The Drone Papers

[Dems to Win]

Source: The Intercept

THE DRONE PAPERS

The Intercept has obtained a cache of secret documents detailing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s assassination program in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The documents, provided by a whistleblower, offer an unprecedented glimpse into Obama’s drone wars.

https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/the-assassination-complex/
Jeremy Scahill
Oct. 15 2015, 4:57 a.m.
From his first days as commander in chief, the drone has been President Barack Obama’s weapon of choice, used by the military and the CIA to hunt down and kill the people his administration has deemed — through secretive processes, without indictment or trial — worthy of execution. There has been intense focus on the technology of remote killing, but that often serves as a surrogate for what should be a broader examination of the state’s power over life and death.
DRONES ARE A TOOL, not a policy. The policy is assassination. While every president since Gerald Ford has upheld an executive order banning assassinations by U.S. personnel, Congress has avoided legislating the issue or even defining the word “assassination.” This has allowed proponents of the drone wars to rebrand assassinations with more palatable characterizations, such as the term du jour, “targeted killings.”

When the Obama administration has discussed drone strikes publicly, it has offered assurances that such operations are a more precise alternative to boots on the ground and are authorized only when an “imminent” threat is present and there is “near certainty” that the intended target will be eliminated. Those terms, however, appear to have been bluntly redefined to bear almost no resemblance to their commonly understood meanings.





Read more: https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/

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Huge series of articles at The Intercept. Top investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is the lead author.

[uawchild]

1. Nearly 90 Percent Of People Killed In Recent Drone Strikes Were Not The Target

Salon's covering this too:

"The controversial U.S. drone strike program in the Middle East aims to pinpoint and kill terrorist leaders, but new documents indicate that a staggering number of these "targeted killings" affect far more people than just their targets.

According to a new report from The Intercept, nearly 90 percent of people killed in recent drone strikes in Afghanistan "were not the intended targets" of the attacks."

"The report, compiled from classified documents released by a source in the intelligence community, corroborates the many news accounts of civilian deaths caused by drone strikes. U.S. drone strikes have killed scores of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia since 2009."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/civilian-deaths-drone-strikes_561fafe2e4b028dd7ea6c4ff

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And there is an excuse for this? I'd be interested in hearing it.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. The excuse I keep hearing is

It's okay, since Obama did it, it must be okay. If you disagree with that view you are a racist.

[uawchild]

7. The Deep State

Personally, I think there are powerful forces in the military, intelligence community, and corporate world that even a President finds difficult to not just control but to even counter. Here's an article about such forces in Turkey, but I feel most nations have something similar going on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_state

[erronis]

2. And I think the US should have some flesh in the game if they want to be an empire

All men and women between the ages of 25 and 75 should be put in the pools to be drafted and sent to the same areas that we are striking with drones. No exclusions for rich girls, pretty boys, congress-critters, members of this or that government agency or administration.

Let's just say, for example, that we need at least 1,000 US bodies on the ground to help fight our wars for every "clean" strike (drones, cruise missiles, aerial bombardments, etc.) Let's just say that there is a 0.035% chance that some politician's precious child might be in harms way. Let's hope they'll understand that this is not just a video and media game.

[KoKo]

3. The "Enduring Impact or Moral Implications" of our Assassination of "Targets" and Innocents

From the article:

The architects of what amounts to a global assassination campaign do not appear concerned with either its enduring impact or its moral implications. “All you have to do is take a look at the world and what it’s become, and the ineptitude of our Congress, the power grab of the executive branch over the past decade,” the source said. “It’s never considered: Is what we’re doing going to ensure the safety of our moral integrity? Of not just our moral integrity, but the lives and humanity of the people that are going to have to live with this the most?”

[BeanMusical]

4. Kick and R

[Luminous Animal]

6. Kick

[TRoN33]

8. This, my friends, is why America won't last forever.

[BelgianMadCow]

9. Better think about keeping that smartphone always on you! SIMcards targeted

pretty chilling reading, glad to see it posted. Nada on The Guardian...

[uhnope]

10. there should be a L-BS forum for The Intercept

[Overseas]

11. K&R. Courageous release of documents about a failed program. I am still in shock.

I have always thought the drone program was counterproductive and should be stopped.

I didn't realize the hits were wrong in 9 out of 10 cases.

Even 5 out of 10 would be disgusting.

I hope this program is halted immediately.

[wildbilln864]

12. and a kick! n/t