#157
Examine Jeremy Scahill's recent work, too. I haven't yet either but finally plan to, as well.	proverbialwisdom	Dec 2013	#66
When I was in the service, the UAV's that my unit operated weren't armed	MrScorpio	Dec 2013	#20
What's the difference between...	reACTIONary	Dec 2013	#81
Mission differences	MrScorpio	Dec 2013	#85
Mission differences are a valid (perhaps only valid) consideration...	reACTIONary	Dec 2013	#145
During my time in, we weren't arming the UAVs, at least the USAF wasn't	MrScorpio	Dec 2013	#149
All things being equal, bombing civilians is bad...	reACTIONary	Dec 2013	#151
None at all.	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#88
I'm not sure where you came up with this list...	reACTIONary	Dec 2013	#146
What "legitimate war" have we declared?	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#155
What warfare are we involved in? And how many #2 men are there? I remember during the Bush years	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#158
K&R. nt.	polly7	Dec 2013	#21
It's just a way of delivering a bomb	treestar	Dec 2013	#22
I don't really know where to begin to respond to your comment.	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#24
not sure if the naivety is feigned or real, but it is consistent.	KG	Dec 2013	#25
So you can't handle the question	treestar	Dec 2013	#27
hilarious.	KG	Dec 2013	#30
It's hilarious but astounding at the same time to see a Karl Rove, remember him, talkiing point	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#91
That is what Republicans say about Democrats 'they WANT us to be attacked by terrorists'.	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#56
Do you even care that you sound EXACTLY like Dick Cheney? [n/t]	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#89
I'm not sure 'naivity' can occur suddenly after being apparently informed throughout the Bush	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#28
So why don't you complain equally against guns, bomber planes	treestar	Dec 2013	#26
Sigh! Who are we at war with? You have ignored the fact that there is no war going on. So why are	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#29
So why cry about a particular weapon?	treestar	Dec 2013	#33
Um, so you have not read any of my comments, you are rewinding the same old talking points and	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#37
"Technique" is the correct word,	bvar22	Dec 2013	#58
That was one great post right there.	Enthusiast	Dec 2013	#62
I was being polite. You are correct, I recognize the technique very well. What gets me is that it	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#86
It is an interesting phenomenon.	Enthusiast	Dec 2013	#61
Thank you.	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#87
So incredibly binary	whatchamacallit	Dec 2013	#46
Because an 8000 mile layer of abstraction dehumanizes and makes killing innocents easier.	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#49
Except that it doesn't. Read the article:	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#98
Killing women and children in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc etc is WRONG	think	Dec 2013	#31
What are we allowed to do about terrorists?	treestar	Dec 2013	#35
15 of the 19 terrorists in the 9/11 attack were from Saudi Arabia.	think	Dec 2013	#45
+1 a significant amount.......nt	Enthusiast	Dec 2013	#63
Because	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#113
+100	theHandpuppet	Dec 2013	#115
What terrrorists? Name them. Feinstein says we 'are in more danger than ever' 12 years after	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#50
The "right" to go after Al-Quaeda..	SomethingFishy	Dec 2013	#60
This seems appropriate here:	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#90
We can stop creating terrorists. That'd be a fantastic start.	NuclearDem	Dec 2013	#93
Great Question, treestar.	bvar22	Dec 2013	#154
I give up! 'It's better than a nuke'!	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#32
The victims of any weapon will suffer	treestar	Dec 2013	#38
"Question nothing"	whatchamacallit	Dec 2013	#47
Here's an idea	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#51
Are you talking to yourself? You made stuff up and then answered yourself. Are you aware of doing	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#53
The US was founded by "terrorists"	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#112
All she does is sit at her	Puglover	Dec 2013	#44
"A" war?	El_Johns	Dec 2013	#48
We do. Let's cut the big war budget by 50%.	grahamhgreen	Dec 2013	#75
This is one subject on which we can totally agree	theHandpuppet	Dec 2013	#116
Yes. So are mines	NoOneMan	Dec 2013	#34
