(Most of) The Mideast Wants a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World

MIDEAST:
Which countries are giving the green light to #nuclearban?
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

An important component in the global effort to achieve a total ban on nuclear weapons is the commitment of (most of) the countries in the Middle East.

The map reproduced above is from the ICAN Austria interactive map of countries supporting the nuclear weapons ban negotiations at the UN. The countries marked with a green dot support a nuclear ban.

The situation in the Middle East is suggestive of the larger global effort to ban nuclear weapons. Efforts for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Mideast have been thwarted for years. Now the supporters have joined together with the global effort to ban nuclear weapons worldwide. See:

Wikipedia: Middle East nuclear weapon free zone

Wikipedia: Haifa International Conference for a WMD-Free Middle East

"Netanyahu thanks US for blocking push for Middle East nuclear arms ban."

You can help get the word out about the efforts of all these nations to bring about a world free of nuclear weapons by sharing messages like the ones below on social media (and by creating your own!).

Thank you #BAHRAIN.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #CYPRUS.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #EGYPT.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #IRAN.
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Thank you #IRAQ.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #JORDAN.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #KUWAIT.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #LEBANON.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #LIBYA.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #OMAN.
(Please share this message on Twitter.)

Thank you #QATAR.
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Thank you #TUNISIA.
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Thank you #UAE.
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More memes to share: 133 Is a Lot of #Nuclearban-Supporting Countries


Please share this post . . . . 

U.S. "Precision Strikes" in a Nutshell

Signe Wilkinson's latest cartoon for the Philadelphia Daily News is brilliant:

Cartoon by Signe Wilkinson

It depicts a U.S. warplane (or drone) coming in for the attack, with the Barack Obama at the controls, saying, "Target is in sight!"

The only problem is that the "target" is really multiple targets:

* good terrorist
* bad terrorist
* despicable terrorist

. . . as well as . . . 

* lives near a terrorist

. . . and . . . 

* deciding whether to be a terrorist

In other words, pretty much anybody and everybody gets lumped together with "terrorists"; the vaunted "precision" of U.S. military strikes isn't precise at all.

And if those people on the ground weren't our enemies before the Hellfire missile strikes, you can be sure they will be afterwards.

My only quibble with this cartoon is that instead of depicting Obama in the driver's seat, it should make it clear that the warplane is controlled by "Americans." ('Cause we all get to share in the responsibility, the blame, and the consequences of our government's killing spree in the Mideast.)


Related posts

The U.S. has a modus operandi for conducting military strikes while slipping past any genuine public accountability. It's worth a look at the Tuesday, October 29, 2013, New York Times account of a drone strike in Somalia the previous day: "Pentagon Says Shabab Bomb Specialist Is Killed in Missile Strike in Somalia." It's a case study in what's wrong with the U.S. drone wars.

(See October 28 in Somalia: Another Day, Another Drone Killing)




A September 5, 2013, U.S. drone strike in Pakistan killed six people - including Sangeen Zadran -- a "senior militant commander" who was "implicated in a long-running kidnapping drama involving an American soldier."

(See September 5 in Pakistan: Another Day, Another Drone Killing)

The press announced a flurry of drone killings in Yemen over the April 19/20 weekend -- that is, while the rest of us were observing Easter -- and just as with U.S. drone killings in Pakistan and Somalia, the U.S. modus operandi was on full display.

(See April 19 in Yemen: Another Day, Another Drone Killing )

April 19 in Yemen: Another Day, Another Drone Killing

The press announced a flurry of drone killings in Yemen over the April 19/20 weekend -- that is, while the rest of us were observing Easter -- and just as with U.S. drone killings in Pakistan and Somalia, the U.S. modus operandi was on full display. (See "U.S. Drones and Yemeni Forces Kill Qaeda-Linked Fighters, Officials Say")

Numerous unnamed U.S. officials are alluded to in press coverage, but all official U.S. sources (the CIA, the Pentagon) decline comment. Reports are full of red herrings - references to Al Qaeda leaders in Yemen (who were not the targets of these particular attacks, however); mention of past attacks against the U.S. Embassy in Yemen (which the U.S. does not connect with the events of the weekend, however); Barack Obama's May, 2013, speech on national security (but what relevance could that have to the past weekend's anonymous strikes?); etc.

Nonetheless, the New York Times account can assert that the strikes hit "militants" linked to Al Qaeda -- or rather, "linked to Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen."

"Ask them!"

