That is the question that seems to be a hot topic currently in the news. Many people are questioning the legality and morality of these unmanned air-crafts killing thousands of people. It is estimated that the United States Government uses 7500 Drones in attacks in Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and similar countries. These Drone attacks have caused nearly 3,500 people in Pakistan alone this year. This is by far a lot of people especially if the numbers are just as high if not higher in the other countries that these attacks are being used in.
People are calling this a moral issue and saying that there needs to be "rule books" on the Drone attacks and some are questioning whether they be used at all. I understand their point of view because not only are we killing the terrorists that are the main targets of these Drones, we are killing innocent people. These innocent men, women, and children bystanders are becoming casualties of war. They are getting in the cross fire between those who are terrorists and our unmanned, unemotional, and unstoppable Drones.
In class we watched a mini film about a man that was behind the computer, controlling one of the Drones. He spoke about how he began to get nightmares of all the lives he was "taking", by his own hands literally; through the touch of a button. The film also showed an American family being killed as casualties of the strike against terrorists. It is tragic the innocent people that are becoming involved in a fight that they are not apart of and getting killed for something they do not believe in.
I know many people disagree with the usage of Drones, but in all actuality I believe it is a great and powerful thing we have come to use. These Drones may kill thousands of people, most of them terrorists, but at the same time they are saving thousands of Americans. Why not use a machine over American soldiers? There may be some casualties that are not foreseen but you are saving your fellow family member, neighbor, employee, or whoever. In my Criminology class I learned that the news channels over dramatize certain aspects of crime/war. People assume when they see these things that they happen all the time, but in all actuality the news repeatedly play pieces of the, in this case, aftermath of the Drone attack. This plays to peoples emotions making us all believe this is a constant event that happens and that thousands of civilians are dying from this unmanned aircraft.
I think over time the attacks will become more perfected and in time there will be little to no innocent casualties. In an article, by Chris Cole and Jim Wright they wrote, "Drones will no doubt make possible the dramatic expansion of the
surveillance state. With the convergence of other technologies it may
even make possible machine recognition of faces, behaviors, and the
monitoring of individual conversations. The sky, so to speak, is the
limit." Now seeing this and wondering if this could be possible how could we not use these Drones? These will inevitably save time, manpower, and the most important LIVES, American lives.
We live in a time of technology and in order to stay ahead of the game we must use all of our resources we have available to us and perfect them. How awesome is the Drone? I mean come on who wouldn't want to sit behind a computer and pull the trigger without the fear of being shot, blown up, kidnapped, tortured, and all the terrors of being in a battle on the ground with some of the most vicious terrorists that will stop nothing short of killing themselves with even the slightest chance of getting you.
Please close your eyes and imagine:
You are driving down the highway with your family and come to a toll booth. The man attending the booth asks not for your money but for your daughter to be left with them. You say no and then he pulls out a gun and threatens the rest of your family with death if you do not leave your little girl with this man. What choice do you have? Leave your daughter to be molested and raped by this man or have your entire family killed.
This situation is all too familiar to people in Syria. Rape is becoming an epidemic throughout the country. Most of the rape is being committed by officials of their own government. How can you get help if the ones you would get help from are the ones committing these vicious rapes.
Rape in America is dealt with, when caught, by time in jail and a permanent record. In these various types of countries the women who are the victims of these crimes become shamed and targeted. So victims they are not. They are shameless whores who deserve death. This is how their country views them after they are sexually violated. With the increasing amount of rape, men and children are becoming victims of penetration, groping, sodomy, and other disgusting acts against them sexually.
It is sad to see and hear reports that President Bashar al-Assad and his military are using rape as an act of war and terror. I can't imagine living in a country that condones such an act especially under the hands of the President of that country.
(Is it me or does this guy resemble Adolf Hitler?)
*Whatever the resembelence or not he reminds me of the malisious acts against citizens of the country in regards to Hitler and the Jews. *
I googled Assad's name and found so many videos of children, women, and men being tortured and also very graphic and extrememly disturbing videos of children who had been raped, mutilated, and killed.
What a disgusting world we live in and so sad that there are countries like Syria and a President of such countries that allow these horrible acts to transpire. I am truly lucky to be born and live in a country where we have a checks and balances on our political and judicial system to where something like this can and will never be possible. I wish there was more we could do for the victims of these malicious crimes and their families.
If you didn't know already the recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Washington and in Colorado. What a great idea, right? No not really. It was bad enough for there to be medical marijuana stores available on nearly every block in Colorado when my husband and I visited a friend this past January. Wherever we went there seemed to be a lingering aroma of marijuana and the most of the people we came into contact with were chill and not fully there. Not to say everyone in Colorado was stoned but from what I witnessed during the week we were there, I could only imagine how it is now that it is legal for everyone, not just those using it for "medical" purposes.
Okay now that I got my little rant out let's look at the good and the bad of legalized recreational use of marijuana. First let's start with the good. With marijuana being legalized that means that there will be a decrease in arrests, fines, and time taken away from more serious crimes. With fewer incarcerations the money that is used for resources towards police patrolling and expenses to keep those convicted for various marijuana charges that are in jail, the money could go towards other places such as education that could greatly benefit from an added budget. If other states follow suit and legalize the recreational use of marijuana then the estimated effect it would have on the economy would be that when taxed it would create a revenue increase in the billions.
Now with the bad. Yes billions of dollars in revenue annually sounds like an amazing thing especially in this economy we are currently facing. Let us remember though these are estimates and no real data can support and say for sure how much the legalization and taxation of marijuana would actually help this economy. There would be fewer incarcerations due to less arrests for drug use, but there would more than likely be an increase in the consumption of the drug, causing more users and addicts. So the money saved from the patrolling, arrests, fines, and incarcerations would soon need to be spent towards recovery centers, drug abuse clinics, and the like. *They don't call it the gateway drug for nothing*
Besides the good and the bad that come with legalizing marijuana there is a major problem that is sure to come up within the next couple of years. Even though certain states are beginning to legalize the use of marijuana it is still deemed illegal by the Federal Government. As said by the Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, "don't break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly." (TheBlaze.com) So if you lived in Colorado you can legally smoke marijuana, but federally you are breaking the law. I can see many Supreme Court Cases regarding this topic in the upcoming years.
It will be interesting to see how this law will work out in the states themselves, as well as how it works out with the Federal Government. It will also be interesting to see how many states will follow suit and legalize the recreational use of marijuana, hopefully not many.
