By Debra Sweet

From World Can't Wait | Original Article

Roger Waters January 14, 2016, NYC

We've focused on Guantanano a lot this year, as is appropriate, given that seven years have passed since it was "going to be closed." A friend, looking to encourage me, pointed out that at least Obama has not sent anyone to Guantanamo; all the prisoners arrived via the Bush regime's actions. (You'll see more to do on closing Guantanamo below.)

However, even people in Obama's own cabinet have pointed out that Obama chose targeted killing over indefinite detention. Targets the Bush regime would have disappeared to "black sites" in Poland, Romania, Thailand, or to be tortured or killed in prisons in Jordan, Syria, or Egypt, were instead taken out with drone strikes.

The U.S. drone war in Pakistan attracted much attention, and some, but not enough protest, when Obama began it in 2009. He spread it to Yemen in 2011. The covert targeted killing continues in Afghanistan, unabated by U.S. plans to withdraw ground troops.  Drones were widely used by the U.S. against Syria, and in Libya, where there are calls for more now, to be used against ISIL/ISIS.  The main effect being to terrorize whole populations.

A major revelation from 2015, The Drone Papers, obtained by TheIntercept.com from a whistleblower, provides the most extensive picture we have from the inside of the military and CIA drone programs; their capabilities, and deep vulnerabilities.

Jeremy Scahill describes "death by metadata," such as using the location of a simcard from a mobile phone, as the sort of intelligence the U.S. uses to identify, track and kill people. This explains how U.S. claims of having killed militants could well amount to have "taken out" sim cards that happened to be among people the U.S. had no particular intention to kill, other than to create random terror.  In place of actual identications, a profile is used, such as identifying all adult men in regions of Pakistan as "militants." The more you know, the more sinister targeted killing by electronic means becomes, even as it gets more pervasive.

There are groups of people courageously protesting, on a regular basis, the targeted killing, and it's important to recognize them.

Close Guantanamo Now!

91 prisoners remain in Guantanamo. Heartbreakingly, Andy Worthington explains that one man refused to leave last week, as he did not want to go to a country where he had no family, and chose to stay in Guantanamo.  Does this mean, as some have commented, that Guantanamo is not that bad? No, it means some of the prisoners have been destroyed; this man was held for 14 years, since 2002.

Watch Andy Worthington and Roger Waters talk about how important it is that Guantanamo be closed.

You can join the demand that Obama closes Guantanamo NOW by making a photo of yourself holding a sign and posting at Andy Worthington's site, CloseGuantanamo.org.

The demand of World Can't Wait remains Close Guantanamo NOW and release the prisoners unjustly held.