Questioning All: The U.S govt and media are the biggest bullies in the world. Drone killings - Media: names and address of gun owners in N.Y. online.

(Warning.. graphic images are in this article)

The U.S. government is the biggest bully in the world. Not just to other countries in the world but to the citizens of the U.S. too.

Let's stop to think about what the U.S. government does around the world.

First the government kills women and children all the time through drone attacks. They do this indiscriminately. The U.S. government does this even without the approval of the countries they are killing the people in. The U.S. doesn't care about the sovereignty of another country. I have been researching drone attacks in Pakistan and how many innocent men, women and children the U.S. has killed. (I am going to include some of the research and information at the bottom of this article)

It really is sad to see a country that was suppose to be the shining light of humanity when it was formed with equal justice for all. Yet the country has degraded so badly due to the morals of the leaders/elected officials.

We were suppose to be a place that other countries and people could look up to as an example of moral and ethical leadership and how the people of the country were free, yet worked for the benefit of all of mankind.

The U.S. as it stands today has become the most immoral country with the least ethical leaders of the world.

Through torture, jailing people without any rights or justice in a courtroom (including U.S. citizens), invading other countries, killing the innocent people including children without thought or remorse, poisoning it's own citizens through the air, water and food and bullying it's own citizens to get it's way.

Now... there is that term "Like begets Like."

The government has become a bully, yet they are shocked when citizens of the U.S. act out in a violent manner. I don't believe people should act out in violence at all, but I also don't pretend to be "holier than thou" either, like the U.S. government does.

How did the country come to believe that we are the ones with the rights to all things in the world and to hell with the rest of the people of the world?

The U.S bullies it's citizens and creates a mind set through the media of "peer pressure." They did this with those who smoke cigarettes, to the point of smokers hiding to smoke. In N.Y. and California, you can't even smoke in the opened air hardly. It doesn't not matter if you agree with smoking or not... the fact is the U.S. became a bully to those who do. FYI - I have researched about smoking and it is not all that it has been made to be. The facts are what causes cancer are all the 3000 additives the big corps put in. If people smoked pure tobacco without additives.. then it is actually good for you in many ways. Don't just believe me... do some research yourself. Also at the time of the big push against smokers, is when they began chemtrails in the 80's. (Smoke coats your lungs so you don't absorb a lot of the poisons)

Now with the gun issue, the government and media are going to attempt to do the same thing with gun owners. Where gun owners will hide the fact they have guns. They are using the media to go after legal gun owners, to make them ashamed of owning a gun. It is exactly what they did with smokers.

A media outlet decided to risk people's lives and safety by putting an interactive map of law abiding citizens who have a legal right and permit to own a gun. The address and names of all of those U.S. citizens in 3 counties in New York are on the net. They are there for any robber or desperate person to get a hold of a gun, to break in.    But what the base of this is, is to bully those who are law abiding citizens who utilize their 2nd amendment of the constitution to have a gun.   They are trying to get people to give up their guns through "embarrassment." (I will again say, this is exactly what they did with smokers. Many gave up smoking due to the peer pressure and being ostracized for smoking.)

Update 12/26/12 10:10 pm - Article about ..A blogger put up an interactive map of the newpaper's staff with their names and addresses. This includes the publisher's home address that put out the gun owners interactive map.
Here is the actual information on the bloggers site of the names and addresses of the staff.

What that media outlet has done is one of the biggest bullying tactics and they may have caused people to lose their lives in the future by doing so. I can only hope that all of those people who are on the map with their names and addresses will have their guns next to them at night now.   There may be shootings in defense of themselves in houses around N.Y.

If people view things with a clear and honest vision, they will see that the U.S. government and media is the bully in the school yard that talks out of both sides of their mouth.

Children learn through their peers and parents as they are growing up, what is right and wrong. They learn how to treat others through their experiences and culture.   Is there any wonder there is more violence now in the world, when the U.S. kills innocent people around the world and invades countries? All anyone has to do is look at what they are being taught by those that are suppose to uphold the morals and ethics of the country.   Is there any wonder that kids think it is okay to bully another, when the U.S. government does it to the rest of the world? Is it any wonder that kids think violence is okay over all, when the U.S. commits violent acts around the world? Is there any wonder that people think they can get away with crimes when all the bankers that have committed fraud are free and never prosecuted?

The media acts so outraged when someone does something in the U.S. of a violent nature. Isn't it time that the U.S. government and media look in the mirror to view themselves?

I have never played a violent game that I see advertisements on all the time... I am not a "gamer." I personally don't see how someone can find killing lots of people in a game as being fun.   I do have a question, how does someone distinguish what is real or fiction when they spend hours and hours in those role playing games of killing others?

It is up to each of us to recognize bullying when we see it. It is up to each of us to not be a part of it and speak out against bullying by an individual, government, media or peer group.

