
I am on the Kill List. This is what it feels like to be hunted by drones - waffle_ss
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/i-am-on-the-us-kill-list-this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-be-hunted-by-drones-a6980141.html
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TillE
Something not discussed often enough is the rank incompetence of, well,
humans. People everywhere, at every level, are simply not very good at their
jobs, including experienced "experts".

This is just one reason why it's insane to trust the government to carry out
extrajudicial killings on people who, at the very least, pose no immediate
threat. Both the selection of targets and the actual killing are prone to
errors which have horrific consequences.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
> This is just one reason why it's insane to trust the government to carry out
> extrajudicial killings on people who, at the very least, pose no immediate
> threat.

Pose no immediate threat to who? To the government doing the killing? True
(but see Paris and Brussels for counterexamples).

Pose no immediate threat to humans? Absolutely they pose a threat.

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NathanKP
For me it isn't a question as to whether or not this specific man poses a
threat and is worthy of death, it is an issue of how he is being judged to be
a threat, and judged worthy of death.

The drone powered war is a system in which an organization on the other end of
a robot is acting as judge, jury, and executioner, with no way to appeal for
recourse or even open a dialog, and this organization also has a history of
extreme inaccuracy (which they try to hide under the guise of national
security).

I see drone usage as just as reprehensible as the terrorism attacks carried
out in Paris and Brussels, in that in both cases innocent civilians are dying
and afraid of dying.

~~~
techdragon
The drone program is turning into judge dread minus the megacities and
motorcycles.

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marme
read this story and realize who the real terrorist is. Even if this man was a
member of the taliban does that give anyone the right to make his children
afraid to sleep in their bed at night?

this whole situation reminds me of the ending of I Am Legend where the
protagonist realizes he has become the terror in the night that all children
are afraid of. In an effort to combat terrorism the US has become the worlds
largest and most aggressive terrorists. Committing more acts of violence
against civilians in one week than all other terrorists in the past decade

~~~
seivan
Yea, it does. You go live under the threat of Taliban, Hamas, ISIS, etc.

Sorry but you keep ignoring the people who the Taliban threaten the most
aren't just Americans.

~~~
planckscnst
Are you saying innocent children should pay for the transgressions of others?

~~~
alecbaldwinlol
Implicitly, that person is. But what that comment really says is, "if my
government tells me they need my taxes so that we shall kill instead of being
killed, that is a decision I am prepared to support."

Anyone who pays US taxes and doesn't do their utmost to stop these murders
implicitly holds this belief, in my eyes.

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robocaptain
After reading The Drone Papers (fascinating reporting done by The Intercept) I
can certainly believe all of this. I hope it's true and I hope this man can
have his story told (and more importantly, believed) as far up as possible.

[https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/](https://theintercept.com/drone-
papers/)

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atemerev
Killing civilians is war crime. Israel is hunted for 1/100th of this, even if
they are doing everything to prevent hurting innocents, and terrorists are
deliberately using civilian building to strike from.

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alexandercrohde
This sounds pretty extreme. I would love to know both sides of this story.
Without independent objective data I can't tell if this is a desperate plea
for help from a lucky individual wrongfully sentenced to death without trial,
surrounded by innocent victims also killed, or if this is anti-drone
propaganda. But I would like to know.

~~~
harel
It should be the standard that every controversial story comes with 2 sides of
the coin plus the bonus 3rd side (coin lands standing). If the Internet
thought me one thing it's to never judge based on a one sided story.

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herbst
Even the fact how often he widnessed drone attacks is simply mind blowing.
Poor guy :/

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junto
If he is advised of something then the UK government should start him and try
him on a court of law. If found innocent then he should be freed. If guilty he
just send his sentence.

Either way, the US needs to stop it's robotic war, which it quietly wages "on
our behalf" but without our direct knowledge. They assume that out of sight is
out of mind, but in reality, their actions breed hate and distrust of the US
and it's allies. It is a hate that prolongs the "war against terror", lines
the pockets of the military industrial complex and wastes tax payers money.

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pdkl95
[https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7443-the_price_of_dissent](https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7443-the_price_of_dissent)

Everyone should see this talk. Hatred tends to evolve into many types of nasty
tactic; this isn't limited to drone strikes, and it isn't limited to Pakistan
and Afghanistan.

"Muslims are the canaries in the mine."

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eveningcoffee
Truth or not, it is either way a good propaganda.

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upofadown
Even if the drone attacks somehow only killed those fighting against Western
interests they would still be evil. That's the reason that we didn't like the
people with the Deathstar in that movie.

