Code Pink & Peace Resource Center of San Diego – 2013-04-05 01:35:39
http://codepink.salsalabs.com/o/424/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7137
Anti-drone Protests Hit New York
Marina Portnaya / Russia Today
(April 3, 2013) — This month protests against top secret drone program are planned all across the US. Activists demand to stop UAVs’ strikes that kill hundreds of people and violate the sovereignty of other countries. The first rally in the series of protests was held in New York City.
ACTION ALERT: General Atomics CEO: Stop making Killing Machines!
Join us by signing a letter to General Atomics CEO Neal Blue, urging him to stop manufacturing killer drones! Help us fill up his inbox by sharing this action with your friends!
Dear Mr. Blue,
As CEO of General Atomics, you are responsible for the decisions of the company. You are responsible for the development of the Predator and Reaper drones. You equipped them with the abilities to maim and kill, to destroy schools and homes, to rip families apart. And you, as CEO, can make the same decision to stop them. We urge you, Mr. Blue, to stop manufacturing killer drones that have resulted in upwards of 4,000 casualties abroad.
We get it — this is about profits. Your company does not disclose its financial information but public data estimates about $5 billion from U.S. taxpayers from 2000 to 2009. Your annual revenue is well over a billion dollars. You dominate 25% of the drones market. You make a lot of money.
But what about the 197 dead children in Pakistan? What about over 4,000 lives lost, with only 2% considered “high-level targetsâ€? Your Reapers have an effective casualty zone of 200 feet of the blast site — that means that fifty percent of people within that radius will die, regardless of having any associations at all with the targets. And as investigations show, these errors occur more often than not.
We are not asking for the impossible. We know that General Atomics has the ability to change the face of drone warfare forever by stepping out of the game. Stop building drones that kill innocent people on the other side of the world. Stop being a pawn in the war that is only creating new enemies and anti-American sentiment abroad.
Stop funding hate. Concentrate instead on drones that are not for killing and spying. Or make rapid transit technology and sustainable energy initiatives. Employ people with green jobs, not the jobs that make all hands bloodied with the lives of innocents.
We ask you, Mr. Blue, to think about the company you want General Atomics to be. Surely, murder should not be your largest project. Stop making a killing out of killing.
Signed,
General Atomics HQ
Email:kimberly.kasitz@ga-asi.com
National Call: National Anti-Drone Days of Action —
April 4-7, 2013
Peace Resource Center of San Diego
SAN DIEGO, California — The Drone Diego Coordinating Committee invites organizations and individuals to come to San Diego on April 4-7, as we protest and bring attention to the dangers drones present to the people of the world. Join us for nonviolent actions, workshops, street theater and more, or organize your own activities.
Follow us on Twitter @sdcpj #dronediego
There will be various LIVE VIDEO STREAMS throughout the event. Try the Ustream links below to access whatever live streams are available
http://www.ustream.tv/occupysf
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/parissocalcat
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/PMbeers
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/freethought-radio-live
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/savagetruth
http://www.ustream.tv/user/punkboyinsf
The Drone Diego Coordinating Committee invites organizations and individuals to come to San Diego on April 4-7, as we protest and bring attention to the dangers drones present to the people of the world. Join us for nonviolent actions, workshops, street theater and more, or organize your own activities.
Our opposition to drone warfare is based on our stand for peace and justice. We believe that:
• Armed drones are weapons of terror. They kill combatants and civilians, children and adults, men and women, alike. Their presence overhead terrorizes entire communities.
• Extrajudicial assassinations by killer drones violate U. S. and international law.
• Surveillance drones threaten our liberties, spying on communities and borders, invading our personal privacy.
• Drones make our families less secure by making it easier for military and paramilitary agencies (like the CIA) to continue endless war without limits in either space or time.
Why come to San Diego? San Diego is the drone production capital of the world. San Diego is home to General Atomics, builders of the killer Predator and Reaper drones (which may be armed with Hellfire missiles), and Northrup Grumman, maker of the Global Hawk surveillance drone. Surveillance drones also regularly fly along the border between San Diego and Mexico.
A strong presence in San Diego will draw attention locally and nationally to the hazards posed by these robotic killers and spy craft. We hope that this will be the first of many actions in San Diego.
April 4-7
The National Days of Action are rapidly approaching and we’re excited about the schedule that is shaping up! The events below show what the host committee and other organizations have lined up so far! There are still some time slots for other actions if your organization would like to plan something! We’re also looking for groups and individuals who would like to do workshops. Please join us in San Diego!!
April 4 – Thursday
3-6 pm – San Diego Veterans for Peace demonstration at General Atomics Predator drones production site. Assemble at General Atomics Way and Kirkham Way, Poway. More info: email Dave Patterson or phone 760.207.9139
7-8 pm – Overpass Light Brigade, Clairemont Drive bridge over the I-5. Volunteers are needed to hold letters. More info: email Chris, or OLB Facebook event
Parking: Mission Bay Visitors Center, west of Clairemont Drive overpass.
