By Jasmyn Belcher
Oswego, NY – The Syracuse Peace Council is planning to picket outside the Air National Guard Base in Mattydale today.
The protest is part of a continuing effort by the Peace Council to resist the U.S. military use of unmanned drones in anti-terrorism efforts.
The base is one of the locations from which the drones are deployed. According to the Peace Council, the drone attacks and intelligence-gathering missions in areas of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq could make Syracuse a target for terrorism.
Rae Kramer, a spokesperson for the Peace Council, said she has both long and short-term goals with the protests.
"The ultimate goal, which I don't see happening in the short term, is the discontinuation of the use of such weapons. As part, hopefully, of a growing disarmament and the recognition of the way we have to deal with world issues is not at the bottom of a computer driven unmanned aircraft. A shorter-range goal is to encourage citizens to put pressure on their elected officials about where our tax dollars are going," said Kramer.
Kramer said taxpayer dollars should be directed more toward resolving health care, education and job related issues.
The Peace Council holds drone protests every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.