Maisto
International Inc.’s model Predator drones are selling out on Amazon.com Inc.’s
website as parody reviews highlight how the toys can help children hone killing
skills, mocking a controversial U.S. practice.
Only one of the
$49.99 military-style toy jets is available for purchase on Amazon’s site, which
is brimming with assessments laced with dark humor. “You can’t spell slaughter
without laughter,” one pithy joker wrote.
President Barack Obama’s targeted use of drones to kill people has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans who view the practice as inhumane. While Obama didn’t mention drones in his State of the Union address this week, he said he will continue a policy of “direct action” and vowed to make the anti-terrorism program more transparent.
“Nothing teaches
my child about how to murder enemy combatants silently and invisibly from the
sky with no risk,” one review on Amazon begins. “Teaching our children to be
familiar with a silent, faceless killing machine is the way to educate our
children about the importance that is war.”
As protest
movements adapt to the digital age, Amazon is just one of many vociferous
anti-drone forums on the Internet. Groups on Facebook Inc.’s social network such
as Question Your Government, while protesting the policy, are also posting links
to the critiques on Amazon’s site. Posts on Twitter Inc.’s micro-blogging
service, including one from TechCrunch Inc. founder Michael Arrington, are also
drawing attention to the reviews. Bloomberg
AHT/ARA
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