Photos by Eddie Rodriguez and Judy Bello
Hover to see name of photographer. Click on an image to view in lightbox. Use arrows to click through. To view full sized image (though none are ‘high def’) right click on the image in the lightbox and select ‘View Image’.
Written by Jack Gilroy…www.bensalmon.org
Video by Judy Bello
Men of the 174th Attack Wing, Stop the Killing
Women of the 174th Attack Wing, Stop the Killing
Men & Women of the 174th Attack Wing, Stop Drone Crucifixions
Men & women of the 174th Attack Wing,—Leave the Military
People of Iraq
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Afghanistan
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Pakistan
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Syria
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Yemen
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Libya
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Somalia
Forgive us our Killer Drones
People of Gaza
Forgive us our Killer Drones
Our Tax Dollars for Death
Forgive Us
Slaughtered Native Americans
Forgive Us
Teaching Hate
Forgive Us
Our Sins against our Black brothers and sisters
Forgive Us
Tortured people of the Philippines
Forgive Us
United States invasions of Mexico
Forgive Us
United States invasions of Haiti
Forgive Us
United States invasions of Nicaragua
Forgive Us
United States imperialism in Latin America
Forgive Us
United States killings in the Great War
Forgive Us
60 Million dead in World War II
Forgive Us
Calling 60 Million dead a ‘Good War’
Forgive Us
Believing War can be Just
Forgive Us
Christian Churches’ Silence in Nazi Germany
Forgive Us
German Catholic Bishops’ silence
Forgive Us
Lutheran Church Silence
Forgive Us
Dresden Fire Bombed
Forgive Us
Hiroshima Incinerated
Forgive Us
Nagasaki Destroyed
Forgive Us
Nagasaki Cathedral Ground Zero
Forgive Us
All Christian Crews Do Bombing
Forgive Us
38,000 Americans Died in World War II
Forgive Us
1 Million North Korean Soldiers & Civilians Killed
Forgive Us
United States Kills 3 Million Vietnamese
Forgive Us
58,000 American Troops Killed in Vietnam
Forgive Us
Dow Chemical’s Agent Orange Devastates People and Land of Vietnam
Forgive Us
American Napalm Burns Vietnamese Children
Forgive Us
Trillions Spent on Nuclear Weapons & War Preparation
Forgive Us
United States Supports El Salvador Death Camps
Forgive Us
United States CIA Helps Assassinate 250,000 People in Guatamala
Forgive Us
United States Creates a Torture & Assassination School at Fort Benning, GA
Forgive Us
Graduates of the School of the Americas Kill Peasants and Union Leaders
Forgive Us
Graduates of the School of the Americas Kill Priests & Nuns
Forgive Us
US Troops IN 180 Countries Around the World
Forgive Us
US Led Sanctions Kill 500,000 Iraqi Children
Forgive Us
United States Slaughters Fleeing Iraqi Soldiers
Forgive Us
US Troops Stationed in Muslim Countries
Forgive Us
Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan
Forgive Us
Shock and Awe Bombings of Iraq Kill Civilians by the Thousands
Forgive Us
Two Million People Flee American War Making in Iraq
Forgive Us
American Violence Spreads Throughout The Middle East
Forgive Us
Refugees Die in the Deserts & on the Sea Fleeing Wars Promoted by the United States
Forgive Us
United States Rejects Middle East Refugees
Forgive Us
Islamophobia Sweeps the Nation
Forgive Us
United States Drones Assassinate People in Seven Muslim Nations
Forgive Us
One Half Our National Spending is for Death & Weapons
Forgive Us
Weapons Are Our Largest Export
Forgive Us
United States in Year 2017 Will Cut Assistance to the Poor & Children’s Programs
Forgive Us
Building Walls Instead of Empathy and Generosity
Forgive Us
Our Bloated Military Budget Will be Increased $54 Billion This Year
Forgive Us
Republicans & Democrats Praise Trump for Killing Syrians
Forgive Us
Aaaaa men…..Aaaaaa men….Amen Amen Amen
WAR CRIMES INDICTMENT
WAR_CRIMES_INDICTMENT_Good_Friday_2017.pdf
Indictment read by Matt Ryan, recorded by Judy Bello:
http://upstatedroneaction.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Audio/Good_Friday_Indictment-Matt_Ryan.mp3
To President Donald Trump, to Secretary of Defense Secretary James Mattis, to the full Military Chain of the Command, including Command Chief Michael Will, to all Service Members and civilian staff of Hancock Air Base, and to the local police and Sheriffs Department of the Town of Dewitt, NY:
Each one of you, when you became a public servant, serving in a government position or when you joined the United States Armed Forces or police, you publicly promised to uphold the United States Constitution. We take this opportunity to call your attention to Article VI of the US Constitution, which states:
“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary not with standing.
