Drone on. We keep dropping bombs and we keep killing more civilians and children than we do alleged terrorists. Instead of lamenting all the lives needlessly destroyed, we praise a US soldier who died in an illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional action.
In the following video, Ron Paul discusses US action in Yemen.
President Trump ordered a second US attack on Yemen in his still-short presidency. Over the weekend a commando-style raid was said to have killed 14 al-Qaeda operatives. Also killed were at least ten civilians including children. Is this just a continuation of Obama’s disastrous Yemen policy?
“Even if they sincerely believed in their hearts, they have to look at the results, …. Don’t they ever look at history? … The seeds have been sewn for them to turn against us,” said Paul
No one ever questions why the policy of nation-building never works.
I strongly suggest people also take a look at a report on ZeroHedge today, with origins from Darius Shahtahmasebi via TheAntiMedia.org: Congresswoman Who Says U.S. Funds ISIS Just Got Back from Syria: Here’s What She Found.
Here is a snip …
“My visit to Syria has made it abundantly clear: Our counterproductive regime change war does not serve America’s interest, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of the Syrian people.
“As I visited with people from across the country, and heard heartbreaking stories of how this war has devastated their lives, I was asked, ‘Why is the United States and its allies helping al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups try to take over Syria? Syria did not attack the United States. Al-Qaeda did.’ I had no answer.”
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Trump has been in office about a week and we are already judging his foreign policy?
really?
I expect Trump will work very hard meeting with world leaders and trying to hammer out peace accords.
When he carbon copies the failed policies of Obomber, those policies are worthy of being judged.
Trump has been in office about a week and we are already judging his foreign policy?
really?
Yes, really. What the F do you fail to understand about the need to not take “illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional” actions?
I wish I had your certainty.
We live in a world of compounded stupidity and corruption and have no idea how it would be possible to remedy the madness is a week, a month or decade. We live in a time where NO ONE seems happy with anything.
Lets just hope things get better, even if only a little bit. Please.
Unfortunately yes NO ONE is happy but especially it seems the comfortable, powerful and privileged and… those being bombed.
Hey Mad, this first thing to do is stop meddling in areas outside of our borders on behalf of well-connected megacorporations. Get our military out of most of the places where they currently are and the world will stand up and take notice. This could certainly be done in less than a decade and would not only delay our financial oblivion but may save a few lives in the process.
Agreed. We can scream and jump up and down about the left, about the old guard conservatives, the neocons of both parties past and present but the true bottom line is we shouldn’t give anyone a break, including ourselves and especially our President regardless how little time he’s been on office more especially if he chooses to continue to drop bombs on innocent civilians women, children, the old and helpless the disabled. It’s just plain. Wrong and wrong of us as American as human beings more especially when we know it is wrong, plain and simple the drone bombings with calatteraldamage of innocence people must stop.
Yes, I’m a big Trump supporter, partly because he wants peace with Russia and in Syria, but this murderous meddling has got to stop.
We will have to accept that there are lots who want us dead, many with good reason I suppose, but that is reality. Where we go from here, I do not know. I do believe that most of those who religiously feel entitled to kill will not be satiated by argument or even apology, so killing will continue.
It’s hard to say – what came first the chicken or the egg. I don’t remember this going on in the 60s or 70s but then it did not occur to the Vietnamese to fight back with today’s so-called terrorism – but the French occupied N. Africans did and so did the British occupied Israelis.
“We will have to accept that there are lots who want us dead, many with good reason I suppose, but that is reality.”
The reality is that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, living in Pakistan, was the mastermind of 9/11. The reality is that most of the hijackers were Saudi.The reality is that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The reality is that Khadaffi had nothing to do with 9/11. The reality is that Assad had nothing to do with 9/11. The reality is that Yanukovich had nothing to do with 9/11.
Reality is that moving NATO to the Russian border is not Russian aggression.
Reality is that according to William Binney, the U.S. is now a turn key totalitarian state. Are you accepting of that, as it is apparently reality?
“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.”
