Tuesday, September 30, 2014

John Oliver's report on America's use of drones is a must see.

I know I am supposed to be a mindless Obama zombie, or something like that, but in my opinion this is a very serious situation that needs to be publicized and opened for debate.

Like a lot of Americans I have a number of mixed feelings when it comes to drones.

On the one hand they allow us to take out bad guys with little or no risk to our soldiers, but on the other hand we are asked to place an almost overwhelming amount of faith in our ability to gather solid intelligence on possibly dangerous terrorists, faith that others killed in an attack against a target are ALSO bad guys, and confidence that the drones are being handled by well trained experts and not simply by young soldiers who just so happen to have logged a lot of hours on Playstation playing "War Thunder."

Your thoughts?

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:54 AM

    What our country needs is Stephen Colbert as president, Jon Stewart as VP and John Oliver as secretary of state.
    What a wonderful country this could be, especially if congress was made up of intelligent people like us, who"get the point" of what these guys are telling us.

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    1. Anonymous8:14 AM

      Really, that comment makes you equally, or possibly more dumb, than any Fox News parrot. Good luck. And turn off the TV.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:41 AM

      8:14
      I rarely watch TV. Maybe a few baseball games if my boys want to watch one. I get my news from internet sources, my entertainment from Netflix.
      But, you are entitled to boss anonymous commenters on a blog..I guess.
      I was at the Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear hosted by Colbert and Stewart a few years ago. There were hundreds of thousands of really really fun, smart, aware people.
      Again, what a wonderful and different country this could be.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:45 AM

      And really 8:14? The Comment makes me dumb? The actual comment itself? Or are you trying to say something about else?
      The comment can "make me seem".....but the comment itself does not do anything TO ME.
      We need more critical thinkers and people who can express themselves properly in this country.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous7:04 AM

    For a damn furriner, that boy Oliver has mad skills, yo!

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    1. Anonymous8:19 AM

      Here's John Oliver's pretty gosh darn hilarious free weekly podcast with Andy Zaltzman

      http://thebuglepodcast.com/

      Delete
  3. Sharon7:10 AM

    I have to admit I am so overloaded with what is being reported I can't even imagine how one man, our president....after 6 years of this palpable hatred aimed at him even gets up in the morning. He has to rely on what he is told...plain and simple. We spend millions of dollars on intelligence and there are no other reporters there as they get kidnapped & murdered..who really knows what is going on? I read a while ago how these terrorists groups were being funded quietly by the Saudis...who really want to control the entire Middle East, they have it both ways lying lying lying. They make billions selling oil & keep flaming the hate dragging us into a war while they invest in our defense corps thru the Carlyle Group (along with the Bushes). Its a win - win. If that isn't bad enough we have the Secret Service exclaiming to the world how easy it is to assassinate our president....drones, where do they fit in? We fight for democracy and look at the example our Congress sets....cowards, traitors one and all. Somedays I just wish we left them to kill each other...there will never be an end, thanks again George & Dick. It must be wonderful to walk away with millions in the bank just to fish and paint, leaving it all to god's will.

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    1. Anonymous7:46 AM

      But we are not the worlds policemen. Let them do whatever the fuck they want over there. Leave us out of it. I realize its way too late now, after the shit Cheney started. But damn! I'm leaving here in 7-8 years and going to a normal country.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous7:55 AM

    I'm with you. Very mixed feelings. But if I HAD to pick a position, it would be anti-drone. On the whole, I think they do more harm than good in the long run.

    Yes, they do reduce the physical risk to our soldiers -- but in so doing, they also make endless, nonproductive war seem more "OK" -- and is *that* a good thing?

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  5. One thing this air war/ drone war is doing is creating a generation of young people who will grow up hating the United States. Why not invest all that time, money and personnel in building schools, fighting poverty, reaching out a friendly hand to build bridges between people, and aiming for a peaceful world. Naive, I know, but I'm tired of supporting the corporate political war profiteers. Let's find a new way.

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  6. anonymous5:24 PM

    I'd rather see the technology used for good, like the Hong Kong footage taken with the aid of a drone, special effects in movies, google earth, etc etc etc.
    But I'd rather see the men and women who hold high offices everywhere interact the old way, face to face, using detante and effective communication. Drones seem too "Big Brother" ish to me. Can they save lives? Yeah, I'm sure they can, but what's the trade off? Have your drones call my drones just doesn't cut it, just my two cents.

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