Oabama making fun of drone attacks; Families of the dead don't find it funny

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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At the 2004 Radio and Television Correspondents’ Dinner, President Bush joked about searching for WMDs under Oval Office furniture. The joke backfired when parents who had lost their children fighting in Iraq said they found the joke offensive and tasteless. Senator John Kerry said Bush displayed a “stunningly cavalier” attitude toward the war and those serving in Iraq. (Video at the bottom of the article)

So it’s odd that President Obama would make a crude joke about deaths that he is responsible for. But that’s just what he did at the May 1 White House Correspondents Dinner. “Jonas Brothers are here, they’re out there somewhere,” President Obama quipped as he looked out at the packed room. Then he furrowed his brow, pretending to send a stern message to the pop band. “Sasha and Malia are huge fans, but boys, don’t get any ideas. Two words for you: predator drones. You’ll never see it coming.”

For people in Pakistan, where most of the drones are being used, the joke lost something in translation. According to Pakistani journalist Khawar Rizvi, few Pakistanis have ever heard of the Jonas Brothers or understood the reference to the President’s daughters. “But one thing we do know: There’s nothing funny about predator drones,” said Rizvi. “They’ve killed hundreds of civilians and caused so much suffering in Pakistan. And that’s no laughing matter.”

The point of using attack drones, which are piloted from 6,000 miles away in the Nevada desert, is to guarantee no U.S. casualties. But the increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles has led to an increase in the killing and maiming of innocents, often while they are sleeping in their beds.

You won’t get much of a chuckle by reading The New America Foundation’s 2009 report “Revenge of the Drones.” It shows that Obama, far from curtailing the drone program he inherited from President Bush, dramatically increased the number of U.S. drone strikes.

The report says that roughly 252 to 315 Pakistani civilians were killed by Predator and Reaper drone strikes between 2006 and 2009. Other reports place the figure much higher. Pakistani authorities released statistics indicating that over 700 civilians were killed by drones in 2009 alone, the year Obama took office. The running tally on the website PakistanBodyCount.Org is even more shocking:** 1,226 civilians killed and 427 injured as of March 2010!**

Equally shocking is the ratio of civilians to militants killed, which Middle East scholar Daniel Byman estimates at ten to one. **It is a cruel joke indeed for the people of Pakistan that the U.S. military finds it acceptable to murder 10 innocent people for every Al Qaeda or Taliban operative killed.
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The use of the drones has also expanded in Afghanistan. Every day, the Air Force now flies at least 20 Predator drones — twice as many as a year ago. They are mostly used for surveillance, but have also carried out more than 200 strikes over the last year. “Since the start of 2009, the Predators
http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/146739

I find it disgusting, don’t know about those people here who support drone attacks on innocent people of their country. hmm?

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Re: Oabama making fun of drone attacks; Families of the dead don't find it funny

^^^ You should also feel sad about the families of people murder by homicidal bombers in Pakistan.

Btw, I support drone attacks because that is the only way to get these murderous scumbags who have taken our country hostage. These people deserve no mercy.

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Whatever happened to that so-called brave army of your Pakistan?

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The army is fighting them and we'll eliminate them soon.

BTw, too bad for you living in evil west and cheering for terrorists. Can you say hypocrisy?

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prove it.

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Re: Oabama making fun of drone attacks; Families of the dead don't find it funny

^^^ read your own posts.

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My posts? Point them out will ya?

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Re: Oabama making fun of drone attacks; Families of the dead don't find it funny

but US really used drones inside paki teritory?? That means pakistan is already conquered by US. what's that govt for?? puppet of US. Should india start negotiating with US rather than gilani??

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LOL, wake up, turn off your bollywood and smell the coffee, India is already being used by US and you don't need to highlight our government as puppet, the Pakistani people already know this.

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you must be having evidence for what u r claiming.. you must have thourougly investigated and then only said this. you pakistanis are so methodological when it comes to making investigation and claims. the whole world know this..

Guys, here is a breaking news. US is using India for..........uh...don't know..

can anybody clarify??

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uh… I can ask the Pakistani ISI and Army for evidence, hold on let me call Army chacha up… wait… he’s having a meeting with some Americans discussing on new tactics to sell and kill the Pakistani citizens. Oh well, next time. :k:

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So Paki army and ISI is havy meeting with american to get the pakistanis killed??? that actual substantiate my earlier quote that pakistan is already conquered by US. I hope u know what u r talking…

but one good thing that any of paki citizen can talk to paki army and ISI…Is RTI implemented there by US??

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Re: Oabama making fun of drone attacks; Families of the dead don't find it funny

The OP is making yet another pathetic attempt of taking things out of context (perhaps due to his naivety).

Presidents + correspondents' dinner is one occasion in a year where everyone makes fun about their ownselves.

In this drone of a joke, pres obama too is making fun of his own family. And yet some smelly @rse people want to turn this into an international drama.

Pathetic.

really pathetic.

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Navtech. You are an indian so you should know that "Paki" is a term used in southern india for the lower-caste such as shudras.

Should we start calling Indians with lower caste names too.

And believe you me, we do have plenty of them in Pak too.

it is sad that we have casteism in Pak, but that's a different thread and a different discussion.

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Thanks for the info. but i really don't know that such caste do exists. in fact, govt has made asking caste illegal in india. there is no more caste documents in the administration. hence we really dont know who is shudra and who is upper caste.

but why r u offended by word paki. that's what everybody call pakistani everywhere. Are you ashame of being pakistani??

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For me it doesn't matter.

it just reflects badly on YOU.

Got it?

p.s. And let's not get into this "caste is illegal" shenanigans. You know it and I know it with first hand experience that lower classes are looked down upon in both India and Pak.

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OH PLEASE. Now your going to lecture us on how Presidential dinners justify making fun of the dead people? Your one of those soulless self-righteous hypocrites on this forum.

Mr I am an Educated Fool, like I said save your bakwas for your small flock.

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May be!

But it sure beats being "terror sympathizer (if not more than that)".

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Again, no evidence of this you have.

And why not tell me o wise one, why is it right to make fun of the dead at a presidential dinner? How many have you attended?

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Perhaps it may help if you read this:

"Jonas Brothers are here, they're out there somewhere," President Obama quipped as he looked out at the packed room. Then he furrowed his brow, pretending to send a stern message to the pop band. "Sasha and Malia are huge fans, but boys, don't get any ideas. Two words for you: predator drones. You'll never see it coming."
"

Now tell us where did he make fun of your dead leaders?