#1
Posted: 9/30/12 at 11:03am
Posted this before but it double posted as a blank post.
NYU/Stanford released a joint report on drone strikes that is destined to receive no attention from the msm this election cycle. It was a hard read for me because although I haven't agreed with everything he's done I've been a pretty fervent Obama supporter. After reading this I can't vote for him in November.
From the report:
" In the United States, the dominant narrative about the use of drones in Pakistan is of a surgically precise and effective tool that makes the US safer by enabling "targeted killing" of terrorists, with minimal downsides or collateral impacts.
This narrative is false"
"Drones hover 24 hours a day over communities in NorthWest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles and public spaces without warning. Their presence terrorizes men, women and children giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities.
The US practice of striking one area multiple times, and evidence that it has killed rescuers, makes both community members and humanitarian workers afraid or unwilling to assist injured victims."
The report goes on to detail how the Obama administration labels all military aged males as combatants. This makes any gathering of boys 14 and up a potential target.
The report also takes on the media.
"Journalists and media outlets should cease the common practice of referring to "militant" deaths without further explanation. All reporting of government accounts of "militant" deaths should include acknowledgement that the US government counts all adult males killed by strikes as "militants", absent exonerating evidence."
They found that only 2% of those killed have been high level targets and the civilian causalities have been much higher than the administration will acknowledge. Drone strikes have increased anti American sentiment and increased recruitment in extremist groups.
This makes Obama a war criminal on the level of George W. Bush. After reading this report I can't see how I can possibly cast a vote for Obama in November.
Jill Stein 2012
Living Under Drones. Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians Under US Drone Practices in Pakistan
NYU/Stanford released a joint report on drone strikes that is destined to receive no attention from the msm this election cycle. It was a hard read for me because although I haven't agreed with everything he's done I've been a pretty fervent Obama supporter. After reading this I can't vote for him in November.
From the report:
" In the United States, the dominant narrative about the use of drones in Pakistan is of a surgically precise and effective tool that makes the US safer by enabling "targeted killing" of terrorists, with minimal downsides or collateral impacts.
This narrative is false"
"Drones hover 24 hours a day over communities in NorthWest Pakistan, striking homes, vehicles and public spaces without warning. Their presence terrorizes men, women and children giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities.
The US practice of striking one area multiple times, and evidence that it has killed rescuers, makes both community members and humanitarian workers afraid or unwilling to assist injured victims."
The report goes on to detail how the Obama administration labels all military aged males as combatants. This makes any gathering of boys 14 and up a potential target.
The report also takes on the media.
"Journalists and media outlets should cease the common practice of referring to "militant" deaths without further explanation. All reporting of government accounts of "militant" deaths should include acknowledgement that the US government counts all adult males killed by strikes as "militants", absent exonerating evidence."
They found that only 2% of those killed have been high level targets and the civilian causalities have been much higher than the administration will acknowledge. Drone strikes have increased anti American sentiment and increased recruitment in extremist groups.
This makes Obama a war criminal on the level of George W. Bush. After reading this report I can't see how I can possibly cast a vote for Obama in November.
Jill Stein 2012
Living Under Drones. Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians Under US Drone Practices in Pakistan