-Ayn Rand
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-31/rule-brute-force-true-nature-government
That’s how the lunacy continues. Stop killing the innocent. Stop the war. Bring our troops home. Protect our boarders with our troops. Protect our airplanes and ports, our power grid with our troops. Stop the neocons from nation building, unstablizing
Other countries governments. Stabilize our government, our cities, our schools. Take care of our poor our sick , offer relief through food and education but without military intervention. Accept nothing less than the strict belief in the sanctity of life. But be prepared to defend to the death our Constitution against all who wish us to harm us or our family’s or government.
Jacob Hornberger today on the same subject:
http://www.fff.org/2017/01/31/four-years-bush-obama-maybe-worse/
While I agree with most of your premise, I wonder why the terrorists are killing the French and Belgians? They haven’t dropped many, if any, bombs.
drone droning drones droning drones.
“President Trump ordered a second US attack on Yemen in his still-short presidency. Over the weekend a commando-style raid…” Mish
Not saying it is any more moral or wiser, but USA soldiers on the ground fighting is vastly different than Obama’s “Drone Policy.” This sounds like a major change in fighting tactics.
Drones still active.
Perhaps this very smart lady will end up being the first female American president:
https://subjectpolitics.com/trump-right-congresswoman-just-confirmed-americas-worst-nightmare-live-tv/
If anyone can find a list of cosponsors of this bill please post that info here.
I meant to add the bill is: StopArmingTerrorists Act, HR 258
I just found it here:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/258/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+258%22%5D%7D&r=1&overview=closed#tabs
Very disappointing, only 6 co-sponsors so far, 2 dems and 4 repubs. Where is Rand Paul? Are all the other representatives in favor of continuing to support terrorists?
This “smart lady” is a fake. She supports the BJP, the India Hindu Nationalist political party and appears to get funding from them. She says she is a Hindu, but was raised as a Hare Krishna. Oh, where have we seen this type of Dem. fakery before …. Swift Boat John Kerry. Join the military, but in her case not in combat. Great for political PR in Hawaii. Have the support of Dennis Kucinich who happened to travel with her and properly arranged the trip to Syria
Hare Krishna is a Hindu sect, illegal. I don’t see your imagined fakery.
It’s not a good idea to automatically hate all democrats; a few are good.
Trump is in a no-win situation regarding military policy handed on.
1. He is not a military strategist, all his decisions will be based on advisors and the intelligence they obtain.
2. A policy decision, something that is more Trumps realm, extracting the US from any theater, or even suspending actions, will have its own repercussions, and would need be part of wider reorganisation .
On the other hand he has said he is committed to pursuing so called terrorist/non state.
From a pragmatic view point, we will be fortunate if he is able and willing to wind down existing conflicts and only maintains punctual interventions abroad.
Not to read any condonation in my words.
Supposedly that is why he appointed all these super smart generals. Bombing in WWII and Vietnam did not work. Yes it made a hell of a mess, but it mainly inflicted severe pain on civilians. Droning is no better. The blow back will be with us for years.
We have no business to be in Yemen. Time we got out. Just like Syria there are very few reliable reporters on the ground.
Aerial bombing was always understood to be a mechanism to sew terror in the civilian population in order to have them pressure their government to acquiesce. It doesn’t work unless a majority hate their government to start with.
Far too early Mish to make sweeping judgements on Trump on anything.
Let’s not forget what happened with Obama. Received the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year. Eight years later he droned and killed thousands and screwed up the middle east for decades.
Also if military action like this is to be taken I would rather the outcome to be dead terrorists and intelligence (from an armed raid) instead of dead terrorists and no intelligence (drone strike)
You make too much sense.
So the only Syrians who want regime change are those aligned with ISIS and Al Qaeda? Everyone else is happy with Syria’s gov’t?
What is the difference between a regime that does not tolerate political rivalry and the atrocities of the last several years ?
How many zeroes was that… I don’t think I heard you right ?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-31/congresswoman-who-says-us-funds-isis-just-got-back-syria-heres-what-she-found
Everybody wants regime change. The question is who is willing to kill to get it? “moderate” Syrian rebels. I never met anyone moderate who was willing to kill for power. They are not fighting in self defense. They are fighting to depose their leadership. We should play no role in that….unless we would welcome… say Russia sending troops, weapons or intelligence into America to support “moderate” leftists wanting to depose Trump.
