Drones in Syracuse

I decided to write my publication in support of the 38 protestors:

Drones in Syracuse

"Die-in" by protestors in April 2011

Last April, thirty-eight protestors were arrested outside of the New York Air National Guard Base, located just north of Syracuse. They conducted a “die-in”, where they covered themselves in red paint and laid across the base entrance, preventing anyone from going into or out of the base. This was in protest to the MQ-9 Reaper drones, which the 174^th Fighter Wing of the National Guard has been remotely flying over various Middle Eastern countries from Syracuse since 2009.




The protestors are being charged with trespassing and a few other minor charges. After a five day trial earlier this month, they are awaiting their verdict which will be read on December 1^st at the Town of De Witt Courthouse. Although the trial was long and gruesome, the testimonies and hearings of the protestors have shed light on a very grave issue. In their defense, the protestors claimed that by using drones, the United States is violating international human rights laws. In the process of taking out a handful of terrorists, drones have killed hundreds of civilians. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a British non-profit news organization, has reported that in Pakistan, US drone attacks have killed 392 civilians, including 175 children.

Frontline cover depicting the impact of drone strikes on
Afghani children

This is a heinous crime that must be stopped. Retired Colonel Ann Wright, one of the thirty-eight protestors, agrees. She justified the “die-in” demonstration by saying, “Citizens have a responsibility to take action when they see crimes being committed.” In an interview with DemocracyNow.org, she goes as far as to compare the drone attacks to the events in Germany during World War II. She says, “…German government officials knew what other parts of the German government were doing in executing six million Jews…and they took no action…they were held responsible later through the Nuremburg Trials.” She believes that this is the theory on which the protestors are acting. They see that the government is committing an evil, and it is their responsibility to put an end to it before it gets any worse.

There are many other moral and ethical implications attributed to the use of drones. For example, they reduce the value of human life. The act of firing a missile behind a monitor screen is no different than picking up a controller to a game console and killing virtual enemies in a video game. Even more unsettling is the similarities between how a drone operator can inflict harm on someone half-way around the world with no direct repercussions as compared to a person participating in the torture of a helpless victim at no risk to themselves.

UAV-Predator 6

There are of course benefits associated with drones. For instance, they can perform missions that are too dangerous for ground troops. They provide surveillance twenty four hours a day and up to the minute information to keep soldiers out of harm’s way. They are also cost effective. An average combat drone costs approximately $4.5 million to build and operate while a F-22 fighter jet costs $150 million plus an ample amount of technical experience to operate. Although these are very good reasons, there are just too many complications to justify their use. The fact that they cannot distinguish between the enemy and civilians is a big enough reason. If we continue to let our government use drones, we are letting them get away with murder, and nothing can justify that. Until this problem is resolved, the use of drones should be condemned.

The number of drone missions performed has grown exponentially over the past few years. In the eight year Bush administration, there were a mere forty-five drone operations.  The current administration is reportedly responsible for 118 missions in 2010 alone. Our government is committing a crime right before our eyes and it must be stopped. I applaud the thirty-eight individuals on their efforts to expose the issue. Now, we as the public must continue their push and prevent our government from continuing to commit this crime.