Skip to comments.
U.S. Kills Al Qaeda Leaders by Remote Control
The Sunday Times/Fox News ^
| 11/18/2001
| Stephen Grey
Posted on 11/19/2001 4:20:08 AM PST by Eyes Now Opened
Edited on 04/22/2004 12:31:39 AM PDT by Jim Robinson.
[history]
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-84 next last
To: Poohbah
I have news for you--it is actually much easier to DF a Predator using most military satellites than it would be if it were using a commercial bird. How?
Also, you declined to address the main point of the discussion, that is, "you can put together a lot of this sort of capability with stuff from Radio Shack and the local model & hobby shop."
61
posted on
11/19/2001 10:24:27 AM PST
by
TomB
To: Poohbah
This power and technology in the right hands will serve the world well. But
in the wrong hands...!
Waco could have been worse than it was. It could have been the whole city of Waco, e.g.
I'm a strong supporter of George Bush; he is a good man, and I trust him, but suppose we had a president of a different stripe--more on the order of, say, Caligula. The U.S. has had presidents who were scoundrels and presidents who were fools.
We Americans have more reason than ever before to fear Big Government--and Big Brother.
To: Savage Beast
Maybe you're missing the point. I'm FAR less worried about government misuse than about our homebrewed crazies of the extreme left and right, because this system merely gives Uncle the ability to do this sort of thing under hostile circumstances. Uncle already can do it under the conditions that obtain here, and they can do it a LOT more cheaply with present techniques.
Right now, the US government can destroy Waco, Texas with ridiculous ease. It's called "nuclear weapons." This capability would not destroy all of Waco, it would have merely aided the destruction of the house on Mount Carmel--and that task did not need any assistance, IIRC.
My worry is that this technique can be copied by someone with enough funding--and that the enemies of America would not be averse to supplying said techniques to our various flavors of ecofreak, black nationalist, and white supremacist, in order to expand their reach and power and thus make our own problems that much harder to handle.
63
posted on
11/19/2001 3:39:00 PM PST
by
Poohbah
To: NittanyLion
On to Kandehar. Soon we will capture Bin Laden and his entire gang of thugs. "Head 'em up and move 'em out."
To: Eyes Now Opened
Locking the crosshairs of their weapon guidance systems on the hotel below, each of the three F-15s let loose a single GBU-15 "smart bomb." Weighing 2,500 pounds each, these bombs are guided on to their targets by infrared cameras in their noses. This means that somewhere there is some IIR video of of these GBU-15 attacking the target. I hope the pentagon releases this video. ;-))
65
posted on
11/19/2001 3:59:32 PM PST
by
FtrPilot
To: Savage Beast
"Imagine Waco or Ruby Ridge under such circumstances."Just for your information, the government doesn't need remote controlled airplanes to attack Waco or Ruby Ridge. Conventional artillery or an M1 tank could be used to attack such an easy, stationary target. I wouldn't worry too much about Predators being used for domestic repression (or M1 tanks either). It's not easy to cover up an attack with anti-tank missiles. There would be essentially no circumstances when a Predator attack on a domestic target would be justified. The FBI doesn't need that kind of firepower and I seriously doubt that it will ever be used inside the United States by the U.S. government.
To: LarryLied
Already been proposed, Larry, Try
Ender's Game and the sequel
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card.
His idea is right on the money here.
Keep the Faith for Freedom
MAY GOD BLESS AND PROTECT THIS HONORABLE REPUBLIC
Greg
67
posted on
11/19/2001 4:10:13 PM PST
by
gwmoore
To: Poohbah
The fetching Mrs. Poohbah observed that this was an example of the "Couch Potato & Remote Control" Generation at work. In the future...we won't need the F-15s, everything will be unmanned. Maybe so. But we'll still need fetching wives for our future Fly-Boys........
"Hi Honey. (Kiss. Kiss) How did your day at the war go?"