This clause is known as the Supremacy Clause because it provides that the Constitution and laws of the U.S., including treaties made under authority of the U.S. shall be supreme law of the land.
The Supremacy Clause provides part of the Supreme Law of the Land.
One Treaty duly ratified by the U.S. is the United Nations Charter. It was ratified by a vote of 89 to 2 in the U.S. Senate, and signed by the President in 1945. It remains in effect today. As such, it is part of supreme law of the land.
The Preamble of the U.N. Charter states that its purpose is to“save future generation from the scourge of war” and it further states, “all nations shall refrain from the use of force against another nation.”
This Treaty applies both collectively and individually to all three branches of government, on all levels, U.S. federal, state and local governments, starting with the executive branch: the U.S. President and the executive staff; the judicial branch: all judges
and staff members of the judiciary; the legislative branch: all members of the U.S. Armed Forces and all departments of Law Enforcement and all civilian staff, who have sworn to uphold the Constitution, which includes Article VI.
Under the U.N. Charter and long established international laws, anyone–civilian, military, government officials, or judge-who knowingly participates in or supports illegal use of force against another nation or its people is committing a war crime.
Today you must recognize that when you promised to uphold the Constitution, you promised to obey Treaties and International Law – as part of the Supreme Law of the Land and furthermore, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice of the U.S., you arerequired to disobey any clearly unlawful order from a superior.
Based on all the above,
WE, THE PEOPLE, CHARGE THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, DONALD TRUMP AND THE FULL MILITARY CHAIN OF COMMAND
TO COMMAND CHIEF MICHAEL WILL, EVERY DRONE CREW, AND SERVICE MEMBERS AT HANCOCK AIR BASE, WITH CRIMES AGAINST PEACE & CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, WITH VIOLATIONS OF PART OF THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND, EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS, VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS, WARS OF AGGRESSION, VIOLATION OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY, AND KILLING OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS.
We charge that the Air National Guard of the United States of America, headquartered at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, home of the 174th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, under the command of the 174th Fighter Wing Commander, Command Chief Michael Will, is maintaining and deploying the MQ-9 Reaper robotic aircraft, called drones.
These drones are being used not only in combat situations for the purpose of assassinations but also for killings far removed from combat zones without military defense, to assassinate individuals and groups far removed from military action.
Extra judicial killings, such as those the U.S. carries out by drones are intentional, premeditated, and deliberate use of lethal force to commit murder in violation of U.S. and International Law.
It is a matter of public record that the US has used drones in Afghanistan and in Iraq for targeted killings to target specific individuals which has nearly always resulted in the deaths of many others.
There is no legal basis for defining the scope of area where drones can or cannot be used; no legal criteria for deciding which people can be targeted for killing, no procedural safeguards to ensure the legality of the decision to kill and the accuracy of the assassinations.
In support of this indictment, we cite the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who has said that the use of drones creates “a highly problematic blurring and the law applicable to the use of inter-state force…. The result has been the displacement of clear legal standards with a vaguely defined license to kill, and the creation of a major accountability vacuum…. In terms of the legal framework, many of these practices violate straightforward applicable legal rules.”
See United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council Study on Targeted Killings, 28, May 2010.
