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Occupy Buffalo and Medea Down Drones
After the Occupy National Gathering in Philadelphia, Occupy Buffalo and the Western New York Peace Center where charged with bringing Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and Author of Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control back to Buffalo to begin a Northeast book tour. Both groups sponsored a week long trip to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia to protest and draw attention to the growing issue of Drone Warfare. With a one-sixth size model drone on display, OB and the Peace Center educated anyone who would listen about the dangers of drones. From the White House to Franklin Square, the image was impossible to ignore. After hearing Medea speak at the National Gathering and seeing the Community Drone Ordinance she had written and encouraged Occupiers to present locally, it was obvious what needed to be done next. Before starting her northeast book tour, Occupy Buffalo and Western New York Peace Center, both part of the Hancock 38 drone protests at Hancock AFB in Syracuse, NY, joined Medea to present legislation to Buffalo Common Council.
After Rallying in front of City Hall, Medea and both groups went to Council President Richard Fontana to submit “Protection Of The Public Against The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” (DRONES), written by Medea. The legislation states clearly.
“Armed drones and surveillance drones present an unreasonable an unacceptable threat to the rights of individual privacy, freedom of association and assembly, equal protection and judicial due process in the City of Buffalo”
This small dedicated group of people intends to prove Medea’s poetic words as absolute truth. Drones are a global problem; and like others like it, we must attack it at all levels - from Franklin Square in Philadelphia to Niagara Square in Buffalo, New York, and around the globe, the use of drones is criminally unacceptable. We can only hope that after our date in Common Council the representatives of the City of Buffalo recognize they do not have the consent of the governed when it comes to this issue and so will prevent drones from being used in the nickel city. If our local representatives do what those in Washington are paid not to do, and act in the interest of the people and not the lobbyists who get them elected, then we just might be able to keep the atrocities perpetuated by the existence of these remote control killing machines from our cities. To all Occupiers and community activists: Tell your representatives to keep drones out of your town.
If you want to help ground the drones in Buffalo sign our petition to GROUND THE DRONES
8 Comments
Ah Medea Benjamin. As liberal as an activist can be without actually telling people not to vote for the Democrat.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0723-09.htm
In other news from Buffalo.
At the recent CodePink presentation in Portland, OR last week, Medea gave an excellent presentation. From her comments and some key questions I asked, it would appear that she does think the grassroots must force change irrespective of party and even in opposition to the party system because of the way the party system is rigged to distort democratic process s.t. it only works in favor of a handful of interests who are create and drive war because war is a business model for them.
If you have reservations about a statement made in 2004 before we all came light years knowing what we know now inclusive of the revelations of the I. Libby trial, you can jump up on Twitter and ask her for clarification at @MedeaBenjamin. However, this should not prevent you from acting upon your own initiative and via your own agency to deal this issue. An excellent place to start is finding out about all the businesses in your own city that participate in this, how and then find a way to shut them down.
Somehow I think that our awareness and protest of this drone business is already too late. If we’ve been made aware of the possibility, it’s probably been approved and/or being practiced as the forces to oppose it are being recruited.
Drones are but a mote in the eye of this neoliberal with a vengeance capitalist storm. As important as they are, they are a distraction and help play into the hands of the PTB whose life draining source of evil commutes between Wall Street, War Street, The Hill, White House and the Marriner Eccles Building.
When the public loses focus and retreats into their parochial/personal issues to the exclusion of the heart of the matter, no unity of purpose will be formed, no majorities will become visible, nothing will change…
Awesome Idea. Thanks Code Pink.
Drones are a crime against Humanity. They will bring wars to our shores guaranteed. What choice do people have when some retarded entity is pointing guns at people’s heads all day everyday?? There are some lines that people won’t allow and this is it. Obama is a complete and total incompetent loser, as is Romney.
Putting drones over the American people. Total Occupied Country BullShit.
WE will stop it. If we don’t, others WILL come and Stop us, as in major act of war on US soil FOR REAL. The People of the world will unite against killer drone insects in the sky. No people anywhere have a choice but to fight this. If we don’t stop these sick and incompetent people, natural consequences will take place. 100% GUARANTEED.
The problem is the elite running this country KNOW THIS and as Media says, “It’s JUST GOOD BUSINESS.”
Sheeply,is one thing. Sacrificial Lamb is where people better start screaming. Obama is nothing but a decoy mimicking the face of humanity for simpletons. Metropolis, We have arrived.
Exactly. If it walks like an Obot, talks like an Obot, and won’t denying being an Obot…