41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed: US drone strikes

[Hermit]

Whatever you say. Meanwhile the drones keep right on creating more enemies than they destroy.

[pErvinalia]

None of the 1147 people who were killed by drones put the 41 Taleban who were also killed in power. Is it so difficult to grasp the concept of drones creating more enemies than they kill?

Maybe they didn't, but they've done nothing to stop them either.
If you let someone stand behind you, shooting at people, the chances are you're going to get hit.
Tough shit.
Do something about it, or pay the price.

You did nothing to stop Cameron, a social terrorist, from getting elected. We should blow you and your family to bits with a missile.

[pErvinalia]

Whatever you say.

It's embarrassing what passes for rationality on this site these days. Yes, according to MM, children should have done something to stop their grand uncle from becoming a terrorist.

[laklak]

Just doin' God's work, y'all, killin' them Muzzie Terrierists.

[Hermit]

Drones done no good. Need nucelar bombs.

[Seth]

America is a nation led by a monkey though. So go figure what the rest of them are, no matter color, for just obeying orders?

Obama is not a monkey. He certainly is better value than his predecessor. As for "the rest of them", the majority of "them" has voted for Obama. Twice.

You're starting to sound almost as idiotic as Seth, Scumple. Or are you just blindly lashing out because your partner is being shouty again?

Actually, a majority of those who voted voted for Obama, not a majority of the citizens of the US, 45.1% of whom didn't vote at all.

I'm not saying that those who didn't vote get to bitch, I'm just pointing out that Obama hardly has a "mandate" to do as he pleases because he was elected by only about a quarter of the population, not a majority, much less an overwhelming majority.

[Seth]

Drones done no good. Need nucelar bombs.

Neutron bombs please. They kill the terrorists without permanently contaminating the entire planet.

[Seth]

Whatever you say. Meanwhile the drones keep right on creating more enemies than they destroy.

Not true. Pakistan is turning against the Taliban and IS along with other Muslim nations because they are finally fed up with the insanity being perpetrated in the name of their "peaceful" religion...and the economic and social toll of allowing zealots to run things.

[Seth]

You have been well brainwashed.
Killing innocent people is making moderate people fanatics.
For every one you kill, you are creating 100 more people that hate you for killing family members that had nothing to do with the fight.

I doubt it. I think the peaceable Muslims realize that the attempts to exterminate the Taliban and IS are in their best interests and they blame the Islamic extremists for those deaths. That's clearly the case with most non-radicalized Afghans, who are panicking at the idea of the US pulling out because they know they will once again become slaves to the Taliban unless someone with enough military might protects them.

If you can't comprehend that, then perhaps your Dhimmitude has already begun.

Dim are the people that can't work out their strategy is actually counter-productive.

What's your alternative?

[Hermit]

America is a nation led by a monkey though. So go figure what the rest of them are, no matter color, for just obeying orders?

Obama is not a monkey. He certainly is better value than his predecessor. As for "the rest of them", the majority of "them" has voted for Obama. Twice.

You're starting to sound almost as idiotic as Seth, Scumple. Or are you just blindly lashing out because your partner is being shouty again?

Actually, a majority of those who voted voted for Obama, not a majority of the citizens of the US, 45.1% of whom didn't vote at all.

I'm not saying that those who didn't vote get to bitch, I'm just pointing out that Obama hardly has a "mandate" to do as he pleases because he was elected by only about a quarter of the population, not a majority, much less an overwhelming majority.

So Obama has a mandate from the majority of the eligible electorate that could be bothered to vote. It's not as though all of the 45.1% of voters who couldn't be arsed to fill out a form were against him.

[Hermit]

Whatever you say. Meanwhile the drones keep right on creating more enemies than they destroy.

Not true. Pakistan is turning against the Taliban and IS

Correction: Pakistan's government is finally and belatedly turning against Muslim terrorism. That's definitely in stark contrast to the past. You can't tell me that it was unaware that Osama bin Laden lived for several years in a one million dollar structure built in 2005 on 3500 square metres of land surrounded by 3.7 to %.5 metre high concrete walls in a suburb chiefly populated by retired army officers. The thing was 1.3 kilometres away from Pakistan's military academy. I trust that I need not remind you that it wasn't the Pakistani government that finally got rid of him, and that the US administration did the job itself because that for pretty obvious reasons it did not trust the Pakistani government not to let him escape if it merely tipped it off about his presence.

[Seth]

America is a nation led by a monkey though. So go figure what the rest of them are, no matter color, for just obeying orders?

Obama is not a monkey. He certainly is better value than his predecessor. As for "the rest of them", the majority of "them" has voted for Obama. Twice.

You're starting to sound almost as idiotic as Seth, Scumple. Or are you just blindly lashing out because your partner is being shouty again?

Actually, a majority of those who voted voted for Obama, not a majority of the citizens of the US, 45.1% of whom didn't vote at all.

I'm not saying that those who didn't vote get to bitch, I'm just pointing out that Obama hardly has a "mandate" to do as he pleases because he was elected by only about a quarter of the population, not a majority, much less an overwhelming majority.

So Obama has a mandate from the majority of the eligible electorate that could be bothered to vote. It's not as though all of the 45.1% of voters who couldn't be arsed to fill out a form were against him.

Indeed, but the point remains. The President and the Congress are elected to represent the People...ALL of the people, not just their political allies.

[Hermit]

Correct. And their mandate comes from the people who vote. All good.

[Seth]

Correct. And their mandate comes from the people who vote. All good.

No, their mandate comes from the Constitution.

[JimC]

Correct. And their mandate comes from the people who vote. All good.

No, their mandate comes from the Constitution.

Clearly demonstrating you do not understand the meaning of "mandate"

From Wikipedia:

In politics, a mandate is the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.

The concept of a government having a legitimate mandate to govern via the fair winning of a democratic election is a central idea of representative democracy. New governments who attempt to introduce policies that they did not make public during an election campaign are said to not have a legitimate mandate to implement such policies.

Elections, especially ones with a large margin of victory, are often said to give the newly elected government or elected official an implicit mandate to put into effect certain policies. When a government seeks re-election they may introduce new policies as part of the campaign and are hoping for approval from the voters, and say they are seeking a "new mandate".

Always banging on about your sacred constitution. Guess what, most democratic, developed countries also have a constitution, which, together with the legal system and a free press act as checks and balances against a willful government. The USA isn't the unique paragon of constitutional democracy you make it out to be.