The drone attacks either originating at Hancock or supported here are a deliberate illegal use of force against another nation, and as such are a felonious violation of Article VI of the US Constitution. By giving material support to the drone program, you as individuals are violating the Constitution, dishonoring your oath, and committing war crimes. We demand that you stop participating in any part of the operations of MQ-9 drones immediately, being accountable to the people of United States and Afghanistan.
As citizens of this nation, which maintains over 700 military bases around the globe, and the largest, most deadly military arsenal in the world we believe these words of Martin Luther King still hold true, ”the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government”.
There is hope for a better world when WE, THE PEOPLE, hold our government accountable to the laws and treaties that govern the use of lethal force and war. To the extent that we ignore our laws and constitution and allow for the unchecked use of lethal force by our government, allowing the government to kill who ever it wants, where ever it wants, how ever it wants with no accountability, we make the world less safe for children everywhere.
We appeal to all United States citizens, military and civilian, and to all public officials, to do as required by the Nuremburg Principles I-VII, and by Conscience, to refuse to participate in these crimes, to denounce them, and to resist them nonviolently.
Signed by: THE UPSTATE COALITION TO GROUND THE DRONES AND END THE WARS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann Tiffany (315) 478-4571 Syracuse, NY
Mary Anne Grady Flores (607) 280-8797 Ithaca, NY
John Amidon (518)-312-6442 Albany, NY
upstatedroneaction.org, www.knowdrones.com/
PRESS RELEASE FOR GOOD FRIDAY PROTEST AT HANCOCK
Syracuse, NY – April 14 Nine non-violent civil resisters of Upstate Drone Action were arrested at the main entrance of Hancock Air National Guard Base protesting the extrajudicial drone killings perpetrated from the base. Three people hung on drone crosses representing victims of US drone strikes from seven majority Muslim countries. Eleven others carried smaller drone crosses bearing words, “Drones crucify: Children, Families, Love, Peace, Community, the US Constitution, the UN Charter, the Rule of Law, US Treaties, Due Process, and Diplomacy.
The Good Friday Hancock Drone Action Statement read, “Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Recognizing that 70% of our nation identify as Christian, we come to the gates of the Hancock drone base to make real the crucifixion today. As Jesus and others were crucified by the Roman Empire, drones are used by the U. S. Empire in a similar fashion. In Roman times, crosses loomed over a community to warn people that they could be killed whenever the Empire decided. So, too, our drones fly over many countries threatening extrajudicial killings and upon whoever happens to be in the vicinity. On this Good Friday, we recall Jesus’ call to love and nonviolence. We’re asking the air force base and this nation to turn away from a policy of modern-day crucifixion.” (full statement here)
Hancock Air Base is located on the backside of Syracuse International Airport. It hosts the 174th Attack Wing of the NY Air National Guard – the MQ9 Reaper drone hub. It is also the national Reaper maintenance training center. The MQ9 Reaper is a robotic, satellite-linked, remote assassin drone. Hancock is presently one of 20 U.S. drone-warfare bases across the U.S., and more in Germany, Australia, Italy, and the U.K. The “Drone Papers”-leaked by an internal military whistle blower state that during a five month period in 2015, 90% of all drone victims were bystanders, including children.
The event was livestreamed by Wilton Vought of Other Voices Other Choices
Today’s civil resistance action is one chapter in Upstate Drone Action’s six-year nonviolent campaign to expose the Hancock AFB war crimes. The drone resistance is linked to the world wide efforts to ground killer drones and end all US wars. Since 2010 there have been over 170 anti-Reaper arrests at Hancock Airbase.