The White House referred questions to the government of Yemen, with whom the U.S. has "a strong collaborative relationship" -- which is not to say the U.S. government will openly endorse, affirm, or share responsibility for any of the acts the Yemen government claims to have carried out.

What is new is that one government -- the Yemeni one -- did state affirmatively that they killed people:  "55 militants" -- "militants whowereplanningto attack civilian and military facilities."

The U.S. government's scarecrow act -- pointing the finger at the Yemeni government -- is completely unconvincing, and the Yemeni government's statements are completely unsatisfying.

Luckily, a drumbeat is growing in U.S. courts and in the U.S. Congress to force the U.S. Executive branch to come clean on its drone killings.

Related posts

The U.S. has a modus operandi for conducting military strikes while slipping past any genuine public accountability. It's worth a look at the Tuesday, October 29, 2013, New York Times account of a drone strike in Somalia the previous day: "Pentagon Says Shabab Bomb Specialist Is Killed in Missile Strike in Somalia." It's a case study in what's wrong with the U.S. drone wars.

(See October 28 in Somalia: Another Day, Another Drone Killing)

The argument made by the U.S.government has been that the political, social, and ideological environment in Yemen is so volatile that it is the kind of place where ex-Guantanamo detainees may seek to obtain redress of their mistreatment by joining anti-U.S. groups.
(See What if a Yemeni Sued the U.S. Government? (What if 56 of them did?) )

A September 5, 2013, U.S. drone strike in Pakistan killed six people - including Sangeen Zadran -- a "senior militant commander" who was "implicated in a long-running kidnapping drama involving an American soldier."

(See September 5 in Pakistan: Another Day, Another Drone Killing)






Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) have now submitted a bill calling for drone transparency -- the "Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act" (otherwise known as the "come clean on drone killing" bill). Many groups are calling for its passage, including Amnesty International, Arab American Institute, Center for Civilians in Conflict, Center for Constitutional Rights, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, National Security Network, Open Society Policy Center, Peace Action West, Reprieve, and Win Without War.

(See REAL Progressives Demand that the U.S. Come Clean on Drone Killings )

What if a Yemeni Sued the U.S. Government? (What if 56 of them did?)

"Relatives of Yemeni prisoner Abdel Rahman al-Shabati
being held at the US-run Guantanamo Bay detention
camp hold his pictures during a demonstration calling
for the release of prisoners outside the US embassy
in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 17, 2013." (AFP Photo/
Gamal Noman) See "Protesters rally against Gitmo
at US Embassy in Yemen"

The plight of Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo is turning a thought experiment into a cause of action.

The thought experiment runs as follows:

(a) Our system of law is predicated on the idea that wronged parties have means of obtaining redress.  

I was reminded of this principle just this morning when I read about the ruling of presiding judge of the criminal division, Cook County Courts, Paul Biebel, appointing Loyola University Chicago School of Law Dean David Yellen to search out additional victims of torture by John Burge and other Chicago Police Department officers. (See "Law school dean appointed to search for Burge victims still in prison" in the Chicago Tribune.) Judge Biebel said, "The individuals who are still incarcerated as a result of his wrongdoing deserve resolution."

(b) There are currently 56 Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo who have been cleared for release -- i.e. the U.S. can find no way to charge them with a crime -- i.e. after up to twelve years of detention, they have been found to have been held through no fault of their own.

For more background on this see "Yemeni Guantanamo Detainees in Limbo" on the Voice of America (VOA) website.

(c)There is a strong case to be made that these men were wrongfully imprisoned, and at least some of them tortured, and they need to have legal recourse to remedy the wrong done them.

(d) It is incumbent on the government to provide opportunity for plaintiffs to seek redress.  The failure to do so renders the notion of "remedy" moot.

The theoretical rights of Guantanamo detainees to redress tend to go out the window when those detainees are repatriated. First, the U.S. government coerces the detainees to "sign away" their rights before releasing them (though this coerced surrender of rights would certainly be annulled in any court). Then their home governments sweep those ex-detainees up into programs directed at "putting their past behind them."

The situation of the Yemenis, however, may have the effect of making real the possibility that survivors of Guantanamo will, in fact, be able to sue the U.S. government.

Nowhere to go

YEMEN: Humanitarian Snapshot
Download pdf for better resolution

The argument made by the U.S.government has been that the political, social, and ideological environment in Yemen is so volatile that it is the kind of place where ex-Guantanamo detainees may seek to obtain redress of their mistreatment by joining anti-U.S. groups.

