(4 PM – promoted by TheMomCat)
Tom Englehardt this morning on Facebook:
Can it be? More than a decade later, is it possible that somewhere in the world of power in Washington there are actually officials who have finally grasped that the drone war on terror is a war of terror, that no matter how many “militants” and “leaders” of al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda wannabe organizations it kills, it kills enough others to create whole ranks of people — family members, tribal associates — who want revenge. It’s been obvious for such a long time that the drone wars are a machine for the creation of more enemies and for the destabilization of societies, just not in Washington. Now, Reuters reports that some in Washington are starting to wonder about the efficacy of drone attacks (even as the use of drones, mostly but not totally unarmed ones) is spreading across Africa. I guess it’s never too late. Tom
“[A recent drone attack in Yemen with civilian casualties] was a stark reminder that a year after Obama laid out new conditions for drone attacks around the world, U.S. forces are failing to comply fully with the rules he set for them: to strike only when there is an imminent threat to Americans and when there is virtually no danger of taking innocent lives.
“Although Obama promised greater transparency in his speech at the National Defense University, U.S. lawmakers are increasingly critical of the secrecy surrounding the operations. Despite some spectacular drone hits that took out militant leaders in places such as Yemen and Pakistan, there are growing concerns in Washington that the net effect of the targeted-killing program may be counterproductive. ‘Collateral damage’ is seen as an al Qaeda recruiting tool that undercuts the main rationale for the drone campaign – to make Americans safer.
“‘It’s never a good idea to make more enemies than you get rid of,’ a former U.S. national security official said.
“In his speech on May 23 last year, Obama defended the drone program as effective while promising to narrow its scope, but he is showing no sign of relinquishing what has become his counterterrorism weapon of choice since he took office in 2009.”
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That means it’s working perfectly. Exactly as planned. Doing what it’s meant to do.
How can they have a “war on terror” to scam what they look as “the gullible rubes” with, without doing everything possible to create as many “terrists” as possible?
They need the whole world to hate America for its freedom to kill people by the millions.
The obamas and the bushes of the world, and the people holding the marionette strings, actually believe that Americans are as stupid as they believe Americans are.
of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.
Take the example of David Barron. After graduation from Harvard Law with a doctorate in juris prudence, Barron clerked for Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, from 1994 to 1995, and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court from 1995 to 1996. In 1996, Pres. Bill Clinton appointed him as an attorney-advisor in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, where he worked until 1999. He then returned to Harvard Law gaining tenure in 2004.
In 2009, while on leave from his faculty position, Barron rejoined the Office of Legal Counsel as Acting Assistant Attorney General.
In 2010, he authored a secret memo which provided the legal foundation for President Obama’s unprecedented decision to order a drone strike on Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who was a radical Islamic militant living in Yemen. For Barron’s service, he received the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.
Mission accomplished, Barron returned to Harvard in 2010 and in 2011 was named the S. William Green Professor of Public Law.
On September 24, 2013, President Obama nominated Barron to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge Michael Boudin, who took senior status on June 1, 2013.
On January 16, 2014 his nomination was reported out of committee
On Thursday, May 15, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2014 the Senate agreed to the motion to invoke cloture by a vote of 52-43.
Several senators, including Mark Udall (D) and Rand Paul (R), pledged to oppose Barron’s nomination unless the administration publishes the secret memos Barron authored on the legality of killing American citizens with drone strikes. Until senators began raising concerns about Barron’s nomination, only those on the judiciary and intelligence committees had seen any of the classified memos.
On May 22, 2014 the Senate voted 53-45 for final confirmation to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
On May 23, 2014, another war criminal was seated on the bench for life, along with Jay Bybee.
Maybe Obama can nominate Alberto Gonzalez to the next Supreme Court vacancy. I hear he’s having a tough time finding a good job.