VFP News Blog Tag: drones
Drones out of everywhere! Washington march against US drone warfareApril 15, 2013
Organized by the ANSWER coalition, the movement is calling on the administration to stop the use of drones on foreign soil. The coalition urges its members to stop the US government as it “functions as a death squad government, permitting the president and military leaders to create secret ‘kill lists’ of people who have been selected for assassination.” On the organization’s website people have voiced their reasons behind their protest. “It's time we Americans join the rest of the world in condemning President Obama's barbaric drone killing spree, a policy that benefits the war profiteers but makes us hated around the world,” Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of CODEPINK said in his post. Rally, March, and Die Against Drone Wars in Washington, D.C., on MondayJanuary 18, 2013 http://warisacrime.org/content/rally-march-and-die-against-drone-wars-washington-dc-monday What you can do to stop drone wars and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s opposition to militarism, racism, and extreme materialism. 1. Take 30 seconds to join 60,000 others in pushing for a ban on weaponized drones. 2. Take 30 seconds to demand that the millions being wasted on inaugural balls go to those who have lost their jobs, healthcare, and homes. 3. Be in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to say: No Blank Check for Israel! 4. Join a meeting of anti-drone activists in Washington, D.C., on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church located at 400 I (Eye) Street, SW Washington, DC (near Arena Stage); Metro: 1 block from Waterfront Metro (GREEN LINE). Contact 571-501-3729. 5. Attend a rally and march in Washington, D.C., on Monday morning. 6. Do a die-in Monday in Washington, D.C., organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR). At the U.S. Capitol sometime after noon. Those dying-in will be risking arrest, and as we lie on the ground we will cover our bodies with a red-painted sheet to represent a bloody shroud, and with a large picture of a drone victim. We invite you to participate in this action -- either risking arrest, or to be there in solidarity and witness. We call on all participating to commit to nonviolence. There are a number of people who would like to participate in both the Arc of Justice Rally and Parade, and then participate in the die-in. We have organized our action so that people will be able to do both. If you are planning or thinking about risking arrest, please contact mobuszewski@verizon.net – especially if you will be joining us at 11:45 am after the Arc of Justice Parade. Critics of US drone programme angered by John Brennan's nomination to CIAJanuary 17, 2013 The nomination of President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA has sparked outrage and concern about America's growing drones programme and its use for targeted killings of suspected Islamic militants. Brennan has been a key architect of drones policy under Obama and many experts believe that the use of the unmanned robot planes in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia is likely to increase if he becomes America's top spy. "If Brennan leads the CIA, then you ain't seen nothing yet. That troubles me greatly," said Amos Guiora, a legal professor at the Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. During Obama's time in office there has been a huge increase in the use of drones, especially in the tribal areas of Pakistan where many Islamic militants have their bases. However, the policy is widely disliked in Pakistan and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians alongside those believed to be terrorists. The use of drones has been criticised as causing more harm than good, and also being potentially illegal when used to target high-profile figures. It has been criticised as having little transparency, a too-broad definition of what defines a target and not enough legal oversight, especially in attacks like those that caused the deaths of radical cleric (and US citizen) Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son. Get ready: Drones will come to Bay AreaDecember 18, 2012
Think of it as the newest tool for law enforcement. Not surprisingly, not everyone is happy about this. The chief concern of critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, is that the drones threaten the privacy rights of everyday citizens. The Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission went as far as to propose a ban, a "No Drone Zone" in Berkeley airspace for all but hobbyists. But despite the commission's stern stance, in the not-too-distant future the skies above American cities will host unmanned flying vehicles. As an Oakland resident, I'd like to propose that all future law enforcement drone flyovers planned for Berkeley instead be rerouted here. We need all the help we can get. Action Alert: Prison for Protesting DronesNovember 29, 2012
The appearance of war being made easy by drones is resulting in more war. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and in places we don't know about, in places where we are not at war, we're sending these unmanned pilotless airplanes into foreign air space to hunt down people who've been accused of crimes only in the private court of the administration. They're hunted down and killed along with anybody who might be in the immediate vicinity. Drones are creating new wars rather than scaling down old ones. Drone pilots in Afghanistan have been targeted and killed. Drone pilots in the United States suffer PTSD at higher rates than real pilots Drone victims are 98% innocent civilians according to the recent Stanford/NYU study. The other 2% are targeted victims of murder without charge, trial, due process, or in many cases even knowing the target's name. Drones buzzing over houses traumatize children before they kill them. That those children are (in most cases) not American hardly diminishes the immorality. As I head to prison I urge you to add your name to the petition to ban drones and to ask others to do so. Back on April 15th, about 40 people, mostly from the Kansas City area, went to Whiteman Air Force Base and held a short rally outside the gates on a public right of way. We had a petition -- an indictment we called it -- that listed the laws that drones are violating and the damage they are doing. We took that to the gate and were stopped. Three of us asked directions to deliver the petition and were immediately put in handcuffs. About 40 