We have to stand up to bullying and it seems that the U.S. government and media gets what they want through bully tactics.    Don't forget that the U.S. government is now using drones insides the U.S.. I have no doubt at some point they will justify bombing their own citizens and the media of course will have their back in convincing people why it should be done.

Don't think that will happen? Let me ask you this... did you ever think that owning a gun would become like smoking..where you have to hide that fact and be "ashamed" of it due to government and media pressure?

Regarding Drones there have been studies done in regards to how many people have been killed by drones and if drones really hit their targets or simply kills innocent men, women and children.

Last week an article came out "Confessions of a Drone Operator."
The guy quit after he killed an innocent child, yet another person that was part of the government called that child a "dog." It makes you stop and contemplate... how did the morals in our government go so far down to call a child a dog?

I began researching drones and what the U.S has done and how many children have been killed last week.

The U.S. has continually jeopardized other countries sovereignty by using drones to kill the citizens of the country. You have to wonder what would happen if another country felt it was there right to use drones inside the U.S. boundaries to kill people they said were a threat to their country? We know that a war would start as the U.S. would scream and shout that the country that is using the drones would be committing "acts of war." The U.S. would be the typical bully in that they can do as they want but don't turn the tables on them... then it is "unfair and unjust."

There is this site of the stories of the victims of U.S. drone attacks.

Here is the information about a village and innocent people killed from a U.S. drone attack.

As of August 2011 an estimated 168 innocent children have been killed by the United States government and they have not once apologized for it.

Where are the morals and ethics of that?

The Columbia Law school did an extensive study about U.S. drone attacks and their impact on the countries and citizens that were attacked.

It is 83 pages long but I have taken segments out of it that I believe are important to this discussion and understanding of what the U.S. has and is doing.

You will find that it is the CIA and the JSOC that do not have to admit what they do nor is there oversight to their killing anyone they want. They don't answer to the military nor anyone else, except to the President.

Oh another thing, I did not realize how extensively the U.S. using drones around the world and in many countries. It is not just Pakistan and Afghanistan that drones are used.

Here are excerpts from the article:

In locations such as northern Pakistan, where drones often buzz overhead 24 hours a

day, people live in constant fear of being hit.125 Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson

International Center for Scholars notes: “I have heard Pakistanis speak about children in the

tribal areas who become hysterical when they hear the characteristic buzz of a drone. […]

Imagine the effect this has on psyches, and particularly on young ones already scarred by

war and displacement.”126 Unlike deaths and property loss, which may affect one or more

families, the fear associated with covert drone strikes affects nearly everyone in a community.

The information included here is not comprehensive, as despite public and repeated allusions

to covert drone strikes by Obama Administration officials in 2011 and 2012, most official

materials related to the drone program are classified. Even the existence of a CIA drone

program remains classified, although government officials have repeatedly leaked information

to the media.2 In our interviews with government officials, most were unwilling to speak

about drone operations outside of Afghanistan. The persistent government secrecy on this

issue, particularly surrounding the involvement of the CIA and JSOC, leads us to term drone

strikes outside of Afghanistan as “covert.” In this report, we use “covert” in the colloquial,

rather than legal sense.3

Until 2006, the US reportedly notified the Pakistani government before launching strikes.62

Since that time, the Pakistani government has publicly signaled its rejection of drone strikes

as a violation of sovereignty, but there are numerous reports of its consent to continuing

strikes.63 In spring 2012, the US increased the frequency of drone

strikes, reportedly out of concern that the CIA would soon need to

halt operations due to the opposition of the Pakistani government.64

The degree of Pakistani government cooperation, including intelligence

and surveillance support, may be diminished at present.65

US strikes in Yemen increased in spring 2012, with between 15 and 62 reported strikes,

more than in the previous ten years combined.75 Media reports suggest that JSOC personnel

are on the ground in Yemen, coordinating the drone strikes. US officials state that

current drone strikes are only carried out with Yemeni government approval.76

However,in 2011, during a period of political turmoil and government transition in Yemen, the United States reportedly conducted strikes without approval.77

It remains unclear which agency takes operational lead or under which agency’s legal authority

the operations are conducted.78 In 2011, unnamed Obama Administration officials described

JSOC and CIA operations as “closely coordinated” but separate campaigns.79 Some

2011 media accounts described US operations as run by JSOC, but with CIA assistance.80

According to one account, CIA and JSOC alternate Predator missions in Yemen and borrow

each other’s resources.”81 JSOC commanders “appear on videoconference calls alongside

CIA station chiefs.”82

The scale of drone strikes in Somalia is still unknown, but appears to be increasing. A

Bureau of Investigative Journalism study estimated between ten and 21 US airstrikes in

