America's Drone Program: The Dark Realties of Modern Warfare

Saturday, April 30
7 pm • Vets Memorial Building, Santa Cruz
Theme: America's Drone Program: The Dark Realities of Modern Warfare

Drone
(Tonje Hessen Schei, 2014, 79 min, USA)
Intimate stories from the secret CIA drone war on terror. People living under drones in Pakistan and drone pilots struggling with killing via joysticks in the US in the biggest targeted assassination program in history. And the people willing to stand up against the violations of civil liberties and fight for transparency, accountability and justice.

Speaker: Ray McGovern, retired CIA analyst and intelligence expert
Event Hosts: VFW Post 5888, Veterans For Peace, People United for Peace

Showing the documentary "Drone", a movie about the development and use of Drone warfare, especially in Pakistan and the Middle East.
Also appearing is Ray McGovern, retired army veteran and 27 years as a CIA analyst. He is now a peace activist and whistle-blower. Ray is a well-known speaker and advisor on matters involving peace and war and the repercussions of his experience providing intelligence. Join us for an instructive film and a wonderful talk by Mr. McGovern.

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THE REEL WORK LABOR FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS
THE DOCUMENTARY FILM “DRONE” and
A TALK BY RAY MCGOVERN

“AMERICA’S DRONE PROGRAM: THE DARK REALITIES OF MODERN WARFARE”

CHRIS MATTHEWS HALL, VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING, 846 FRONT STREET, SANTA CRUZ
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016 AT 7:00 pm

Veterans for Peace, Chapter 11 and the VFW Bill Motto Post #5888 are cosponsoring the showing of the documentary film, “DRONE” at the Veterans Memorial Building on Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 pm.

“DRONE” describes the CIA’s development of weaponized drones to track and destroy military and civilian targets as part of the “war on terror”. The President and CIA take the responsibility of designating targets and monitoring the actual drone attacks.

Inside the secret CIA drone war, young pilots are recruited at gaming conventions and taught to kill with “joysticks” from thousands of miles away. Four formerly US Air Force drone pilots have chosen to speak out about their experience(s) being part of the drone program and their reasons for “blowing the whistle” on its claims and realities.

From a letter from former drone pilots to President Obama:

“This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world."

The film raises questions not only for American citizens and the American service members who work in the program but also for the many thousands of Pakistanis (and others) who live their lives under the drones and suffer from all the medical and psychological ailments of warfare: death, destruction, the destruction of families, and PTSD.

The development of drones puts a whole new light on what it means to “go to war” and confronts weapons developers with serious moral questions. World leaders have given the green light to the use of drones; the President and the CIA are using drones in an assassination program that covers a significant portion of the world, and has included US citizens. These targets have not been given trials, and are marked for execution, not capture.

RAY MCGOVERN, who will speak in conjunction with the film, is a retired CIA analyst (1963-1990). In the 1980s he developed National Intelligence Estimates for the CIA and conducted the Daily Briefing for four presidents. For his work, he received the Intelligence Commendation Medal.

In 2006, Ray returned the medal to the CIA to protest the agency’s involvement in torture. He co-founded the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) in 2003. As an activist, he speaks extensively as a whistle-blower and peace worker. He teaches a course in Washington DC on “The Moral Dimension of Whistle-blowing”. Ray is a recipient of the ACLU’s National Civil Liberties Award.

for more info on Ray;
http://www.raymcgovern.com

more info about the film available at:
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/01/29/dron-j29.html

more info from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism about the actual effects of the Drone Program:
https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/namingthedead/only-4-of-drone-victims-in-pakistan-named-as-al-qaeda-members/?lang=en

this event is also being co-sponsored by;
the Romero Institute
ACLU of Santa Cruz
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom of SC
Peace and Freedom Party, SC
Food Not Bombs
CodePINK SC
People United for Peace of SC County