Department of Empty Rhetoric

[regular.joe]

The drone campaign has been managed or commanded by the CIA because it falls under the auspices of irregular warfare, as well as the legal ability for the CIA to prosecute this war more freely than the military. Mainly because the CIA prosecutes irregular warfare.

As to making enemies in Pakistan, I'm not sure if more enemies are made by drones or by Madrasas sponsored by the UAE which kick out a regular crop of radical west hating ready made enemies of the USA.

Drone attacks in Pakistan are flown with full knowledge of the Pakistani military. Pakistan would love for the world to think that it's all the US, and they are a helpless victim. Truth is the military in Pakistan is complicit and fosters the idea that they are victims in the drone campaign because of the politics involved in their own country.

As far as prisoners at GITMO, for the life of me I can't figure out why they have never been treated as enemy combatants. The Bush administration started the ball rolling and it's never stopped. They should never have been tortured. They are belligerents captured on the field of battle. They should be returned to their own country at the end of the conflict. It should not matter to us that many of them will be executed upon arrival. That it does matter to us speaks more highly of our collective conscience than my own. This whole GITMO thing started out on the wrong foot and will have a bad ending no matter how you slice it. Suck it up USA and end it while you can.

[tw]

Originally Posted by regular.joe

As far as prisoners at GITMO, for the life of me I can't figure out why they have never been treated as enemy combatants. The Bush administration started the ball rolling and it's never stopped.

That answer was always simple and obvious. George Jr's administration paid $thousands to uinknown parties for 'evil' Muslims. Even filled Gitmo with almost 800 people who were innocent. If they did what was responsible - put each up for trial - then even extremists would admit that most Gitmo prisoners were innocent. That was not acceptable in a government run by and with Cheney's attitude (Project for a New American Century).

After all, liars cannot afford to be exposed as liars. Even Cheney's wacko extremist friends in Congress made sure Gitmo prisioners would never see an honest hearing. Extremists will do anything possible to torture those who do not agree with them. And imprison people in violation of the Constitution and International law. It is their new world order.

Most every prisoner released from Gitmo to his home country was set free. Because they were innocent victims of wacko extremists. Victims now have every reason to hate Americans. We really cannot blame them. Too many of us fully believed eight years of George Jr lies. Americans will witness consequences of so many lies including and not limited to Gitmo.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by regular.joe

<snip>
As far as prisoners at GITMO, for the life of me I can't figure out why
they have never been treated as enemy combatants.
The Bush administration started the ball rolling and it's never stopped.
They should never have been tortured. They are belligerents captured on the field of battle.
They should be returned to their own country at the end of the conflict.
It should not matter to us that many of them will be executed upon arrival.
That it does matter to us speaks more highly of our collective conscience than my own.
This whole GITMO thing started out on the wrong foot and will
have a bad ending no matter how you slice it.
Suck it up USA and end it while you can.

I can't say why, but this part of your post has stuck with me ever since I read it.

It came to mind again this morning as I read an article in the NY Times.
I'm not trying to trap you or anything like that,
but I think your opinions would be interesting on the ideas
in the article (~ the value and effects of a national draft ~).
... from here entitled "Americans and Their Military, Drifting Apart"