By Martha Spiess, Maine branch
Honoring the occasion of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, The Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) called for a global Peace Wave. The Maine branch joined this Peace Wave on September 26, coincidently the International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons!
In solidarity, we had a daytime opener on the Green in Brunswick, Maine, with white balloons, Pete Seeger’s “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,” commentary, and members also joining from Maine Veterans for Peace, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, PeaceWorks, and Peace Action Maine. Our opener video clip is posted on YouTube.
We had an evening event, motivated by the Drone Quilt Project, now on exhibit at the Brunswick Public Library. After previewing the National Bird, discussion followed regarding two recent troubling articles in the New York Times: The first article described the Trump Administration’s loosening of restrictions on drone warfareso that lethal drones would be operated by the CIA more often, could be controlled by local commanders and low level targets added. Already, there has been a drastic escalation of drone warfare since January.
The second article is even more alarming and describes how ISIS is now also using drone warfare, killing and wounding people. The article notes that the US military, so far, has found no effective defenses. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, warns that the unrestrained proliferation of lethal drones, even by non-state actors, means the danger of them being used in the US is growing.
That will be the day the drones come home to roost.