Report Back from "On the Road to Ground the Drones" Walk

by Bob Palmer

As many of you know, I just returned from participating in the "On the Road to Ground the Drones" walk from Chicago to Battle Creek, MI organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence. About 50 people participated in some part of the 160 mile walk over 12 days, with a dozen or so of us walking the whole way.

We started on June 3 at Boeing corporate headquarters in Chicago, where the manufacture of drones and conventional war planes are managed and designed. We finished on June 14, with about 100 people holding an action at the Michigan Air National Guard Facility at the Battle Creek Airport, site of a new drone command center. Along the way, we talked to lots of people, made presentations to local groups and reached out to local media.

There are many reasons to be opposed and/or concerned about the use of armed drones--from their use in assassinations that violate international law to how they create more ill will towards the United States in the communities where they often kill innocent bystanders. Many educational resources are available at the Drone Warfare Awareness and Resistance Resources page on the Voices for Creative Nonviolence website.

Perhaps most broadly, when the only risk of killing and injuring people is on "the other side," it provides yet another rationale for the United States to first look to pursuing military means to resolve our conflicts instead of pursuing nonviolent strategies that are only sustainable way to secure peace for the long-term. I'm reminded of this as President Obama seems to be evaluating whether to use armed drone strikes in Iraq to address a conflict that primarily seems to be caused by sectarianism that all our years of war making have made worse (see Democracy Now: "As Obama Considers Drone Strikes in Iraq, Could U.S. Military Action Worsen Sectarian Conflict?").

Aside from raising awareness about drone warfare, the walk was also a good experience for conversing with others about all sorts of stuff and experiencing the world in a slow and focused way that is often absent in modern life. We walked along Chicago's Lakefront path, industrial areas in East Chicago, downtown Gary, the Indiana Dunes, upscale vacation communities on Lake Michigan, small towns along the Red Arrow Highway in Michigan and many sorts of other places. A few of us even squeezed in a visit to Bells' Brewery in Kalamazoo:) Thankfully, it only rained heavily one day!

Here's an article from the Friends Committee on National Legislation from late last year that provides a good background on issues related to drones and several links to more resources: "U.S. Drone Policy: Morally Indefensible" by Matt Southworth

Read more about the work of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, including press coverage of the walk.

I've posted some photos of the walk on Flickr.

Thanks for reading!

Bob

PS: Like Voices for Creative Non-Violence on Facebook

PPS: Like Voices for Creative Non-Violence UK on Facebook, too. (Lots more walk photos here!)

May 9 in Chicago: Drones, Dirty Wars, & Guantanamo

Join the event on Facebook and invite friends!

When: 4:30 PM, Fri., May 9
Where: Federal Plaza, Adams & Dearborn, Chicago

Around the country, people are speaking out against - and acting to stop - drone wars and surveillance. Over 80 actions have been announced, from Hawaii to Maine, during the Spring Days of Action 2014. Here in Chicago, we will add our voices Friday, May 9.

We will have a model drone (as pictured here) and we will have photos and read the names of some of the thousands of innocent civilians killed in the US war OF terror in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Somali.

Moazzam Begg, a British citizen held for years without charge or trial at Guantanamo and since released, has noted that Obama seems to prefer assassination over indefinite detention, moving to directly terrorize whole areas of countries with which the US is not officially at war.

World Can't Wait, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, and the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo are joining together to take this message to the public. Drones, indefinite detention, and the dirty wars they are integral to are immoral and illegitimate!

Join the event on Facebook and invite friends!

Related posts

Today, people in Illinois protesting drones are contacting their representatives to encourage support for H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act.

For example: see An Open Letter to Congressman Mike Quigley on H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act . Mike Quigley representatives the 5th Congressional district, on the north side of Chicago.

If passed, the bill will require the Obama administration to come clean about the killings it has carried out using drones -- killings that, up until now, the administration has been able to pretend don't exist.

