For Our Allies, Death From Above

[The Northerner]

LAST Friday, I took part in an unusual meeting in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. The meeting had been organized so that Pashtun tribal elders who lived along the Pakistani-Afghan frontier could meet with Westerners for the first time to offer their perspectives on the shadowy drone war being waged by the Central Intelligence Agency in their region. Twenty men came to air their views; some brought their young sons along to experience this rare interaction with Americans. In all, 60 villagers made the journey.

The meeting was organized as a traditional jirga. In Pashtun culture, a jirga acts as both a parliament and a courtroom: it is the time-honored way in which Pashtuns have tried to establish rules and settle differences amicably with those who they feel have wronged them.

On the night before the meeting, we had a dinner, to break the ice. During the meal, I met a boy named Tariq Aziz. He was 16. As we ate, the stern, bearded faces all around me slowly melted into smiles. Tariq smiled much sooner; he was too young to boast much facial hair, and too young to have learned to hate.

The next day, the jirga lasted several hours. I had a translator, but the gist of each man’s speech was clear. American drones would circle their homes all day before unleashing Hellfire missiles, often in the dark hours between midnight and dawn. Death lurked everywhere around them.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/opinion/in-pakistan-drones-kill-our-innocent-allies.html?_r=1

[Octafish]

1. Death from above may soon be nationwide...

They're deploying drones here, as well.

Heartbreaking report, in every way. Most of the people we kill -- the United States -- are innocent of any crime except being on top of the oil, gas, or whatever exploitable thing it is our ownership class wants cheap.

[truedelphi]

4. Are you going to bring us an OP about it? I'd love it!

I am sure they are discussing such in Cannes France, the illegal G20 meeting that Obama and others in the Adminsitration are attending.

This Adminsitration is always willing to tolerate freedom, as long as that freedom doesn't interfere with the Upper One Percent getting a good night's sleep.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

5. "You are free to do what we tell you!"

[truedelphi]

10. Iloved that video - and Mike Gravel used to have it up and running.

But i guess the group that wrote the song took it down?

[gratuitous]

2. Our missiles kill only terrorists

So, all these people at the meeting, because they were alive, weren't terrorists. At least, not yet. See how that works? See? We want only the best for everyone in the world. Except the terrorists, naturally. These sissies just need to man up and learn to live with the prospect of sudden death being visited upon them if someone at a control panel in Florida decides they're a terrorist. Or meeting with a terrorist. Or in the same building as a terrorist. Or in the same neighborhood. It's good to keep on your toes like that.

[Angry Dragon]

8. I thought they were controled from Nevada

[bobthedrummer]

3. K&R + Blackwater managed CIA Predator drone assassination program

(archived Octafish thread started 8-20-09)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6359835

RECALL SCOTT WALKER!

[Angry Dragon]

6. The officials of this country are the biggest terrorist organization in the world

[sabrina 1]

7. Sadly that is the conclusion the world's people are coming to.

The US is regarded as the biggest threat to world peace now. Will the Nobel peace prize ever have any credibility again?

[PETRUS]

9. kick

[bluestate10]

11. Once the people that you talked to take on terrorists and force the Pakistani

government to do the same, I will say call off Drone attacks. Until then, I would rather see hellfire missiles plunging down on terrorist haunts than I would rather see ONE american soldier killed by a person that should have been eliminated by missiles.