Drone Strikes Are Causing Child Casualties -- 178 So Far

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/world/drone-strikes-are-causing-child-casualties-178-so-far



During my recent trip to Pakistan as part of our upcoming documentary film, Drones Exposed, I was struck most by the stories told to me by children who had experienced a U.S. drone strike firsthand. The impact of America’s drone war in the likes of Pakistan and Yemen will linger on, especially for the loved ones of the 178 children killed in those countries by U.S. drone strikes.

War Costs’ latest video (with accompanying report) brings attention to the children who have died as a result of drone strikes. The video names some of the children who perished in these strikes, and points out the obfuscation tactics of American officials who will not own up to the significant amount of civilian casualties that have occurred due to this legally- and morally-dubious policy.

In addition to the video, War Costs offers this report detailing the effects of drone strikes on children. The findings come mainly from the diligent investigative reporting of TBIJ and the groundbreaking reports on the impact of drone strikes by Stanford and New York University researchers ( Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan) and researchers at Columbia University ( The Civilian Impact of Drones: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions).

In an effort to compel answers about why these innocent civilians have died without acknowledgement or explanation from the U.S. government, War Costs is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to debate and pass Rep. Dennis Kucinich's bill that calls for more transparency regarding U.S. drone strike policy.

[HiPointDem]

1. and where are the daily editorials at du about those children's deaths and the need to ban

the weapons of war?

[Victor_c3]

2. Even on this forum anti-war talk seems to get lost in the general discussion

For whatever reason most people will just glide over any topic talking about dead children and war.

If this is a topic that is so upsetting to people that they don't want to deal with it, then their silence on the topic is what is enabling our politicians to continue to get away with it.

I don't understand the lack of dialog on this either. In fact, the silence surrounding this topic is extremely upsetting to me. I fought in a war first hand and, anytime I try to talk about it and how evil and insidious war is and how it affects people on both sides of the conflict, nobody wants to listen.

[HiPointDem]

3. nah, there's plenty of talk about dead children. just not the children the US kills overseas.

[Melinda]

13. Most DUers don't want to bother their beautiful minds with the blood of dead brown children!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022015063

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022041929

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022015063

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022015129

Read the threads.... no traction. Read the responses. A handful of Duers only. Recs are there, responses not so much. Views are certainly there, but its just to seemingly 'icky' for most to get themselves involved. Most people don't care as long as the dead aren't American children.

I've seen approximately 3 other people write about this subject on DU. Very few care. Few. Care.


Anti-war? Don't post here either. GD is politics central, even though there are several other forums specifically formed for that purpose.

No, Duers don't want to know about such nastiness as War, or dead babies (as long as they aren't American) killed by our weapons of war (lets not even discuss the legality of these acts, cause an Democratic POTUS is in office, dontchaknow)...

This thread, given the subject matter, has garnered more attention than any other Drone thread I've seen in months. I expect it to sink too. Anytime now.

[L0oniX]

21. Keep up the good fight. I am doing the same and getting attacked for it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022060449
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022076252
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022079561
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022079617

They don't care about the gorilla in the room. If they really wanted to get rid of guns they would be at least equally upset about what our military is doing to innocent children. It's the people who lack a world view compassion that would rather swarm over a state side tragedy and ignore the plight of the vast majority of children around the world. They attack those with a world view because they get exposed when someone points out the irrationality. If they really wanted to get rid of guns they would be attacking our government and its military ...not giving praise and encouragement to those who participate. I am sick of the bull shit brave hero military Jessica Lynch propaganda ...I'm doing the dirty work over there to protect your freedom and Democracy psych shit that gets thrown around. I will not stand with those who make endless excuses for war and the deaths of the innocent victims of war.

[OneMoreDemocrat]

15. It's because guns have only ONE possible use and that's to kill people...

Drones on the other hand, can be used as coat racks, make great lamps and with the right accessories make a snazzy outfit for a night on the town.

[HiPointDem]

16. lol. those multipurpose drones!

[Resonance_Chamber]

4. Only Murdered White Children from Affluent Neighborhoods get people upset

Murdered non-white children in places nobody gives a shit about, why that is A-OK and the body count can never be high enough.

