Antiwar.com Newsletter | March 22, 2013 | Special #NoDrones Edition

Action Item: #NoDrones
Top News
Opinion and analysis

National Days of Action to Stop Drone War

The Network for Stopping Drone Spying and Warfare plans April Days of Action 2013 to generate a public uprising across the United States to stop drone spying and drone warfare.

• April 4-6: Drone Manufacturers Identify and protest drone manufacturing facilities, using demonstrations, teach-ins and other actions calling for an end to drone attacks and an end to the manufacture of weaponized and surveillance drones.

• San Diego – April 4-7: protest at the plant of General Atomics, maker of the Predator and Reaper drones, the workhorses of drone killing.

• April 16-18: Drone Research/Training Identify colleges and universities in their regions doing drone research and/or training of drone pilots and to call for an end to research and training related to drone warfare.

• April 27-28: Drone Bases Protest at Air Force and National Guard bases which control the U.S. military drone program in their regions.

• April 26-28: protest at the Reaper drones based at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse, NY.

Want to be part of the drones protest action that’s happening in state after state? Connect with other members of No Drones Network! People in areas across the country are making big plans for the April Days of Action to Stop the Drones!

This week’s top news :

Obama to Palestinians: Drop Call for Settlement Freeze : While President Obama urged Israel to accept Palestinians’ right to some sort of viable state, he also called on Palestinians to drop their call for a settlement freeze as a precondition to negotiations.

US Officials: No Chemical Weapons Used in Syria : US military officials familiar with the reported incident say that there are “strong indications” that no such weapon was used, and that the more evidence they get, the more convinced they are that whatever happened in Aleppo, it wasn't a chemical weapons attack.

Iran Open to Direct US Talks : Iranian Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that his nation is not opposed to holding direct talks with the United States about its nuclear program, although he expressed doubt about their viability.

Afghan Govt: NATO War ‘Aimless and Unwise’ : NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen faulted the Afghan government and the people living under NATO occupation in Afghanistan, saying they need to be more grateful for the “sacrifices” the alliance has made in spending over a decade conquering their nation.

As Other Nations Acquire Drones, Obama Seeks ‘Global Rules’ : President Obama took the concept of an aerial attack by unmanned drone from a rare event to something exceedingly common. Now that other countries gain capabilities, he’s eager to impose constraints.

US Bombers Loom Over South Korea Amid Tension with North : American B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have been looming over South Korea off and on this month, part of the ongoing “military drills” and also a constant reminder to South Koreans of the growing tensions with their neighbors to the north.

Pentagon Still Downplays Growing Gitmo Hunger Strikes : Lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees and human rights officials have reported over 100 detainees are engaged in a hunger strike, protesting mistreatment and the confiscation of Qu’rans.

Opinion and Analysis: 

• Justin Raimondo wrote about the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War and about the new youth antiwar movement.
• Kelley Vlahos reviewed America’s dirty war history of death squads, from the Americas to Afghanistan.
• Ivan Eland criticized the GOP’s idolatry of Reagan and other so-called “conservative” heroes.
• Phil Giraldi lamented the extra-legal realm of the drone war.
• Nebojsa Malicwarned of imperial overreach , from the Balkans to the Middle East.
• Muhammad Sahimi warned of the lessons not learned from the Iraq War, and what it could mean for Iran.
• Chad Nelson urged people to look at stateaction as the same as individual action.
• John Glaser wrote about the two major lies that got us into the Iraq War: a connection to al-Qaeda and WMD.

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