Barack Obama imposed a ban on repatriations to Yemen, and then in May, 2013, decided to lift his self-imposed ban.  ("[T]he government is highly dysfunctional, but it is much more functional than it was a year ago or even two years ago." See "Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen," Associated Press, May 23, 2013.)

One might well ask if the real problem isn't that the U.S. keeps conducting drone strikes in Yemen, and that everyone in Yemen is mad as hell at the U.S. . . . .

. . . or that Yemen is in the grips of a humanitarian crisis that renders everyone vulnerable. (See map above right.)

Ban or no ban . . .  drones or no drones . . . humanitarian crisis or no humanitarian crisis . . . the U.S. government evaluation of "what might happen" and how "people might think" in Yemen has changed little and Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo are going nowhere. ("Marginal security environment" ... "susceptibility to re-engagement" ... See "Panel Says Yemeni Man Should Stay in Detention," New York Times, March 13, 2014.)

And all of this has the effect of putting a fine point on the question: What else are those 56 men supposed to do, considering they don't have the opportunity for redress of their mistreatment through the courts?

What have we created?

An observation has reverberated through my mind since I first heard it expressed in the film, The Response.  In the film, one member of a panel of three tribunal judges at Guantanamo says,

"If they weren't terrorists before, what does locking them up in this place for five years turn them into? What are we creating here?"

I don't know if these exact words have ever been spoken on the record by any U.S. officer. I'm confident, however, these words reflect the sentiments of countless members of the military.  And that is what has helped clarify for me that the question before us really is: How can we hustle these ex-detainees off to a place where they have no legal recourse to have their grievance against us redressed, and then complain if they pursue means outside the law to do so?

In other words, is the problem conditions in Yemen? Or is the real problem the absence of redress of grievances in the U.S. legal system?

Isn't it time we started to ask, "What did you do to these people to make you so sure they will be bent on revenge?"

Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that the Obama administration is stonewalling on the release of the Yemeni detainees.  Maybe this gives us an opportunity to demand that they be given asylum in the United States -- and be given the full opportunity to have their grievance against those who kidnapped and tortured them redressed through the rule of law.


UPCOMING: Join members of the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo for a program on the evening of Tuesday, March 25, 2014, at 7 p.m.: Yemeni Detainees at Guantanamo - Why Are They Still There? (Grace Place, 637 S Dearborn, Chicago)


Related posts

Even if the current Obama administration approach of releases were to succeed in bringing about the release of everyone at Guantanamo, it would not have begun to address the wrong that has been committed.

(See US to its Humans Rights Violations Victims: "Shut up and take what you're given!" )

I think the U.S. is in the midst of a big shift.  I think that for over a decade following 9/11 people have been so enmeshed in fear that their instincts weren't working properly. I think that we are in the midst of a slow process of awakening: people are emerging from the shadow of fear to a wider range of sensibility -- and they are realizing there are some things that are out of joint.

(See Too Much State Power? (Asymmetric Warfare and Asymmetric Policing))









It is clearly the time for an annual dose of stealth maneuvering by our government's "national security" apparatus, led by the President.  They're hoping that they can make it look like Guantanamo is "going away." According to the Administration's script, Americans are supposed to yawn and go back to sleep. Instead, we need to be saying: how do we take responsibility for the injury we have caused?

(See A Modest Proposal: Resettle the Guantanamo Detainees in Chicago)

What Would a Global Movement to Ground the Drones Look Like?

The 2013 CODEPINK Drones Summit has made it clear to me that the global movement against drones is happening.

I opened my computer this morning to see this image:

Imran Khan addressing a massive crowd at the #PakistanAgainstDrones
protest at Peshawar yesterday. (Photo via @AhmerMurad)

This is a rally in Pakistan to stop US drone killings. (In fact, it has morphed into a movement to resist NATO military operations in the region.) Many of us who weren't in Pakistan participated in this protest by holding rallies where we were (for instance, in London), or by participating virtually via the #PakistanAgainstDrones campaign on Twitter.

A huge turnout outside the US Embassy in London. (via @SorayaAziz)

The New York Times gave front page coverage yesterday to the testimony of Faisal bin Ali Jaber from Yemen when he came to Washington, DC, to tell people first-hand about US drone strikes killing peacemakers in his home country.

Faisal bin Ali Jaber (NY Times)

Of course, some activists have an easier time getting a hearing than others.

