 |
| April Days of Action nationwide |
Dozens of actions have been planned nationwide, and new events are being added daily. Events are planned for Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Dayton, Ft. Wayne, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Seattle, Tucson, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Honolulu, as well as in dozens of other locations, including many of the communities that host the estimated 100 drone basing sites in the U.S.
See the full list of vigils, protests, lectures, and other actions that are part of the April Days nationwide.
 |
| #AprilDays on Twitter |
As part of the April Days of Action Against Drones, anti-drones activists will be tweeting throughout the month, using the hashtags #AprilDays and #nodrones.
Read about how you can be part of the #ApilDays campaign on Twitter.
 |
| The "No Drones" bible |
The April Days of Action Against Drones is just the beginning of an intensive campaign to educate people nationwide about the menace of drone surveillance and drone killing.
Through books, videos, studies, and a host of other resources, people will be learning -- and teaching -- about drones and how to bring an end to their use.
Read more about education tools YOU can start using TODAY!
LOCAL REGULATION
 |
| Drone bases across the country |
Major drivers in the move to ban drone use at the local level are (a) acquisition of drones by local sheriff and other law enforcement departments; and (b) the Department of Defense (DoD) plan to base drones in over 100 locations nationwide.
Read more about the movement to regulate drones on a local level.
FAITH GROUPS RESPOND
 |
| Chicago die-in |
Group letters, blogs, vigils, and denominational resolutions have all been part of the faith response to drones so far.
Nonetheless, there is much, much more work for the faith community to do in addressing the problem of drones.
Read more about how the faith community is getting involved in the problem of drones.
WILL POLITICIANS WAKE UP?
 |
| Drones caucus members |
The "April Days" should start to make members of Congress question these assumptions.
Maybe 2013 will be the year that members of Congress will realize they can no longer hide from the drones issue, and from their larger responsibility to control U.S. militarism.
Read more about the work people are doing to get Congress to do their job and stop the drones!
 |
| Drones Quilt Project |
There are actions happening all over the country during the April Days. But no matter where you are, you can be actively involved in the movement to resist drone surveillance and drone killing.
Through a diverse range of activities -- dramatic productions, the Drone Quilt Project, poetry, postcard projects, and more -- people are contributing to this massive, world-changing effort.
Read more about ways you can resist drones wherever you are.
APRIL DAYS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
 |
| Breaking news in The Guardian |
Military bases, universities and companies involved in Barack Obama's drones programme are to be targeted in a month-long series of protests by activists keen to build on the renewed public focus over the president's controversial policy.
Dubbed "April Days of Action" by participants, organisers are hoping to capitalise on a series of recent controversies that have thrust the use of drones – especially when it comes to targeted killings of suspected terrorists – into the heart of American political debate.
Read all the press coverage of the April Days of Action Against Drones.
Dubbed "April Days of Action" by participants, organisers are hoping to capitalise on a series of recent controversies that have thrust the use of drones – especially when it comes to targeted killings of suspected terrorists – into the heart of American political debate.
VOLUNTEER
A vitally important part of the April Days is the development of a strong anti-drones, antiwar movement. That means organizing.Reach out to activists in your area and make a commitment of time, energy, and imagination.
Need help getting connected? Use the No Drones Network volunteer form and we'll put you in touch with organizers in your state.
MORE ABOUT THE APRIL DAYS
The April Days of Action Against Drones arose out of a call by the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare (NSDSW) for a month of action during April, 2013, including protests against drone manufacturing, drone research and/or training of drone pilots at colleges and universities, and drone bases.
Paki Wieland, Western Mass, alliance for peace & justice, & Northampttn committee to stop war(s)
ReplyDeleteand many, many other hardworking, folks for peace.
DeleteI've started a petition at Whitehouse.gov for President Obama to withdraw the nomination of John Brennan as CIA Director. Brennan is one of the key architects of the current drone strike program which kills innocent civilians and has been used against American citizens who were never formally convicted or charged with a crime. He also is complicit of torture resulting from the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques' that he had knowledge of and/or involvement with. His appointment as director of the CIA would not be a step forward but a continuation of erroneous policies of the past. Please consider supporting and signing this petition.
ReplyDeletehttps://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/withdraw-nomination-john-o-brennan-cia-director/lf7Td3qx
The Silver Drone with Coca-Cola Cluster
ReplyDeleteby michael hall
What audacity it must take to set yourself apart from those who serve in the pressure cooker
for a kid gangsta of capitalism to sip a cold coke tightly clasped
while the other hand is stroking a joystick & with just gentle pressure
8000 miles away human beings who have never done his or hers any harm are now droned into bugsplat
What exceptional bravery this act of aggressive violence must trigger
for s/he might suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or bear a blister on the finger
with nerves of steel ne'er to complain for lives are at stake so s/he carries on & pushes the button of terror
careful, what if the soda spilled thereby rendering the keyboard useless? Oh the horror!
