Unmanned: America's drone wars (movie)

Don't be fooled by the title. There is no "War" to US drone attacks, it is simply murder. Tribal areas of Pakistan have been consistently targeted by US drones in our never-ending global war on terror. Sources in the film say that over 1,400 civilian deaths have occurred in Pakistan due to drone attacks. The administration has even gone on record stating that there have been NO civilian deaths simply by making everyone killed in to an enemy combatant even if some of these victims were little more than newborn babies. Paint a beard on that 5 year old, that changes everything, right?

Most of these attacks are now called "profile strikes". That means if you drive a truck, or are seen in a group or any of a hundred other innocent activities you might be a terrorist - and that becomes actionable "intelligence". It's a rare attack that catches a known terrorist based on credible information. Given all the reasons they have said a US citizen could be a terrorist you know they don't need an excuse at all - oh look! he's got a Ron Paul bumpersticker or an NRA emblem or he buys fertilizer.

Americans rightfully think Sandy Hook was a horrible mass tragedy. What if I said we have committed dozens of Sandy Hooks against people on the other side of the world? Do you still sympathize or do you write them off as "collateral damage", people that don't matter?

The people of Waziristan live under a constant cloud of death. People are afraid to get together, to celebrate, to play soccer, to go work. They never know when or where an attack may come from. Their lives have been stopped. Their own government either cannot or will not protect them. 4 Tribal leaders were killed in a single attack - can you imagine the outrage if 4 Senators from the US were killed at a meeting?

What we are really doing is creating more terrorists. When we attack civilians and wipe out entire families and clans what else can we expect? What would you do if your family were wiped out by a country you weren't even at war with?

This keeps a constant flow of young men hating the US joining up for jihad. When we run out of enemies we simply make more by using drone attacks.

This isn't war, it's just murder and a racket for those involved in the sale and manufacture of such weapons. It's also the tool of control already beginning the fill the skies over the US. Today it's Waziristan, tomorrow it's Wisconsin. Just as chemical weapons were outlawed during WW1 we need to do the same with drones. The potential for abuse is simply far too great.

Even if you don't give a rat's ass about the lives of those killed I beg you to look at the blowback we are creating. Check out the size of the crowds that gather to protest this very illegal and very immoral method of warfare.



These people hate us, and rightfully so

Warning: This video contains graphic scenes of death and destruction some may find disturbing.
I would hope everyone would find this disturbing.

reply to post by Asktheanimals

I hate drones.
I hate that we use them.
I could possibly see their use in an all out war, but we haven't seen that type of war since WWII.

reply to post by butcherguy


I agree completely.
Watch the film, it's heartbreaking and disgusting to contemplate that my country is doing this.
Unacceptable.
Known terrorists can be tracked down and arrested and tried.
This is indiscriminate killing which can only create more animosity towards the US.
Is this how to win hearts and minds?
For the love of all that is right, decent and humane this must stop and the victims given aid.
It is the LEAST we can do.

I'm in 100% agreement. I remember back in 2001, I used to wonder how could people on the other side of the world hate us so vehemently. Then I started to learn about our business exploits in the area, about how we exploited these third world countries for their resources and labor yet returned nothing to them. Now it extrapolates even further with drones. This is getting disgusting and really makes me ashamed to call myself an American. If things like this keep up, as well as the continual degradation of our rights, I might end up becoming an ex-pat. It's sad, but this country has become something that I just cannot support anymore. The government cares little for the working man and passes legislation to give rich people more money then bombs the hell out of other countries under the name of terrorism. And the thing that upsets me the most? The apathy of the American people towards all of this. The terrorists won the war they started on September 11, 2001. This country is no longer the land of the free and home of the brave, but rather the land of the corporate interest and home of the oppressed.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


I will watch the video when I get more time.

What is really ashame, the fact that people of this country still believe that there is a war across the ocean in the middle east, to "keep us free". It is ravaging nations, destroying lives and homes, and basically creating much unwanted hatred towards Americans in general. Exactly like you said earlier in your first post.

