PDA

View Full Version : The Lethal Presidency of Barack Obama




Brian4Liberty
10-22-2012, 12:39 PM
http://www.esquire.com/features/obama-lethal-presidency-0812


Sure, we as a nation have always killed people. A lot of people. But no president has ever waged war by killing enemies one by one, targeting them individually for execution, wherever they are. The Obama administration has taken pains to tell us, over and over again, that they are careful, scrupulous of our laws, and determined to avoid the loss of collateral, innocent lives. They're careful because when it comes to waging war on individuals, the distinction between war and murder becomes a fine one. Especially when, on occasion, the individuals we target are Americans and when, in one instance, the collateral damage was an American boy.
...
You are a historic figure, Mr. President. You are not only the first African-American president; you are the first who has made use of your power to target and kill individuals identified as a threat to the United States throughout your entire term. You are the first president to make the killing of targeted individuals the focus of our military operations, of our intelligence, of our national-security strategy, and, some argue, of our foreign policy. You have authorized kill teams comprised of both soldiers from Special Forces and civilians from the CIA, and you have coordinated their efforts through the Departments of Justice and State. You have gradually withdrawn from the nation building required by "counterinsurgency" and poured resources into the covert operations that form the basis of "counter-terrorism." More than any other president you have made the killing rather than the capture of individuals the option of first resort, and have killed them both from the sky, with drones, and on the ground, with "nighttime" raids not dissimilar to the one that killed Osama bin Laden. You have killed individuals in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and are making provisions to expand the presence of American Special Forces in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In Pakistan and other places where the United States has not committed troops, you are estimated to have killed at least two thousand by drone. You have formalized what is known as "the program," and at the height of its activity it was reported to be launching drone strikes in Pakistan every three days. Your lethality is expansive in both practice and principle; you are fighting terrorism with a policy of preemptive execution, and claiming not just the legal right to do so but the legal right to do so in secret. The American people, for the most part, have no idea who has been killed, and why; the American people — and for that matter, most of their representatives in Congress — have no idea what crimes those killed in their name are supposed to have committed, and have been told that they are not entitled to know.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/obama-lethal-presidency-0812

Brian4Liberty
10-22-2012, 05:58 PM
Will the drone issue come up in tonight's debate?

Brian4Liberty
10-23-2012, 10:02 AM
Will the drone issue come up in tonight's debate?

Who saw the whole debate? Did drones or the kill list come up?

Lucille
10-23-2012, 10:37 AM
Who saw the whole debate? Did drones or the kill list come up?

I didn't watch it. I don't think the kill list came up, but drones did:

In Foreign Policy Debate, Romney Capitulates, Agrees With Obama
On Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, Syria, and drones, the candidates fundamentally agree on a militarist, interventionist foreign policy
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/22/in-foreign-policy-debate-romney-capitulates-agrees-with-obama/


Lastly, drone policy made an unexpected appearance in Monday night’s debate. When asked what was his position on President Obama’s use of drones, Romney said “I support that entirely, and feel the president was right to up the usage of that technology, and believe that we should continue to use it, to continue to go after the people that represent a threat to this nation and to our friends.”

[...] While drones were mentioned, the fact that they consistently kill civilians and drive al-Qaeda recruitment and are probably illegal, was not mentioned.

Brian4Liberty
10-23-2012, 03:06 PM
In Foreign Policy Debate, Romney Capitulates, Agrees With Obama
On Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, Syria, and drones, the candidates fundamentally agree on a militarist, interventionist foreign policy
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/22/in-foreign-policy-debate-romney-capitulates-agrees-with-obama/

Thanks. No surprise there. Romney will continue illegally killing people.

Wouldn't it have been nice if we could have had someone, anyone, at that debate that would disagree on anything?

Spikender
10-23-2012, 03:11 PM
Thanks. No surprise there. Romney will continue illegally killing people.

Wouldn't it have been nice if we could have had someone, anyone, at that debate that would disagree on anything?

Disagree? Oh come now, then the debate would've actually been a debate, and we can't have that, now can we?