Explosions at Boston Marathon

[MrFun]

And apparently even though my partner, Neal, is an Army veteran, I hate the U.S. military.

[giblets]

Because you're handing them the most effective recruitment tool possible, making yourselves look like barbarians to be hated by civilized people everywhere, and utterly betraying the principles that you've claimed to base your entire national identity on?

Our national identity is based on letting foreigners who hate us kill us? No thanks. Also, I don't think "join Al Qaeda! We get attacked by drones!" is a particularly compelling recruitment strategy.

And we can't use these more reasonable, effective tactics in foreign countries?

Wow MrFun you must be a heck of a lot smarter than Obama! Maybe you should write him a letter explaining how he's got it all wrong. I'm guessing you voted for him and I'm guessing you don't see him as some sort of ruthless monster, so surely he will see the light and accept your wisdom.

[MrFun]

Wow MrFun you must be a heck of a lot smarter than Obama! Maybe you should write him a letter explaining how he's got it all wrong. I'm guessing you voted for him and I'm guessing you don't see him as some sort of ruthless monster, so surely he will see the light and accept your wisdom.

I've accepted some time ago that very few people can become all-knowing and an expert on everything like I am.

[kentonio]

Our national identity is based on letting foreigners who hate us kill us? No thanks.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

I guess Jefferson just forgot to include the bit about it not counting for foreigners.

Also, I don't think "join Al Qaeda! We get attacked by drones!" is a particularly compelling recruitment strategy.

If America blew up my family, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to fighting you. Why do you imagine that's any different for Afghan's?

[MrFun]

If America blew up my family, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to fighting you. Why do you imagine that's any different for Afghan's?

It's different because brown-skinned people don't quite count as human, and thus are not expected to follow general patterns of human behavior.

[Hauldren Collider]

That must be a huge relief to the Afghan people when their children get their arms and legs blown off.

It should be. If we were gunning for afghan civilians you can bet that there'd be a lot more dead ones lying around.

[MrFun]

It should be. If we were gunning for afghan civilians you can bet that there'd be a lot more dead ones lying around.

[kentonio]

It should be. If we were gunning for afghan civilians you can bet that there'd be a lot more dead ones lying around.

There'd be a lot more dead Americans too, all around the world.

[Hauldren Collider]

Kentonio, Fun, you've gone off the deep end. Also I'd like to remind Kentonio that the brits have been in Afghanistan as long as we have, plus they ****ed with afghanistan a century ago

Now I understand why the IRA was so awesome, right? It was nothing compared to all the horrible things the paras did in northern ireland.

[kentonio]

Kentonio, Fun, you've gone off the deep end. Also I'd like to remind Kentonio that the brits have been in Afghanistan as long as we have, plus they ****ed with afghanistan a century ago

We chose to support an ally in a war that many of us still consider was justified. That does not in any way mean we have to support your stupid and heavy handed drone tactics. We learned long ago that without hearts and minds you lose wars. America still fails to get this simple lesson through its thick skull.

Now I understand why the IRA was so awesome, right?

I don't recall us blowing up buildings full of civilians to kill individual terrorists. Interestingly enough we knew where a lot of them were most of the time, however as we dealt with them using the law (for the most part) we actually felt we had to catch them committing crimes.

[giblets]

It's different because brown-skinned people don't quite count as human, and thus are not expected to follow general patterns of human behavior.

Ah yes the stereotype that Afghans must be brown-skinned since they aren't from Europe.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

I guess Jefferson just forgot to include the bit about it not counting for foreigners.

Is it the US government's job to ensure the safety of foreigners? I don't think so.

If America blew up my family, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to fighting you. Why do you imagine that's any different for Afghan's?

Sure you would. Then again if you're one of the vast majority whose family hasn't been blown up by America maybe you wouldn't be inclined to get involved in a group that is targeted by flying robots.

[Hauldren Collider]

I don't recall us blowing up buildings full of civilians to kill individual terrorists. Interestingly enough we knew where a lot of them were most of the time, however as we dealt with them using the law (for the most part) we actually felt we had to catch them committing crimes.

I don't recall us doing this deliberately either.

[Hauldren Collider]

We chose to support an ally in a war that many of us still consider was justified. That does not in any way mean we have to support your stupid and heavy handed drone tactics. We learned long ago that without hearts and minds you lose wars. America still fails to get this simple lesson through its thick skull.

Drones aren't any more heavy handed than running in with guns or using Apaches (which you Brits do in fact employ). They're just less risky for our men.

[kentonio]

Is it the US government's job to ensure the safety of foreigners? I don't think so.

If you claim to base your principles on the idea that all men are created equal, then treating foreign civilians in a way that you would consider utterly unacceptable with your own is incredibly hypocritical.

Sure you would. Then again if you're one of the vast majority whose family hasn't been blown up by America maybe you wouldn't be inclined to get involved in a group that is targeted by flying robots.

You just managed to stumble over exactly why this strategy is so stupid and counterproductive. The Afghan civilians who are dying are not being killed because they chose to get involved, they are getting involved because they keep being killed in large numbers despite not having done anything wrong. Where's the lesson there exactly? Cross your fingers and hope your kids don't get murdered today?

[kentonio]

Drones aren't any more heavy handed than running in with guns or using Apaches (which you Brits do in fact employ). They're just less risky for our men.

People rarely run in with gun and just massacre any local civilians in the process.