Malala Yousafi at the White House: “I also expressed my concerns that
drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these
acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we
refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact.”
(Source: ThinkProgress)

The CODEPINK summit itself, in addition to hosting Faisal and his colleagues, brought forward the voices of speakers from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition, we learned about the efforts of activists in Germany to resist the US drone command center there that focuses on Africa. And, of course, we heard about the great work of Drones Wars UK to resist British drone militarism, particularly in Afghanistan.

So . . . where else in the world is the movement against drones taking off?

Related posts

Five big realizations I'm taking away from the 2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" in Washington, DC.

(See The 2013 DC Drones Conference: 5 Big Takeaways )

The biggest idea coming out of the 2013 Drone Summit? We will only deal successfully with the crimes being committed using drones when we understand them as part of the much larger war against communities of color . . . .

(See Drone Gaze, Drone Injury: The War on Communities of Color )

A new U.N. report makes it clear that the U.S. has to report fully on all its drone attacks.

(See 2014: The Year of Transparency (for U.S. Drone Use)?)

OK, You Have Our Attention. Let's Put a Stop to ALL These Criminal Weapons!

More on Syria: Where Have We Ended Up?

How many of Barack Obama's words about Syria will be used against him when the U.S. is indicted for its crimes using drones?

As President Obama insisted two nights ago:

When dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory. But these things happened. The facts cannot be denied. The question now is what the United States of America, and the international community, is prepared to do about it. Because what happened to those people -- to those children -- is not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security. (Emphasis added. Full transcript from Washington Post.)

The UN is on the verge of taking action on U.S. extrajudicial executions using drones, and the movement against drone warfare is preparing for another wave of nationwide protests. Person after person is noticing the eerie resonance of Barack Obama's accusations against Syria with the crimes of his own administration against people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere.

A friend wrote to me from Wisconsin:

Yesterday evening I watched Obama fill the air with hypocrisy. It struck me he mentioned children dying 3 times. He also talked of them writhing. Obviously this is a ploy to pull the heartstrings of Americans. Of course it struck me that he is killing children in Pakistan and elsewhere and the fact thousands are being killed, and hundreds of thousands killed by the U.S.

Bob Koehler, the syndicated columnist based here in Chicago, calls Obama's behavior "cherry-picking evil":

So Barack Obama, in his role as president, belies both his own intelligence and that of — my guess — most of his constituents when he asks us to play along with the game. Yes, poison gas is a ghastly evil (though who actually used it in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta remains uncertain), but what a ruse to muster all one’s outrage over images of “men, women, children lying in rows, killed by poison gas, others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath, a father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk” — and then use that outrage as the pretext to justify counter-actions on our part that are equally indiscriminate in their delivery of hell to the same people. Virtually every aspect of modern warfare fits the description Obama drew as a sort of “red line” of bad behavior: the use of weaponry that kills on a mass scale, making no distinction between soldier and infant. We are, after all, the nation that developed nuclear weapons and, over the next half century, spent some $5.5 trillion playing arms race with the Soviet Union and, ultimately, with no one at all. We’re still developing further generations of “tactical” nukes, bleeding more than $30 billion annually into this insanity. (Read Bob's entire column: Cherry-Picking Evil)

Sure, the world needs to stop Syria's chemical weapons. But what about the United States' drones? Which leads me to another metaphor -- one that found resonance with my friends from Pakistan on Twitter -- "what's good for the goose is good for the gander."

Isn't it time we put a stop to ALL these criminal weapons? And the criminals who use them?

Get involved in the movement to stop drone warfare.

More on Syria: Where Have We Ended Up?

Related posts

In my opinion, the reason to focus on drones is this: when we focus on drones, the general public is able to "get," to an unusual extent, the degree to which popular consent has been banished from the process of carrying out state violence. (Sure, it was banished long ago, but the absence of a human in the cockpit of a drone suddenly makes a light bulb go off in people's heads.) It takes some prodding, but people can sense that drone use somehow crosses a line. And that opens up the discussion about how our consent has been eliminated from the vast range of US militarism.

(See "Why focus on drone attacks?")

"Because of the intensified division of labor," the narrator explains, "many technicians and scientists can no longer recognize the contribution the have made to weapons of destruction." "Our department extracts lareic, oleic, and naptha acids . . . . "  "I'm a chemist. What should I do? If I develop a substance, it can be good for humanity . . . ."  "Besides napalm, Dow Chemical produces 800 other products . . . ." Does this familiar to you?


