Activists Go on Trial in Nevada for Protesting Obama Admin Drone Program

[G_j]

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/13/activists_go_on_trial_in_nevada


Activists Go on Trial in Nevada for Protesting Obama Admin Drone Program

This week marks the beginning of a trial for fourteen antiwar activists who held a ten-day vigil outside the Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada last year. The base is one of several homes of the American military’s aerial drone program in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The activists were charged with criminal trespassing for entering the base with a letter describing their opposition to the drone program.

~~~

<snip>

AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe exactly what you did, Kathy?

KATHY KELLY: Well, we vigiled for ten days. I mean, the morning newspaper, the day that we entered the base, reported that we were going to do that, and so I don’t think it could have been a tremendous surprise. But as soon as we stepped onto the base, soldiers were very frightened. Two of them kind of clicked their guns. And so, when they said, "Stop," we did. And then we remained—we had carried with us several letters. We had a letter that we wanted to circulate to base personnel and to Colonel Chambliss, indicating that we all share this responsibility to try to prevent the buildup of drone warfare and the killings that are happening so regularly. We had bread and water, and we would have liked very much to have a chance to talk with the base personnel. But after about an hour, we were arrested and taken into custody. The charges were dropped, and then they were reinstated. So this may indicate that there’s a desire to create a deterrent.

<snip>

Feryal Ali Gauhar, welcome to Democracy Now! It’s interesting to go from Kathy Kelly in Nevada, who’s talking about this protest at Creech, where one of the drone programs is based, to your experience of the flooded areas in Pakistan. Can you talk about the connection?

FERYAL ALI GAUHAR: Well, yes, there is a very real connection, although that’s not the only element that we’re concerned about. But it is well known, if not acknowledged by—particularly by the state, that the base for the drones, where they’re housed before they are automated, is in Pakistan. The current government has literally gone blue in the face denying that.

But I just happened to stumble across a contractor—and that’s not the Blackwater contractor—the contractor who built the base, who inadvertently, actually, spoke about it. But he was speaking about it in a different context, and that context was the fact that he was there at the time of the flooding—and, you know, this is the worst catastrophe to have hit any state since apparently biblical times. So, he actually mentioned to me that the River Indus, which is one of the largest rivers in the world, carrying now a volume of water which has not been known in contemporary history, was breached on the left bank deliberately in order to protect the base, which is on the right bank. And the breaching caused, consequentially, the inundation of an entire district, which resulted in the displacement of millions, not thousands, but millions, because we have 170 million people in the country, and this particular district is one of the most densely populated. So, yes, there is a connect between, you know, what is considered to be a natural disaster, but then the management of that disaster is not natural at all.

<snip>

[G_j]

1. well it

never fails that a story on the drone issue will get unrecced...

[mmonk]

22. The Democratic Party has been changing before our eyes.

It is to be expected.

[Luminous Animal]

2. K&R

[sandnsea]

3. Kathy Kelly must be terribly naive

Yes, when you do not have authorization to "step onto a base", the soldiers "click their guns". That's why they're standing there, to guard the base from unauthorized trespassers.

Good gravy. If they're going to arrest Al Sharpton for protesting military activities, they're going to arrest anybody.

[Luminous Animal]

10. She was asked to describe exactly what happened.

Exactly what happened is that soldiers clicked their guns. Did you want her to lie?

[The Northerner]

4. Why has this thread been currently unrecced to 0?

[sabrina 1]

15. Anything that makes the current MIC look bad now gets unrec'd

on DU. We used to support people who protested the slaughter of innocents here. But that was when our team wasn't in the WH.

[thetonka]

5. They walked onto a military base and are surprised at the consequences

REALLY? Are these people complete idiots?

[G_j]

6. except that was never stated in the interview

show us where they were "surprised at the consequences".

[thetonka]

7. Read it however you want

But this here:
