Artists Against Drones
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| At CODEPINK we have been working
to shed light on the cost of drone warfare. At the
end of this week we have our second Drone conference
to organize a global call for at the least a rule
of law around the usage of these weapons with family
members of victims from Yemen. We have traveled
to Afghanistan and Yemen, bringing the stories of
the Drone victims to the US Media and Congress.
Over the past few weeks reports from Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch have revealed the cost of
innocent lives, including children. Brave New Films
released their film, UnManned on Drones revealing
many of the costs including the pilots from the
US Air Force. We have organized voices in the anti-war movement,
religious communities and globally.
Will you add your voice to Artists
Say No to Drone Warfare?
As members of the artistic community who yearn
to live in a peaceful world, we are deeply concerned
about the proliferation of drone warfare. The
United States is leading the way in this new form
of warfare where pilots based here at home kill
people, by remote control, thousands of miles
away.
Some aspects that we find particularly disturbing
include:
- The President and his aides draw up a Kill
List in which they play the role of prosecutor,
judge, jury and executioner. People on this
secret Kill List have never been charged, tried
or convicted in a court of law, and are given
no opportunity to surrender;
- Drone strikes kill not only their intended
targets, but innocent people, including children,
violating the sanctity of human life;
- Drone strikes violate other nations'
sovereignty;
- Drones in the hands the CIA and the Joint
Special Operations Command keep the program
veiled in secrecy. The lack of transparency
and accountability violate the basic tenets
of a democratic society;
- Drones make killing more abstract, impersonal,
antiseptic, convenient and “easy”;
- Drone strikes fuel anti-American sentiment,
radicalize local populations and perpetuate
an endless cycle of violence.
We urge our government to put an end to this
secretive, remote-controlled killing and instead
promote foreign policies that are consistent with
the values of a democratic and humane society.
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