- I guess there’s always hope. Man recovers sports car that was stolen from him 42 years ago.
- “The notion of leaving money in private pockets is never considered — perhaps because it would be an unnatural act.”
- The return of SOPA.
- Just starve the beast. Bravo, Judy Morris!
- Now mind you, if you intend (for heaven knows what reason) to link to any page belonging the London 2012 Olympics organization, you’re only allowed to do it if you’re not being mean to them. So, since I know what nice folk you all are, here the link to their terms-of-use page.
- Is it any surprise that Facebook is monitoring user conversations for illegal activity? Naw, just business as usual.
- Everybody’s doing it.
- That is, when they’re not busy writing in the NY Times about the gloriously exalted morality of drone warfare. Complete with angel-wing illustration. Or are those holy spirit white-dove wings? Hard to tell. In either case, we can feel good that Our Holy Government is bestowing its blessings ’round the world. (H/T PT)
- Okay, okay, time for some good news. Finally there’s a politician you can trust.
- And how ’bout a little love-fest for the tenth anniversary of Firefly? (Tip o’ hat to H.)
And the last two items require more than words.
To me, drones are morally neutral because they are machines. Imbuing them with morality, or immorality seems to smack of paganism. Drones are no more immoral than a rifle, it is the user that has to account for the moral aspect. Drones are not more or less accurate than manned platforms. The same sensors that make drones accurate can be used to make manned aircraft more accurate and are often the same systems. The advantage to drones is they take the pilot out of the loop. Pilots are expensive and have moral (sometimes) and physical limitations. Drones advantage lies in the smaller sizes and much longer loiter time due to the lack of a human pilot. If a drone is shot down, there is no pilot left to exploit or run for president.
Using drones to kill civilians is nor more or less moral than using artillery or seal teams to kill civilians. It does shorten the decision chain and when the decision to kill is made thousands of miles away in sterile environment by beauracrats that will never experience the death and destruction they cause, you don’t have to worry about shooters on the ground having a last attack of morality and calling off a strike.
Watched Serenity yesterday (when I should have been working). At one point I got a shiver down my spine when thinking about the nature of the Alliance “Operative”. They perfectly captured the mood of our present rulers.
The Operative: This is a good death. There’s no shame in this. In a man’s death, a man who has done fine works.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I don’t murder children.
The Operative: I do. If I have to.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Why? Do you even know why they sent you?
The Operative: It’s not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself. A better world. A world without sin.