Collateral Damage.. not so bad when its far away from home?

It seems that innocents are regularly killed along with the guilty, in the drone war on terror.  At times, these may even be innocents who were important to helping to fight terrorism in the hearts and minds of the people closest to the terrorist breading grounds, as described in this article at the NY Times.

I understand the need to “take out” terrorists and the reasons for using drones but I can’t help but wonder… how would people react if a serial killer was taken out at a moment of opportunity by a bomb that also killed nearby innocents in a US city… for the greater good?

… just something to consider.