"Well, it started out great. I splashed 3 MiG's. But then a fourth MiG got on my six, shot a missle up my tailpipe and I was killed. Damn! I shouldn't have let that bogey sneak up on me. I'm bummed."
"Well, don't take it so hard, Sweety. Viper's wife called me to tell me you got killed so I made you your favorite dinner and I'll give you a back rub tonight."
"Thanks, Honey! Say, after the back rub do you think that we could...er...ummm.....well...you know...."
"Not tonight, Honey. I still have a headache."
War is Hell.
68
posted on
11/19/2001 4:43:03 PM PST
by
Polybius
To: csvset
Video yes. As a tax payer I want that piece of video. Is it perhaps one of the ones on the DOD site from their daily briefings?
69
posted on
11/19/2001 4:44:00 PM PST
by
Kozak
To: dirtboy
"That's also from necessity - there are practical limits for manned flight, namely the G-forces pilots can withstand. Future warplanes may easily exceed those forces..."Not only is this accurate..........but you're behind by about 20 years.
Example: the F-16, as designed, could easily exceed the ability of a man to stay conscious enough to actually fly it. It has LONG been realized that the biggest single limitation in fighter design.......the "weakest link", if you will.........is the man in the cockpit.
To: Deutsch
"Where do you think the US got the idea for smart bombs? Radio/wire controlled bombs and bombs w/video cameras were all used by the Luftwaffe in WWII. NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN!" The German 'smart' bombs were pathetic and primitive devices; most of them failed to destroy anything but themselves.
--Boris
71
posted on
11/19/2001 5:10:59 PM PST
by
boris
To: NittanyLion
This certainly sends quite a message: We can touch you no matter where you are, and no matter how carefully you think you've covered your tracks. Now that's terror.Exactly Right! LET'S ROLL!!!
72
posted on
11/19/2001 6:33:39 PM PST
by
mjf
To: Poohbah
I see what you mean. But having this kind of technology concentrated in the federal government worries me more. If malevolent people got control of it--and the checks and balances didn't work--we'd all be sitting ducks. Maybe we are now. But there's some safety in anonymity. With the technology available now, there's no more anonymity and no more safety from the jack-booted thugs.
To: defenderSD; Poohbah
Okay. Do you think I should come out from under the bed now?
To: Savage Beast
Wow! Exterminating wogs from the comfort of a Florida office! What's Bill Maher have to say about that?
75
posted on
11/19/2001 6:49:29 PM PST
by
cynwoody
To: LarryLied
Time to allow 13 year old boys in the military. They would pay the government to allow them to sit behind a terminal and control a Predator drone. Might need some Marines nearby to drag them away for some sleep every 18 hours or so however. Now THAT is some new very dangerous thinking!
It may come to this in the future, that our best fighters are the video game players. But currently, it's the B-52 and F-18 drivers who own the day, along with the brave targeting specialists on the ground.
Terrorists will rue the day that we can put our game players up front. For now, we have to Find them and Fight them!
Let's Roll!
76
posted on
11/19/2001 6:50:49 PM PST
by
mjf
To: defenderSD; Poohbah
Wait a minute. Isn't Echelon listening right now? How do I know those Predators aren't watching? They could be reading over my shoulder what I'm typing. I'm getting back under the bed--and putting a pillow over my head too.
To: Poohbah
Sorry, just read that one now. I'm LOL! And I like the idea!
78
posted on
11/19/2001 6:57:22 PM PST
by
mjf
To: Savage Beast
Such power and such terrifying technology are unprecidented in history. Absolutely right, you may notice that we use it upon very seldom circumstance.
79
posted on
11/19/2001 7:07:09 PM PST
by
mjf
To: Poohbah
#63 Totally WACKO. Not Waco.
Give your paranoia a rest. Go out fishing or something.
80
posted on
11/19/2001 7:20:22 PM PST
by
mjf
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-84 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson