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Kucinich/Conyers amendment to NDAA: Prohibit conduct of drone strikes on unidentified targets
[Updated, 5/15] The offices of Rep. Kucinich and Rep. Conyers have submitted this to Rules as an amendment on the National Defense Authorization Act. Since it is likely that there will not be a great number of amendments related to drone strikes submitted to Rules, and since press reports have indicated significant Congressional concern about the expansion of drone strikes on unidentified targets, it is hoped this will stand a good chance of getting approved for consideration on the floor.
AMENDMENT TO THE RULES COMMITTEE PRINT OF H.R. 4310
OFFERED BY MR. KUCINICH OF OHIO
At the end of title X, add the following new section:
SEC. 1084. PROHIBITION ON CONDUCT OF DRONE STRIKES ON UNIDENTIFIED TARGETS. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command may not carry out a combat operation in which an unmanned aerial vehicle is used to attack a target whose identity is unknown or is based solely on patterns of behavior of such target.
The PDF is here.
The use of drones against unspecific targets is an illegal act of war.
More terrorists are created from drone strikes than are killed in them,
Drone strikes are a cowardly waiy of fighting and may strike many inocent people. We should stop using them for before you know it, we will be hit by drones. Then we will have no asppeal for mercy.
Indefinite Detention is also a deal breaker. More and more people are aware of it, and
the resounding response is 'if you vote for indefinite detention, we'll
never vote for them again.
Anything done to end the murders of innocents is imperative
There are too many civilians getting killed by drone strikes. In addition, it is against the US Constitution to target civilians, per international treaties, especially the Geneva Convention. US Military Manuals also prohibit such willful disregard for non-military targets.
These drone attacks are making war an easy and remote-controlled activity while bringing shame on all of us Americans. Tragically we are also killing innocent civilians, many of whom are children. And we now hear that drone attacks are launched on "suspected terrorists." How can we live with that while allowing such attacks?
Millions of us looked to Barrack Obama in 2008 for "change we can believe in." Where is it?
GET RID OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND THEN I'M SURE WE WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT DRONE STRIKES ON CIVILIANS ABROAD OR HERE AT HOME...AS IS THEIR PLAN...
I was totally against drones, because I felt that the probability of "suspected" terrorists being at the location targeted by drones was not near 100%. It's so easy to let the probability level lower from 99% to 95% then to 90% and then ... When a drone explodes on a school filled with children - and everyone at the target knows that there are children not terrorists at the target and that the drone is "dumb" and that those who push a button to send the drone on its way are culpable.
At least the proposed amendment prohibits a drone attack on "a target whose identity is unknown or is based solely on patterns of behavior of such target".
So, it is a step in the right direction.
We should work seriously on an international agreement to eliminate war as an instrument of national policy. And to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Drones are a war with robots they have no compassion, no insight, they can't resist bad or illegal orders, they are puppet weapons from soldiers playing war games to distant from the actual targets to take the lives they extinguish seriously enough to say no this is wrong.
Thank you for all you do!!
I don't like the idea of drone bombing, since I think it's easy to hit innocent people by accident, and make more people hate us than before, and justifiably.
I am so saddened by the fact that the president I so supported and has so many wonderful qualities which can serve the world is allowing such outrageous murder around our world! This has got to stop! Aside from the moral aspects of this killing policy, has anyone stopped to consider that it actually gives those so attacked the legal right to attack the United States.
This is a good way to start my NATO protest. Anyone got a cathcy phrase for a protest sign?
Stop the unidentified targets of Drones attacks. The only thing it brings forth is more Hatred of us. You can not make friends by kiling innocent children & women & elderly. We can not be the Police State for the World. Neither can we afford the loss of American lives &Treasure. Being more powerful than they are we should restrain & act as adults in this conflict.
Stop the unidentified targets of Drones attacks. The only thing it brings forth is more Hatred of us. You can not make friends by kiling innocent children & women & elderly. We can not be the Police State for the World. Neither can we afford the loss of American lives &Treasure. Being more powerful than they are we should restrain & act as adults in this conflict.
Just you wait, unmanned drones are already in our skies or will be very soon as hundreds upon hundreds of drone requests are in the making for invading our privacy right here in the good old US of A. Orson Wells here we are at long last. Stop the killing of innocent citizens of the world with these cowardly & shameful, nameless, faceless assassins controlled by our own military with joy sticks thousands of miles away in air conditioned command centers. Men & their toys of destruction, puppets of our bought & paid for politicians. What would Jesus do our fearless Christian majority of DC politicians? How sad!!
What they said, and then some.
The U.S. Military's use of drones puts me in mind of a future chapter of Terminator, these random strikes being like something out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie, where the machines take over and eliminate the humans.
The U.S. is becoming inhuman treating war like a video game, but the rest of the world is suffering in blood and loss of human life.
Murder from hiding is most cowardly. It may be easier on the murderer, but the innocent men, women and children murdered are just as dead, dead, dead.
Drones are most effective as recruiting tools. The horror of death from the skies by faceless cowards is probably responsible for more U.S. troops and mercenaries deaths than 'enemies' , because of retribution.
The inmates are operating this carnage machine.
It is unconscionable, completely immoral and beyond comprehension that our government is doing this. This is one of the most powerful ways the U.S. is turning the people in other countries against it. The next target will be spying on and striking U.S. citizens. I read in the local paper that city police forces will soon have these drones.
You need to come clean with what you are doing. The repercussions abroad and on the home front will be devastating for everybody---no winners and the blood is on your and Obama's hands.
Unbelievable how fast we are lunging into fascism and totalitarianism, aided by the very reps we elected, who are bribed perhaps and think of themselves first?
ayayay! having a great time reading your blog post. you know what your readers want. Keep posting.
Aidan Neale
www.brfe.net
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