Drones

Thousands Of Pakistanis Blockade NATO Over Drone Strikes

November 23, 2013 Staff, www.france24.com Resist! Drones, Pakistan, Wars and Militarism

Thousands of Pakistani activists led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Saturday staged a protest against US drone strikes, threatening to block NATO supply routes if strikes continue. The activists burned US flags as a mark of protest, said an AFP reporter at the scene in Peshawar, where the rally took place. A senior police official in Peshawar told AFP that some 15,000 activists participated. The rally was jointly organised by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, together Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami and local party Awami Jamhoori Itehad. The three form a coalition government headed by PTI in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Khan called for a complete blockade of NATO convoys to Afghanistan to put pressure on the US to abandon its drone programme.

House Committee Seeks To Keep Drone Murders Secret

November 23, 2013 Sarah Lazare, www.commondreams.org Educate! Drones, Wars and Militarism

The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday rejected 15 to 5 what supporters call a "modest" proposal to require that the Obama administration publicly report those killed by U.S. drone strikes overseas. "By blocking transparency the House [committee] denies accountability for the slaughter committed against innocent lives in drone strikes," said Suraia Sahar of Afghans United for Justice in an interview with Common Dreams. "This is a gross disregard for human life." The provision, proposed by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), had already passed the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month. It would have required that U.S. agencies involved in drone wars produce annual reports in which they account for all deaths in U.S. drone strikes overseas and identify the civilians and alleged combatants killed. "The production of this report will require minimal resources, but will provide a modest but important measure of transparency and oversight," said Schiff in a statement released Thursday. "People complain justifiably that the Obama administration is not being transparent," said Robert Naiman, policy director for Just Foreign Policy, in an interview with Common Dreams. "But Congress also is not being transparent. Every day this drone policy continues, Congress is voting through its inaction to do nothing."

Video: A March Against Drone Warfare In Iowa

November 23, 2013 Caneyhead Pictures, www.vimeo.com Resist! Drones, Video, Wars and Militarism

In June of 2013 a group of peace activists set out for a walk across Iowa to protest the Predator drone control center planned for the Iowa National Guard Air Base in Des Moines. Beginning at the arms depot at Rock Island Illinois and ending at the National Guard Air Base in Des Moines, the intimate journey of 25 peace pilgrims is documented in the film Walking the Walk: a March Against Drone Warfare. For two weeks and one hundred ninety-five miles, the walkers discuss their mission, their hopes, fears and outrage. Among the walkers are a man just released from prison for attempting to deliver a letter to the commander of a drone base, a businessman who has left a lucrative career to walk and witness for peace, veterans who have witnessed war first hand and a lawyer and former government official deeply concerned with the legality of the United States' drone strike program. In discussions with locals they meet and public presentations in libraries, parks and colleges we hear the issue of armed drone strikes and assassinations discussed in all their ethical complexity.

What Localities and States Can Do About Drones

November 21, 2013 David Swanson, www.warisacrime.org Organize! Drones, Government, Surveillance, Wars and Militarism

Charlottesville, Va., passed a resolution that urged the state of Virginia to adopt a two-year moratorium on drones (which it did), urged both Virginia and the U.S. Congress to prohibit information obtained from the domestic use of drones from being introduced into court, and to preclude the domestic use of drones equipped with "anti-personnel devices, meaning any projectile, chemical, electrical, directed-energy (visible or invisible), or other device designed to harm, incapacitate, or otherwise negatively impact a human being," and pledged that Charlottesville would "abstain from similar uses with city-owned, leased, or borrowed drones."

Activists Protest Sen. Schumer Over Drones, Four Arrested

November 18, 2013 National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Drones, Wars and Militarism

Citizen activists came to Washington to raise the issue of killer drone strikes. And about thirty of them went to Senator Chuck Schumer’s office in Washington, D.C. to urge him to renounce his pro-killer drone strikes position. While there, the citizen activists spoke with foreign policy staffer John Jones, recited the names of children killed by U.S. drone strikes, taped to the office walls photographs of drone victims and mourned the death and destruction. Eventually four of the NCNR members stood outside his office and continued to read the names of child drone victims and chant for an end to the assassination program. Activists came from across the country from Wisconsin and north from New York State to protest the increasing use of killer drones. Capitol Police officers then arrested Elizabeth Adams from Western Massachusetts, JoAnne Lingle, Indianapolis, Richard Ochs, Baltimore, and Alice Sutter, New York City, and charged them with demonstrating inside a Senate Office Building.

