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This is the wiki page for Anwar al-Awlaki, the son of the author who was the target of the drone strikes. It is worth reading for some context on the family. h

by NoPiece 13y ago

This is the wiki page for Anwar al-Awlaki, the son of the author who was the target of the drone strikes. It is worth reading for some context on the family. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki

flexie 13y ago
Context on the family? Is the son guilty of his father's crimes?
- vicks711 13y ago
  You are assuming son is innocent.
- eksith 13y ago
  Last I checked, we weren't governed by Klingon law, but sadly it seems to be the case that you can be held guilty of the crimes of your father. I don't mean to trivialize this, but my geek brain can't quite find any other imagery surreal enough to explain in another way.
- VladRussian2 13y ago
  playing devil advocate... err.. CIA analyst - the son would probably wanted revenge and would get "radicalized" by the murder of his father. Vendetta for that reason is pretty much killing all (male) members of the family, including children.
  - Ygg2 13y ago
    Wait wasn't that the same reasoning Nazi's used when gassing people (i.e. why the prefer killing families). That way you are safe from Vendetta. If you have to worry about Vendetta from those you afect with your drone strikes, you are doing it wrong.
  - coopdog 13y ago
    Uh oh, does that mean we're about to see the families of all the collateral damage get wiped out too? And what about their families... what about Kevin Bacon...
  - arcadeparade 13y ago
    Better just kill everyone to be safe.
- NoPiece 13y ago
  The article is written like they were just some regular americans on vacation in Yemen. If my child was out recruiting for Al Qaeda, and preaching to the 9/11 hijackers, I'd hope that I'd be more self reflective about what I could have done differently. Maybe take some responsibility instead of complaining in the New York Times. The son isn't guilty of the father's crimes, but the father may have some responsibility for the son's crimes. The grandson is an innocent victim, but he wasn't targeted. That's an ugly mistake.
  - kevingadd 13y ago
    How can you define a precision drone strike as 'he wasn't targeted'?
    - NoPiece 13y ago
      Because precision means location, not who is at the location. According to U.S. officials the killing of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was a mistake; the actual target was an Egyptian, Ibrahim al-Banna. He wasn't on the target list, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If they knew he was there and were secretly targeting him, Obama should be impeached.
      - bigiain 13y ago
        "Because precision means" … something different to what "normal people" mean when they use the word "precision", just like when we use the words "collect" and "no", and our congressional oversight somehow misunderstands us… (or, alternatively, "because that was the least imprecise targeted attack we were capable of at the time")
    - Ygg2 13y ago
      He might not have been targeted, but that doesn't justify it. Truth is there is no such thing as a precision drone strike (yet). It's a bit like saying aiming nuke with pin point accuracy. It might have hit its goal, but it destroyed everything else.
  - flexie 13y ago
- moocowduckquack 13y ago
  Frighteningly that does seem to be at least part of the official justification, as when asked in an official capacity; "an American citizen that is being targeted without due process, without trial and, he's underage, he's a minor." the then White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs replied, "I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well being of their children."
- bigiain 13y ago
  "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God" … "a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation" (Exod. 20:5)
rdtsc 13y ago
> It is worth reading for some context on the family. Good idea. Let's take a look: "Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was killed at the age of 16 in an American drone strike on October 14, 2011, in Yemen, along with alleged al-Qaeda members two weeks after the death of his father.[250] Nine other people were killed in the same CIA-led attack. Among the dead was a 17-year-old cousin of Abdulrahman.[251] Family members have said that he was on his way to a barbecue.[252] " Looks to me like people like his father, don't really have to work too hard. We are doing his job for him.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
jabbernotty 13y ago
The fact that it says all these things on Wikipedia doesn't mean that much to me.
martin_k 13y ago
Read closely. Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was killed in a separate drone strike, two weeks after his father's death. The real target of that second drone strike is currently unknown.

by NoPiece 13y ago

flexie 13y ago

Context on the family? Is the son guilty of his father's crimes?

vicks711 13y ago
You are assuming son is innocent.
eksith 13y ago
Last I checked, we weren't governed by Klingon law, but sadly it seems to be the case that you can be held guilty of the crimes of your father. I don't mean to trivialize this, but my geek brain can't quite find any other imagery surreal enough to explain in another way.
VladRussian2 13y ago
playing devil advocate... err.. CIA analyst - the son would probably wanted revenge and would get "radicalized" by the murder of his father. Vendetta for that reason is pretty much killing all (male) members of the family, including children.
- Ygg2 13y ago
  Wait wasn't that the same reasoning Nazi's used when gassing people (i.e. why the prefer killing families). That way you are safe from Vendetta. If you have to worry about Vendetta from those you afect with your drone strikes, you are doing it wrong.
- coopdog 13y ago
  Uh oh, does that mean we're about to see the families of all the collateral damage get wiped out too? And what about their families... what about Kevin Bacon...
- arcadeparade 13y ago
  Better just kill everyone to be safe.
NoPiece 13y ago
The article is written like they were just some regular americans on vacation in Yemen. If my child was out recruiting for Al Qaeda, and preaching to the 9/11 hijackers, I'd hope that I'd be more self reflective about what I could have done differently. Maybe take some responsibility instead of complaining in the New York Times. The son isn't guilty of the father's crimes, but the father may have some responsibility for the son's crimes. The grandson is an innocent victim, but he wasn't targeted. That's an ugly mistake.
- kevingadd 13y ago
  How can you define a precision drone strike as 'he wasn't targeted'?
  - NoPiece 13y ago
    Because precision means location, not who is at the location. According to U.S. officials the killing of Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was a mistake; the actual target was an Egyptian, Ibrahim al-Banna. He wasn't on the target list, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If they knew he was there and were secretly targeting him, Obama should be impeached.
    - bigiain 13y ago
      "Because precision means" … something different to what "normal people" mean when they use the word "precision", just like when we use the words "collect" and "no", and our congressional oversight somehow misunderstands us… (or, alternatively, "because that was the least imprecise targeted attack we were capable of at the time")
  - Ygg2 13y ago
    He might not have been targeted, but that doesn't justify it. Truth is there is no such thing as a precision drone strike (yet). It's a bit like saying aiming nuke with pin point accuracy. It might have hit its goal, but it destroyed everything else.
- flexie 13y ago
moocowduckquack 13y ago
Frighteningly that does seem to be at least part of the official justification, as when asked in an official capacity; "an American citizen that is being targeted without due process, without trial and, he's underage, he's a minor." the then White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs replied, "I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well being of their children."
bigiain 13y ago
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God" … "a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation" (Exod. 20:5)

rdtsc 13y ago

> It is worth reading for some context on the family. Good idea. Let's take a look: "Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was killed at the age of 16 in an American drone strike on October 14, 2011, in Yemen, along with alleged al-Qaeda members two weeks after the death of his father.[250] Nine other people were killed in the same CIA-led attack. Among the dead was a 17-year-old cousin of Abdulrahman.[251] Family members have said that he was on his way to a barbecue.[252] " Looks to me like people like his father, don't really have to work too hard. We are doing his job for him.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

jabbernotty 13y ago

The fact that it says all these things on Wikipedia doesn't mean that much to me.

martin_k 13y ago

Read closely. Abdulrahman al-Awlaki was killed in a separate drone strike, two weeks after his father's death. The real target of that second drone strike is currently unknown.