DESCRIPTION:
The series of Predator Drone missile strikes massacring citizens in Pakistan and Afghanistan, ordered by Obama, began a few days after his inauguration. This long series of sudden strikes without warning at any hour of the day or night a few times a week takes the lives of terrified families. The presidents of the two nations, legislators, the Pakistan Supreme Court, US peace groups plea helplessly. Obama is above the law.
TEXT:
Serial killer! One thinks of a frighteningly dangerous person on a demonic mission of murders to satisfy some plan, bizarrely logical only for the killer’s criminally psychotic mind, putting an entire community at the mercy of a demented soul who recognizes no one’s right to live.
Doesn't sound like anyone we know.
But the Predator Drone Hellfire missile strikes aimed at insurgents, or suspected insurgents, Taliban and al Qaeda leaders that began a few days after Obama’s inauguration, bringing weekly, sometimes daily massacres of Pakistani or Afghani Pashtun noncombatant civilians, have been ordered by the Commander-in-Chief himself.
Why the President feels he must continue this killing is unknown to us. Is he not aware that the assassinated leaders are replaced, while all other men, women and children are irreplaceable for their families, their countrymen, and we, their Earthling brothers and sisters- the joy they brought their loved ones, their contribution to society, lost forever, annihilated, sacrificed, on Obama’s orders, on the altar of U.S. Foreign Policy .
International law, Geneva Conventions, U.S. Constitution, the leaders of the countries bombed electronically by machine, their peoples wishes, all are ignored. The President of the media supported American Empire is a law unto himself, though more and more assume him to be beholden to his backers in Wall Street and the Military Financial Complex with his hands somehow tied.
After all the previous justifications for wars of occupation, Obama pointing to the 9/11 suicide attack by fifteen Saudi Arabians, one Egyptian, one Lebanese and two United Arab Emirates highjackers sounds self-righteous at best and absurd at worst. Osama bin Laden goes long unmentioned by anyone.
Obama declaring open season on Taliban, a former government the U.S. once supported both militarily and financially seems irrational, and heartless, given the Afghanistan legislature calling for negotiations with Taliban and the exit of all foreign troops over and over again for years while President Karzai pleads, begs, for the bombing taking the lives of his people to stop. (Which has been blacked out of corporate commercial media.)
Helplessly the president, army, courts and media of Pakistan demand the U.S. desist in its counterproductive, destabilizing and illegal drone attacks in their sovereign nation.
All this sounds every bit as mad and as criminally insane as as a domestic serial killer on the rampage at home. The big difference is that imperialist war supporting conglomerate owned information media would never compare a sitting U.S. president, let alone the popular Obama, to a serial killer terrorizing the streets of America.
The charm of a usually relaxed in appearance half African American President, for all his help in the overcoming of racial division in the United States means absolutely nothing, zero, to the families of those Pakistani and Afghani murdered by the hundreds in the missile strikes by U.S. Predator drone airplanes. Strikes authorized by the first black president of ‘America the beautiful’, America the rich and famous.’ Muslim societies are strongly racially integrated. This black, or half black, U.S. president is bombing them even more than the white president before him did.
If time after time after time, during this Obama ordered series of drone missile strikes, civilians die horribly, the killing cannot be called unintended. It is intended collateral murder, which cannot to excused by insisting that the missile was time after time after time aimed, not at the civilians but at someone else.
The drone body score is so well reported by Associate Press news articles and bulletins that one only need google ‘drone missile attacks’ and 45 pages, 450 entries of body count articles come up by AP, Reuters, New York Times, British, European, Asian publications and reprints by various alternate media Internet sites attempting to penetrate the legendary American public indifference to the deaths of millions who have fallen in harms way during America’s wars of occupation in their very own beloved, albeit, impoverished Third World countries since end of W.W.II.
Naturally U.S. conglomerate owned TV anchors and commentators are careful not to discomfort those of their viewing audience who might have compassion for the families of those blown to pieces. Rarely do these Associated Press releases make it to the TV screen except on some university channel broadcasting the Democracy Now alternate news program.
