Man #1: HMM. These drone strikes are not particularly awesome.
Woman: HEY! Save it 'til after the election!
Man #2: YEAH - do you want Mitt Romney to win?!
Does Mr. Bors think Mr. Romney will stop using drones? I get the feeling his trigger finger has been itchy for quite some time. I would predict more drones from him, but, again, he could use the etch-a-sketch and be totally different.
The only time you are successful in “winning hearts and minds”, as a general in Nam pointed out, is when you have them by the balls. If winning hearts and minds was possible there’d be no Party That Excuses Rape. You cannot convince a person against his will.
C Downs brings an interesting point. A-10’s THE most effective, and “survivable” manned aircraft, was highly accurate, and is now being “converted” so the pilots can control drones from the cockpit, and send in “death from above” LESS ACCURATELY!! I like A-10’s and their pilots, I HATE armed drones being used with “less than accurate” intel on the targets.
Having been “closer than favorable” to rockets, bullets, artillery shells, mortars, AND bombs from those carpet bombing B-52s (it was called arclight), I can attest that surviving is “interesting”, and those who did not, don’t care what “tool” was used. I would like to have all these chickenhawks merely be within 10 feet of a modern grenade going off, even behind a protective wall that deflects the 2,000 pieces of shrapnel that come flying out. They would never speak the same again.
I also have a “memento” from ‘Nam called a crows foot. It’s simply two pieces of metal, with four points like harpoon tips, that placed on a trail, and “supplemented” with a bit of human excrement, is an effective “booby trap” that is designed to disable, not kill, and is therefore a MORE EFFECTIVE weapon against an enemy willing to care for their wounded.
Watching the first B-52 strikes in Afghanistan, carpeting whole ridge lines, for miles, brought back memories. Drones ARE more accurate, IF the on the ground intel on the target is more accurate. Under “W”, it usually wasn’t. It’s been “cleaned up”, but still hate the idea of the man pulling the trigger being half a world away, in a bunker. Killing real people shouldn’t be a computer game.
Walrus, I"ve been on that trigger, so has my son. The REAL issue is I “propose”, we NEVER GO TO WARS WITHOUT PURPOSE! (Realizing that for “W”, the real “purpose” for TWO wars, was greed tainted with just a smidge of revenge.)
Taking the “risk” out of war, takes out the “morality” first and foremost, and THAT is what America is designing for. WE are supposed to be “better than that”.
Sadly, we have some well meaning people who still believe there is a moral code in war. Truth is, if there ever was, it went out the window with Sherman. Being “dead right” may help you in heaven, but here on earth it still comes out to “win however you can and with the fewest casualties for YOUR side.”
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
Shhh!
walruscarver2000 about 11 years ago
I am still waiting for someone to explain to me the difference between being hit by a drone, a bomb and an artillery shell.
lonecat about 11 years ago
I don’t like the drones, but carpet bombing from B-52s is worse.
I Play One On TV about 11 years ago
Does Mr. Bors think Mr. Romney will stop using drones? I get the feeling his trigger finger has been itchy for quite some time. I would predict more drones from him, but, again, he could use the etch-a-sketch and be totally different.
Are ya feeling lucky…..punk?
walruscarver2000 about 11 years ago
The only time you are successful in “winning hearts and minds”, as a general in Nam pointed out, is when you have them by the balls. If winning hearts and minds was possible there’d be no Party That Excuses Rape. You cannot convince a person against his will.
Dtroutma about 11 years ago
C Downs brings an interesting point. A-10’s THE most effective, and “survivable” manned aircraft, was highly accurate, and is now being “converted” so the pilots can control drones from the cockpit, and send in “death from above” LESS ACCURATELY!! I like A-10’s and their pilots, I HATE armed drones being used with “less than accurate” intel on the targets.
Having been “closer than favorable” to rockets, bullets, artillery shells, mortars, AND bombs from those carpet bombing B-52s (it was called arclight), I can attest that surviving is “interesting”, and those who did not, don’t care what “tool” was used. I would like to have all these chickenhawks merely be within 10 feet of a modern grenade going off, even behind a protective wall that deflects the 2,000 pieces of shrapnel that come flying out. They would never speak the same again.
I also have a “memento” from ‘Nam called a crows foot. It’s simply two pieces of metal, with four points like harpoon tips, that placed on a trail, and “supplemented” with a bit of human excrement, is an effective “booby trap” that is designed to disable, not kill, and is therefore a MORE EFFECTIVE weapon against an enemy willing to care for their wounded.
OmqR-IV.0 about 11 years ago
“The drone is morE accurate.”The dead innocents would beg to differ. No bombing would be more accurate.
Dtroutma about 11 years ago
Watching the first B-52 strikes in Afghanistan, carpeting whole ridge lines, for miles, brought back memories. Drones ARE more accurate, IF the on the ground intel on the target is more accurate. Under “W”, it usually wasn’t. It’s been “cleaned up”, but still hate the idea of the man pulling the trigger being half a world away, in a bunker. Killing real people shouldn’t be a computer game.
Dtroutma about 11 years ago
Walrus, I"ve been on that trigger, so has my son. The REAL issue is I “propose”, we NEVER GO TO WARS WITHOUT PURPOSE! (Realizing that for “W”, the real “purpose” for TWO wars, was greed tainted with just a smidge of revenge.)
Taking the “risk” out of war, takes out the “morality” first and foremost, and THAT is what America is designing for. WE are supposed to be “better than that”.
walruscarver2000 about 11 years ago
Sadly, we have some well meaning people who still believe there is a moral code in war. Truth is, if there ever was, it went out the window with Sherman. Being “dead right” may help you in heaven, but here on earth it still comes out to “win however you can and with the fewest casualties for YOUR side.”