Perspective

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from:news-leader.com
Gun-slinging robot headed for Iraq combat
Bomb-defusing Talon robots were converted to SWORDS by adding standard-issue weapons.
By Michael P. Regan
Associated Press

The Army is preparing to send 18 of these remote-controlled robotic warriors to fight in Iraq beginning in March or April.

Made by a small Massachusetts company, the SWORDS, short for Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems, will be the first armed robotic vehicles to see combat.

(snip)

But officials are quick to point out that these are not the autonomous killer robots of science fiction. A SWORDS robot shoots only when its human operator presses a button after identifying a target on video shot by the robot's cameras.

"The only difference is that his weapon is not at his shoulder, it's up to half a mile a way," said Bob Quinn, general manager of Talon robots for Foster-Miller Inc., the Waltham, Mass., company that makes the SWORDS.

Great. Let's sanitize our war experience. I'm sure we'll make LOTS of friends that way.

On a related topic, check out:
www.costof war.com

The War in Iraq Cost the United States:
$151,285,084,654 (and climbing)

Instead, we could have hired
2,621,789
additional public school teachers for one year.

Instead, we could have provided
7,333,971
students four-year scholarships at public universities

Instead, we could have fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for
15
years.

Instead, we could have fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for
6
years.