(See Write or Call Your Member of Congress Today: Make the U.S. Come Clean on Drone Killings )

Voices for Creative Nonviolence is making preparations to set off on a 160-mile protest walk from Chicago to Michigan Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek between June 3 and 14, 2014. 

(See June 3-14 - Join Voices for Creative Nonviolence - On the Road to Ground the Drones!)

On May 23rd of last year, President Obama again promised to close the detention facility at Guantánamo. His pledge came in response to the mass hunger strike by men protesting their indefinite detention and to the renewed, global condemnation of the prison. One year later, far too little has changed: few detained men have left the prison and hunger strikes and forced feeding continue. 



(See May 23 - Not Another Broken Promise! Not Another Day in Guantanamo! )

Activists Challenge Boeing to Disinvest from Drone Research

As reported on local TV news, at Fight Back News, and by Progress Illinois, Dozens of activists came to the Field Museum in Chicago last Monday (4/28) to speak out against Boeing's involvement in developing the next generation of killer drone.  

You're looking at the next incarnation of
 drone terror: Boeing's Phantom Ray.

They braved cold and rain to stand on the steps of the Museum and hold a press conference admonishing Boeing for its involvement in drone terror. 

"The U.S.'s use of drone warfare has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of children, many of whom live in countries where we have not declared war, yet Boeing has decided to pursue a Navy contract for the prototype for the next combat drone. This is unacceptable", said Kait McIntyre of the Chicago Anti-War Committee (AWC). 

McIntyre had applied for a spot on Boeing's board of directors but was pronounced ineligible due to a paperwork technicality. Several who had purchased Boeing stock then entered the meeting to address shareholders directly.

 Newland Smith proclaimed: “Drone strikes as conducted by our government, according to the Geneva conventions, are illegal and immoral and inflict terror on civilian populations.”  

Kait Mcintyre and Richard Berg also spoke out at the meeting. Also present were members of the 8th Day Center for Justice, veterans of the Vietnam-era Students for a Democratic Society, and members of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

The death of innocent people is a viable investment
 strategy for Boeing CEO James Mcnerney.

 CEO James Mcnerney reportedly responded to the statements of stockholders with the expression of a belief that there is some common ground between their views and the current goals of the company. While patently absurd, this statement showed Mcnerney to have felt himself in a defensive posture when confronted with the unavoidable consequences of his company's investments.

While several took the opportunity to speak truth directly
 to the rich and powerful gathered inside, others
 addressed the public, bearing witness to the consequences of
 Boeing's policy of killer drone R&D.

To see video regarding the Boeing campaign, and to purchase t-shirts in support of the actions against it, visit the Chicago AWC here.

The Spring Days of Drone Action are in full swing!
 CLICK HERE to learn more about actions nationwide.

June 3-14 - Join Voices for Creative Nonviolence - On the Road to Ground the Drones!

Voices for Creative Nonviolence is making preparations to set off on a 160-mile protest walk from Chicago to Michigan Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek between June 3 and 14, 2014. Read the full description here, and contact VCNV to get involved:

If you're willing and able to walk . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "walker"

To be an overnight host . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "host"

To help organize events . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "events"

To provide food . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "food"

To design and make signs . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "signs"

To help with outreach . . . email info@vcnv.org - with the word "outreach"

More updates to follow!

Trip reports

"We started on June 3 at Boeing corporate headquarters in Chicago, where the manufacture of drones and conventional war planes are managed and designed. We finished on June 14, with about 100 people holding an action at the Michigan Air National Guard Facility at the Battle Creek Airport, site of a new drone command center. Along the way, we talked to lots of people, made presentations to local groups and reached out to local media . . . ." (See Report Back from "On the Road to Ground the Drones" Walk by Bob Palmer)

"Over the last 8 days, I have walked 121 miles with a group of peace activists from around the country. On Saturday, we are closing in on the Battle Creek Air National Guard base where the operation of drones is imminent. Please join me and other peace advocates . . . . " (See On the Road to Ground the Drones: Peace Walkers Reach Battle Creek Air National Guard Base this Sunday, 6/15 by Jessica )

Other related posts

Protestors came out in force from Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and neighboring states to protest the newly approved mission of Battle Creek Air Force Base: directing targeted killings using MQ-9 Reaper drones. As reported on WWMT local news, "The Battle Creek Air National Guard Base hasn't even started its new mission and already protestors are lining up to oppose it."