Yup, you got it boonton. Syria was an internally pretty much (by middle east standards) a peaceful country until the US et al decided to depose Assad. Since then it has been another ultimate clusterfuck. Did you see what Tulsi Gabbard said about what the Syrian civilians tell her?
Unfortunate truths
The most worrying thing is that he has said nothing about it. Say nothing and it’s not an issue, right?
Just say “No” to droning.
That would only upset McCain and we mustn’t do that.
The “like” sign in thing here doesn’t work for me so I just want to say LIKE for Mission & Diogenes.
Ok, for those who think Trump wants peace all over the world, you’re kidding yourself. In addition, when you’re the president of the United States, you have to make tough decisions. But to say Trump wants peace is just crazy. Trump is a divider and division does not create peace.
That’s downright funny! Trump trying to make peace with Russia makes him a traitor. Condemning invasion of Libya, and Syria is against world peace?
And for sure Trump is a divider….because he won? Because Soros is paying thousands of people to protest and democrats are refusing to even show up for votes on cabinet positions?
There is only ONE divider and that is the progressive movement who are incentivizing protests and disruptions at any, every and even no provocation in an attempt to destroy Trump’s ability to lead.
Trump the Divider…MY ASS.
Weeellll. since Trump is a card carrying, well indoctrinated, progressive himself, that makes him a ……..
Bog, we trash trolls here. Get a life.
Too much money and power involved to stop the wars. Trump’s taking care of things at home. I doubt if the wars will stop since the President, U.S. Congress, American people, have not control over the shadow gov’mint that profits off the murder.
The only person who could possibly stop the insane wars is the ultimate independent: Trump.
Hey BF, spot on. But the last guy to try that was JFK and I don’t think Trump’s up to the challenge. As long as Boobus americanus is oblivious to reality, the bullshit will continue forever.
Related?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/761039/Saudi-Arabia-attacked-suicide-boat-explosion-Yemen-coast
This is beginning to remind me of the mainstream media.
Trump has to finish the war that Obama started. He has to play the hand that he was dealt.
Good Lord. The man has been in office for a whole 11 days and has already accomplished more than Obama did in 8 years.
Is Trump supposed to solve all the world’s problems in 11 days? lol.
Trump doesn’t _have_ to order an additional bullet being fired anywhere. Like Ron Paul is fond of saying: “we just walked in, we can just walk out.” Trump has complete freedom of action over his own orders. If Congress overrules him sufficiently, our government may still be stuck bombing children for fun and profit, but there ks zero reason for Trump to order anything related to bombing at all.
Trump believes in torture and likes things that go BOOM!
Torture is immoral but the problem is: it works (somewhat). No one knows where the Trump presidency will settle out yet, least of all you, Joe.
Why is it OK to kill but not water board? Would john McCain have preferred death over the torture (real torture) the he received in Nam?
Do we really think we can prevail over an enemy that does not abide by our morals and rules? How many american lives have been lost due to our rules of engagement? For me our high moralsare equivalent to people screaming about animal cruelty at a barbeque. The people pressing for stringent rules of engagement are NOT the ones in harm’s way. Further, I would submit that it is pretty damned courageous for progressives to feign so much concern that aggressive protective tactics actually increase their risks.
It’s always about ME.
“Why is it OK to kill but not water board?”
Torture is cruel and unusual. It is against U.S. standards. It also justifies what was done to McCain, if we do it ourselves, as we destroy our moral high ground.
Glenn Carle, a CIA interrogator wrote a book about his experiences and quite simply, standard interrogation techniques work just fine, to gain information from detainees. Carle never abused any detainee he interrogated and tried to prevent others from being abused.
Saddam was interrogated, not tortured.
Mancow Muller dismissed waterboarding as not being real torture, until he actually underwent the procedure. He lasted 7 seconds, sat bolt upright and admitted it was torture. Sean Hannity was dismissive of Muller, but to date has not undergone the procedure himself, to prove Muller wrong. A Justice Department official who underwent the procedure, prior to it being approved by the Bush administration, also declared that waterboarding was a method of torture.
Only in progressive dystopias do supposedly grown men sit around and “debate” whether painful procedures meet some yahoo’s definition of “torture” or not.
