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In my mind this sentiment can be summed up as: "The more humane we make war, the more of it we'll have". And the simple reason is ... why not? When _we_ no long

In my mind this sentiment can be summed up as: "The more humane we make war, the more of it we'll have". And the simple reason is ... why not? When _we_ no longer suffer casualties why should we care about sending a pack of mechanical dogs into a village somewere and just let them run wild without a care in the world for the casualties we cause to the innocent? And before saying that that won't happen just look at current drone warfare. There isn't a person in this country (US) who truly cares about all the collateral damage of our drones. It seems foolish to think these will be any different.

ChuckMcM 12y ago
Except that this statement: There isn't a person in this country (US) who truly cares about all the collateral damage of our drones. is demonstrably false. I presume you were employing hyperbole but it is important to note the difference between waging war in Afghanistan using drones versus waging war in Iraq using cluster bombs. The latter case has a much higher non-combatant casualty rate. Further, the more accurate such munitions become the easier it is for non-combatants to avoid areas where they are likely to be killed or injured. I have yet to meet anyone in the US military who considers warfare "humane", and while I would not be surprised if such people existed, it has not been my experience that they are in positions of authority.
jjoonathan 12y ago
> There isn't a person in this country (US) who truly cares about all the collateral damage of our drones. I care. As do tens to hundreds of millions of other US citizens. Tell me, what we were supposed to do about it again (that we didn't do)?
- jdietrich 12y ago
  March on Washington. Picket the manufacturers. Organise a boycott of related companies. Chain yourself to the gates of drone control bases. Something, anything. There is no mass movement against drones. Look at protests against nuclear weapons during the cold war. Large, well-organised groups led a groundswell of opposition. The Greenham Common peace camp was continually occupied for eighteen years until the nuclear weapons based there were removed; The Faslane peace camp is still occupied today. In 1982, a million people gathered in New York to oppose nuclear weapons. You care, as do millions of Americans, but only to the extent that you don't actually have to do anything.

ChuckMcM 12y ago

Except that this statement: There isn't a person in this country (US) who truly cares about all the collateral damage of our drones. is demonstrably false. I presume you were employing hyperbole but it is important to note the difference between waging war in Afghanistan using drones versus waging war in Iraq using cluster bombs. The latter case has a much higher non-combatant casualty rate. Further, the more accurate such munitions become the easier it is for non-combatants to avoid areas where they are likely to be killed or injured. I have yet to meet anyone in the US military who considers warfare "humane", and while I would not be surprised if such people existed, it has not been my experience that they are in positions of authority.

jjoonathan 12y ago

> There isn't a person in this country (US) who truly cares about all the collateral damage of our drones. I care. As do tens to hundreds of millions of other US citizens. Tell me, what we were supposed to do about it again (that we didn't do)?

jdietrich 12y ago
March on Washington. Picket the manufacturers. Organise a boycott of related companies. Chain yourself to the gates of drone control bases. Something, anything. There is no mass movement against drones. Look at protests against nuclear weapons during the cold war. Large, well-organised groups led a groundswell of opposition. The Greenham Common peace camp was continually occupied for eighteen years until the nuclear weapons based there were removed; The Faslane peace camp is still occupied today. In 1982, a million people gathered in New York to oppose nuclear weapons. You care, as do millions of Americans, but only to the extent that you don't actually have to do anything.