Antiwar Agitation in 2014: Less Mercutio, More Larry Levy

DRONES: Let's Give Obama a Political
Choice He Can Understand in 2014

I think some people may have misunderstood me when I said that in 2014 the midterm election campaigns offer an opportunity for us to have an impact in our efforts to stop drone surveillance and warfare, and in other antiwar endeavors.

Some people have said to me, "I gave up on elected officials a long time ago.  We have to take our message to the people!"

To which I say, "Yes! The people! That's exactly who is going to be turning lots of their attention to the midterm elections in 2014! Let's get in front of them; let's be part of the conversation."

In other words, let's draw a distinction between election-2014-as-communication-context and election-2014-as-end-unto-itself.


Election 2014: Because people will be giving it their attention

Remembering the example of Willie Sutton -- who said that he robbed banks "because that's where the money is" -- I would say we need to engage with the 2014 midterms "because that's where the people's attention is . . . ."

Given the inclination of the U.S. federal government to seize any opportunity to persecute dissenters, perhaps I should hasten to say explicitly that I am NOT recommending that anyone rob a bank!

What I am recommending is that we find out what people are giving their attention to, and then get ourselves into their field of view.

I'm reminded of an exchange in the Robert Altman film, The Player, in which two mutually-antagonistic movie executives are wrapping up a phone conversation:

LARRY LEVY (played by Peter Gallagher) [from behind the wheel of his black Mercedes convertible]: “I’ll be there right after my A.A. meeting.

GRIFFIN MILL: (played by Tim Robbins) [dripping with schadenfreude-masquerading-as-concern]: “Oh. Larry, I didn’t realize you had  . . . a drinking problem.”

LARRY LEVY  [ingenuously]: “Well, I don’t really, but that’s where all the deals are being made these days.”

This exchange has always stuck with me, because once you peel away the hopeless competitiveness and lack of compassion of these two characters, you are left with a grain of truth: if you want to succeed, you need to go where the conversation is taking place.

The question for us: are we willing to check our egos at the door and get busy talking to people?

Election 2014: The lure of party politics

My mother-in-law used to refer to things being "a snare and a delusion," and I certainly appreciate the risk posed by elections. It's easy to get sucked in, and pretty soon all of your time and energy is being sacrificed in the service of some candidate, or some party, or or some other aspect of the existing system.

Like Mercutio, most of us feel we have been wounded enough to be entitled to feel most "grave" and to say, "I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o' both your houses!"

And we do need a posture that immunizes us from being dragged into party politics. At the same time, however, we need to be where the people are.

So . . . how are we going to do it?

Related posts

There's no question that for the next 18 months, we members of the general public will be deluged with media about the 2016 presidential election. Maddeningly, 99 and 44/100% of that media will make no mention of the need to end U.S. wars, occupations, imperialism, and militarism.

(See I Support Antiwar Candidates! (Know Any?) )










One thing's for sure: there's a whole passel of advisers talking to Barack Obama every day about how things are progressing in key districts like the Illinois 12th. (And the Michigan 1st. And the Minnesota 8th. And ... ) I'd like to be a fly on the wall when they tell him the candidate is complaining about the latest anti-drones campaign there. ("Why the hell are there protesters at my appearance in Carbondale with signs that say, 'When will the DEMs stop being the party of Drone Execution and Murder' ???")

(See DRONES: Let's Give Obama a Political Choice He Can Understand in 2014 )

There has been a good sign in 2013, in that many people have become outraged about government surveillance. A recent Pew poll found that Americans are now more worried about civil liberties abuses than terrorism. I believe a big question in 2014 will be whether challengers successfully address the issue of NSA surveillance in their campaigns.

(See What Will Election 2014 Boil Down To? )

One issue that has a key place in the midterm elections in 2014, I believe, is surveillance.  With each passing day, I am hearing more and more people say that the surveillance issue is something that a wide spectrum of people are deeply upset about. That includes people on the right as well as people on the left -- people who don't usually talk with each other, much less work together for positive change!

(See The Surveillance Issue: The Fulcrum of the 2014 Election?)

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)?)

The 2013 DC Drones Conference: 5 Big Takeaways

So much went on this past weekend at the  2013 CODEPINK Drone Summit "Drones Around the Globe: Proliferation and Resistance" in Washington, DC -- before I head back to Chicago I want to emphasize the really big realizations that I'm taking away with me.

(1) The first-hand stories make this scourge un-ignorable

We're all inundated with facts and figures about the killings being carried out with drones. But it's the personal testimony of witnesses -- like the relatives of victims who traveled all the way from Yemen to tell their stories and ex-military personnel like former intel analyst Daniel Hale -- who play the most vital role in explaining why drone killing has to stop. (Listen for yourself.)


(2) A war against communities of color

In presentation after presentation -- starting with the inspirational words of Cornel West, continuing with the testimony of representatives of Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries who came to tell their stories-- and reinforced by comment after comment by conference participants, it is clear that 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, and commit totally to resisting that larger war.

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

(3) The U.S. network against drones has taken off!

We held a session at 8:30 Sunday morning about building the U.S. network against drones. There was a huge turnout for a very effective session, and everybody left the room committed to pitching in to make the network successful. (Join the network yourself.)

