Drones Kill Children

A friend recently wrote me an email to say I was getting to much into the drone thing. Here is my response:

Dear Friend,
Yes, I am caught up in killer drones the USA is using in six countries presently to kill men, women and children. Yes, I did compare it to the biggest technological development in warfare since the use of nuclear bomb.

By the comparison to nuclear bomb I was not comparing the destruction of human lives to the two nuclear bombs the USA dropped over Japan. But I am saying that just like the explosion of nuclear bomb changed the nature and morality of warfare so has drone warfare.

I always wondered why a person planting a bomb in a building and killing innocent persons was called a “terrorist” while a person flying a plane, bombing, and killing innocent persons was labeled ‘self defense.’

Now comes drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV’s) where a person operating a remote control device like a video game can sit somewhere in the USA and kill innocent persons in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan or Libya and there barely any question of the nature and morality of this type of warfare.

A ‘killer drone’ is the ultimate form of impersonal warfare. Drones are in increased use by USA and new drone training centers are being built all over the USA, including one here in Wisconsin.

There are drones of all sizes and capacity to spy and kill from Blimp drones, Drone airplanes, to tiny drones the size of a bird. I agree with the author of the New York Times article who says that war has evolved with drones: “Large or small, drones raise questions about the growing disconnect between the American public and its wars. Military ethicists concede that drones can turn war into a video game, inflict civilian casualties and, with no Americans directly at risk, more easily draw the United States into conflicts.”

Tonight I just created a picture\story about our creative nonviolent action at Bastille Days this weekend: Drone and Clowns Storm the Bastille. We used clowns and million dollar bills to get out our deadly message that not many want to hear: “Killer Drones Cost $ & Lives”.

I can relate to your desire to change the subject of our correspondence. No problem, but I cannot stop Breaking the Silence on Killer Drones. Warfare has changed with the use of Killer Drones might be a message we do not want to hear but need to speak. Perhaps the humor of Drone and Clowns Storm the Bastille will help.

Comments

(:commentboxchrono:)