On Wednesday, Code Pink, Foreign Policy In Focus and Pax Christi staged a mock drone attack in Washington DC’s Dupont Circle. To watch what transpired, check out the above video.
This type of street theater – which reminds me of the Iraq Veterans Against the War’s brilliant Operation First Casualty – is a creative way to give passersby just a hint of what people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been living through as the Obama administration dramatically escalates the use of unmanned drones in our many wars. (Over the month of September, for example, there were a record 21 drone strikes in Pakistan. And this at the same time that the country is reeling from the flooding that has affected at least 18 million people.)
If this type of action is to be replicated, which I hope it is, I have one recommendation. To make the experience more real for those who accidentally walk into such an protest, I think there needs to be a more realistic drone that is actually flying in the sky.
One thought off the top of my head would be to have a kite in the shape of a drone that can be flying high enough that you just might at first glance mistake it for a real aircraft. The person flying the kite would need to be out of view, if possible, so that people didn’t know where it was coming from. Combine that with the sound of a drone, which they had playing on a stereo, and people shrieking and pointing to the sky, and you’ve created an experience that make take people a little more by surprise – and hopefully get them to think about what it would be like to live under the drones.
Operation First Casualty and the Mock Drone Attacks videos: Are these comedy skits?
You wouldn’t “hear” a Predator. You wouldn’t “see” a Predator. The first indication you would get that you were targeted is your death. The Hellfire missile is supersonic….
This “theater” is laughable. I’m anxiously waiting for Operation Burqa or Public Beating. Operation Gas the Ethnic Minorities, Operation Stone the Adulterer. Operation Blow Up a Bus Full of Civilians. Lastly, the ever popular Operation Strap C4 and Bags of Nails To My Chest and Blow Myself Up in a Busy Market.
Hmmm…decisions decisions…live life under despots or live life where drones target those despots…Personally, I’d much prefer the latter.
This is much better theater: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa06L37C0qA&feature=related
You must be aware that the US supports economically, diplomatically and militarily many undemocratic Arab countries that mistreat women. For example, the US in the process of selling $60 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia, one of the worst offenders on many of the important issues you raise. So to think that we actually care about public beatings or stonings or that they are the reasons why we’re in Iraq and Afghanistan is ignorant.
The reason we protest drone attacks in the US is because we are directly responsible for them and as citizens of this country can have an greater impact on stopping them. The same can not be said of the terrible human rights abuses committed in other countries.
Also, the drone attacks are largely taking place in Pakistan right now, not against despots. And no matter what study you look at civilians are being killed, probably in large numbers. They also are hugely unpopular and fueling anti-American sentiment in the region. They are undoubtedly a great recruiting tool for extremist groups, which has led many conservatives and military folks to critique them. For example, check out David Kilcullen and Andrew Exum’s op-ed in the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/opinion/17exum.html?_r=2
Sure, I’m well aware that we support/conduct trade with some nations who view human rights and governance differently than the West does, but those nations do not knowingly harbor or support the multitude of terrorist acts against Americans, both civilian and military. To me at least, that’s a HUGE difference.
Yes, drone strikes are primarily in Pakistan…that’s where the Taliban leadership likes to hide. Obviously, the Pakistani gov’t gives the US tacit approval for the strikes, but for obvious domestic reasons must disavow them.
If you have a way to make bad guys go away, please feel free to put your ideas forward. While you’re at it, ask the enemy nicely not to take shelter among civilians and only in remote mountain outposts. I can’t think of a more proportional use of force than a precision missile with a 20lb warhead.
While I agree that any civilian casualties are unfortunate, sad, and make the NATO mission more difficult, unfortunately America is fighting an enemy that makes this unavoidable despite the best efforts.
D. Kill,
The margin of error on drones sacrifices innocent human life.
The margin of error on your sense of humor sacrifices decency.
Perhaps you should take more observations to reduce your sampling error?