Describing an American president a serial killer, though certainly not an accusation never heard before is still something out of the ordinary, but in this case of Obama use of Predatory Drones, it can be easily substantiated. Put oneself in the shoes of the mother or father of a child blow away suddenly without warning some morning, afternoon, evening or in the middle of its sleep - did they hear something like ann apology offered by Obama in the week after over one hundred Pakistanis in different stages of life were terminated? Obama has a plan - its logical to him, and it just happens include the deaths of those over one hundred on June 24 - includes, as well, the whole five month series of deaths before the largest massacre, and includes the continuing of series of cruel, hellish and deadly unseen attacks from the sky that still go on.
Obama’s CIA Head Leon Panetta, insists the drones are very effective and must continue. "Drone Attacks Inside Pakistan Will Continue, CIA Chief Says Panetta Calls Strikes 'Successful' at Disrupting Insurgents," Washington Post, Feb. 26, 2009. Panetta repeated his words in May. With the mental picture of dead and maimed women and children, though biting one’s tongue, the word swine comes to mind. The word 'inhuman' has become too weak to apply.
This deaths of civilians in Commander-in-Chief Obama’s ordered drone attacks, are of course in addition to the daily toll of civilian lives taken in the ground invasions ordered by Obama into Pushtun areas of Afghanistan long under the formerly US supported Taliban government, and his insisting that the Pakistan army do the same in Pashtun Pakistan.
Again, the United States claim to be killing for peace, and its citizens again are acquiescent, this time under its well liked first not completely white president, who like his predecesors is above all law regarding the use of his military forces abroad.
Selected supporting news articles from world mainstream media for reader reference, plus, at the end an OEN article that details how the CIA in 1979 was the first to back Islamic fundamentalist terror.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=23056
Supreme Court Moved Against Drone Attacks
The International News, July 02, 2009
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: A constitutional petition was filed on Wednesday in the Supreme Court, challenging drone attacks in the tribal belt of the country and praying for directing the federal government to submit a report before the court as to who was responsible for causing the murders of citizens.
The court was also prayed to direct the federal government to get an FIR registered against US President Barack Obama and those responsible for the murder of innocent people in drone attacks. The petition was filed by M Tariq Asad advocate, Chairman of the National Council of Human Rights, under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, making the federal government through its secretary, Ministry of Interior, as respondent.
He prayed to the court to direct the federal government to register murder and genocide cases against US President Barack Obama for ordering drone attacks inside the Pakistani territory. The petitioner also prayed to the court to direct the government to lodge complaint with the United Nations against the US aggression.
It was prayed that the respondents be directed to file complaint against the United States of America before the International Court of Justice or other judicial organs of the United Nations to take action in accordance with international law.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/25/content_11601840.htm
Pakistan asks U.S. to stop drone attacks in tribal region
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-25
"We have conveyed our serious concerns over the continued drone attacks to the United States. These are not acceptable and must be stopped," the spokesman said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also called for stopping the drone attacks in order to ensure success of Pakistan's strategy for isolating the militants from the tribes, when meeting U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones on Thursday.
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PAKISTANIS OUTRAGED OVER CONTINUED DRONE ATTACKS
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/01/26/1761106.aspx
By NBC News’ Carol Grisanti and Mushtaq Yusufzai, January 26, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The message from Washington to Pakistan was clear: there is no change in U.S. policy when it comes to going after al-Qaida and Taliban targets in Pakistan’s lawless border areas. After all, Barack Obama warned during his presidential campaign that America must go after terrorist targets if Pakistan did not act first.
It should not have been a surprise, then, to Pakistanis when on Friday night, five missiles from remotely piloted Predator drones struck targets in the lawless tribal areas of North and South Waziristan – but it was.
The twin attacks killed 22 people
Athar Hussain / Reuters
Supporters of the Pakistani Islamist party Jamat-e-Islami protest U.S. drone attacks in Karachi on Sunday.
Who’s in charge?
