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these leaves have probably fallen now. these were the hangers on this past week.

it was hard to listen to the fresh air show about yemen last night. makes me disappointed in obama and our foreign policy, especially in regard to drone strikes and the lack of guidelines around them. 

the interviewee, journalist Gregory Johnsen says:
 
I think that one of the failures—or at least for me—one of the failures of both the Bush administration and the Obama administration has been to not put in place a legal or an ethical framework for the use of drones. Drones I think are a great piece of technology. They are a piece of technology that groups like al-Qaida do not have. They are something that the U.S. I think can use to great utility, and can use to its advantage but they have to be used judiciously, and I don't think that's what's happening right now, unfortunately.  
 
he also mentions a ny times article by scott shane and jo becker that says that the US doesn't count military age males in yemen as civilian casualties when they are killed in a strike zone. they're automatically considered combatants if they are in a strike zone. this makes me very very sad. this disregard for lives (in addition to the deaths during strikes of those the US does consider civilians) can only lead to more violence and enemies.