Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

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U.S. Drone Policy

July 29, 2013
3 Comments

This topic was discussed on July 29, 2013
The U.S. Government’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for targeted attacks has caused a great deal of discussion in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Is the U.S. use of drones effective? Even if the targeted individual(s) is/are killed:
    • What about collateral damage?
    • Do the impersonal nature of the strikes and their asymmetric risks to U.S. forces serve as fuel to mobilize (and radicalize) foreign antagonists?
  • Is it appropriate for the U.S. to have different criteria for strikes against U.S. citizens as opposed to foreign nationals?
  • What do we understand about the “rules of engagement” for drone strikes, and is there sufficient oversight of, and accountability for, making the necessary judgments about “acceptable collateral damage,” whether host country “permission” should be obtained, etc.
  • Since non-weaponized drones can be used for surveillance, how do we feel about the use of this technology within the U.S. borders?

Affirmative Action: A concept whose time has come and gone?

July 16, 2013
0 Comments

This topic was discussed on November 18, 2013.

  • Are affirmative action programs inherently discriminatory?
  • Have they successfully served their original purpose?
    • If not, what criteria should be applied in determining when to end these programs?
  • How should the Supreme Court have ruled in the University of Texas case (if not sent back on narrow procedural grounds)?  Why?
  • On what basis (if any) should affirmative action be applied?
    • Race?
    • Gender?
    • Economic status?
  • What does this imply about the notion of “disparate impact” (in which no intent to discriminate is proven, only an adverse statistical relationship) in applying civil rights law?

Here is a recent NYT article on at least one aspect of the issue:

20131113 Texas University’s Race Admissions Policy is Debated Before A Federal Court (NYT)

The Zimmerman Trial and Racism in America

July 16, 2013
0 Comments

This topic was discussed on July 15, 2013

  • To what degree did race play a role in the Zimmerman trial?
  • Would/should the outcome have been different if the roles were reversed?
  • Was the prosecution case effective or defective?
  • To what degree was the outcome defined by which side “put on a better show” for the jury?  What might that say about the concept of a jury of peers vs. a decision by a judge (who might be less swayed by a “show”)?

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