Those arrested today: Veteran for Peace- Ray McGovern, Jessica Stewart of Bath Harbor Maine Catholic Worker, Ed Kinane of Syracuse-Anti-militarist activist, Tom Joyce of Ithaca Catholic Worker, James Ricks, Joan Pleune of Brooklyn Raging Grannies, Mark Colville of Amistad Catholic Worker, John Amidon of Vets for Peace & Albany Friends Mtg., Brian Hynes of NYC St. Joseph Catholic Worker.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann Tiffany (315) 478-4571 Syracuse, NY
Mary Anne Grady Flores (607) 280-8797 Ithaca, NY
John Amidon (518)-312-6442 Albany, NY
upstatedroneaction.org, www.knowdrones.com/
GOOD FRIDAY HANCOCK DRONE ACTION STATEMENT
April 14, 2017 ~ Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Recognizing that 70% of our nation identify as Christian, we come to the gates of the Hancock drone base to make real the crucifixion today. As Jesus and others were crucified by the Roman Empire, drones are used by the U. S. Empire in a similar fashion. In Roman times, crosses loomed over a community to warn people that they could be killed whenever the Empire decided. So too, our drones fly over many countries threatening extrajudicial killings of whoever happens to be in the vicinity.
On this Good Friday, we recall Jesus’ call to love and nonviolence. We’re asking this air force base and this nation to turn away from a policy which amounts to a modern-day crucifixion. Let’s embrace Jesus call to build the Kingdom of God on Earth instead of killing suspected enemies and innocents, including children. In the process, we are crucifying Children, Families, Love, Peace, Community, Diplomacy, the Rule of Law, the US Constitution, the UN Charter, US Treaties and Due Process.
What if our country were constantly being spied upon by drones, with some of us killed by drones? What if many bystanders, including children, were killed in the process? If that were happening, we would hope that some people in that attacking country would speak up and try to stop the killing. We’re speaking up to try and stop the illegal and immoral drone attacks on countries against which Congress has not declared war.
Those arrested today: Ex-CIA analyst of 32 yrs. Ray McGovern, Jessica Stewart, Ed Kinane, Tom Joyce, James Ricks, Joan Pleune, Mark Colville, John Amidon, Brian Hynes.
###
Some friends of ours held an event last week to commemorate the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s powerful speech at the Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination. In that speech Dr. King makes a powerful connection between racism and war. Kings’ clear vision lit a new path for us but we were not ready to follow. Now it is more relevant than ever.
In this video, you can listen to Upstate Drone Action members Jim Clune and his wife Ann, Jack Gilroy and others in Binghamton recite the portion of the speech where Dr King explains why we should oppose the Vietnam war.
And if you would rather listen to the original, you can watch below:
Donald Trump moved ahead last night to bomb Syrian government facilities in retribution for an unproven claim, an event not yet investigated, with no grounded information, no warning and no discussion. He has taken his place on the tip of the spear of the war machine. But make no mistake, Mr. Trump pulled the trigger but he didn’t aim the gun.
Hillary Clinton ran on a bigger version of this same scenario. The war machine has been geared up on invading Syria for years. It is so frustrating to watch the proxies muck around. And please be aware that, whatever you may read, the Russians and Chinese are taking this action very seriously. However, unlike our own government, they don’t act without intelligence, consideration and a plan.
If you think this is about a chemical gas attack, then please read Ray McGovern’s prescient article, The Sarin ‘False Flag’ Lesson, from last December. Apparently, we didn’t get it.
So what can we do? Last week Doug Noble, Ted Wilcox and I met with Louise Slaughter and Kirsten Gillibrand’s aides. We talked about the danger of making war on Syria and the many questions that arise from the massive propaganda campaign to support US military action there. We asked the Congress Woman and the Senator to support the Barbara Lee bill to restrain US placement of troops in Syria and the Tulsi Gabbard bill to stop US funding and arming of organizations that are affiliated with Al Qaeda in Syria.
We received the response at the end of this email from CW Slaughter’s local aide, Sr. Beth, who quotes Jack, an aide in Washington DC who apparently didn’t think our message was worth sharing with the Congress woman. Their response was a disrespectful brush off on all counts. The local people apparently didn’t share the materials we provided and the DC aide responded without consulting our representative. The local people are good people. I’ve known them for years. But at this time, they have dropped the ball, and when we reminded them, they responded with tea and sympathy – not comprehension and action.
If you are as offended as I am after reading the response at the end of this post, please give Jack a call at (202) 225-3615 or call Jeff or Sr. Beth at (585) 232-4850 and let them know that you oppose US imperialist wars. Let them know that you do not support attacks on the Syrian State or any attacks on Syrian soil. Tell them if you don’t support the holocausts in Yemen and Mosul Iraq in which the United States is a participant and a primary enabler.