You just dont get it. Not surprised. We are not at war. WE ARE NOT AT WAR.	rhett o rick	Dec 2013	#72
"it's just a way of killing children, that's all"	grahamhgreen	Dec 2013	#73
What war?	polly7	Dec 2013	#78
Thanks for that great post! nt	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#114
You're welcome. Sorry about some of those links.	polly7	Dec 2013	#147
Heart breaking. Thank you for posting.	think	Dec 2013	#121
You're very welcome.	polly7	Dec 2013	#148
Drone warfare shows how the west will fall	Harmony Blue	Dec 2013	#36
What are we going to say when Russia or China	DirkGently	Dec 2013	#39
Well we have given them the right to do that haven't we? I doubt many in the world are going to be	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#54
Every time things improve, we let the barbarians back in.	DirkGently	Dec 2013	#55
heck, war only got big with the Renaissance	MisterP	Dec 2013	#57
You have every right to jump in! Thanks for the info, I was thinking of Smedley Butler	sabrina 1	Dec 2013	#83
We're busy creating terrorists....	sendero	Dec 2013	#40
I halfway imagine that is the idea.	DirkGently	Dec 2013	#64
+1	grahamhgreen	Dec 2013	#74
I think I agree with you...	sendero	Dec 2013	#120
Organic evil. If the "right" parties benefit, things continue.	DirkGently	Dec 2013	#160
thank you	heaven05	Dec 2013	#67
Notes From> Noam Chomsky: “Media Control”	fleabiscuit	Dec 2013	#70
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.	Tierra_y_Libertad	Dec 2013	#76
Great quote- Those over 45 will remember (?) how we were told that the USSR	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#111
Let's look forward, not back.	merrily	Dec 2013	#77
,	blkmusclmachine	Dec 2013	#79
She joined the US Army. What exactly did she think she'd be doing in the military?	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#84
Is there no atrocity you will NOT support in the name of your President? [n/t]	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#92
Did you read the article perchance? She has no problem killing people.	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#95
I'm not referring to the person in the article, I'm referring to YOU.	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#102
No kidding. nt	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#103
Golly, did you think I wouldn't see your response here?	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#130
I don't suppose you have a point for us today?	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#133
Are you slow?	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#134
Thanks, that answers my question. nt	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#135
Mine too. I've confirmed that your word is useless.	DisgustipatedinCA	Dec 2013	#137
Did Santa forget to fill your stocking	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#139
Post removed	Post removed	Dec 2013	#140
Thanks for sharing. nt	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#141
Hehehe...	SidDithers	Dec 2013	#156
Wow, that's totally not disgusting for several different reasons.	NuclearDem	Dec 2013	#94
None of which you managed to identify. nt	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#96
Let's start with how you made Obama the victim of this somehow.	NuclearDem	Dec 2013	#97
Obama did not initiate this conflict. nt	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#99
And neither does he seem to be in any hurry to end it.	NuclearDem	Dec 2013	#100
He's in a hurry to get US troops out, and US and coalition fatalities are falling:	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#101
In a hurry to get them out? You've got to be kidding me.	NuclearDem	Dec 2013	#104
Sunday LA Times: "From MRAP to scrap: U.S. military chops up $1 million vehicles"	ucrdem	Dec 2013	#105
This message was self-deleted by its author	Skittles	Dec 2013	#106
The drone she is showing is an surveillance drone	Historic NY	Dec 2013	#107
I don't think the writers choose the pictures for their articles	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#110
Heather looks like she needs a cup of coffee...	Lost_Count	Dec 2013	#118
This Brit was more creative	solarhydrocan	Dec 2013	#123
Also good...	Lost_Count	Dec 2013	#124
K&R	Solly Mack	Dec 2013	#119
"The drone program."	LWolf	Dec 2013	#150
I just wonder when then the government will turn these things against its own citizens.	Vashta Nerada	Dec 2013	#152
Just in case it was missed by the casual lurker,	Maedhros	Dec 2013	#161
Drones are not the problem.	WatermelonRat	Dec 2013	#153
drone terror bombing is just terrorism	rafeh1	Dec 2013	#159
kick	woo me with science	Dec 2013	#162

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