military police in full riot gear appeared (video) and did a choreographed dance including high kicks and grunts and beating their shields, two steps forward and one step back, to get rid of the rest of the U.S. citizens, who were acting legally under the First Amendment. At my sentencing I told the judge: "Our expert witnesses testified that our behavior was consistent with the activities that the drafters of the First Amendment intended to be protected, not persecuted, by the government. The order and security of the base would not have been compromised had the security police allowed us to proceed to the headquarters to deliver our petition. No testimony to the contrary was offered this court. Sign the petition to ban militarized drones now, before it is delivered to government officials. Please forward this email widely to like-minded friends. --Brian Terrell for RootsAction.org Background: Organizations Supporting This Petition (partial and growing list): Call President Obama and Tell Him to Ban the Use of Weaponized Drones and Stop His "Kill List Program" Immediately!November 12, 2012 Please call President Obama at This video presents the October 25, 2012 Resistance Action at Hancock Field, Syracuse NY to end the use of weaponized drones and stop the killing of so many women, children and men. 9 Arrested After Blocking Gates Tuesday at Beale AFB Protesting Killer DronesOctober 31, 2012 UPDATE: URGENT NEWS ADVISORY Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 Contact: Main Gate Blockaded 4 Hours, Nine People
Photos at: http://occupysac.com/9-arrested-for-blocking-gate-of-beale-afb-to-protest-drone-strikes/ About 100 activists from as far away as Fresno, the SF Bay Area, Sacramento, Nevada City/Grass Valley and other California cities unfurled large banners and carried model drones and large photos of child victims of drone strikes to show the dark side of drone warfare. Beale AFB has been a target of anti-drone protests for years. Beale AFB is home to the U2 and the Global Hawk, the unmanned surveillance drone that is an "accomplice" in drone killings. Veterans Among Those Arrested Thursday Protesting Drones at Hancock Air FieldOctober 25, 2012
Veterans For Peace Organized locally. Recognized nationally. Exposing the true costs of war since 1985. October 25, 2012 Contact:
Signs held up to block the gates said: "Drone war crimes: extrajudicial killing," "Drone war crimes: killing civilians," "Drone war crimes: wars of aggression," "Drone war crimes: violations of national sovereignty," and "We will not be complicit in our government's war crimes." Eight people continued to block two other gates after the first 11 arrests. Four of them were arrested at around 10:15 a.m., including Brian Hynes, Clare Grady, Mary Anne Grady, and Martha Henessy. Henessy is Dorothy Day's granddaughter. Adams is a descendant of Sam Adams, as well as being Past President of Veterans For Peace, and current Nonviolent Training Coordinator. Updated News Release from Hancock Drone Protest Veterans For Peace Supports Conscientious Objection to DronesSeptember 11, 2012 Two conscientious nonviolent activists, Brian Terrell and Ron Faust, were convicted on Monday of trespassing, for having attempted to deliver a document listing concerns about drones to the commander ofWhiteman Air Force Base near Jefferson City, Mo., last April. A third protester, Mark Kenney of Omaha, Neb., is serving a four-month sentence after having pled guilty in June to trespassing. Veterans For Peace members were among those participating in a demonstration last April, and again on Monday, in support of Faust and Terrell, who will be sentenced in the coming weeks. Veterans For Peace applauds nonviolent resistance to the illegal and immoral use of drones, and stands in solidarity with those taking these risks to serve their country and the world. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark was not permitted by the court to testify on the illegality of drone killings. VFP member and retired colonel Ann Wright was permitted to testify, and said afterwards, "The most dangerous trespass is of heavily weaponized assassin drones from the United States into Pakistani, Yemeni and Somali sovereign land, not of three unarmed civilians giving notice to bring a letter filled with words onto heavily protected federal property asking for drone strikes to end." Emergency Protests Against The Growing Threat of WarJune 23, 2012 Hands Off Syria and Iran! End the Drone Wars! |
News From VFP Archives
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As Washington pushes to expand its drone warfare in Africa, hundreds have gathered in front of the White House to protest the “robotic killing machines” slaughtering thousands across the globe.
If everything goes according to plan, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office will soon have a drone, a small unmanned aircraft, to aid with crowd control, search-and-rescue missions and other law enforcement duties that could use a set of eyes in the air.
My name is Brian Terrell. I'm co-coordinator of a group called Voices for Creative Nonviolence. We support the 
202-456-1111 
BEALE AFB (Marysville), Ca. – After blocking the main gate for more than four hours, nine (9) military veterans and peace activists from throughout California were arrested around Noon Tuesday here at Beale AFB protesting the inhumane and cruel U.S. Drone Program, killing thousands of innocent men, women and children around the world. The 'Beale 9' were cited for trespassing. Court proceedings are pending.
Once again nonviolent protesters of U.S. drone wars have been arrested at the gates of Hancock Air Field in New York State. Thursday morning, 19 people blocked the three gates to the base for a period of hours beginning at 8 a.m. Eventually, the front gate was opened after 11 people were arrested, including Elliott Adams of Veterans For Peace, as well as James Ricks, Bonny Mahoney, Paul Frazier, Ed Kinane, Mike Perry, Judy Bello, Andrea Levine, Dan Vergevin, Paki Weiland, and one other.
The growing threats of war against Syria are alarming. Recently, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Russia not to get in the way of US backed efforts to force out the government of President Assad. The corporate media is making every effort to make the case for another "Humanitarian War." The drumbeat of aggression against Iran grows daily as well. The threat of new wars is real even as we continue the war and occupation of Afghanistan, and dramatically expand the illegal and immoral use of US military drones.
