Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Gaza Crisis Brings Israel's "Dronification" of State Power into Full View

The use of drones by Israel in the current Gaza crisis is bringing into full view the leading role of Israel in changing the way the U.S. and other countries assert state power against people everywhere.


Israeli drone pilot describes how assassinations are carried out

As this Wall Street Journal video points out, the U.S. previously criticized Israel for carrying out assassinations using drones . . . before adopting "the same deadly tactic" in its own killing program in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Israel has created its own peculiar ethics: it's all exerting power "without risking human lives" i.e. the "human lives of pilot or aircrew." The "infantry feels more safe." As for people on the ground, the words "militant" or "terrorist" condemn them to execution.

People in Chicago were treated to an elaborate description of this ethic when leading Israeli military thinker Amos Guiora spoke there about "good" targeted killing. (See "Targeted Killing" - The Heart of the U.S.-Israel Relationship )

On top of defining the new ideology of drone killing, Israel is the top exporter of drones. As the WSJ video points out, five NATO countries are using Israeli drones in Afghanistan, and Turkey and Brazil are importing Israeli drones.

"Dronification" . . . Made in Israel!


Related posts

Amos Guiora, an Israeli "counter-terrorism expert," held forth on the difference between "good" targeted killing -- i.e. the kind Israeli practices (!) -- and "bad" targeted killing -- namely, the kind the Obama administration carries out. But what this talk was really about was conditioning the public to accept the idea that "targeted killing" is a legitimate activity of a government.

(See "Targeted Killing" - The Heart of the U.S.-Israel Relationship )


No Drones Illinois has endorsed the following call by Anti-War Committee – Chicago, Jews for Justice in Palestine, U.S. Palestinian Community Network and 8th Day Center for Justice: Protest Boeing Death Machines in Gaza: Demand Chicago Drop Boeing from Air and Water Show!

(See No Drones Illinois Endorses Call to Drop Boeing from Chicago Air and Water Show)



The movement to publicize and bring an end to drone warfare customarily focuses on U.S. actions in four places: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Is it time to add the Sinai Peninsula to that list, considering drone executions being carried out by Israel there?

(See Should We Include Sinai in the List of U.S. Drone Target Zones? )


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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

"Immigration Border Crisis": The Perfect Excuse for Total Drone Surveillance



The crisis du jour in the U.S. is now the "immigration border crisis": thousands of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S. border. Although the crisis is not one of detecting these immigrants, but of discovering an ethical response to their plight, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is wasting no time demanding money for surveillance equipment.


As reported by NBC News, "[t]he White House wants an additional $3.7 billion to deal with the current crisis, with $39.4 million committed to air surveillance — including funds meant for 16 additional crews to operate and maintain drones" (See "Eyes in the Sky: Are Pricey Border Patrol Drones Worth the Money?")

The immediate challenge will be for immigrants rights and civil liberties activists in states on the southern border -- California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas -- to redouble their efforts to keep the drones on the ground.

But just how long do the non-border states think it will be before those drones are being "borrowed" by local law enforcement or other federal agencies for all kinds of purposes, in all kinds of places?


Related posts

The acquisition of drones by LAPD, in the larger context of the LAPD Architecture of surveillance, spying and infiltration, demonstrates the continued militarization of the LAPD. Embedded within this infrastructure is an enormous array of electronic and human surveillance programs and devices such as - Trapwire, Stingray, Hi Definition Cameras, Automatic License Plate Readers, Suspicious Activity Reporting, Special Order 1, iWATCH, Predictive Policing, and the Safer Cities Initiative.

(See "No Drones in LA!")


Texas' "drone zone" is anchored by Fort Bliss in El Paso, an authorized basing/training site for Reaper drones and smaller-scale Shadow and Raven drones. Two other anchors of Texas' "drone zone" are on the Gulf Coast . . . .

(See Texas' Militarized Border: How Will Drone Politics Impact the 2014 Midterm in the 23rd? )








It was interesting that on the main street at Senator Udall's office several bystanders joined in with us to hold signs for a while. There is a good amount of general knowledge about drones and the controversy surrounding them.

(See Jan18: Albuquerque Protests Drones )










According to the Department of Defense Report to Congress on Future Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training, Operations, and Sustainability (April 2012), Arizona has six (6) locations that have been designated as potential basing locations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) [i.e. drones].

(See Arizona Drone Bases)


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Monday, July 14, 2014

Content Tags Across Dozens of "No Drones" Sites Now Networked

We've been working to provide a consistent set of data tags to all the posts on all the "No Drones" sites.

Below is the list of tags that we are trying to use on a consistent basis. They are hyperlinked to the Google search engine to return links to all the different "No Drones" sites and the posts there related to the specific tags.

Due to the efforts of thousands of people around the country, a diverse set of activities have been taking place to in many different locations to bring attention to, educate about, spur conversation of, and protest illegitimate uses of drones.

(The list is in development and the list below includes the most frequently used terms.)

A B

air show protest

anti-drones activity . . .
C

call for U.N. intervention in U.S. drone use
CIA drone program protest
blogging about the problem of drones
Code Pink Pakistan delegation

Congress-related . . .

D

data about the problem of drones
domestic use of drones

drone(s) - other aspects . . .

E F G H I J K L

faith communities response to the problem of drones
fundraising for anti-drones efforts

June 12 2012 letter from Congress to Obama raising questions about drone strikes


M N

media treatment of drones problem
mainstream media response to the problem of drones
military base protest

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR)
NSA surveillance program protest
  
O P

opposition to drones on social media
opposition to university research on drones

public discussion of ethics of drone business jobs profits
public education about the problem of drones
public forum on drones

Q R S T U V W X Y Z

rejecting drones fundamental agency in fostering illegitimate human power relations
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Fall 2014 Events in the Movement Against Drone Killing and Surveillance

September

Air Shows (various locations nationwide)

Experience shows that air shows are good places to protest drone killing and surveillance.

(See also Why Air Shows Are a Very Effective Place to Protest Drone Killing and Drone Surveillance )

See list of fall 2014 air shows 



Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions - September 21 - 27

Participate in one of the dozens of actions taking place nationwide, many of them organized by groups with a strong history of protesting drones killings and drone surveillance.

One of the pillars of Campaign Nonviolence is "Ending the military drone program."


October 


Global Action Day Against the Use of Drones for Surveillance & Killing -- October 4

Join the first Global Action Day Against the Use of Drones for Surveillance & Killing.

As global citizens who believe in justice and the rule of law, we oppose weaponized and surveillance drones.

If you or your group are planning an action or event for October 4 and would like to post information about it on this website, please email a brief description to Anastasia of CODEPINK at anastasia@codepink.org.





Keep Space for Peace Week -- October 4-11

The annual Keep Space for Peace week will take place October 4 - 11, 2014, at locations nationally and internationally.

Download poster
download flyer
See the video on Youtube










Related posts

October 4, 2014 has been set as the date for nationwide action on the problem of drone killing and surveillance. It seems to me that this is well timed for action vis-a-vis representatives in Congress, most of whom will face a vote on Election Day (Tuesday, November 4, 2014).

(See A Modest Proposal: Turn October 4 Into a "Come Clean On Drones Killing" Deadline! )









Perhaps the single most significant consequence of the advent of killer drones is that they allow the state to efficiently separate war-making from the emotional involvement of the people of the country using them. In other words, with the coming of drone warfare, we have been denied the opportunity for empathy with those affected by our (direct and indirect) actions.

(See Why is "Ending the military drone program" a pillar of Campaign Nonviolence?)
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