Herein lies our first problem...there are people who still accept this as a good thing. People that probably consist of 50% of this nations population. People who still accept everything the TV says as gospel and these same people don't question authority. They don't want things to change. God forbid they actually read a book. (Or watch a fantastic documentary)

But, Asktheanimals, what can we do until we all agree on it? We are perpetually divided by our own self interests or lack of a thirst for knowledge. So until the population, or at least the majority, sees the issue at hand...things will be "business as usual".

I, for one, am glad we here at ATS have the ability to discern the difference.

Excellent thread!

*S&F*

While is more and more evidence of the abuse of drones abroad, as killing machines, we can not forget that very soon laws will be enacted to have this same technology patrolling our skies armed and unarmed by the hundred of thousands after 2015, yes military, government and private sector including for personal use will polluting our skies.

So, it may not be a drone war abroad, perhaps if is one is one sided, but very soon is going to be America's citizens drone war.

And by the way that the government shove laws into the Americans rear end in the name of the good of productivity, job creating and profits and the compliance of the population to accept anything the government does you bet this drone will literally be knocking our doors very soon.

reply to post by havok

Herein lies our first problem...there are people who still accept this as a good thing. People that probably consist of 50% of this nations population.

Nail on head.
The Govt has a selling point... in that they tell us these are a tool that saves American servicemens lives.
What they don't tell you is that they loiter over a house in Pakistan (who we are not at war with) and watch people (men, women and children) coming and going... then blow the whole effing house up when the target arrives, no matter how many children (some are babies),and noncombatant women are in there too.
It is BS!

reply to post by marg6043


Your exactly right about everything except they won't be knocking on our front doors.
They'll do more like Santa and come down the chimney instead.

reply to post by butcherguy


People in America has been controlled and sedated by big pharma medications and , but remember that the drones that will be flying in our skies will also included armed drones patrolling, doing the same things that you have just mentioned in your post.

It will not be far when strikes starts to be a common thing in our neighborhoods also all for the common good, the sedated population will welcome anything just because the government tells them is good for them.

reply to post by havok


What we can do is inform others so they know what the US is doing.
Call our reps in Congress and tell them this in unacceptable.
Do the same with the White House.
If they won't respond we have to go knocking on their doors, loudly.

They've already killed US citizens using drones with no trial, no judge and no charges filed.
If they can do it overseas it's only a matter of time before they do it right here at home.
Pakistan and Yemen are only testing grounds and they are counting on our complacency to implement them over the US.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Yes, down the chimney or blowing the front doors, windows and anything they could hit when they strike against us.

As I read about the upcoming drone wars in the US, I can not stop thinking how disturbing is for me to even imagine been watched and patrolled by hundred of thousands of armed drones in the sky, then I wonder why other people are not just as worry and disturbed as me about the same thing.

We all talk about the atrocities committed abroad with Drone technology, but many have not clue that this same technology will be among us no later than one year for now.

What is wrong with America, I guess the only thing I can think about is that most of the America population are on some sedated state by means of control.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


S+F for you, and good on you to post this and to criticize the atrocious warcrimes your current administration is guilty of!

This ties in perfectly to a few other recent threads here on ATS about the ongoing and upcomming "dronewars".

For all those who are compliant, or ignorant about the sinister machinations of the current U.S. Government, or simply couldn't care less about the cowardly murder of innocent civilians, children and so called "alleged combatants" abroad: this # is comming home to you soon as it seems:

Check this LINK (provided by marg6043 here.)

What goes around comes around, as they say...


ETA: reply to marg6043:
Oh you're already here. I'm posting way too slow today.

reply to post by butcherguy


That line is just an evolution of the BS rhetoric that we were protecting America's freedom when we had boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. Neither of those countries have or had the capability to even THREATEN our freedom let alone attack us. I admit that I even fell for it while in the military, but now I understand that these countries never threatened our freedom and were just fighting back at the oppression from our government that was protecting the interests of international corporations.

reply to post by ColCurious


Thanks, threads like this one showing videos of the capabilities of the drones technology abroad should be an eye opener of what is been stored for us here in the US and in other countries that follow US examples like the UK.