The only reason progressives are so reliant on simplistic, arbitrary classifications like what is torture, what counts as unemployed blah, blah. is
1) their meager little brains can’t deal with the real world, which consists of continuums, not cheap discrete classifications.
And 2) It enables them to pretend they are somehow making things better, hence being useful, by changing how things are classified. Since, after all, actually changing things for the better requires at least some competence and ability, at something. While changing arbitrary classifications don’t, to the universal delight of progressive expendables everywhere.
Obama had the leader of the Taliban droned while negotiating with them. You can’t beat this stupid. Of course, we are in the post negotiation phase.
Very interesting, Maximus. Post a link to the info.
For example here:
https://scroll.in/article/808612/the-drone-killing-of-mullah-mansour-poses-the-big-question-is-the-usa-changing-course-on-pakistan
Was not a nice guy, but beggars can’t be choosers.
We have now better choices for failed states than Afganistan, and closer to home.
Hello Maximus, are you OK? Wake up, Maximus!
President Truman dropped a couple atomic bombs to end WWII. If a few drone strikes and tortures end the ISIS rampages, the world will be a safer place for all. Let Trump does his job and we can all judge him in the next election. Peace.
Truman was worthless. Don’t believe that nuclear bomb lie. Who was left in those cities … woman and children and men who were too old to fight. Why kill people who will not fight you? If I killed your wife and kids would you be more peaceful? If I leave you alone will you be more peaceful?
Wars are won by not just defeating armies, but defeating the will of their population to support them. Wars have always killed lots of civilians. It is the WILL to fight that must be defeated. We have not won a war since WWII, because we lack the will to do so. We stop at a draw and the dispute continues on for decades. We decimated Japan and Germany and they have been our strongest allies ever since. Osama told us he would draw us into a conflict that we would never win, not for lack of power, but lack of will. Was e right?
Of course he was. 911 was designed to draw us into a perfectly unwinnable war. He knew that everything we did could only create more Al-Qaeda sympathizers. We aren’t fighting nations. We are fighting members of different populations. Only we can’t tell which are Al-Qaeda.
Unless we have the will to slaughter millions upon millions of innocents, we can’t win. And I’m not willing to do that. Much rather just put locks on the doors to the pilots cockpits on passenger liners. Each to his own of course.
While there is not a defined territory, there is a defined ideology, but of course we wouldn’t know that because we are NOT supposed to disparage the religion of peace by inferring that a significant faction of fundamentalists actually are the perpetrators…..radical Islam.
Truman only dropped the bomb to demonstrate to the entire world there was a new mob boss in town.
You will make more money and friends with business and trade than with war. You can’t trade with a dead person. Obviously these wars are for stealing and profit as are all wars. The fools fight by getting manipulated by the government and media while the wealthy ones increase their wealth. What else is new? So who makes the profit from weapons and who makes the profit from the oil and who makes the profit from printing the money?
So the US will continue its policy of creating terrorists. The armaments lobby wins again. If an enemy doesn’t exist create one to sell more weapons paid for by its citizens taxes.
Let’s hope Teresa can council the Donald to stop this nonsense. If only the bust of Churchill could speak to him.
It’s simple : If you terrorize people long enough, eventually they will terrorize you back.
I like drones!
Trump gave the word but I can almost guarantee everyone here including Mish this has nothing to do with the constitution anymore. It was trashed after 9/11 and continues today. Obama continued it and it seems like Trump is not going to stop it anytime soon.
Do you people actually think our representatives are looking out for us? Not on a good day. Sure Trump is trying to make America great again at home for the time being but in the end as so many presidents of the past the MIC and all of its intellectuals are advising the man. He will have to break away from them and maybe he will later down the road. Currently I do not think he will.
I read the Congress Woman’s report yesterday and many of us already knew our country is funding our enemies but we would rather demonstrate about a dam ban on immigration that both Bushes and Obama did as well. How stupid are people these days. This is not like this is something new here.
Firing staffers that will not comply with the new administration is a smart move. All they will do is leak information to the Dems and the media. Even now this operation was compromised by someone in high places in my mind. I would clear them all out after this fiasco. I agree we should not have done the operation but it is not unconstitutional Mish.