(4) The global network against drones is coming

It's clear that the beginnings of a global network are coming into place.  My prediction?  2014 will be the year that we see truly coordinated activism by people worldwide to put a stop to the misuse of drones.

Bruce Gagnon from the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space concurs: "Clearly there is growing interest and organizing energy around drones and we are thrilled to see that."

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


(5) CODEPINK is awesome

This was a big event -- about 400 participants with many moving parts.  It came off flawlessly.  I can't say enough about what a great job CODEPINK did in putting the event together and carrying it out. (Watch for yourself.)

We're all fortunate to have CODEPINK doing this important work.



see also:

Drone Free Zone: At the second annual Drone Summit, Code Pink and Cornel West argue that all lives are equal

Anti-drone movement prepares for take off

Related posts

As I headed into the 2013 drones summit, I was thinking about the need for more transparency, the role of the faith community, the possible impact of the 2014 midterms, and more . . . .

(See The DC Drones Conference: What I'll Be Thinking About)

To those of us who have worked hard to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, it is flabbergasting to see reports that U.S. officials see a "need" for someplace else to send troops and material: apparently, there's no such thing as demobilization, only re-deployment.

(See AFRICOM: The Heart of Darkness)

In Chicago, there is a push to convert the Ames middle school, which serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood, into a military academy.

What does this tell us about the real workings of the immigration policy that Obama and the Democrats have created?  What's the real meaning of the DREAM act?

(See The Militarization of Ames: The Real Meaning of the DREAM Act )

Independence Day - from DRONES!

We are seeing a groundswell of opposition in this country to drones killings and drone surveillance.

I N D E P E N D E N C E !

There are editorials against drones in local newspapers -- Chicago, Akron, Pittsburgh, and others -- and a new one seems to appear every day.

Grassroots networks to oppose drones killings and drone surveillance have sprung up in states like Illinois and Wisconsin:

No Drones Illinois
Twitter: @NoDronesIL

No Drones Wisconsin
Twitter: @NoDronesWI

Other states -- like New York and Nevada -- are the homes to longstanding drone opposition movements:

Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones

Nevada Desert Experience

Leaders like Medea Benjamin will be in California, Oregon, New York, Maine, and other states in the weeks ahead to encourage the development of grassroots resistance to drones.

You can read more about the groundswell of drones resistance across the U.S. in this survey I prepared for Come Home America.

My prediction is that by the time the 4th of July rolls around, there will be grassroots networks established in most states, and the menace of drones will be in the front of everybody's minds.

Grassroots resistance to drones: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

* * * * *

Do you want help establishing a blog and Twitter account for the grassroots anti-drone network in your state? Contact me at jtscarry [at] yahoo.com.

Image source: Town of Williamsport, MD


Related posts

The patriotic thing to do on Independence Day is to start a conversation about something really important to our country (and the world), like stopping war and militarism.

(See Independence Day - from WAR and VIOLENCE! )



Check out these links to anti-drones activities that sprung up in 2012. Obviously, this is just a sampling of drones activism nationwide -- but a great place to start! (What are you prepared to do?)

(See Drones Activism: Big Stories in the No Drones Network)






The April Days of Action Against Drones 2013 have been imaginative, colorful, powerful, and inspiring! Look at the images on this page and click through to learn more about the ones that you want to know more about.

(See April Days of Action Against Drones: HIGHLIGHTS!)

Grassroots "No Drones" campaigns are happening across the country, and soon there will be one in every state. Get active with the people working to stop drone killings and drone surveillance in your area today!

(See Drones Groups Nationwide - State by State List )









Joe Scarry: @SenRandPaul How about a bill to protect lives of non-Americans from the government's unwarranted murder by drones?

(See Tuesday July 3: Independence from Drones )

Not Your Father's Antiwar Movement

I have very clear memories of the '60s and '70s, when the antiwar movement was driven by fear of the draft.

Today we live in a different world. Without the draft, the people have "checked out." It is like Rome ... the legions do the work of empire and the people are kept happy with bread and circus. (Or Starbucks and "Dancing With the Stars," if you prefer.)

You can't get good help these days . . . .

Of course, our government now has to go to the trouble of recruiting volunteers, but our leaders have figured out that they can get most of the work done by a class that supplies its sons (and some daughters) as soldiers, and doesn't really figure out what's happening until those kids' deployments are over or kids themselves become casualties. (See the great new film "Where Soldiers Come From" for a brutal depiction of this reality.)

And we are moving away from even that inconvenience, by figuring out ways to get more and more of our killing done by robots. The fundamental problem of drones is that their pervasive use cuts the people's last ties to their feelings of responsibility for the most serious acts of their government.

The challenge of the antiwar movement is to stop fighting the battles of the past -- addressing a populace that is afraid of the draft -- and to start dealing with this new reality: a populace that has been reduced to being one rung above being robots themselves.


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?")

Leveling Up is the creative work that demonstrates just how thoroughly America's new ways of warfare have become intertwined with the other dominant strands in our culture.

(See Level Up, Step Up, Grow Up, Man Up . . . Wake Up)

If the public will join us in asking the question "Who decides?" about drone executions, I believe they will rapidly come to realize that they are utterly dissatisfied with what the government is saying.

(See Who Decides? (When Drones are Judge, Jury, and Executioner) )