Drones Drown the Voice of Conscience

The widespread use of unmanned planes or drones as the weapon of choice by the U.S. in the Middle East has gotten to the point that even Americans of good conscience have begun to protest against it. Drones kill civilians -- mostly women and children -- indiscriminately in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. There being no pilot, there is no accountability for the "accident" "error" or "mistake" that happens in this sort of impersonal or robotic warfare. Of course, the aggressor, with its superior technology, is perfectly content with this modus operandi. There is no risk to human life -- the one that counts, that is -- and the worst that can happen is the loss of a plane, now and then.

Although "all is fair in love and war", it has never been that way, really. There are things that are so unconscionable that are not allowed under the rules of war. The use of drones should be one of them.

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