May 11, 2010

The Drone Wars

Below the headlines about Elena Kagan's nomination and the oil spill in Louisiana, there was a small story in today's TIMES about a drone attack that killed 14 militants in the western tribal region of Pakistan.  Drones fired nearly 20 missles in the bombing.  


Carried out by the CIA and directed from a facility in Colorado, these drone attacks have been stepped up in the days since the failed Times Square bombing.  This despite the fact that there has been some reporting that Shazad carried out his plot because he was angry over the drone attacks.


Though it's been something of an open secret, we are basically engaged in a third front now in the 9-year "War on Terror".  It's somewhat bizzare to think it's a war of machines piloted from half a world away. It almost makes George Lucas look like a modern prophet.