US releases list of civilian death toll "outside war zones"

Post #411,475 by Another Scott 7/1/16 1:50:16 PM 7/1/16 1:50:16 PM Reply	US releases list of civilian death toll "outside war zones" http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/world/us-reveals-death-toll-from-airstrikes-outside-of-war-zones.html (I haven't had a chance to read it yet.) WASHINGTON — Partially lifting the secrecy that has cloaked one of the United States’s most contentious tactics for fighting terrorists, the Obama administration on Friday said that it believed that airstrikes it has conducted outside conventional war zones like Afghanistan have killed 64 to 116 civilian bystanders and about 2,500 members of terrorist groups. The official civilian death count is hundreds lower than most estimates compiled by independent organizations that try to track what the government calls targeted killings in chaotic places like tribal Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya. Most of the strikes have been carried out by drones, though a small number have involved traditional aircraft or cruise missiles. At the same time, President Obama issued an executive order making civilian protection a priority and requiring the government in the future to disclose the number of civilian deaths each year. The order, which could be canceled or altered by a future president, tries to commit his successors to greater openness than he achieved in the first seven years of his presidency. Just like Trump, amirite?! Cheers, Scott.
Post #411,476 by mmoffitt 7/1/16 2:14:52 PM 7/1/16 2:14:52 PM Reply	So, one set of rules for him and one for anyone not him, amirite?
Post #411,477 by Another Scott 7/1/16 3:51:35 PM 7/1/16 3:51:35 PM Reply	Eh? More words, please. Isn't it better to have actual numbers of people that our military is killing than not? Isn't it better to adjust our rules and policies based on hard numbers rather than fears and incorrect and misinformation? You may not like the process used to decide on targets, and maybe I don't either in some respects, but there is a "due process" at work. If you (and I) want to see it changed, we have to work within the reality that exists now, not simply ignore it and yell about "Obama murdering Americans on just his say-so"... If you want to see changes, looking to see how people react to Obama's actual proposals and policies rather than shouts of "I'm gonna Double Gitmo!" and "Waterboarding is Great!" and so forth from the Teabaggers, might be helpful in making an informed decision on how to change things for the better.... YMMV. Cheers, Scott.
Post #411,478 by a6l6e6x 7/1/16 4:08:44 PM 7/1/16 4:08:44 PM Reply	Not to mention Trump killing the families of terrorists. See how collective punishment works out for Israel. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #411,481 by Another Scott 7/1/16 4:53:09 PM 7/1/16 4:53:09 PM Reply	Yup. :-(
Post #411,479 by mmoffitt 7/1/16 4:43:23 PM 7/1/16 4:43:43 PM Reply	It's the timing. It's great that he's suggesting this change, but why didn't he do it at the beginning of his FIRST term? Edited by mmoffitt July 1, 2016, 04:43:43 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #411,480 by Another Scott 7/1/16 4:52:57 PM 7/1/16 4:52:57 PM Reply	Things move slowly in the Federal Government. It builds on his 2013 policy announcements. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/01/fact-sheet-executive-order-us-policy-pre-post-strike-measures-address HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #411,530 by mmoffitt 7/5/16 11:24:07 AM 7/5/16 11:24:07 AM Reply	He was sworn into office in 2013? Didn't know that.

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