We really live in one f-ed up country now and the most f-ed up thing of all is the so-called liberal POTUS who is ordering the murdering of children.

[Victor_c3]

5. but but but Obama won a nobel peace prize!!!

I hope you can detect my sarcasm there...

[Resonance_Chamber]

8. Le Duc Tho won one too at least he had the good graces to refuse it

eom

[Comrade_McKenzie]

11. A dead child is a dead child, but saying this in some way discounts "murdered white children"...

Is just so sick, there are no words.

[Resonance_Chamber]

12. So it is OK to kill other peoples kids but white american kids are untouchable?

I see no difference between a US Drone killing kids and a loon with a gun killing kids.

Both kill kids the rational is only different.

But we also know in this racist nation that if 20 poor black kids were killed in the hood it damn sure would not be 24/7 news on all the channels.

[L0oniX]

20. I would bet that at least 20 poor black kids died on that same day ...somewhere.

[HiPointDem]

14. a dead child is obviously *not* a dead child. as witness the multiple daily posts about the

newtown slayings and the handful of responses to this one, the only one on this topic.

people would prefer to ignore the fact that we are killing children every day, some of them the same people who are so righteous about the children killed in newtown.

[G_j]

6. btw... these are war crimes

not that that matters when it is the US.

[Prometheus_unbound]

7. Quite frankly

If you fight counter-insurgency you kill civilians.
If a country has 50% of people under 17 y.o., you kill a lot of children.

The real question is: do you want to win the counter-insurgency? (for the sake of Afghan warlords and Pakistani generals?)
If you do, this is the consequence.

[sabrina 1]

17. How dare those children live in their own country and then complain when

invading armies, who have every right to do whatever they want anywhere in the world, come and kill them!! Who do they think they are?

Btw, I haven't noticed any Pakistanis invading or terrorizing the US lately, have you?

Americans kill more Americans than the combined efforts of every supposed terrorist in the world.

Since 9/11 eg, the lack of HC has killed over one half million Americans. Men, women and children.

Mass murders have escalated, killing mostly school children and college students here with the Perps being mostly white, middle class Americans.

Then are the thousands murdered every year by guns and the easy access to these weapons.


But we are busy killing people who are in their own countries, for what??

Our national security is more threatened by other Americans than by any foreign terrorist as the numbers prove. So what are we doing pretending to be protecting our national security when right here Americans are in more danger than ever?

[L0oniX]

22. Yea ...we've heard all about the "bug splat"military attitude.

I loath it.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. The damn terrsts is living at home using their famblies as human shields. Nt.

[The Straight Story]

10. Not our fault. Just like it isn't Israel's fault when kids get bombed in Gaza.

We are just defending ourselves.

Like Israel did against Rachel Corrie when she threatened that bull dozer.

Yeah, there is some dripping sarcasm here....

[Prometheus Bound]

18. Here's the jist of the Pakistani argument supporting drone strikes.

The drone debate

....But all evidence points to the decimation of tribal leaders with the courage to stand up to the terrorists who have infested and taken over their villages. Every time they have tried to raise a lashkar to fight the militants, they have been gunned down, blown up, or beheaded. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a website on terrorism in South Asia, 109 tribal elders have been killed by terrorists in the last seven years....

....A New American Foundation analysis cited by Peter Bergen in a CNN report suggests that under Obama, civilian fatalities were 11 per cent of the total killed in the drone campaign, and stand at two per cent in 2012. Conversely, the number of militants killed is 89 per cent of the fatalities.

While even a single death is tragic, few in the anti-drone camp talk about the tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers slaughtered by the militants. They are similarly silent about the hundreds of schools blown up by the Taliban. How many Malalas have been deprived of an education because of the stone-age mentality of these killers?

In talks I have given at universities in the US, the UK and Pakistan, I have been frequently asked about the drone attacks.

In response, I have posed a counter-question: if the drone attacks are stopped, what is the alternative? Should we allow these armed gangs to continue making life hell for the unfortunate villagers they hide behind? Should the Americans permit them to cross the border at will and launch attacks across Afghanistan?....

http://dawn.com/2012/10/13/the-drone-debate-3/

[Wilms]

19. ^