Ruthie Cole, Eddie Bloomer, Elliott Adams(VFP member), Julie Brown(VFP member), Michelle Naar-Obed (wife of VFP member Greg Boertje-Obed), Chet Guinn, Steve Clemens were charged with criminal trespass while delivering indicitment on Monday, Mar 19th at the 132 National Guard Base in Iowa;
Their Statement:
We come to the Des Moines Air National Guard base, today, as members of faith based and Catholic Worker communities and the Veterans for Peace who annually join for a week of nonviolent resistance to war and injustice. This week, we aim to raise a call against the use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) commonly known as drones. We recognize that the slaughter of war always requires war makers to dehumanize the victims. Reliance on drones exacerbates the dehumanization because the technology allows war makers to kill a target without identifying clearly who the person is or what the person has done or is doing.
Therefore today we bring to this base the faces of several who have been killed as well as the desire of a young Afghan friend who says, "We want to live without war."
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "In a free society, few are guilty but all are responsible." If weaponized drones are flown from this base, we, along with RPA crews, share responsibility for consequences including death of targeted victims and whatever trauma is sustained by those who operate the drones.