Incredibly, the White House is staying silent on yesterday’s news of an alleged drone strike in Yemen that reportedly killed 15 people traveling to a wedding.
“President Obama: End Your #GameOfDrones Now,” University of Texas-Austin
Even though President Obama called civilian casualties “heartbreaking tragedies” in a May 2013 speech, his Administration has been unwilling to acknowledge specific killings, let alone investigate and provide compensation or reparation to survivors and families.
This includes the family of grandmother Mamana Bibi, who was who was struck and killed by a drone’s Hellfire missiles while gathering vegetables in her family’s fields in October 2012. Though her grandchildren visited members of Congress earlier this year, the White House has never publicly recognized the killing or the family’s loss.
“I hope I can return home with a message,” Mamana Bibi’s grandson told members of Congress. “I hope I can tell my community that Americans listened.”
The White House can still change course and ends its policy of secrecy. We are calling on President Obama to publicly commit to investigating all credible reports of potentially unlawful killings, including those documented in our report.
It’s time to stop the silence, and start being accountable.
It's hard for me to reconcile the two Obamas; the one who delivered that moving speech in Johannesberg at Mandelas memorial and the one who continously approves the drone strikes and seems to kill indiscriminately and without remorse, one who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize vs. the one who is being accused by some, including me, of war crimes via these same drone strikes. Very sad.
Remember when he promised that his administration would be the most transparent administration ever? Remember when he was so critical of President Bush and drones? Well he has doubled those and the Program is so wreckless NOW. He is a pathological liar. If you believe in him / support him by now you are a sheep and not a very bright one at that. Ohhh baaaah ma! "Yes we can…Yes we can". Yes you did — congrats sheep.
In my opinion Obamas policy is not much better then the policy of Bush. He talks a big game, is funny and acts smooth but if you look at the results of his war, you see that many people suffered from it. I hope this Drone policy of the US will change soon – its good that Amnesty International is raising the awareness on this.
Actions speak louder then words.That will be Obama's legacy since the only action taken is his professed desire to limit our freedom & he could not have done it without abetting democrats.