[haw-info] anti-drone rally Friday, April 22 at Hancock Air Force Base near Syracuse

 

The following announcement, meant especially for members and friends of Historians Against the War who live in the Northeast, is sent on behalf of James Swarts, an Upstate New York historian and activist and member of the HAW Steering Committee.  HAW is among the sponsors of the April 22 rally.

 

 

The Upstate New York Coalition to Ground the Drones & End the Wars is planning a series of events next week climaxing in a 3pm anti-drone rally on Friday, April 22 at Hancock Air Force Base, near Syracuse.  Information, including maps, directions, and contact information, is at http://upstatedroneaction.peaceworksrochester.org/.

 

Why Friday, April 22?
Friday, April 22 is Good Friday. It is Earth Day. It falls on Jumuah, the Muslim day of Worship, and during Passover.
Friday April 22 is a work day, a holiday, a day of commemoration and a special day of contemplation.

Why Protest?
Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by the military for surveillance, targeted assassinations, and bombings. Drones used in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Yemen have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. Drones violate international and U.S. law on political assassinations. Intelligence used in drone target selection is notoriously unreliable. Domestic Drone use has begun on U.S./Canadian/ and U.S. /Mexican borders.

Hancock Air National Guard Base is a drone center, and if Sen. Schumer has his way, drone activity will increase. Currently operations include missions in Afghanistan as well as operator training, and maintenance of Reaper Drones. Accidents could occur in civilian air space, and the operation also brings Syracuse into "the War on Terror," making it a potential target. The jobs generated are few, and drone operators suffer high rates of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

I hope to meet up with many fellow HAW members at Hancock Field on Good Friday, 22 April 2011.

 

Peace,
James (Jim) Swarts

 

Sponsors: Brooklyn for Peace, Broome County Peace Action, The Buffalo Interfaith Network, Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Gandhi Institute, Historians Against War (HAW), Ithaca Catholic Worker, Metro Justice Peace Action and Education, New York State Direct Action For Peace, Peace Action of Central New York, The Peace Education Project of Buffalo, Peace Now Ithaca, Progressives In Action, Rochester Against War, ScarfsForPeace, Slocum House, Syracuse Peace Council, The Upstate AntiWar Network, Veterans for Peace: Buffalo Chapter 128, Ithaca Chapter 038, NYC Chapter 034, Woodstock Chapter 058, Vietnam Veterans Against the War – Ithaca, Western NY Peace Center, World Can't Wait.