(See American Fire: Still Spreading, Still Inextinguishable)

The recurring theme of the The Hurt Locker is "We're done here." The tension of each encounter with a bomb is followed by the moment when the hero successfully defuses the bomb, and then announces "We're done here." The deeper theme of the movie is psychological: the solder is addicted to the excitement. He is unable to go on with a normal life. He keeps going back, again and again, to Iraq, to defuse more bombs. (HE is NEVER "done".)

(See DU: Will we ever be able to say "We're done here" ? )

#NATOvictims

We are planning an event for Monday, May 21, in Chicago to honor the memory of victims of #NATO violence. You can read full details of the event below.

This is a realization of the #RemembranceDay2012 commemoration I proposed several days ago.

We are inviting people everywhere to contribute the names of victims of NATO violence, using the hashtag #NATOvictims. We will recite the names as part of the service of remembrance on May 21. (You can view videos of the ceremony below.)

We've started assembling the names and stories of #NATOvictims on the World Can't Wait website.

Stay tuned for more details of the event -- to be released shortly.

* * * * *

MONDAY, May 21, 2012 - Remembrance Day 2012

[ -- REVISED MAY 21 2012 -- ]
Protesters, Clergy, Community Gather to Put Focus on Victims of U.S. / NATO Wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Others

As the Obama administration expresses fury at Pakistani resistance to further NATO war operations and excludes Pakistan's president from the NATO Summit, members of the wider community will gather to memorialize people killed by U.S. airstrikes and drone attacks in Pakistan as well as in the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S./NATO operations in Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere. Recognizing what veterans on Sunday called "the burden of blood that has stained these medals", Trinity Church has opened its lawn to expressions of grief and remembrance by the entire community.

"While billion dollar deals to continue U.S. and NATO presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan are discussed behind closed doors, we're putting the stories and images of the individual people, and families, harmed by these military actions," said Debra Sweet. "NATO is expected to announce combat troop reductions in Afghanistan, while leaving unresolved -- and hidden -- the daily killings and injuries by drones, detention, night raids that will continue for decades by with the apparatus the US/NATO has put in place there."

Local clergy, members of the international community, and protesters who marched Sunday will gather to emphasize their commitment to ending the wars and occupations -- in all their dimensions -- and focusing on the humanity of those who are often seen as "collateral damage" in modern wars.

Time: 12:00 noon
Location: Open air event on grounds of Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. 26th St., Chicago
More info: Details of the #NATOvictims campaign on the World Can't Wait website Remembering the Victims: #NATOvictims

* * * * *

VIDEOS OF COMMEMORATION CEREMONY FOR #NATOvictims
Memorial for NATO Victims-Religious Voices
Memorial for NATO Victims-Debra Sweet and Jill McLaughlin
Memorial for NATO Victims-Voice from Pakistan
Memorial for NATO Victims-More Voices

* * * * *

Holding You In the Light: for those who have died ... in body, mind, or spirit
A SERVICE OF COMMEMORATION

Gathering Song: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Pat Humphries

Opening Words of Welcome: Rev. Loren McGrail from Protest Chaplains

Prayer of Forgiveness
We come today to this holy place occupied by the Holy Spirit and those who came here to protest and testify. With the words of the brave soldiers who threw away their medals still echoing, the images of children’s corpses still fresh, the blue scarves of the Afghan youth still fluttering, the drones still flying, the soldiers prepping for another deployment, men and women sexually assaulted, trauma denied healing, waterpipes blown up, whole families targeted as shields, we come seeking forgiveness for our ignorance, indifference or apathy. We seek forgiveness for the pain and suffering our government has inflicted on others in the name of freedom or liberation in our name. We kneel, we stand, we cry for the liberation of our country and the world leaders who seek peace through violence and endless war. We come to this holy place and time to seek forgiveness and assurance that another world is possible and that we may have the courage and strength to make it so. Amen

Song: This is My Song

Words: Debra Sweet, World Can't Wait

We Remember
Reading of names of people killed in NATO led wars. People come to the front and light a candle in remembrance of those killed in NATO led wars including our soldiers. We light two large candles in collective memory for the two million killed in Afghanistan.

Song: Keep on Moving Forward by Pat Humphries
1. We’re gonna keep on movin’ forward (3x)
Never turnin’ back (2X)
2. We’re gonna reach across our borders…
3. We’re gonna keep on loving boldly…
4. We’re gonna work for peace together…
5. We’re goona keep on movin forward…

Our Commitment to Another World Possible and On the Way
Side A: For the light of the spark of the divine in all of us making us one family.

