Cry me a river. We have LOST 2301 killed and 17,674 wounded in Afghanistan; 4,486 killed and 32,223 wounded in Iraq, over 2,000 on 9/11, and many other deaths such as Ft. Hood, Benghazi, and at the Boston marathon. And these figures don't include the deaths of our coalition allies in Iraq and Afghanistan or the losses suffered due todomestic attacks by the terrorists. And you are concerned about the "wholesale slaughter" of families.
You need to get your priorities straight. This war is not over either here or abroad. The enemy will kill more Americans including families. Collateral damage is part of war and we have caused far less than the monsters who are blowing up innocent people all over the world. No one is dismissing collateral damage, but put it in context for God's sake.
Drones give us an advantage over these troglodytes and they don't make "warfare into a desk-bound video game" any more than smart bombs and Tomahawk missiles do. Drones put fewer of our people at risk while still achieving our objectives. As someone who has actually participated in a war, I welcome drones and any other technology that will help us protect this country and destroy its enemies. Your attitude stinks.
You missed my point... widely. Once again, here it is.. why are our military warfighters’ hands tied by hyper-restrictive ROE when the use of drones, which can splash anyone at anytime with impunity, perfectly acceptable?
And don’t lecture to me about priorities.