To wreak out death upon terrorists disguised as sheep-herding children, ah the in discerning bravery
to slaughter dangerous pregnant women at a bridal shower, what pluck & heroism
to kill marauding medics & first-responders daring to help the wounded from your earlier kill, irreproachable daring
such gallantry and fearlessness one must exhibit to slaughter mourners at a funeral procession
So to show recognition to the brave souls who kill at command at the press of a knob 1/2 a world yonder a distinguished 'warfare' medal of honor has been created to award those who have no honor
announced with grandiose fanfare & full flags a' flapping just the other day by war criminal DS Panetta
this will outrank the bronze star, the purple heart & what a triumph is that america?
Such a propaganda coup d'état by the bureaucrats in subterranean dusty think tanks deem
spun a wonderful way to legitimize a most immoral & illegal act that defines odium
as they flim-flammed & came up with this 'combat' decoration for a most despicable accomplishment
still i wonder what lucky american school kid will be the first to touch one or to toss it down a toilet
Back at home in the united states of mordor vat is known now as da faterland
a great cackle of cheering among thunderous applause droned at every school, church & walmart throughout the homeland
to praise & pay tribute to those daring war-idols who've earned such a distinguished medal confer
the much coveted and respected; 'Silver Drone with Coca-Cola Cluster'
For who else should earn by total disregard to personal safety with such displays of video gallantry & virtual valor won
nobody else could deserve such a high tribute & renowned award squealed Leon Panetta from atop a nefarious pile of splattered blood & bleached broken bones swept under the rug by the embedded media & acquiescent proletariat
these extraordinary actions by lightening slight of hand manipulation upon a joystick of discriminating death with unthinking critical process performed by our blue-blooded obedient hired guns
to illegally & immorally murder anyone anywhere anytime for any reason above the rule of law is now the definition of American Hero & the legalities for the justification of it are classified... 'secret'
The White Letter from The White House Smells not like a White Rose & it Stinks to High Heaven
ReplyDeleteby michael hall
First obama murdered children inside of foreign nations
so the people shopped at walmart to show their displeasure
then obama assassinated children and other innocents in countries we were not war with
so flags & troops were honored at every sports game around the land in gratitude
Some lawyers screamed foul as did the few with conscience like Chomsky, Hedges & Blum
but their voices were drowned out by the silence of the bored & apathetic, the meekly submissive
still the good loyal citizens did scream for more guns as their constitutional right
& american idol worship is supposed to be a killer tonight so guess which takes priority?
Hence obama & the exalted mighty military murdered an unarmed american across the pond
so what did WE THE PEOPLE then do you ask?
they swallowed a blue pill sunk their head deeper into the rabbit hole to breath patriotically
hush hush now little children its all a transparent secret nothing to see here just move along
While a depressed american teenager out looking for his murdered father with his cousin
stopped along a dirt road in the heart of a vast desert praying for his dad at dusk
in the middle of a cookout sitting around the fire, just these two american kids
without warning silence was broken by terrorism as they were subsequently droned to smithereens by the us military
Ah but some fires did light up more intensely this time
so obama & his bunch of hooligans had to reluctantly crawl out of their dark dungeon
they argued with legal thickets of sharpened stakes, moats, pickets, shielded by secrets & lies atop turrets no one could reach
through a tapestry of intricate semantics innuendos & bizarre definitions they declared they were upholding the constitution oxymoronically tagging this odium as wise and ethical
Claiming that the research was so sensitive & so secret that it could not be revealed
our divine heroes would then be exposed to violence & that would be quite unamerican
if that happened whistleblowers then would be scapegoated & we know what happens to them
do you really think that renditions & retaliatory vengeance are just deeds of the recent past?
Cattle mooed meekly as they contentedly chewed the crass cud of american idol worship
embedded sheep bleated reverently to the wolves in wool via indoctrination by years of cognitive brainwashing and dissonance bleaching
the superbowl was a commercial success & beyonce lip-synced flawlessly again
& the flags, ah, the flags flew so high & piously, almost above it all, but did i see, a bloodstain, a tear or was it smoke?
