Precision-guided PR for drones falls short

[xchrom]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NE02Df01.html

WASHINGTON - In a major address here on Monday, John Brennan, the United States official in charge of counter-terrorism, formally admitted that the US engages in attacks using armed unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as "drones".

But, Brennan argued, the drones program is "legal", "ethical" and "wise".

The speech, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, marks the first official public discussion of the US's highly secretive drones program. Overseen by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the program has been stepped up significantly under President Barack Obama.

Brennan's presentation comes amid a barrage of events marking the one-year anniversary of the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, with Obama making much of the event as the 2012 presidential campaign heats up. According to Brennan, "President Obama has instructed us to be more open with the American people about using remotely piloted aircraft."

However, that newfound openness has not included an explanation of how potential drone targets are vetted.

[Downwinder]

1. Based upon the US drone logic,

911 would have been justified if a specific target individual had been named.

[sad sally]

2. The conclusion appears to be that international humanitarian laws do not exist in the eyes

of the United States. The US is in a world-wide conflict - drone targets are anywhere and everywhere.

"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain."
George Orwell, 1984

[pscot]

3. Wait! I thought we enjoyed complete drone transparency

Someone said so, right here on this very board.

[xchrom]

4. +1

[Unaccountable]

5. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)