Collateral Damage Drone Strikes

Collateral Damage Drone Strikes

Today, The Young Turks aired a story about “Drone Strikes” that cause “collateral damage”. In the House of Representatives today, Rep. Grayson (D-Fla.) sponsored a family from Pakistan to testify about the killing of their Grandmother by a drone. So, in front of an almost EMPTY gallery, this family told the story of the moment their Grandmother (and Mother, to the children’s father) was hit by the missile. The 13 yr old grandson said (I’m paraphrasing some of the comment), “We were in the field picking Okra for a family function and I saw the drone overhead. My first thought was not to get scared because we’re NOT MILITANT. But then I heard a noise and as I was looking at my grandmother- SHE EXPLODED INTO LITTLE PIECES.” (Capitalization added by me). Can you imagine what it would be like to watch your grandmother just explode in front of you? I can’t comprehend that, not at all! Cenk goes on to say that, depending on what statistics you look at, there are between 400- 900 drone strikes that are or have, “collateral damage” attached to them. Further, for every one of those strikes, the U.S. turns about 40- 50 people against us! That is just AMAZING!

Now, I’m not sure how I feel about Drone Strikes in general. Obviously, I don’t agree with the “blasé” attitude that the gov’t has taken in regards to these “collateral damage” strikes. That’s just unforgivable! But, I do believe that drone strikes are a great weapon against the terrorists. First, it’s a great way to kill someone who has caused harm to Americans. I don’t have a problem with that. Now that this program has been active for some time, it’s also a great “weapon of terror” to use against the terrorists! Think about it for a minute... you’re a terrorist, you’ve had some of your “pals” killed by these strikes. You also know that there is NO WARNING WHATSOEVER!!! I can only imagine what it must be like to wake up one day and have to think TWICE about going out to get some food or to just take a walk and know that your life could end and YOU WON’T EVEN KNOW THAT IT’S HAPPENING! You would walk out of the entrance to your cave and take in the beautiful sunshine and then BAM!!! Your arms in the tree, your left leg is over there on the hill, your brain is splattered against your white truck (everybody drives a white truck there). You’re DONE and you had no fucking clue! I think that it’s a great weapon against terrorists... but HALF THE TIME IT ISN’T TERRORISTS THAT WE HIT!!!

Honestly, I don’t see another answer except to end it if we can’t guarantee that we’ll NEVER hit another civilian!! Unfortunately, our Gov’t won’t stop the Drone strikes. Even though they know that the success rate might only be 70% accuracy in terms of hitting terrorists, the fact that they’re hitting ANY terrorist (and here comes the kicker) without putting American soldiers in any danger, is what they’ll fall back on. I think that it’s just that simple. Hey, I don’t want to put a single American soldier in harm’s way either, but I don’t want to kill INNOCENT PEOPLE ANYMORE. There has to be an answer, I’m just not smart enough to see it.

And that’s “As I understand it now, ‘til it changes”. Tell me what you think.

Michael K. Stichauf