Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)All military-age males in a strike zone are combatants... [View all]
On Monday, the New York times reported that "Mr. Obama embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties that did little to box him in. It in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants, according to several administration officials, unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?pagewanted=3&_r=2
Glenn Greenwald reports:
"The media now knows that "militant" is a term of official propaganda, yet still use it for America's drone victims"
http://www.salon.com/2012/06/02/deliberate_media_propaganda/singleton//
Early this morning, the U.S. fired a missile from a drone in northwest Pakistan its first since the NYT story and killed two people. Heres how The Washington Post is now touting the article about this attack on its online front page:
Readers who click on that story are greeted by an Associated Press story bearing this headline:
There is, as usual, no indication that these media outlets have any idea whatsoever about who was killed in these strikes. All they know is that officials (whether American or Pakistani) told them that they were militants, so they blindly repeat that as fact. They report this not only without having the slightest idea whether its true, but worse, with the full knowledge that the word militant is being aggressively distorted by deceitful U.S. government propaganda that defines the term to mean: any military-age males whom we kill (the use of the phrase suspected militants in the body of the article suffers the same infirmity).
Readers who click on that story are greeted by an Associated Press story bearing this headline:
There is, as usual, no indication that these media outlets have any idea whatsoever about who was killed in these strikes. All they know is that officials (whether American or Pakistani) told them that they were militants, so they blindly repeat that as fact. They report this not only without having the slightest idea whether its true, but worse, with the full knowledge that the word militant is being aggressively distorted by deceitful U.S. government propaganda that defines the term to mean: any military-age males whom we kill (the use of the phrase suspected militants in the body of the article suffers the same infirmity).
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
110 replies, 18090 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (31)
ReplyReply to this post
110 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Just like that door gunner in "Full Metal Jacket". If the run they're V.C. If they
brewens
Jun 2012
#4
All military-age males in a strike zone are combatants - that's their association
WriteWrong
Jun 2012
#10
So if a terrorist walks by you and a drone hits him and kills you in the process
Zalatix
Jun 2012
#11
Shit in one hand and 'believe' in another and see which fills up first. Kill 'em all
coalition_unwilling
Jun 2012
#90
CAREFUL?!!! LOL!!! Tell that to the weddings that got hit by summary execution bombs.
Zalatix
Jun 2012
#96
Hits have happened in shopping malls, or do brown women and children shoppers not count?
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#59
Lol, well anyone who decides to take the position they are taking here, considering how
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#66
Ah, well at least you say it openly it won't happen to 'others like me'....
Bluenorthwest
Jun 2012
#69
Um...EVERYONE is now a presumed Enemy Combatant until proved innocent
kenny blankenship
Jun 2012
#102
Yes, I just don't run into people that don't understand what a bad idea it is,
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2012
#108
You understand why guilt by association is...oh never min why bother reasoning
Puregonzo1188
Jun 2012
#76
It is? What war is it and when was it declared? Oh, that's right, Bush's bullshit war on "terror".
HiPointDem
Jun 2012
#36
Oh come on, don't quit when you're losing, makes it too easy for the rest of us!
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#79
We are not killing people who are attacking us in Pakistan, Syria, or Yemen.
Luminous Animal
Jun 2012
#99
What utter nonsense, terrorists cannot declare war. It's been quite a failure hasn't
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#104
Every country has that possibility, terrorism is as old as the human inhabited planet. So
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#103
Will you quit with the 300 to 1 bullshit? You got that from some anonymous idiot on yahoo answers.
white_wolf
Jun 2012
#97
At his presser, Teh Obama laid it out succinctly: Terrorism is like Cooties.
kenny blankenship
Jun 2012
#101
Here, let me help. We know all the talking points, so here's the usual one for that
sabrina 1
Jun 2012
#72
Just like all the terrorists in My Lai. In that other lost war also fought for PR.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jun 2012
#26
We should all remember, too, that if it weren't for the actions of one man...
Poll_Blind
Jun 2012
#30
"Thompson started receiving hate mail, death threats and mutilated animals on his doorstep."
Zalatix
Jun 2012
#35
This makes sense coming from a country that considers all black men to be drug dealing thugs and
leeroysphitz
Jun 2012
#29
Their crime was being "military-aged". The AP leaves a part of the story untold though...
cherokeeprogressive
Jun 2012
#85
Don't forget the latest category: "Terrorists disguised as children" - n/t
coalition_unwilling
Jun 2012
#87