It must be better to send in ground troops, kill thousands, spend a trillion or so and then have trouble getting out. This asymmetric warfare is such a bother.
Danziger is right, as he so often is when he looks at war. You don’t need a huge, sophisticated technology base for drones; right now you can buy a small radio-controlled helicopter from Brookstone you can control with your smart phone. It’s not like missiles: if you want to plop a few pounds of plastic explosive in a bad place, you can do it, and it’s cheap. One expert said you can build a basic drone that could carry 3-4 pounds for half a mile for $100. So our drones go farther and do more. So what? We’ve now just shown people what can be done, and built a huge number of enemies who have experienced drone warfare from the victim side…
motivemagus, do you really think that if we did not “invent” drone technology that no one else would? You pointed out how simple it can be. You would have to put up with drones even if we did not invent them.
Yes it would be nice if they gave a war and no one came, but clearly that is not going to happen. There are always those who are more than happy to take unfair advantage in every walk of life. Unfortunately it appears that is part of the human make up. We can wish it would go away but it probably won’t.
Written by Pete Seeger. Who was, by the way, a member of the Communist Party and blacklisted from US TV for many years. I never met him, but I had some dealings with his brother Mike, who was one of the New Lost City Ramblers.
ansonia: A modeler inadvertently documented with his camera-carrying radio-controlled airplane, a slaughterhouse polluting a creek. Since then, the Dalla Snooze calls all RC models “drones”.
Singlespeed, whats new? How do you deal with terrorist organizations who use asymmetric warfare against us. The twin towers is a good example. They had a small investment that caused us to expend huge amounts of effort and resources. That is how it works, cause the enemy to beat himself to death trying to defend against those kinds of attacks. Car bombs, IED, etc are all out of the same handbook. You can’t ignore them. You need to have a cost effective defense that works.
Unfortunately reports show drones are accurate about 7% of the time, now this might work were you to be fighting a country, unfortunately modern warfare focuses on rebel groups, generally when some poor shlub in a foreign country has his home and family blown up in an accidental drone strike the first thought is not glee that in 1/11 times if will hit somebody whom may deserve itAmerican military deaths are generally overstated by media, Foreign deaths due to military actions understated. The majority of deaths in the US military now centers around suicide because of the degree of pointless war.*****************************************************************I agree it may be better than conventional warfare, that said a pointless war is a pointless war. Regardless of how many citizens die.
The first time a foreign or terrorist drone attacks the White House, or a Texas prosecutor, or even the head of some American drug cartel; we’re going to start re-thinking our support of drones to carry out extra-judicial killings.
Where have all the flowers gone is an old Gaelic folk song. Seeger merely added a verse to close the chain into a circle. Seeger was never a formal member of the Communist Party, although frequently hired in the ’30s to perform at recruiting concerts with Woody Guthrie (who was until ’41). I have met Seeger and somewhat performed some of my work for him (which he liked). Anybody who was anti-slavery, anti-racism, anti-war, or anything else John Edgar Hoover was for was considered a Communist in those days – and again today by Teabaggers.
Stormrider2112 about 11 years ago
Oh crap, Ima said something rational…
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member about 11 years ago
It must be better to send in ground troops, kill thousands, spend a trillion or so and then have trouble getting out. This asymmetric warfare is such a bother.
Justice22 about 11 years ago
“’Tis far better when we can put thousands of boots on the ground and kill a hundred thousand innocents.” **
Motivemagus about 11 years ago
Danziger is right, as he so often is when he looks at war. You don’t need a huge, sophisticated technology base for drones; right now you can buy a small radio-controlled helicopter from Brookstone you can control with your smart phone. It’s not like missiles: if you want to plop a few pounds of plastic explosive in a bad place, you can do it, and it’s cheap. One expert said you can build a basic drone that could carry 3-4 pounds for half a mile for $100. So our drones go farther and do more. So what? We’ve now just shown people what can be done, and built a huge number of enemies who have experienced drone warfare from the victim side…
SwimsWithSharks about 11 years ago
Drones won’t kill the next bin Laden. Drones will create him.
stamps about 11 years ago
And you’ll be singing the same tune when Iran and North Korea have them? They will.
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member about 11 years ago
motivemagus, do you really think that if we did not “invent” drone technology that no one else would? You pointed out how simple it can be. You would have to put up with drones even if we did not invent them.
Yes it would be nice if they gave a war and no one came, but clearly that is not going to happen. There are always those who are more than happy to take unfair advantage in every walk of life. Unfortunately it appears that is part of the human make up. We can wish it would go away but it probably won’t.
lonecat about 11 years ago
Written by Pete Seeger. Who was, by the way, a member of the Communist Party and blacklisted from US TV for many years. I never met him, but I had some dealings with his brother Mike, who was one of the New Lost City Ramblers.
hippogriff about 11 years ago
ansonia: A modeler inadvertently documented with his camera-carrying radio-controlled airplane, a slaughterhouse polluting a creek. Since then, the Dalla Snooze calls all RC models “drones”.
baldhedjer about 11 years ago
All acts of war are potentially inflammatory. Drones are no different.
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member about 11 years ago
Singlespeed, whats new? How do you deal with terrorist organizations who use asymmetric warfare against us. The twin towers is a good example. They had a small investment that caused us to expend huge amounts of effort and resources. That is how it works, cause the enemy to beat himself to death trying to defend against those kinds of attacks. Car bombs, IED, etc are all out of the same handbook. You can’t ignore them. You need to have a cost effective defense that works.
adegen about 11 years ago
Great editorial cartoon. Captures the long term risks perfectly. Kudos to you Jeff!
Quipss about 11 years ago
Unfortunately reports show drones are accurate about 7% of the time, now this might work were you to be fighting a country, unfortunately modern warfare focuses on rebel groups, generally when some poor shlub in a foreign country has his home and family blown up in an accidental drone strike the first thought is not glee that in 1/11 times if will hit somebody whom may deserve itAmerican military deaths are generally overstated by media, Foreign deaths due to military actions understated. The majority of deaths in the US military now centers around suicide because of the degree of pointless war.*****************************************************************I agree it may be better than conventional warfare, that said a pointless war is a pointless war. Regardless of how many citizens die.
ARodney about 11 years ago
The first time a foreign or terrorist drone attacks the White House, or a Texas prosecutor, or even the head of some American drug cartel; we’re going to start re-thinking our support of drones to carry out extra-judicial killings.
pirate227 about 11 years ago
Oh, ok, we’ll just use manned bombers. There, problem solved…
braindead Premium Member about 11 years ago
‘Sounds like a line from “Where have all the Flower’s Gone”, by Peter,Paul and Mary.’-Pete Seegar
DavidGBA about 11 years ago
FOrgot Sovreignty, and how do drones beat other aircraft for offense?
beautifulyoli Premium Member about 11 years ago
Danziger has written the new way the Country is going: Ignorance, greed, creed, hatred. What ever happened to love thy neighbor?
hippogriff about 11 years ago
Where have all the flowers gone is an old Gaelic folk song. Seeger merely added a verse to close the chain into a circle. Seeger was never a formal member of the Communist Party, although frequently hired in the ’30s to perform at recruiting concerts with Woody Guthrie (who was until ’41). I have met Seeger and somewhat performed some of my work for him (which he liked). Anybody who was anti-slavery, anti-racism, anti-war, or anything else John Edgar Hoover was for was considered a Communist in those days – and again today by Teabaggers.
hippogriff about 11 years ago
Stipple: Actually, it is a scatalog, or in the plural, a gambling device with 2D6.
babka Premium Member about 11 years ago
word. the Danziger in-a-nut-shell zinger. God help us indeed.