Sen. Schumer Protested Over Killer Drone Program

November 18, 2013 National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Drones, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

As part of the CodePink Global Summit on Drones, citizen activists have come to Washington to raise the issue of killer drone strikes. NCNR organized a planning session, and it was decided to write to Senator Chuck Schumer, a noted proponent of the unconstitutional drone strikes, to demand that he speak out against this assassination program. Now NCNR representatives intend to visit his office to seek a meeting. Sen. Chuck Schumer promoted the drone war: “’On terrorism, the president has been tougher than anybody else,’” ‘the New York Democrat said on CNN’s “New Day.’” “’Remember, George Bush wouldn’t let the drones go into Pakistan, and Al Qaeda flourished. The president did, and terrorism is way down. He’s pursuing the tactic in Yemen, and I think it’s working.’” The NCNR citizen activists disagree. No declaration of war has been declared against Yemen, and civilian casualties are rampant. And it can be argued that drone strikes are just breeding more terrorists. In fact, Malala Yousafzai, when meeting with the Obama family, raised concerns about the administration’s use of drones, saying they are “fueling terrorism.” Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued a recent report speculating that U.S. drone strikes may be war crimes.

VIDEO: Resistance Report – Jeremy Hammond Case And More

November 17, 2013 Dennis Trainor, Jr., www.acronymtv.com Educate! Anonymous, Climate Change, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Drones, Environment, Fracking, Jeremy Hammond, Media, Tar Sands, Video, Wikileaks

Anonymous hacker and activist Jeremy Hammond was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday. Among the services Hammond provided to those of us seeking to fight back against the security and surveillance state included key evidence in the civil suit brought by Christopher Hedges and Alexa O’Brien against Barack Obama over Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act. In his sentencing statement, Hammond said: “The acts of civil disobedience and direct action that I am being sentenced for today are in line with the principles of community and equality that have guided my life. I hacked into dozens of high profile corporations and government institutions, understanding very clearly that what I was doing was against the law, and that my actions could land me back in federal prison. But I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to expose and confront injustice—and to bring the truth to light." Also on the show: The 2013 Drone Summit, The UN Climate Conference in Warsaw, Poland, Fighting Tar Sands in New England, and MSNBC’s LEAN FORWARD Campaign Cozies Up To Fracking

Anti-Drone Movement Speaks: ‘End the Secrecy, No to Kill List’

November 17, 2013 Sarah Lazare, www.commondreams.org Educate! Drones, Video, Wars and Militarism

Anti-drone activists rally in Washington, DC. (Photo: Code Pink)Activists from across the globe kicked off the largest-ever anti-drone summit Friday with a boisterous White House rally then march to the headquarters of one of the most notorious weapons manufacturers in the world. "After ten years of using drones it is about time that American citizens demand accountability from our government," said organizer Medea Benjamin of Code Pink in an interview withCommon Dreams. "Our government has been getting away with a covert program killing innocent people in our names. It is high time we react and say no to killings, no to secrecy, and no to a kill list." "Our government has been getting away with a covert program killing innocent people in our names. It is high time we react and say no to killings, no to secrecy, and no to a kill list." —Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK This historic gathering comes amid a growing chorus of criticism of the drone wars, now led by President Obama, following the first-ever testimony of Pakistani drone strike survivors before U.S. Congress, as well as growing concern from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations over drones.

Anti-Drone Summit Kicks Off In DC With Protest

November 16, 2013 Staff, www.presstv.ir Resist! Drones, Wars and Militarism

Activists from across the globe kicked off the largest-ever anti-drone summit Friday with a boisterous White House rally then march to the headquarters of one of the most notorious weapons manufacturers in the world. "After ten years of using drones it is about time that American citizens demand accountability from our government," said organizer Medea Benjamin of Code Pink in an interview with Common Dreams. "Our government has been getting away with a covert program killing innocent people in our names. It is high time we react and say no to killings, no to secrecy, and no to a kill list." This historic gathering comes amid a growing chorus of criticism of the drone wars, now led by President Obama, following the first-ever testimony of Pakistani drone strike survivors before US Congress, as well as growing concern from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations over drones.

CODE PINK Shows Drone Documentary On DHS Secretary Candidate’s House

November 12, 2013 Jos Truitt, www.feministing.com Resist! Drones, Wars and Militarism

Jeh Johnson, the Obama administration’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, is a relatively obscure figure. While some on the left are fans because of his involvement in the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, anti-war activist group CodePink wants to bring attention to the fact that he created the legal justification for the Obama administration’s drone policy. So last night, the group screened a documentary about drones on the side of his house. CODEPINK activists gathered with popcorn and hot chocolate to watch movie last night. Before the documentary started, the Maryland Light Brigade set up a display reading “NO KILLER DRONES.” The documentary shown was Killer Drones and Secret Wars.

