by Cindy Sheehan
“Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and the effects they provide have emerged as one of the most "in demand" capabilities the USAF provides the Joint Force. The attributes of persistence, endurance, efficiency, and connectivity are proven force multipliers across the spectrum of global Joint military operations.” From USAF UAS FLIGHT PLAN 2009-2047
Don’t get me wrong, I am not in favor of “Manned Aircraft Systems” raining down bombs on civilians, but the idea of Murder by Joystick with the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems” (UAS) is especially sickening to me.
UAS, more commonly known as “drones,” are controlled from thousands of miles away and are increasingly becoming the new wave of the Air Force. The Air Force was recently devastated by Congress cutting off funding for the obsolete F22 fighter jet and is very excited about robot killers.
Even the names of drones are monstrous, such as: Predator and Reaper. The Grim Reaper drone, choosing who lives or who dies from an air conditioned bunker at Creach Air Force base thousands of miles away from the bombing site:
Thousands of miles away from the carnage;
Thousands of miles away from the screaming and dying;
Light years away from morality and compassion.
With reports stating that, from the top down, the US military is filled with Christian zealots, I wonder who "authorizes" Murder by Joystick? Does the 6th Commandment say: “Thou shalt not murder; unless you can pretend you’re playing a video game?” The mass murder of the 21st century couldn’t have been even remotely conceived of a few millennia ago.
War has become more deadly to persons but increasingly more depersonalized. Today, needless civilian deaths outweigh unnecessary military deaths by a 5 to 1 ratio, but are still referred to as: “Collateral damage.” Our military has become even further depersonalized by the utilization of paid mercenaries.
The Pentagon recently confirmed that even though US troops are moving out of Iraq, they will be replaced, sometimes by a two to one ratio by mercenaries from such places as Uganda. This jaded nation of ours barely cares about the soldiers that are dying, how much less will we care about foreign paid mercenary killers and whether they have the right equipment or not?
"Slay-station’s" Murder by Joystick is just further moral bankruptcy from the Military Industrial Complex that, according to the above referenced report, is looking forward to a day when drones using artificial intelligence will carry nuclear weapons and won’t need direction from humans.
Join SF Bay Area CODEPINK and me as we protest the profoundly evil use of drones at Creach Air force Base in Nevada next week.
Unfortunately, Cindy, the people in the US military have a job to do and they would like to do it with the least cost in terms of lives … on either side … as possible. They look at both sides of that equation to MINIMIZE death. You don’t seem to recognize this. I’m not saying you are ingnorant, I’m just saying that you know a number of things that aren’t true. Our country spends more money on creating weapons that kill LESS indiscriminately than any country … that is a fact. The LESS damage, the better. War is not about seeing who can kill the most people. If it were, we would have nuked all our enemies long ago and called it a win. The UAVs that you decry so emotionally are an attempt to reduce deaths on OUR side while at the same time trying to limit civilian deaths by using the smallest yield explosives and most accurate weapons ever created. War is ugly and horrible, but you seem to think that people in our military are evil monsters who enjoy killing civilians for pleasure. You are utterly wrong, and you do them a great disservice. Most are like your blessed son, rest his sweet soul. They, more than anyone, want peace in this world.