http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/29/predator-drones-face-legal-challenges-liberals/
I read this article today and was shocked.I understand there will always be opposition to war and the death of civilians but how can you sanitize war? The article continually references the "laws of war", but what they do not really address is that Al Qaeda and the others we are fighting against do not follow these laws. These are the "rules" that you can not shoot an ambulance, engage a hospital, destroy a church, etc. Though our adversaries routinely use mosques to hide weapons and attack our troops.
The people wanting to have the drones removed from use in Iraq and Afghanistan complain that the civilians have no advanced warning. There are a few things about that argument that bother me. The civilians in those villages/areas are VERY aware what is going on around them, they know the risk. I am not saying that mean"kill 'em all", but it is not as they are living in a place that has never seen violence or have any idea that the house two doors down is manufacturing IEDs and suicide vests. Most of the tips the military receive are from the local populous. Second they complain that the stealth of the drones, so they want them louder? How effective would our local law enforcement be if they had to have sirens blaring every time they went to conduct a raid? If we warn them then it is ok?
The missions these drones conduct save US military lives, plain and simple. The precision, "smart weapons", these drones employ are designed to minimize casualties. In war there will be civilian casualties, it is an ugly reality of war. If the military has the intelligence to conduct a strike on a target, there are many hours of observation before that target is typically engaged. The technology being used in Iraq and Afghanistan is unprecedented and the casualties are much lower than they would be if conventional weapons were being used. Watch the documentaries on WWII, Vietnam, or the Korean War, the civilian casualties were staggering.
The farther we move past the outrage America felt on September 11th, the more sympathetic we become. The terrorist organizations have found a new, more effective weapon - the media. They publish a report on their networks or bring in reporters after an event and make their claims. I am not saying that innocent people have not died, on both sides (remember the people that Al Qaeda beheaded?), but by using our media they are able to influence our tactics and arsenal.
War is a tragic and evil thing. If we stop using the drones or had never used them to begin with but still maintainedd the technology then what? Inevitably our casualties would increase dramatically, would they be upset that we were placing them in an unnecessary risk? Instead of calling to limit the use of the drones would they be demanding their implementation? It is definitely something to consider.
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