The Pakistan government quickly voiced its outrage. ...The anger now threatens to undermine the authority of the fledgling civilian government in Islamabad, ...In North Waziristan, the drone strikes are leading to mental disorders, especially among women and children, according to Dr. Munir Ahmad, a 50-year-old psychiatrist in Miranshah, a city on the border with Afghanistan that is North Waziristan’s main population center.
"The situation among the people is alarming," he said. "The women and children are so frightened from hours of drones circling overhead and then the thunderous noise of the missile attacks that now even a door slamming frightens them to uncontrollable tears," he said.
"The children are so afraid that they can’t concentrate on their lessons," Yaqoob told us. "They just sit in the classroom and look towards the sky watching the three or four drones that continuously hover over the town," ,,
Hasbunallah Khan / AP
"The tribespeople are sandwiched between the all-powerful militants and the U.S. drones," said Haji Niamatullah Dawar, a resident of Mirali, North Waziristan – a 45 minute drive from the capital of Miranshah. "We have no choice now but to leave our homes and shift closer to peaceful cities like Lahore and Islamabad," he said.
Spawning more militants
Mohammed Wali, a farmer in Mirali, said that the drone attacks are causing some to join the militants.
"My neighbor was so furious when a drone killed his mother, two sisters and his 7-year-old brother last September that he filled his car with explosives and rammed it into a Pakistani army convoy," he said. "He had to avenge the death of his loved ones," Wali added. Twelve people, including ten Pakistani soldiers were killed.
... 90 percent of the tribes people in North Waziristan are suffering from some kind of mental illness due to the violence in the region. "I don’t have the capability to see so many patients who are mentally disturbed," he said. "And they can’t afford to be without help as they wait and wait for me to finally see them."
As thousands attended the funerals for the people killed in Friday’s drone attacks, tribal elders said that their great hopes that Obama would stop the attacks have been dashed.
"We are very disappointed now," said Malik Taj Mohammed, a chief in South Waziristan. "Why doesn’t President Obama understand that the problems we face are poverty and lack of development in our lands and spend his money trying to help us rather than kill us," he said.
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http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/06/24/news/nation/z72736886f4b831fc882575df0079843d.txt
U.S. drone attack kills 80 in Pakistan
Missile strikes miss country's top Taliban leader
By ROHAN SULLIVAN - Associated Press , June 24, 2009
ISLAMABAD ---- What appeared to be the deadliest U.S. missile attack ever on Pakistani soil brought an unusual reaction Wednesday in a country that has previously denounced such strikes as an affront to its sovereignty ---- silence.
Tuesday's attack killed 80 people, Pakistani officials said, but missed its chief target,
The Foreign Ministry issued a short statement reiterating "Pakistan's consistent position that drone attacks are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and must be stopped."
and regarding Obama administration goading Pakistan to discontinue peace negotiations and invade the Swat valley...
"Once the impression is established that Americans are assisting in this operation, the indigenous effort will be discredited and anti-American sentiments in the tribal region will overshadow everything," Shah said.
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http://berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/04/09_journalist.shtml
Veteran journalist says schools and hospitals, not missile attacks, can defeat al Qaeda
Pakistani Hamid Mir, who interviewed Osama bin Laden three times, calls on the West to bring development to his country's border with Afghanistan
By Barry Bergman, 09 April 2009
BERKELEY —
the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban — both of which, he said, were midwifed with America's help after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Qaeda, then why is al Qaeda hitting this 'safe haven' again and again?" he wondered. The mosque killings, he said, put the lie not only to the notion that terrorist forces have firm control of the region, but to the idea that their motivation is primarily religious.
... just as America and the West were complicit in the 1977 toppling of his country's first elected president, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto — father of assassinated Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto (and a 1950 Berkeley alum) — Mir insisted that U.S.-directed drone attacks on the tribal areas are killing many more civilians than terrorists, and are turning even mainstream, well-educated Pakistanis against the United States.
As an example, he cited a recent interview he'd conducted for Pakistan's popular Geo TV, where he now serves as Islamabad bureau chief, with Shehzad Roy, a "very famous pop singer" whose new album is "full of anti-U.S. songs."