Funny how you state things wrongly. Until the patriot act is repealed it is not unlawful.
Mish , you are absolutely correct. These drone strikes killing innocent people, mostly the elderly and children. They are absolutely, for a lack of a better word, deplorable and disgusting. They were a favorite tool of Hillary Adopted and approved by
OBuckWheat Bama. Hillary and her backers President Obumf%#*+k) they knew exactly who Isis is, as they created them and they knew what Isis would do , that is encamp in and around civilians. Those running these drone attacks may infact be run by last minute appointments of Obutbrain as interim appointees like the recently fired acting attorney general. It possible. But not probable. I wrote a letter to Kelly Anne and our President Mr Trump and the Team Trump asking if it were true, was the President and his administration continuing dropping drones on civilians. I believe they received my letter. Usually it takes about a week for someone to answer. Unfortunate innocent people will die. In my letter I told Our President I thought it was wrong , that I and many others think our was wrong to continue the same. I told him I voted for him because I believe he is being truthful beyond reproach that his fillers and his voters faith is well founded. But bombing with drones and killing innocent people is so beneath him and his team of administration. Hopefully the letter will reach him . Hopefully he order it stopped. However I will not protest against him. I will pray for him and the innocent people. If don’t here from him I go to change dot org and try to get a simple petitition to get his attention and hopefully
Appeal to his sense of decency, I truly believe in our President. I just have a gut feeling about him. I grew up on the west side. Irish Catholic Family I was up to Reagan a life long democrats, the Independant I know west side Chicago piticss . I was raised on hizoners knee. I am not niece . I have friends and family who died or lost their life in the Viet Nam war. I had 57 in the draft lottery. My knees and back were torn up from sorts. I was rejected but not before I walked and road my bike to Canada to avoid the war. But I returned for my parents when I saw how torn up by my protest. I reported to the draft board again just in case they might need someone. By the Luck of the Irish or the Polish St JOESEPH for my mom I was rejected again.
Which I why when I heard Ron Paul’s message of getting out of all foreign wars, bringing our troops home. Preserving the dignity of Life and peace I went independent with my votes for the Presidency and wrote in Ron Paul every opportunity I had. Someone told me a vote for Paul was a wasted vote . A protest vote. I listened to my heart , to my god, to my close friends to the deceased graveside of my Parents. I voted for Mr Trump because I looked into his eyes at a rally, I read his message and I saw he was right on everything the mainstream media tried to roll over me with. Never in my life have I ever been so sure of who is trying so sure to deceive me twist the truth or dishonor our country. It’s the democrats and some of the republicans. President Trump is not a liar. He is trually a strict Constitutionalist. That’s all I Or U can ask for. I also believe he is human. So that’s why I wrote the letter asking if it’s true. He is continuing the dropping of drones on innocent people.
I trust our President. I’ll give him the benifit of my trust. If he or a mom ER of his team doesn’t get back to me I’ll put my petition on Change.0rg and post a link on your blog Mish, if of course is all right and or with your permission. This man, our President, Donald JTrump is our last chance to drain the swamp, to disrobe and dispatch to the deepest pits of hell and Dant’s Inferno, all the crooked polititions, thieving bankers, sick psychopaths, lying news, financial reporters, slithering snake like lawyers, all cowards and eavesdroppers, terrorist, etc. etc. etc. President Trump is a good man. One tough SOB when negotiating.our President is our President and we are citizen of the USA. Pray. For him with all your soul, belief and trust in Your God as Mr Trump is doing everyday. Pray that he receives the true light, just like our founding fathers who were wrote our constitution and who we all pledge to protect and defend, so help us dear God.
Tim Gaynor
Packysite
Thank you Mish, know that I would have written you in if Trump hadn’t won, as I believe equally in you.
That roam our streets and prisons.
One other observation is this operation was being planned long before Trump was elected. The military and the intelligence community was just waiting for it to all come together before the strike.
Stand down the war platform Mr. President
I found the 27,171 strikes in 2016 shocking. The implication is that these were Drone strikes targeting specific individuals. This is misleading.
How many were truly drone strikes outside of Syria? eg in Yemen or outside the known Syrian war zone?