Side B: We commit ourselves to keeping our hearts open to the suffering of all those affected and killed by global wars of terror.

Side A: For the light of the spark of the divine in all of us making us all sisters and brothers.

Side B: We commit ourselves to not become indifferent to all those who are victims of violence, bereaved by loss, isolated by trauma, imprisoned because of their consciences, or who live by fear.

Side A: For the light of the spark of the diving in all of us that makes dependent upon each other.

All: Because the world can’t wait, we commit ourselves to work for, pray for, advocate for a world without war, a world where resources are shared and all the people have dignity and freedom.

Liturgy by Rev. Loren McGrail and Rev. Luis Alvarenga from Protest Chaplains


See Flashback: Protesting NATO in Chicago - May, 2012


More related posts

People around the world are using the Twitter hashtag #NATOvictims to bring forward the names of the victims who are left invisible to us. People everywhere have already started to contribute to the commemoration.

(See It Will Be Remembered as the #NATOvictims Summit )

Sixty-seven years ago tonight, morning in Japan, a single B-29 dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. This incredible blast destroyed most of the city and killed over 60,000 people almost immediately. Another 80,000 more died in subsequent months and years from the deadly radiation.

(See Our Dark Beacon: Prayer Vigil for Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 5, 2012)

But have we truly left the world’s darkness? I wondered as I watched the shadow the candle spread on the ground or on the wall, and the shadow my own head made. And I began to realize to my own dismay that this shadow we call delusion is not less real than myself or the candle. And I said, as I witnessed death snatch many around me with the speed of a wink, that we still stand with our backs to the sun. . . .

(See Logan Square Laments With Syria )

Make Drone Killing 100% VISIBLE!

More at: Can we stop the DRONES?

I just returned from Washington, D.C., where I attended Code Pink's Drone Summit: Killing and Spying by Remote Control.

Two days were packed with comprehensive information presentations and planning sessions for activists.

At the end of the first day, I came to a realization: the fundamental problem that we had all gathered to address is that drones render killing 100% invisible. And as long as the killing is invisible, we lose the most powerful tool we have for fighting the killing: the disgust and outrage of the general public.

But recognizing the problem is the first step in being clear about the solution. If drones render killing 100% invisible, WE must find a way to make drone killing 100% VISIBLE.

Drone killing: 100% visible. We now know what we need to do. The rest is just implementation.


More at: Can we stop the DRONES?

* * * * * *

Are you working to make drone killing 100% visible? Connect with others at the STOP the Drone Killing! Grassroots Coalition group page on Facebook.

My post on Drones and Zero Accountability Government has lots more links on the problem of drone killing ....

Photos: Predator drone silhouette from The Christian Science Monitor; Pakistani child victims from Examiner.com

* * * * * *

Check out this collage of NATO killings on Tumblr.

Take a look at the important work to protest drone killings being done by The Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones & End the Wars

* * * * * *

People on Twitter are making the #drones killing 100% VISIBLE:

* * * * * *

We made the drone killing 100% visible on May 17 on the streets of Chicago, during the NATO protests.

Related posts

Five big realizations I'm taking away from the 2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" in Washington, DC.

(See The 2013 DC Drones Conference: 5 Big Takeaways )

October, 2013: A new U.N. report makes it clear that the U.S. has to report fully on all its drone attacks.

(See 2014: The Year of Transparency (for U.S. Drone Use)?)

There was a lot of noise in Chicago during the NATO Summit. But one message we managed to get through -- at least to some people -- was that people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many other places are being injured and killed in their names ... and that if that bothers their consciences they can get active and do something about it.

(See Making Drone Killing 100% VISIBLE in Chicago!)

 In 1984, the transgressive act that starts Winston Smith on the path of resistance is writing in a diary, and the memory that he chooses to record is an eerie vision of our own time: " . . . then the helicopter planted a 20 kilo bomb in among them terrific flash and the boat went all to matchwood. then there was a wonderful shot of a childs arm going up up up right up into the air . . . "

(See Orwell: Making the Drone Killing Visible )



Nuclear radiation is invisible. It needs to be measured and counted to be recognized, and it requires careful scientific method to be understood. Measuring and counting and science are difficult. But . . .

(See GLOBAL HIBAKUSHA: Doing the work to render the invisible visible)