Civilian deaths attributed to American drone attacks, insisted Mir, are contributing to "a process of radicalization — radicalization of not only the people of this tribal area, [but] the radicalization of Pakistani pop singers."
This region, which holds barely 2 percent of Pakistan's 170 million people, is "one of the most underdeveloped areas, not in Pakistan, not in South Asia, but in the world."
"If an 18-year-old boy wants employment in that area, he'll go to the Taliban. And if an 80-year-old elderly person wants some justice, he will also go to the Taliban. Because there is no government," Mir said.
It wasn't until 2003, in fact — after more than a half-century of official neglect — that the government established any presence at all in the area. At that time, said Mir, "the tribal elders showered rosebuds on the Pakistani army," so grateful were they for its promises of development.
"Then [George W.] Bush started calling [then-President Pervez] Musharraf," recounted Mir. "He said, 'Congratulations, your army has entered the Pakistani tribal areas. When are you going to start your military operations?' And Mr. Musharraf never explained that 'I ordered my army to enter the tribal areas to do some development work.'
"Lots of innocent civilians were killed" in the subsequent, U.S.-backed anti-terror attacks, said Mir. "And that's how the tribals turned against the Pakistani army. That's how the tribals turned against the United States of America."
The way to win them back, argued Mir — and to dry up support for Islamic extremists operating in their midst — is to halt drone attacks in tribal areas, beef up border checkpoints, increase regional cooperation, and — above all — provide real economic and educational opportunities for local populations.
"If U.S. drones are killing innocent civilians in that area, they will hate you," said Mir. "But if you are ready to give them schools and hospitals, they will love you. This is very simple."
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Mar 19, 2009 ... Anger in Pakistan at US plan to expand drone attacks ... an escalation in the use of the CIA's unmanned drones to launch missile attacks. ...
www.prisonplanet.com/anger-in-pakistan-at-us-plan-to-expand-drone-attacks .html
• Pentagon urges Obama to widen reach of strikes
• Islamabad warns of public backlash against move
* Saeed Shah in Islamabad and Ewen MacAskill in Washington
* The Guardian, Thursday 19 March 2009
Pakistan reacted with anger yesterday to an American proposal to expand its drone missile strikes inside the country against Taliban and al-Qaida targets.
Pakistani politicians and officials described the idea of extending military operations into the vast, south-west province of Baluchistan as provocative and counterproductive, and warned of a severe backlash if the US went ahead.
Sources in the US administration confirmed that the White House has received recommendations from the military about an escalation in the use of the CIA's unmanned drones to launch missile attacks. At present, attacks are confined to the tribal areas in the north-west of the country.
The recommendation is part of a review of Afghanistan and Pakistan policy ordered by Barack Obama when he took over the White House in January.
Abdul Basit, a Pakistan foreign office spokesman, responding to disclosure of the plan in the New York Times, expressed opposition: "As we have been saying all along, we believe such attacks are counter-productive. They involve collateral damage and they are not helpful in our efforts to win hearts and minds."
The Pakistani government, which described the report as speculative, has denounced such attacks as undermining the country's sovereignty.
Munawar Hassan, secretary general of Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan's biggest mainstream religious party, said the US would be pouring petrol on an already incendiary situation. "The United States has no message of peace for the world, they can only talk through arms and armaments,"
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http://www.opednews.com/articles/How-Many-More-Lives-Will-O-by-Jay-Janson-090428-279.html
Thursday, April 30, 2009
How Many More Lives Will Obama Take to 'Protect' Us From What Jimmy Crater Began?
(18 comments) While we are 'being protected' from what President Jimmy Carter created in Afghanistan in 1979 - by Obama sending additional troops to war and bombings in Pakistan, - let's remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.' counsel, that today's occupation wars should be seen in context of imperialism and predatory capitalism. And not forget! It didn't start on 9/11/2001.
Call, Congress, media, get angry about the slaughter from the sky.