87 Nations Possess Drones

November 11, 2013 Guy Taylor, www.washingtontimes.com Educate! Drones, Wars and Militarism

The age of the drone is here, and U.S. intelligence agencies are warily monitoring their proliferation around the globe. China uses them to spy on Japan near disputed islands in Asia. Turkey uses them to eyeball Kurdish activity in northern Iraq. Bolivia uses them to spot coca fields in the Andes. Iran reportedly has given them to Syria to monitor opposition rebels. The U.S., Britain and Israel are the only nations to have fired missiles from remote-controlled drones, but the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles has become so prevalent that U.S. intelligence sources and private analysts say it is merely a matter of time before other countries use the technology. “People in Washington like to talk about this as if the supposed American monopoly on drones might end one day. Well, the monopoly ended years ago,” said Peter W. Singer, who heads the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. What’s worse, clandestine strikes carried out by Washington in far-flung corners of the world have set a precedent that could be ugly. Mr. Singer said as many as 87 nations possess some form of drones and conduct various kinds of surveillance either over their own territories or beyond. Among those 87, he said, 26 have either purchased or developed drones equivalent in size to the MQ-1 Predator — the model made by San Diego-based General Atomics.

FAA Proposes Widespread Civilian Drone Use In US Airspace By 2015

November 9, 2013 Staff, www.rt.com Educate! Drones, Surveillance

US authorities have presented a plan for the mass use of drones in American airspace. Though there have been few objections to the move so far, a global government surveillance drone program is likely to raise privacy concerns later on. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has presented a detailed plan for drones to roam across American skies within the next two years. The plan sets September 2015 as a deadline for integrating UAVs into US airspace, and six possible drone test sites will be selected out of 26 proposed ones by the end of 2013. The move has been continuously lobbied by the trade group Aerospace Industries Association, which expects great demand for civilian-use drones, including for agriculture, firefighting, weather forecast and tracking wildlife.

NY Judge Renews “Order of Protection” Barring Drone Protesters From Base

November 7, 2013 Candice Bernd, www.truth-out.org Resist! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Drones, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

Gideon renewed the OOPs until April 30, 2014, or until the conclusion of the protesters' trial on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. The trial has been scheduled for December 12 in a DeWitt court. One of the 17 has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. The rest are awaiting trial. Many of the protesters believe the OOPs are being used to suppress their First Amendment rights. "We're nonviolent activists, so for a commander of a base to get an Order of Protection against us is, of course, ludicrous," said Ed Kinane, one of the 17 arrested. "Especially when you consider that it's a barbed-wire enclosure, guarded by men with guns who have been trained to kill and blow up things." "The purpose [of the OOPs], it would certainly seem, is to suppress our First Amendment rights to express dissent and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Drone Victims Tell Empty US House Their Story; Is America Listening?

November 1, 2013 Rania Khalek, www.truth-out.org Educate! Drones, Human Rights, Wars and Militarism

"Pakistani school teacher Rafiq ur Rehman traveled over 7,000 miles with his children - 13-year-old Zubair and 9-year-old Nabila - from a small, remote village in North Waziristan to tell lawmakers about the US drone strike that killed his 67-year-old mother, Mamana Bibi. It was a harrowing tale that brought many in the room to tears, including Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who was responsible for inviting the family to Capitol Hill for the briefing. In the end, only five members of the US House of Representatives bothered to attend. Grayson was joined by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D- Ill.), Rush Holt (D-NJ), John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.). Meanwhile, President Obama, according to his October 29 schedule, was meeting with the CEOs of Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman, both of which manufacture drones. More importantly, Lockheed Martin manufactures hellfire missiles, the very weapon fired from the drone that killed Mamana Bibi."

10 Ways You Can Join the Fight Against Drone Warfare

October 30, 2013 Alyssa Figueroa, www.alternet.org Organize! Drones, Wars and Militarism

There is an estimate of 2,600 to 3,400 people killed by drone strikes in Pakistan, only 2 percent of whom were on the U.S. government’s high-value target list. Most of the rest go unnamed and unacknowledged by the U.S. government, though there are estimates of at least 400 to 900 confirmed civilian deaths and 200 deaths of children. The media reports that drones are constantly killing militants, mainly because President Obama redefined the term “militant” to mean every man of military age. Drone strikes have also been reported in Yemen and Somalia. A recent Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans, 65 percent, support the use of drones. Ninety-seven percent of Pakistanis oppose drone use, while 74 percent consider the U.S. an enemy of their country. These growing numbers discredit the claim that our wars overseas are making us safer. Stopping drone strikes will take collective action. Here are a few ways you can fight back against drone use.

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