The Slaughter of the Children Drones On & On & On & On
ReplyDeleteWhen the drones are slaughtering innocent children in your name
do you bother to get concerned even when on your knees on Sunday?
or do you just stick your head in the sand blindly support the troops & just not think about whose to blame
if you care, i have list of their names and ages i could give you from the depths of an odious jingo game
Do your wonder if your joystick violence is really doing any good
or do you get the feeling that something is very wrong & your getting spun & fooled
how can you support exported terrorism when your sworn to defend against it
how can you donate freedom &democracy when its getting stolen from under you by E/O
Every bullet bought is a loaf of bread stolen from the belly of the hungry
& your self-praising charity checkbook fad doesn't seem to dent the starvation
for if you spent 2.2 million everyday since Jesus was born
you would have spent what your nation purchased on the military just in one year
Do you wonder why your schools don't have books & pencils
why your bridges are crumbling down & the roads are potholed like Swiss cheese
while your politicians live in mansions with 5-star chefs lapping at life-long luxury
then again today they announced another bone-cut to the needy, homeless and disabled
How could anyone with a shred of conscience bow before a flag without bending over with nausea
knowing underneath it the killing of the innocent is a weekly act in nations we are not at war with
that after a mob- hit, the gang fires off another drone when medics & rescuers come to the scene
we've forgotten what we stand for by the very deeds we toe-tag and their is no justification
Now we know by special executive decree memo called a 'white paper'
the Nobel Peace prize holder president has the power to murder americans beyond the law
it is solely up to the president when it comes to life and death and it is all a hush-hush secret
change we have been deceived by has shown the articulate wooly sheep to be but a child-eating wolf
Anyone who murders children by drone and then jokes about it is a sociopath
a leader who becomes a serial killer validated by secret edicts he wont share with his employers is a despot
expansion and consolidation of extreme consolidated power will one day target you and yours
For what goes on abroad in your name will backblow as it comes around to get you and yours tomorrow
Just south of key west at Guantanamo every law, principle and value you hold dear is smashed
across the pond the most nefarious crimes are done in your name only with your support
and yet at home you bury your head deep in the sand far from the massive contradiction
your heart bleeds for Newton yet when your troops do the exact same thing you raise a flag & a stiff arm
For what profits an empire when it can envelop the world and dominate it
yet in the process they loose their values, principles and in so doing their very soul
still atonement must be rectified somewhere at some time
and this is the vision that i dream someday will come to be;
For all the innocent children who've been the victims of the american military machine
i would willingly witness each and everyone of them walk by in front of every war supporter and soldier
to deeply gaze into their eyes to say with conviction, question and horror;
Why did you murder me?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is william, my organiation is looking for groups willing to join out coalition, The Clear Skies Initiative. A universal coalition against drone violence. We have organized about 40 groups thus far spanning across the political and ideological spectrum. www.muslims4liberty.org/clearskies/
ReplyDeleteif you are interested contact me at muslimsforliberty@yahoo.com
COLLATERAL DAMAGE is a haunting, animated adaptation of the President's laugh getting drone routine at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/FbVjSNJXVGc
G.P.Boultwood has written a fascinating book on the use of drones by the CIA in Pakistan. It is well worth reading and is available on Amazon. It pin-points the moral issues and the effects on lives in the autonomous tribal territories along the border with Afgahnistan
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHave guitar, will travel from Baltimore to perform "Drone"
ReplyDeleteChild’s voice:
“Mama, Mama, I think I hear
A killer drone coming near.
Americans, they are so cruel
I’m afraid to go to school”
(drone sound)
Droning eyes in blue skies,
Scoping targets they surmise.
Mistaken hits, we’re none the wise,
Can’t even hear the cries.
Innocence dies with no good-byes.
Remotely killing by surprise.
Bombing weddings horrifies,
But the drone – still it flies.
Many kids they traumatize.
Many men they radicalize,
Causing them to despise
Americans who terrorize.
CIA falsifies
Numbers they victimize.
How many died? Stop the lies
By the military spies.
Aggression they rationalize.
Defenders they demonize.
Tell the truth, does it disguise
Petroleum enterprise?
If we are to humanize,
Stop the brainwash they devise.
Protest we must mobilize,
Our country to civilize.
“Mama, Mama, I’m afraid to go to school”
(performer can act watching a drone moving across the sky, getting louder, then feign shock and death)
I wrote this Jan. 4, 2014, to be played in minor key Em with Am between verses.
Lyrics to be recited, not sung. The song is a musical drone.
I approximate the haunting hum of a drone aircraft by plucking the low E string of a guitar.
Richard Ochs
Baltimore