Somalia as of publication—three to 12 of which may have been drone strikes. According to

the Bureau, the strikes resulted in between 58 and 169 deaths.89 The UN Monitoring Group

on Somalia and Eritrea stated in late June 2012 that “the number of reports concerning the

use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Somalia in 2011-12 has increased.”90

As a sampling of figures:

In Somalia, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that since 2007,

US covert actions—including operations other than drone strikes—have resulted

in the death of 58 to 169 individuals as of September 2012, of which

11 to 57 were civilians.101

In Yemen, the New America Foundation reports that drone strikes killed

531 to 779 people, with a civilian casualty rate between 4 percent and 8.5

percent, as of June 2012.102

In Pakistan, statistics are compiled by both Pakistan-based organizations

and foreign organizations, and they vary.103 The Bureau of Investigative

Journalism reports a total of 2,562 to 3,325 total killed in drone strikes,

including 474 to 881 civilian deaths as of September 2012.

Increasing Violence & Instability

Some commentators are concerned that drones may actually be contributing to an increase

in violence in Pakistan and Yemen, although studies are not conclusive and some observers

disagree. Since the drone program in Pakistan began, there has been an increase in

deaths due to terrorist incidents, peaking at 2,500 civilians killed in 2011, according to the

US State Department’s National Counterterrorism Center.113 This increase appears to predate

the escalation of drone strikes in 2008; we are not aware of a study that conclusively

demonstrates a causal link between drone strikes and increased violence. To the contrary,

some commentators argue that drone strikes have correlated with a slight decrease in

violence.114 The conflicting evidence illustrates the confusion over the effectiveness of the

US counterterrorism strategy, and the imperative for US policymakers to question—and fully

and adequately clarify—the impact of covert drone operations on the ground, including the

changing impact over time.

Drone strikes have also hit many homes in Yemen.133

Strikes have contributed to ongoing violence, which has

led to the displacement of over 100,000 people.134 Displacement

impacts every layer of civilian life and threatens

the stability of the community.

An airstrike in Jaar,

a town in southern Yemen, reduced an entire block to

rubble in two consecutive explosions; however, whether

the strike was by the US or Yemeni government is unknown.

135

According to media reports, the threat or prevalence of drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan

mean some parents are unwilling to send their children to school out of fear.138 In

Pakistan, there have been several reports of drone strikes that have damaged or destroyed

local schools.139

Usman Wazir was at his job selling fruits when a drone hit his house, killing his younger

brother, his wife, their 15-year-old son, and 13-year-old daughter. He told the Center, “I demand

compensation for each member of my family and demand that my house is rebuilt.”143

For civilians who demand justice for such losses, there is no known process in Pakistan, Yemen,

or Somalia by which they can apply for compensation or file a claim of personal loss.

This is compounded by the fact that the existence of the drone program has for so long

been officially denied by the US government.

Events following one particular drone strike illustrate the complexities of deciphering an

accurate story of civilian harm. On August 23, 2010, a CIA strike reportedly killed at least

seven civilians in Pakistan. Unnamed US officials repeatedly told media for a year after this

incident that there were no civilian deaths from drone strikes:

Demand for drone pilots and other personnel will only increase as the US continues to rely

on this technology; indeed, in 2011 the demand reportedly prompted the Air Force to consider

having pilots control four planes at once.249

We are not aware of any cases in Pakistan or Yemen where drone strike civilians have received

apologies, explanations or monetary payments as amends from the US Government.

With limited information, we cannot conclude that either the CIA or JSOC is inherently unsuitable

to conduct drone strikes, although we have concerns based on their past practices.

It is incumbent upon policymakers with access to more information—particularly members

of Congress—to scrutinize and inform public debate on the suitability of the CIA and JSOC.

International law—particularly the laws of war—would require the CIA to take steps to

reduce civilian harm in using force, but observers debate whether the CIA sees itself as

bound by it. The statements of government officials have been ambiguous.308 In a major

address, Preston described the CIA’s compliance with international law “principles”—as

opposed to “rules” or treaty provisions. (To be fair, the same can be said of remarks by

his counterparts at other agencies.309) Some observers speculate that the CIA interprets

statutory provision 50 USC section 413b(a)(5)—which prohibits the president from authorizing

“any action that would violate the Constitution or any statute of the United States”—as

freeing the CIA from international law obligations, since it omits mention of them.310 A US

Army colonel notes that the Department of Defense “is legally bound to execute its military

operations in accordance with the laws of armed conflict”; “the CIA, however, is under no

similar requirement regarding international law.”311

Accounts of the CIA’s lawyering practices describe adherence to US law, but seldom mention

international law. According to Goldsmith:

These operators spend their days and nights on deceptive and deceitful

tasks that violate foreign and some international laws as well as everyday

ethics. They are constantly reminded that whatever other rules and laws

they must violate in their work, they must not violate US law.312