(See April Days of Action Against Drones in BATTLE CREEK)





Voices for Creative Nonviolence organized a walk of about 190 miles from the Rock Island Arsenal (where drone and bomb parts are made and stored) to the Iowa Air National Guard Facility at Des Moines Airport, planned site of a new drone command center, between June 8 and June 24, 2013.

(See Summer Days: Covering Ground to Ground the Drones in Iowa with VCNV )

Joining events on the same day in places as diverse as Iowa and California, there will be a demonstration in Philadelphiaon Friday, March 14 from 4p.m.- 5p.m. We will demand that, in his capacity as the head of the PA Air National Guard, Governor Corbett pull the plug on the Drone War Command Center planned for Horsham Air National Guard base outside the city.

(See Stop the Drone War Command Center at Horsham Air Guard Station, in Horsham, Montgomery County, PA )

Write or Call Your Member of Congress Today: Make the U.S. Come Clean on Drone Killings

[UPDATE: June 5, 2014 - Support for the "Come Clean on Drone Killings" bill is growing! There are now 9 co-sponsors, in addition to the original 2 sponsors -- most recently Illinois representative Mike Quigley.  See the list below - where does your representative stand?]


Today, people in Illinois protesting drones are contacting their representatives to encourage support for H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act.

For example: see An Open Letter to Congressman Mike Quigley on H.R.4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act . Mike Quigley representatives the 5th Congressional district, on the north side of Chicago.

If passed, the bill will require the Obama administration to come clean about the killings it has carried out using drones -- killings that, up until now, the administration has been able to pretend don't exist.

So now's the time: write or call your member of Congress today. 

To determine what district you live in, go to http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/


Illinois Congressional Delegation

(Members of the Progressive Caucus are presumed to lean in favor of the bill and are marked Progressive Caucus.)

IL01 - Bobby Rush - (202) 225-4372 email
IL02 - Robin Kelly - (202) 225-0773 email
IL03 - Daniel Lipinski - (202) 225 - 5701 email
IL04 - Luis Gutierrez - (202) 225-8203 email (Progressive Caucus)

IL05 - Mike Quigley - (202) 225-4061 email  CO-SPONSOR - 5/30/2014

IL06 - Peter Roskam - (202) 225-4561 email
IL07 - Danny Davis - (202) 225-5006 email (Progressive Caucus)
IL08 - Tammy Duckworth - (202) 225-3711 email
IL09 - Janice Schakowsky - (202) 225-2111 email (Progressive Caucus)
IL10 - Bradley Schneider - 202-225-4835 email
IL11 - Bill Foster - 202-225-3515 email
IL12 - William Enyart - 202-225-5661 email
IL13 - Rodney Davis - 202.225.2371 email
IL14 - Randy Hultgren - (202) 225-2976 email
IL15 - John Shimkus - (202) 225-5271 email
IL16 - Adam Kinzinger - (202) 225-3635 email
IL17 - Cheri Bustos - 202-225-5905 email
IL18 - Aaron Schock - 202.225.6201 email

[SEE: hub page for all Resources to SUPPORT the "Come Clean on Drone Killings" Act (Schiff/Jones HR 4372: the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act)]

Related posts

First Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) called the U.S. on the carpet for dodging the call from the international community to come clean about its drone killings. Then Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) submitted a bill calling for drone transparency. So ... are we finally going to get the truth?

(See REAL Progressives Demand that the U.S. Come Clean on Drone Killings)

A 2013 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 reason the Administration is hiding truth about drones is that they don't have a satisfactory answer for how decisions about drone strikes are made.  As we have known all along, we need the public to think about how crummy the whole drone program is, and then they will be ready to be on our side. The best way to get them really thinking is to shine a spotlight on the secrecy, evasiveness, and deceit involved in the U.S. drone program.

