Drones- A Threat to Our National Security and Civil Liberties!

 

About 40 people joined in a spirited anti-drone protest on April 13 in New Paltz, NY. It was part of a nationwide day of action called for by ANSWER- "US Drones Out of Africa, Middle East, Asia and Everywhere".  Jack Smith (pictured on the right) and Donna Goodman from the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter were the organizers.

Drones are robotic, killing machines that now make up 1/3 of US warplanes. They are terrorizing civilians and wounding and killing children and innocent people around the world. It is estimated that over 4,000 have been killed by US drones and only 2% of them have been high level terrorists. At least 180 children have been killed by our drones. Many kids in Pakistan have stopped going to school for fear of being killed by one.

"Drones have replaced Guantanamo as the recruiting tool of choice for militants."
                                      5/29/12 New York Times

They also pose a real threat to our civil liberties here at home. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 30,000 of them flying in US airspace. Consider the Argus drone which can fly three miles up and can zoom in on a candy-bar sized object on the ground with its 368 cameras with 1.8 billion pixels! Manufacturers also boast that these drones can be weaponized to deploy tear gas, rubber bullets, tasar technology and more.

Drones represent the murder of innocents,  war without time or geographical limits, illegal targeted assassinations, a permanent war economy and the end of freedom as we have known it.

People are rising up to say NO to these weaponized, intrusive spying machines.  Charlottesville, VA was the first city to outlaw them. In Seattle, the mayor and chief of police returned their two drones to the vendor after a public outcry.

Be a part of the outcry! Join the No Drones Network and get involved with ANSWER.

This event was co-sponsored by New Paltz Women in Black, Occupy Southern Ulster, Mideast Crisis Response, Real Majority Project, Dutchess Peace, Dutchess Greens, and other groups.

photo by Donna Goodman- all others by Barbara Upton

From our No Drones Action last October