Monthly Archive for January, 2016

by Bob Smith

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, at Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania was cold, terribly cold. It was one for the Brandywine Peace Community record books. We thought that for anyone who could risk the cold, there needed to be something at the world’s chief war profiteer in honor of Dr. King’s message of nonviolent action and resistance for justice and peace. So as we have every year since 1977, we stood holding banners and signs for Dr. King and his message. About 20 people were there as the loudspeaker boomed the words of Dr. King. We had decided to cut our memorial with music and more in half.

Jerry Berrigan, Presente!

from The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars

On Thursday morning, January 28, thirty life sized cutouts of Syracuse peacemaker Jerry Berrigan blockaded the main entrance of Hancock Air National Guard Base outside Syracuse, NY. The cutouts were accompanied by twelve nonviolent drone resisters, who were arrested after blockading for an hour and a half. See video (of the blockade and arrests).

Jerry Berrigan, who died on July 26, 2015 at the age of 95, dedicated his entire life – like his brothers Dan and Phil – to Jesus’ command to love one another, Jerry came to the base on a bi-weekly basis whenever he was able, in his words, “to remind the base commander of our government’s pledge under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, a treaty to safeguard non-combatant’s well-being in any warzone in which U.S. forces are engaged in combat.” And further, “to register horror and indignation at reports of bombing missions by drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan which resulted in the deaths of many innocent civilians; men, women and children.”

from Occupy Beale Air Force Base

Persistence will help Peace Prevail One Day!

What is the REAL State of the Union?
Drone Murder, Wars for Profit, Jailing Whistleblowers, No Jobs, Police Terror and more!

After 10 defendants were denied the right to put drone killing on trial, and their arraignment and charges were dismissed, they still showed up at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse on Tuesday, January 12 with about 2 dozen supporters. A very dramatic mock drone attack was staged with sound effects and “body parts” flying. Several mourning mothers gathered to dramatize the post-strike trauma, and the truth about drone killing: 9 of 10 killed are “unintended targets.”

Mary Anne Grady Flores to be taken into custody Tuesday, January 19

Ithaca, NY – On January 12, the National Day of Action to Stop Killer Drones, grandmother and drone resister Mary Anne Grady Flores learned that she is to go back to jail for six months starting Tuesday, January 19. She is to report to the Dewitt Town Court (5400 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse, NY) at 5 p.m. to be remanded to Jamesville Correctional Facility in East Syracuse, N.Y.