Medea Benjamin: Killer Drones Are Coming to US Skies

First it was spy cameras, then it was unmanned planes with cameras. Now the spy camera flying over Pakistan can shoot, or blow to bits, anyone the computer selects. Could be a terrorist, could be a wedding party – oops! Collateral damage…

And here’s the scary part: They aren’t just in Western Asia any more. They’re headed home, by the thousands, to watch us.

In this 28-minute interview, ShiftShapers Pole Reversal Radio co-host Daniel Kerbein interviews Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink and Global Exchange, about her new book Drone Warfare – Killing by Remote Control.

Nobody speaks truth to power like Medea Benjamin. She is tireless, courageous and well-versed on the subject of unmanned robotic aircraft.

Drones come in all sizes, but are used by the military for only 2 purposes: spying and killing specified targets. They have a track record of killing many more innocent civilians than terrorist-identified agents. Now they are being issued to the Border Patrol, and individual police departments.

Barbara Ehrenreich notes in the Foreword to the book that drone technology has proliferated to over 50 countries. “Drone Warfare sketches out the nightmare possibilities posed by this insane proliferation. We cannot only expect drones to fall into the hands of “rogue” nations or terrorist groups; we should brace ourselves, too, for the domestic use of surveillance drones and even armed drones at the Mexican border and possibly against American civilian protestors.”

Codepink has created a web site called droneswatch.org
where people can obtain the latest information and campaign ideas for taking widespread action. Code Pink also co-hosted a Drone Summit in April 2012, which brought together experts from around the world to discuss the potential harm and benefit of unmanned aircraft.

This interview first aired on KBBF-FM 89.1 Calistoga.