Trump clears CIA to issue drone strikes

[Belsnickel]

(03-15-2017, 01:47 PM)Benton Wrote: Just curious, why?

Is there a difference in shooting someone by proxy? Right or wrong, you still shot someone.

(03-15-2017, 02:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: As do I and the reasons are many. Just a couple:

First of all collateral damage and the problems it causes to ground forces who may have to move occupy after such a indiscriminate attack

It "cheapens' war. Anyone can strap an explosives devise on a $50 drone and crash it into innocent folks. They can then point to us as their example. 

It's nothing more than an aerial IED and that's how cowards engage in combat. 

bfine covered two of my reasons. Another one that I have, and this is one that isn't too popular and if people disagree so be it, is that by removing the risk of human casualties from warfare we have the potential for engaging in combat with less discrimination. Even if you have a B2 flying over an area and dropping bombs or a missile fired from a ship off the coast, the person pulling that trigger is at risk in some way. When you have a drone pilot tucked inside a control room in CONUS pulling the trigger it removes that risk, and I feel like it not only cheapens war, but it makes it easier for us to make that decision to kill on a high level.

I should remark, here, that the decision to kill on the base level, the pilot that does pull that trigger, still leaves psychological scars based upon what we have seen. I am fully aware that not only are these men and women actually pilots, but they are subject to PTSD because of what they are doing as well.