Yemeni moms tell kids, "go to sleep or I will call the drones"

[Enrique]

according to this witness at the drone hearings.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/04/yemen-drone-strikes-senate-hearing

A week ago, activist Farea Al-Muslimi was live-tweeting the aftermath of a drone attack on his childhood village of Wessab in Yemen. Monday, he was testifying before a Senate subcommittee on the legality and impact of the Obama administration's targeted killing program. It was the first time Congress has heard from a witness with anything close to first-hand experience with being on the receiving end of a drone strike.

"Women used to say [to kids] go to sleep or I will call your father," Al Muslimi said. "Now they say go to sleep, or I will call the planes."

Last week's strike killed Hameed Al-Radmi, described by the US government as an Al Qaeda leader, and four suspected militants. But Al-Muslimi told the Senate that Al-Radmi had recently met with Yemeni government officials, and could easily have been captured, rather than killed in a strike that alienated everyone in the village.

"[A]ll they have is the psychological fear and terror that now occupies their souls," Al-Muslimi said of the residents of Wessab. "They fear that their home or a neighbor's home could be bombed at any time by a U.S. drone." President Obama received some backup from an unlikely source—Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has spent the last week criticizing the Obama administration for handling the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings in civilian court. Graham said although he would prefer to capture terror suspects, Yemeni officials couldn't be trusted to apprehend them. "The world we live in is where if you share this closely held information you're going to end up tipping off somebody," Graham told Al-Muslimi.

[seabeyond]

1. ahhhm. i gasped at that title. didnt even read the article.

bad bad mom.

[Enrique]

3. interesting

it didn't occur to me to question the parenting styles, but it's funny how people take away different things.

[seabeyond]

5. i didnt/dont use fear as a tool of parenting. i think it is horrible.

now, that being said, i imagine the article is totally different than what the subject line is. a very serious discussion. i am only talking the parenting aspect of that.

you know

stay in bed or the monsters under your bed will chew up your foot.... as soon as you put it out from under the sheet.

meh.

[MattBaggins]

6. Google the german story of struwwelpeter

[seabeyond]

9. lol lol. ya. that shit. we got a faire tale book from mother in law. the stories were horrid.

i loved reading to boys and we had hundreds of books. this was one, looking for a story, i would peruse and say, nope, nope, nope. finally put book to side and asked mother in law what the hell she was thinking, lol.

even on the classics i was particular, and talked thru the mean/ugly scenes to the better of who we are.

[Marrah_G]

2. Hearts and minds

...and dreams to apparently.

[Common Sense Party]

4. El hombre de la bolsa...

[MattBaggins]

7. Do any of the yahoos extolling this program

understand the word blowback.

[treestar]

8. What a horrible thing for a mother to say to kids

Regardless.