Sunday, April 17, 2011

Drone Slaughter: the Video-Game Massacres

War, what is it good for? Apparently, it's good fun. That is, if you're fortunate enough to call yourself an American. Even the Department of Homeland Security is having a blast, as it tries to keep up with "Snooki", launching its  first reality TV show, "Inside DHS," that will, no doubt, present the illusion of a  "veil-lifting look at the government division that fights terrorism".  However, if you live in Pakistan ( Afghanistan, or any other targeted nation),  America's "persistent violation of Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty by the unmanned US war-planes" may be driving you into the arms of the evil Taliban.

Despite all the "fun" we're having over here, people are dying over there.  The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that US drones killed 957 people, injuring another 383, in Pakistan, in 2010.  (The US does not even bother keeping track of the number of civilians killed by drones. After the American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information request with the Department of Defense, the department said it does not compile statistics about the total number of civilians killed by drones, which are unmanned aircraft). So, yes, the Pakistani population is angry.  After all, they do not get a chance to participate in the fun and games.

But, based 7,000 miles away, the "safe and sound" gamers, who operate these drones,  are having a great time.   

"The US military are now so addicted to the use of these drones they call them "army crack". One hit and you are hooked they say. Ground forces now don’t want to leave their bases in Iraq and Afghanistan without those "eyes in the sky" above their heads."
Links:

High School Drop Out Turns Drone Pilot Thanks to Computer Games

2 comments:

Anonymous,  18:28  

This is really really disturbing.

It's as if the kids who grew up on these violent video games were being trained all along. In fact, when you consider that the military uses video games exactly like the ones kids play, to train soldiers to kill, there is almost no question that this is the case.

Roth's stepchild 01:57  

Capt. Paul K. Chappell, a West Point graduate, who served in Iraq in 2006-07, in his book, "Will War Ever End?: A Soldier's Vision of Peace for the 21st Century" http://www.booktv.org/Program/11525/Will+War+Ever+End+A+Soldiers+Vision+of+Peace+for+the+21st+Century.aspx

confirms exactly what you said.

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