Antiwar activists protest Reaper drones

SYRACUSE, N.Y.--Over 75 people from across upstate New York gathered at Hancock Air Force base to protest the presence of military's newest weapon of mass destruction: unmanned Reaper Drones. Once fully functional, the drones will be armed with up to as much ordnance as an F-16 fighter jet, and flown over Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

The action follows an initial response in November 2009, when antiwar activists first found out about the program.

As the war in Afghanistan stretches toward its 10th year, facing increasing opposition within the U.S. according to opinion polls, the military establishment is desperate to make it more "palatable."

The use of these new weapons is justified by claiming that they keep U.S. service members out of harm's way, but as Josh Karpoff of Rochester Against War pointed out, it has had the opposite effect. "Unlike a fighter or a bomber pilot who is miles away when their bombs hit their target, the drone operator watches the consequences of their actions," resulting in higher incidents of post-traumatic stress disorder, Karpoff said.

A petition circulated to the crowd to be delivered to New York State Gov. David Paterson demands an end to the program:

Governor Paterson, as citizens and taxpayers of New York, we urge you to use your commanding rank to expel the criminal Reaper from our midst. New York's Air Reserve must not continue as a handmaiden of invasion and occupation; it must not continue to wreak terrorism. We respectfully ask you to restore our Air Reserve to its legitimate role: protecting--not risking and not shaming--the people of New York.

Aly Wayne, who is organizing against the budget cuts at Syracuse University, made the connection between the budget crisis in New York state and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, pointing to the billions of dollars that are being diverted from education and social services to fund the wars and bail out Wall Street.

As Brian Lenzo of Rochester Against War said: "There are lots of people who are sitting at home right now who are opposed to the war. They are deciding whether or not to take to the streets and embarrass a president that they helped to elect."

This latest protest showed that there are people willing to stand up to the U.S. war machine, no matter who's at the helm.