Come and get your endless war. And profit stream.

[JEB]

Despite Global Blowback, US Military Demanding Bigger, Badder Drone War

Questions also raised about whether civilian defense contractors hired as pilots are taking part in armed conflict.
by
Andrea Germanos, staff writer

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/12/11/despite-global-blowback-us-military-demanding-bigger-badder-drone-war

Less than a month after a group of U.S. Air Force whistleblowers spoke out against "the devastating effects the drone program has overseas and at home," the branch announced its desire for a vast expansion of the drone war.
<snip>
Hennigan's reporting from November adds:

Critics, including some military lawyers, contend that civilians are now part of what the Air Force calls the "kill chain," a process that starts with surveillance and ends with a missile launch. That could violate laws barring civilians from taking part in armed conflict.

<snip>

Hanrahan points to one such omission in particular—the lack of coverage of a letter addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, and CIA Chief John Brennan last month by four former U.S. Air Force drone operators who warned that the United States' ongoing targeted killing program "is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world." They also accused the administration of "lying publicly about the effectiveness of the drone program."

<snip>

The Air Force request this week comes as the Pentagon says the fight against ISIS has underscored the necessity of a buildup of new bases across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Middle East to help its counterterrorism efforts. The New York Times reported Thursday that

senior military officials have told the White House that the network of bases would serve as hubs for Special Operations troops and intelligence operatives who would conduct counterterrorism missions for the foreseeable future. The plan would all but ensure what Pentagon officials call an “enduring” American military presence in some of the world’s most volatile regions.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeehaw, let the good times roll, er um, freedumbs on the march, kill 'em over there so they'll come here or some such. Does this depress you as much as it does me?

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/12/11/despite-global-blowback-us-military-demanding-bigger-badder-drone-war

[Octafish]

1. My local paper seems to be missing this important story.

More light on the subject from Amy Goodman...

Exclusive:

Air Force Whistleblowers Risk Prosecution to Warn Drone War Kills Civilians, Fuels Terror

DemocracyNow!, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

EXCERPT...

AMY GOODMAN: On top of the toll on civilian victims, the letter also addresses the personal impact of waging remote war. All four say they have suffered PTSD and feel abandoned by the military they served, with some now homeless or barely getting by. The letter brings together the largest group of whistleblowers in the drone war’s history. Three of the signatories operated the visual sensors that guide U.S. Predator drone missiles to their targets. Two are speaking out for the first time; three in a TV broadcast, they’ve never done it before. The other two have previously raised their concerns about the drone program, including in the documentary, Drone. The film, premiering in New York City and Toronto today, reveals how a regular U.S. Air Force unit based in the Nevada desert is responsible for flying the CIA’s drone strike program in Pakistan.

BRANDON BRYANT: We are the ultimate voyeurs, the ultimate peeping Toms. I’m watching this person, and this person has no clue what’s going on. No one’s going to catch us. And we’re getting orders to take these people’s lives.

MICHAEL HAAS: You never know who you’re killing, because you never actually see a face. You just have a silhouette. They don’t have to take a shot. They don’t have to bear that burden. I’m the one that has to bear that burden.

P.W. SINGER: There’s always been a connection between the world of war and the world of entertainment. The military has invested in creating video games that they’re using as recruiting tools.

UNIDENTIFIED: War is an unbelievably profitable business.

CHRIS WALLACE: The drones have been terrifically effective. They’ve taken out a lot of the al-Qaeda leadership. It’s cheap. It doesn’t involve putting troops on the ground.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I believe the United States of America must remain a standard-bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight.

[font size="6"][font color="red"]UNIDENTIFIED: United States is violating one of the most fundamental rights of all: the right to life.[/font color][/font size]

UNIDENTIFIED: There’s a large number of innocent civilians who are being killed, and that has to be reported.

CHRIS WOODS: The majority of the secret drone strikes that have taken place have, we have always understood, been carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency.

BRANDON BRYANT: There is a lie hidden within that truth.

AMY GOODMAN: The trailer for the documentary Drone, premiering today in New York City and Toronto. In speaking out together, the four former servicemembers risk prosecution under the Espionage Act by an administration that’s waged an unprecedented campaign against government whistleblowers. They also set their sights on a cornerstone of President Obama’s national security policy just as it threatens to escalate in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. After being elected to office on a platform of Iraq War opposition and a vow to bring the troops home, President Obama has quietly expanded the drone war far beyond its size and lethality under President George W. Bush.

CONTINUED...

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/11/20/exclusive_air_force_whistleblowers_risk_prosecution

Thank you, JEB!

[JEB]

2. Amy Goodman is a shining light

in the vast darkness that is today's media. Thanks for the link.