"I mean, the morning newspaper, the day that we entered the base, reported that we were going to do that, and so I don’t think it could have been a tremendous surprise. But as soon as we stepped onto the base, soldiers were very frightened. Two of them kind of clicked their guns. And so, when they said, "Stop," we did."

Suggests to me that they expected they could just walk onto the base without any resistance or reaction. As if announcing in the morning paper that they are going to walk onto a military base is enough to give them permission.

[Luminous Animal]

9. I do believe that is describing "exactly what happened," which is what the reporter asked her to do.

FYI, these activists expected to be arrested.

[thetonka]

20. >>>

[G_j]

13. I am just reading what is there

not what isn't there.

she said the soldiers shouldn't have been surprised, because the protesters plans were announced ahead of time.



And if you think these people were not prepared to be arrested, then you are not familiar with the long history of this type of protest.

[sabrina 1]

17. The way I read it is that they were not surprised at being arrested.

Where do you get that?

They are very brave people. Too bad there aren't more of them. Slaughtering innocent civilians with cowardly drones from miles and miles away, should be a War Crime. And I hope one day it will be.

This country has gone so far down into the historical gutter I'm not sure it can be saved. But these people deserve much credit for at least trying to stop the War Crimes.

[guruoo]

12. So, they wanted to get arrested

[Luminous Animal]

14. No doubt, they expected to be arrested. Expecting and wanting are different things.

[guruoo]

16. Getting arrested helps to increase media attention, which, theoretically, helps the cause.

Surely you've heard of this?

[Luminous Animal]

18. Why yes! I have heard of it! Thanks for asking!

[Luminous Animal]

24. As an activist who has been arrested, I've never WANTED to put my liberty on the line.

I didn't want to cause stress to my family. I didn't want to possibly lose my job. Every time, me and my fellow activists go in expecting that we might be arrested but hoping that we won't and also hoping that without an arrest that we can engage the media.

Engaging n civil disobedience is a serious undertaking which may result in jail time. Nobody wants to be arrested because there is no guarantee of the outcome.

(Sorry about the earlier snarky response.)

[Luminous Animal]

8. There was nothing in the interview that says they were surprised. So, no. They are not complete...

idiots.

[gratuitous]

11. Where do you read that?

The set-up seems to be that after 10 days of watchful vigil, the protestors informed the media that they would enter the base, which the media duly reported. The protestors didn't think that with this kind of warning, that a bunch of heavily-armed military personnel would be terribly surprised by their unarmed, peaceful, non-violent presence. But from the description, it appears that the military personnel were quite jumpy in spite of being forewarned.

Peace protestors know what to do and not to do to be subject to arrest, and they knew that entering the base was likely to spur some bogus charges, as indeed happened. I don't read them as being "surprised at the consequences" in the least.

[Ignis]

26. Welcome to DU. Do you think all peace activists are idiots?

:shrug:

[Forkboy]

19. K&R

[G_j]

21. I'm surprised nobody has commented on this:

"So, he actually mentioned to me that the River Indus, which is one of the largest rivers in the world, carrying now a volume of water which has not been known in contemporary history, was breached on the left bank deliberately in order to protect the base, which is on the right bank. And the breaching caused, consequentially, the inundation of an entire district, which resulted in the displacement of millions, not thousands, but millions, because we have 170 million people in the country, and this particular district is one of the most densely populated."



(We’re joined right now by someone who has just returned from Pakistan. She has been working in the flood-ravaged areas. Her name is Feryal Ali Gauhar. She’s a Pakistani actress, filmmaker, writer, human rights activist. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund and is the only UN Goodwill Ambassador who quit over the invasion of Iraq. Her most recent book is set in Afghanistan. It’s called No Space for Further Burials)

[Luminous Animal]

23. I was distracted by the reading comprehension impaired...

I had to read it over several times, because I needed it to truly sink in. It is horrifying information.

[G_j]

25. needs some collaboration

if it's true, it would certainly be another crime against humanity.