April 5 – Friday
8 am – CodePink invites you to peacefully protest Neal Blue, CEO of General Atomics: 9756 La Jolla Farms Rd (La Jolla). More info: 415-235-6517
10 am – Rally at General Atomics Headquarters 3500 General Atomics Court (off John Jay Hopkins Drive), La Jolla 92121. Coordinated by CodePink. More info: email Peace Resource Center
4-6 pm – Demonstration and bannering at Northrup Grumman, 9326 Spectrum Center Blvd. and Ruffin Road, San Diego 92123. Please wear black! coordinated by CodePink More info: email Peace Resource Center
6:30-9:30 pm – Assembly with dinner, socializing, and more. Location TBA. more info: email SDCPJ
7-8 pm – Overpass Light Brigade, Location TBA. Volunteers are needed to hold letters. More info:email Chris, or OLB Facebook event
April 6 – Saturday
1-3 pm – Join us at the Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum (Harbor Drive south of Broadway, downtown San Diego) for a demonstration. Please wear black. Coordinated by Women Occupy; More info: email Martha Sullivan or phone 858-945-6273.
6 pm; 7-9 pm dinner – Forum with Medea Benjamin (CodePink), Pedro Rios (AFSC San Diego), and others. Church of the Brethren, 3850 Westgate Pl., San Diego 92105. More info: email Peace Resource Center
7-8 pm – Overpass Light Brigade at Forum site. More info: email Chris, or OLB Facebook event
April 7 – Sunday (ending by 3 p.m.)
10 am – 3 pm – General Assembly and Workshops, Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., San Diego 92101
More info: email Peace Resource Center
OUR CALL:
The Drone Diego Coordinating Committee invites organizations and individuals to come to San Diego on April 4-7, as we protest and bring attention to the dangers drones present to the people of the world. Join us for nonviolent actions, workshops, street theater and more, or organize your own activities.
Our opposition to drone warfare is based on our stand for peace and justice.
We believe that:
• Armed drones are weapons of terror. They kill combatants and civilians, children and adults, men and women, alike. Their presence overhead terrorizes entire communities.
• Extrajudicial assassinations by killer drones violate US and international law.
• Surveillance drones threaten our liberties, spying on communities and borders, invading our personal privacy.
• Drones make our families less secure by making it easier for military and paramilitary agencies (like the CIA) to continue endless war without limits in either space or time.
Why come to San Diego? San Diego is the drone production capital of the world. San Diego is home to General Atomics, builders of the killer Predator and Reaper drones (which may be armed with Hellfire missiles), and Northrup Grumman, maker of the Global Hawk surveillance drone. Surveillance drones also regularly fly along the border between San Diego and Mexico.
A strong presence in San Diego will draw attention locally and nationally to the hazards posed by these robotic killers and spy craft. We hope that this will be the first of many actions in San Diego.
Of course not everyone has the resources to come to San Diego. We encourage those who cannot come to make April 4-7 days of action against drones in their own communities.
Kickoff day is Thursday, April 4, with a demonstration at the General Atomics drone production facility in Poway, just north of San Diego. The San Diego chapter of Veterans for Peace is holding a weekly vigil there and we will join them.
We invite other organizations to develop workshops, forums and actionsduring the four days of action. If you or your organization would like to plan an event, please contact our host committee so we can provide information about locations, venues, and schedule coordination.
We also welcome sponsoring organizations (which provide financial or organizational resources) and endorsing organizations (which express their public agreement with our goals) to contact the host committee.
Our host committee will work to provide housing in San Diego for activists who need it. We are also working to establish an encampment, with more details to follow.
For more info about the National Days Against Drones Actions in San Diego, or if your organization would like to become a sponsor or endorser, please contact:
info@sdcpj.org, nodrones@prcsd.org, or dpatterson998@yahoo.com.
We can also be found on the web (sdcpj.org) and on Facebook
Tax-deductible donations to support this action can be made online through the Peace Resource Center of San Diego
www.prcsd.org (specify anti-drone action from the drop-down list). Checks should be made payable to the Peace Resource Center and mailed to 3850 Westgate Place, San Diego, CA 92105
Sponsoring organizations:
Peace Resource Center of San Diego,
San Diego Veterans for Peace,
San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice,
CODEPINK,
Global Exchange,
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC),
Canvass for a Cause,
Af3irm,
A Future Without War.org,
Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD),
San Diego International Socialist Organization,
SAME Alliance,
Fresno Light Brigade,
Peace Madera,
Overpass Light Brigade San Diego,
Alameda County Against Drones,
ANSWER Coalition San Diego,
Party for Socialism and Liberation San Diego,
San Diego Libertarian Party,
San Diego Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS),
National Lawyers Guild San Diego,
al Awda San Diego,
Border Angels,
Gente Unida, Activist San Diego,
Environmentalists Against War,
International Action Center San Diego,
Women Occupy San Diego,
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace LA,
Okupi Damsels in Distress Palm Springs,
United Nations Association San Diego,
Women’s Equality Council UNA-SD,
San Diego Faith Leaders for Peace,
Democratic Socialists of America San Diego,
Residents Organized for a Safe Environment (ROSE),
Green Party San Diego,
Officers of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party,
Orange County Peace Coalition, Peace Fresno, War Resisters League West,
Movement for a Democratic Society, Bay Area,
San Diego Committee Against Police Brutality,
Pacific Beach Democratic Club,
San Diego First Church of the Brethren,
Plan of Action in a Changing Era (PACE),
People for Social Sustainability,
Courage To Resist,
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC),
Haritna Restaurant La Mesa.