The atrocities and murder committed in other countries is just despicable, just to think that our nation can engage in such activities with disregard of human lives only make you wonder what kind of people is behind it, the mental stability of such individuals should be evaluated.

Then you get to witness the propaganda that is feed to us to justify such atrocities, then on top of that you only are shown the propaganda of drone use in the US as a" nice thing".

What the propaganda doesn't show you is that behind the "nice use" of drone and the "creations of jobs" and "profit making" is the more nefarious ways that this technology will be use by government and police enforcers.

People needs to get their darn pink colored glasses and recognized that those behind the killing of innocent people abroad because they can and have the means of doing it are neither mental stable and capable of making decisions for us here in the US while occupying positions of power to do damage and commit murder.

The drones are coming to US, they are already here, as testing only, soon to become law, the same murderers of humanity in other countries will be behind this drone here in our skies also.

Do not believe that is only unarmed drones to be use, once is law, many of this drones will armed and ready to kill you, because somebody behind the drone sitting in comfortable office will take the right of been executioners.

the Taliban in Pakistan has butchered entire villages that sided with the government, and there was an out and out pushback by the Pakistani military to clear out the northern regions a couple of years back, because of the brutal killings of it's own people by the Taliban. even the Pakistani people feared them more, and realized how dangerous they were compared to the Americans. I'm not giving excuses, but the brutalization of Muslim on Muslim terror and death, far exceeds whatever drone strike that killed civilians...as far as I'm concerned, I'd like nothing better for America to get the hell out of that region, they have been killing each other for centuries, and they are not going to stop now.

reply to post by jimmyx

I'm not giving excuses, but the brutalization of Muslim on Muslim terror and death, far exceeds whatever drone strike that killed civilians...as far as I'm concerned, I'd like nothing better for America to get the hell out of that region, they have been killing each other for centuries, and they are not going to stop now.

It sort of sounds like an excuse.

There is no excuse for blowing up a house with babies in it (that are known to be in there) just to kill one man.

reply to post by jimmyx


And using drones to kill the guilty along with the innocent is not excuse either and this people's problems is tribal something that drones, US government, EU or anything so call "civilized nations " will never be able to stop anytime soon either, thanks that when the UK left the region and divided the nations with disregard to tribal ownership of the land.

History is the best way to learn how and why the middle east is the way it is today and whom were the ones that caused the chaos.

Still the new Geopolitical wars in the region is the worst enemy of this people, because now makes possible for money, power and control to keep killing people all for the good of future profits, people are nothing but an expendable vermin when it comes to the Geopolitical wars and those behind it in the middle east.

reply to post by havok

What is really a shame, the fact that people of this country still believe that there is a war across the ocean in the middle east, to "keep us free".

The other day I saw a truck with a sticker on it that said "Land of the free because of the brave" and I sort of threw up in my mouth. Propaganda works, apparently. A few minutes on the internet and one can learn loads, like what a farce that "Land of the free, home of the brave" line is. They will still stand up at a game, take off their hat, put their hand over their chest and pledge allegiance to a symbol of oppression in our flag and claim we are the greatest.

Such fools.

they will Never learn!
Vietnam ! goriler wars !
in nam they drop't more bombs
than WW2 and a LOT of chemical weapons.
they still LOST.
and they will lost again.

but at lest the weapons industry has sold a LOT of weapons.
MONEY....

I see all of these words in the posts: shameful, disgusting liars, disregard, no excuse, BS, atrocious war crimes. But the sad thing here is that you are all the same: Shameful, disgusting, etc. You all see it happening and none of you are lifting a finger to get the people in your charge (your government) to stop doing something that you all agree is a war crime. This is your watch and these are the people under your management. You are letting them do it so you are all culpable.

Apathy...