Tag: drones

Tweet of the Day, The Other Hand Is For The Blaster Controls edition.

“Rescue missions.”

Yeah, sure, let’s go with that until the funding is secured. I mean, Falcon’s super-powered flight suit with armor, drones, and automatic pistols was for ‘Search and Rescue’ too, right? :Big Wink: So no need to contemplate how much all of this looks like a fun flight low-speed combat drone. No need at all.

Antiwar Left apparently upset about the very drone program they forced into existence.

First, let’s set the scene.

The U.S. is killing far more people than intended in some drone strikes, according to a report likely to raise new questions about the Obama administration’s reliance on drones in its battle against Islamic terrorists.

The Intercept, in a wide-ranging set of articles on the U.S. drone program, reported that in one five month-period, nearly 90 percent of people killed by strikes in an operation in northeastern Afghanistan were not the intended targets. The news outlet reports documents detailing Operation Haymaker show that the campaign, that lasted between January 2012 and February 2013, killed more than 200 people, but only 35 were the intended targets[*].

Continue reading Antiwar Left apparently upset about the very drone program they forced into existence.

Tweet of the Day, When Drones Go Bad edition.

You knew this was inevitable.

On the other hand: imagine the upcoming bad cable TV shows about renegade drone operators! Drone Pirates! – or something like that. You’ll be amazed at just how thoroughly and spectacularly a quadcopter can blow up…

Rep Sean Maloney (D, New York-18) decided that FAA regulations don’t apply to Rep. Sean Maloney.

It’s not that Rep. Maloney decided that the law, indeed, is stupid…

New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s wedding last month had it all — celebrities, fireworks and even a small drone used to shoot a spectacular wedding video.

But the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits the commercial use of drones like the miniature helicopter that gathered the breathtaking aerial footage of Maloney’s June 21 wedding to Randy Florke in Cold Spring, N.Y.

[snip]

Prior to [the] wedding, the Gyokeres [owner of Propellerheads Aerial Photography] and Maloney briefly discussed the murky legality of drone use and lack of clear federal policy, a source said. Maloney mentioned that he sits on the subcommittee overseeing the FAA but didn’t want to discuss policy on his wedding day, according to the source.

Continue reading Rep Sean Maloney (D, New York-18) decided that FAA regulations don’t apply to Rep. Sean Maloney.

*Is* David “Mr. Drone” Barron still on-track for Appeals Court nomination?

For the basic background, here’s what Ted Cruz’s office sent around on the subject:

“David Barron’s nomination underscores the danger of the so-called ‘nuclear option’ Democrats are using to ram through controversial nominees on strict party-line votes,” said Sen. Cruz. “The Obama Administration has been extremely resistant in providing information about its drone program, which continues with its refusal to disclose the body of David Barron’s government work.

“As a top official in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Barron authored consequential memos that justified the use of drones to kill U.S. citizens that the White House has not made public. Without question, Mr. Barron shaped the government’s policies that are roiling the public today.

“It would be a grave mistake to confirm Mr. Barron without meaningful access to the documents he authored. Any Democrat concerned about civil liberties should have profound concerns here. The Senate’s decision to allow a person such as Mr. Barron to be confirmed by a bare partisan majority without any real attempt to provide proper ‘advice and consent,’ is in the long run an even graver mistake.”

Continue reading *Is* David “Mr. Drone” Barron still on-track for Appeals Court nomination?

I go there on CodePink.

Glenn Reynolds isn’t particularly scratching his head over why CodePink is so down on drones, and neither am I.  And as to the answer of this question by Zombie of Pajamas Media:

Someone sitting safely at an Air Force base in Nevada presses a button and it launches a missile from a drone which takes out an al-Qaeda leader or a Taliban chieftain — the very warmongers who are causing the problem and the very ones who declared war on us.

Shouldn’t CodePink therefore be protesting in favor of drones? That would make more sense.

…with a question of my own: why are we assuming that CodePink wants the AQ or Taliban target to be the one dying?

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

The curious incident of the antiwar movement in the night-time.

Please, by all means: assume that I’m equating them with dogs.

[UPDATE]: Welcome, Instapundit readers. Interested in DC School Choice Rally videos?

Whipped ones, in fact, as Environmental Republican demonstrates (via Glenn Reynolds). You see, he went looking for the Usual Antiwar Suspects’ outrage at the drone strikes in Pakistan, and discovered… well, that apparently it wasn’t really worth noting at all, really. His conclusion?

So what con we surmise from this little investigation? How about the left-wing of this country is populated with hypocritical ideologues who not only hated Bush but had a severe dislike for America. Now that they have a leader who they feel a kinship with, well, it’s all good.

You shouldn’t be surprised: the terrorists that got attacked weren’t Europeans – which is my polite way of saying that they weren’t sufficiently white and Western for the groups running the antiwar movement to particularly care, especially since caring might embarrass a President who isn’t a Republican. Was that too harsh? No? OK, let’s try again: the antiwar movement is run by racists who only like brown people when they can be used as clubs with which to beat anybody to the antiwar movement’s Right.

Well, anyone to their Right, and Jews. A quick perusal of the major players in question indicates that they’re all really upset that Israel isn’t baring its collective neck for the knife.

Moe Lane

PS: If you won’t respect yourself, don’t expect me to respect you, either.

Crossposted to RedState.