08-25-2010, 11:34 AM
The Brookings Institute estimated a year ago that UAV attacks in Pakistan kill ten times as many
civilians as al Qaeda and Taliban targets. The attacks have quadrupled in frequency since Obama
became president, and now our government no longer releases official death counts.
My take on these statistics is that US planners are determined to exterminate anyone capable
of mounting World-Trade-Center-scale attacks, and they're willing to inflict collateral damage
on noncombatants for a high-value target. It isn't a 'terrorist' mentality, because they don't
deliberately target civilians or expect the high civilian death toll to dishearten the enemy.
A secret 'hit list' of individuals marked for death is probably unlawful without a genuine state of war.
I don't think the "war on terrorism" should be considered a real war any more than the "war on drugs".