(See Drone Killings: Come Clean )

Hey Illinois pols! Where do you stand? (On U.S. surveillance, secrecy, and assassinations)

Since a jury just got done saying NO! to the efforts of the Cook County State's Attorney's attempts to use the Illinois terror statute to foment fear and repress dissent . . . and since today has been designated "The Day We Fight Back" against state surveillance, repression, and intimidation . . . and since the media is broadcasting a fresh threat by the Obama administration to assassinate a U.S. citizen using a drone strike . . . and since the Illinois primaries for every seat in congress fall just a few weeks away (March 18), it seems like a good time to ask all the members of the Illinois congressional delegation -- current and prospective --

WHERE DO YOU STAND?

The Illinois congressional delegation had the chance to curtail NSA surveillance months ago . . . but they failed to support the Amash Conyers amendment. Now they have a fresh chance - pass the USA Freedom Act!

Demand a response from Illinois representatives today.  It's time to find out where they stand. And to make changes on March 18 if they won't stand up for us.

 #stopthensa #nodrones #surveillance

1st District - Bobby Rush: @RepBobbyRush
2nd District - Robin Kelly: @RepRobinKelly
3rd District - Dan Lipinski: @RepLipinski
4th District - Luis Gutierrez: @LuisGutierrez
5th District - Mike Quigley: @RepMikeQuigley
6th District - Peter Roskam: @PeterRoskam
7th District - Danny Davis: NOT ON TWITTER!
8th District - Tammy Duckworth: @RepDuckworth
9th District - Jan Schakowsky: @janschakowsky
10th District - Brad Schneider: @RepSchneider
11th District - Bill Foster: @RepBillFoster
12th District - Bill Enyart: @RepBillEnyart
13th District - Rodney L. Davis @RodneyDavis
14th District - Randy Hultgren: @RandyHultgren
15th District - John Shimkus: @RepShimkus
16th District - Adam Kinzinger: @repkinzinger
17th District - Cheri Bustos: NOT ON TWITTER!
18th District - Aaron Schock: @repaaronschock

Daley Plaza, Chicago, February 11, 2014
Photo courtesy FJJ.

Related posts

Naturally, the jury in the NATO3 case has no reason to buy into Anita Alvarez's narrative about the threat of terrorism from ordinary citizens and how it justifies a culture of fear and a militarized, all-seeing, secret-driven police state. Which is not to say that they're not concerned about terrorism.

(See In Chi-town USA: got terrorism?)

As the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights prepared to convene a conference on surveillance on October 19, 2013, it was a shock to find that the majority of the Illinois congressional delegation voted AGAINST the Amash Conyers Amendment -- the measure to curtail NSA surveillance.

(See In Chicago, Illinois: YOU ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE!)












There will be elections for 435 House seats in 2014. In at least some of those races, U.S. surveillance, secrecy, and assassinations will be an issue.

Herewith an Insider's Guide to the 7 S's (surveillance, secrecy, and assassinations) in the 2014 Midterms.

(See Will the 2014 Midterms be a Referendum on Obama's Surveillance, Secrecy, and Assassinations? )

EPIC's Amy Stepanovich On Drones at Chicago Conference October 19

Amy Stepanovich, from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), will be a featured speaker at the October 19, 2013, conference sponsored by the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights (CCDBR), "No Place to Hide: The Rise of the Surveillance State and Its Threat to the Bill of Rights." Stepanovich will focus on drone surveillance and related issues.

Amie Stepanovich is the director of EPIC's Domestic Surveillance Project. Her work encompasses the Fourth Amendment, national security, cybersecurity, digital identity, international privacy, and open government. Ms. Stepanovich is an expert on drone surveillance and has testified in front of Congress on the need for privacy protections for domestic drone use. She has discussed the privacy implications of surveillance at many prominent events, including the Internet Governance Forum (US), the General Assembly of the Atlantic Treaty Association, and the Dialouge on Diversity conference.

See the CCDBR website for the full conference description.