How Obama Could Reveal the Nature of the National Security State

Americans have, sadly, swallowed the serum of perpetual war, to the extent that they rarely mobilize in any serious way against it.

Once you’ve used any kind of drone in the U.S. to kill by remote control, it’s only logical—given some future extreme situation—to extend that use to the skies and so consider firing a missile at some U.S. target, as the CIA and the Air Force have been doing regularly for...

We have to face that when the U.S. acts as self-appointed “global policeman,” what it does to poor nations resembles what those two officers did to Alton Sterling. We must temper selfish and unreasonable fears for our own safety with the knowledge that others also want safe and stable lives....

“Today’s announcement is a welcome and crucial step, but the upcoming disclosure must include information on the U.S. government’s definitions and legal standards for these strikes.” - Amnesty Int'l

Hayden’s op-ed is long on fictional accounts of ultra-scrupulous drone planners worrying about striking civilians and completely lacking the real-life incidents where the US has mistakenly targeted weddings and deliberately hit funerals.

The idea is to collectively create a piece of artwork which connects the names of activists with those killed.

'Ever Step on Ants and Never Give It Another Thought?'

In the belief that the American public has the right to know about the “fundamentally” and “morally” flawed U.S. drone program, an unnamed whistle-blower in the intelligence community provided The Intercept with a treasure trove of secret military documents and slides that shine a critical light on the country’s killer...

"Privately, the architects of the U.S. drone program have acknowledged its shortcomings. But they have made sure that this campaign, launched by Bush and vastly expanded under Obama, has been shrouded in secrecy. The public has a right to know how the US government has decided who to kill."