At the same time, they wanted to know why we don’t have a movement behind us. And I wonder about that as well.
Of course we need to save the planet, so the environmental movement draws a lot of interest. We are clearly seeing the effects of environmental destruction around us. And, we are concerned about the plight of immigrants and undocumented workers in this country. America is a country of immigrants and the treatment of our most recent arrivals should concern all of us. But can we look beyond the ends of our noses?
For those who wish to focus on the environment, I would like to point out that:
If it is refugees and immigrants that are your concern:
Who might that ‘Someone’ be? It is the US, the exceptional imperialist. And the US is us.
Meanwhile, they come here where they can be mistreated and impoverished in many cases, patronized in some contexts, but they can’t just be ‘normal’ until they have given up the last vestiges of their cultural and ethnic identities, until only skin color and gender identity remain. It isn’t that these don’t matter, but rather that diversity is so much more complex and rich in fiber than basic physical identifiers which, as we know, turn out to be not so physical in any case. So, after a generation or so, some may prosper; they may forget and join the cardboard American consensus, while others continue struggling against racism and poverty in ghettos across the country.
So I ask you,
Is there a “new sheriff in town” as Nikki Haley told the United Nations Security Council or is there just a new bandit at the helm of the greatest war machine ever built, a hungry machine that feeds on history, civilization, natural resources, human lives and everything those of us who love life hold dear?
And what responsibility do we bear in this context?
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Letter from Louise Slaughter’s Aides
Q: When might there be the emergence of bills like Barbara Lee’s or others on war/peace on the congressional agenda? For example with budget and proposed amounts for military and wall versus domestic programs? We assume this will be a “hot” time? What do you think?
Jack: Barbara Lee has been a leader on this issue for a long time and the Congresswoman has supported her efforts – I believe Rep. Lee even has a bill that would establish an Institute of Peace [apparently he doesn’t know that there already is an ‘Institute of Peace’ in Washington DC populated by neocons ]. In terms of the timeline, it’s hard to say when you’re in the minority. To move bills while in the minority, bipartisan support is key. With Republicans controlling the agenda and what comes up on the floor for consideration it’s very hard for Democrats to have a say in what is considered. Also, with President Trumps “skinny budget” released and proposed increased in defense spending, we may not see an increase in domestic programs vs. defense programs in the near future. The Congresswoman stands ready to work to craft legislation that maintains important domestic programs, while preserving funding for our national defense in a reasonable, appropriate way.
Q: Who are the key people in Congress who might work on peace legislation? What chance is there for them to emerge in a leadership/spokesperson role? They spoke of Representative Barbara Lee’s legislation as a plus. HR 1473. For example is she a leader on this issue, is this a good piece of legislation that might move ahead?
Jack: I think LMS would be supportive of HR 1473 though I haven’t asked her to cosign the bill [apparently you don’t see it as important]. One thing Rep. Lee and some others have tried to push for is a new authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in our fight against ISIS in the middle east. This would help clarify what kind of actions US forces could take in that conflict, including a clear answer on whether or not troops could be deployed there. However at this point I don’t see HR 1473 moving anywhere fast. [since you don’t feel it’s worth cosigning why would it?]
Q: What advice would you give peace groups like theirs and many others? What bills to watch, leadership to watch, what do advocate for and when?
Jack: If they keep the pressure up I would recommend they keep looking for members and proposals that encourage a comprehensive dialogue on how the US can play a role in the peace process. [What ‘peace process’?] Looking even at the Israeli-Palestine efforts, as well as the importance of robust international aid funding for the US worldwide so we can continue to be a leader and set an example to other countries and governments. Humanitarian and refugee issues I think are
Q: What else should they be aware of or other advice for them and their counterparts?
Jack: Not sure I have much else for them minus what I included above. I’m always glad to chat over the phone [ (202) 225-3615] as well if that would be helpful to them to talk more specifically about questions/ideas they have.
