Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Summer Days Against Drones

The April Days of Action Against Drones campaign was fantastic! But it was just the beginning ....

There were excellent "no drones" events as part of local summer gatherings and festivals throughout June, July, August, and September, 2012. We expect outreach to the public to build the "no drones" movement all summer long in 2013. Exciting events like Covering Ground to Ground the Drones in Iowa with VCNV in Iowa are already in the works!

Below are a few examples of opportunities for events. (Events will continue to be posted on the national list here.)


AIR SHOWS

There are dozens of air shows across the country every year. People who come to these events tend to be curious and willing to engage in discussion. It's especially important to have a presence at these events because often they are uncritical displays of military air power and recruiting sites for the military.

Protests at the Chicago 2013 Air & Water Show are already being planned.

Here are several examples of past "no drones" events at air shows that were very successful:

Taking the NO DRONES! Message to the Masses at Chicago's Air & Water Show

Welcome to Oshkosh! (got drones?)




GREEN FAIRS

There are a growing number of environment- and green-oriented fairs and gatherings. Given the intimate relationship between drones, militarism, resource politics, and the environment, these events can be excellent opportunities to do outreach to concerned people.

State fairs are an excellent opportunity to reach people on this aspect of the drones problem.

See for instance: Energy Fair: Clean Energy & Sustainable Living, Custer, WI, June 21-23, 2013




PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL GATHERINGS

There are a growing number of environment- and green-oriented fairs and gatherings. Given the intimate relationship between drones, militarism, resource politics, and the environment, these events can be excellent opportunities to do outreach to concerned people.

See for instance: Raging Grannies Wow Fighting Bob Fest Crowd with Anti-Drones Song


MUSIC FESTIVALS

Can you say "Woodstock"?  :-)

Find a festival near you here: Music Festival Junkies - Festival Guide






DRONES CONFERENCES

The unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) industry holds numerous conferences, conventions, and trade shows throughout the year. These are important places to demonstrate and raise awareness of the problem of drone surveillance and drone warfare.

For instance, see:

ATLANTA - May 2013 - 2013 International conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS'13,

WASHINGTON, DC - August 2013 - AUVSI's Unmanned Systems 2013


OTHER EVENTS

See the state-by-state listing available here.

Monday, May 6, 2013

GRATITUDE: April Days - A Nationwide Antiwar Campaign of Unprecedented Scope

All of the groups that came together to form the NSDSW (Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare) and issued the original call for April Days of Action Against Drones are extremely grateful to everyone across the country who contributed to a nationwide antiwar campaign that is unprecedented in scope in recent years.

SAN DIEGO: Not your grandmother's antiwar movement! (See more April Days highlights.)
NSDSW leaders will meet on Wednesday, May 29th at the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia to review the April Days experience in detail, and begin to formulate plans for next steps. Of particular importance to us is to hear in more detail about your April Days experience, to learn what worked and what didn't, and especially to form a commitment to giving even more effective leadership and support to future campaigns. (Feedback can be directed to Nick Mottern: nickmottern@earthlink.net .)

We will follow up concretely as soon as possible after our meeting, but under no circumstances later than June 15. Until then, please continue your amazing work!

Warm regards, and in solidarity,

Elliott Adams, former President, Veterans for Peace
Peter Lems - American Friends Service Committee
Max Obuszewski – Baltimore Nonviolence Center
Robert M. Smith – Brandywine Peace Community
Medea Benjamin, Noor Mir – Code Pink
Mark Johnson, Leila Zand – Fellowship of Reconciliation
Joan Pleune, Bev Rice – Granny Peace Brigade
Nick Mottern, George J. and Ingrid R. Guerci - knowdrones.com
Alice Sutter –North Manhattan Neighbors for Peace/NYC Metro Raging Grannies
Saadi Toor – Pakistan Solidarity Network
Alicia Godsberg – Peace Action New York
Jules Orkin – Puffin Foundation Peace Fellow
Joe Lombardo, Marilyn Levin – Co-coordinators – United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)
Judy Bello - Upstate (NY) Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars
Kimber Heinz – War Resisters League
David Swanson – War Is a Crime.org
Debra Sweet – World Can’t Wait