Germany: Thousands Surround US Air Base to Protest the Use of Drones

[JEB]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/11/germany-thousands-surround-us-air-base-protest-use-drones



Demonstrators have formed a human chain near a US air base in western Germany to protest against lethal drone strikes.

The demonstration was organized by the alliance "Stop Ramstein - No Drone War", which says the Ramstein base relays information between operators in the US and unmanned drone aircraft on missions over Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria and other places.

Organizers said that 5 to 7 thousand people took part in the chain near the Ramstein Air Base, the principal US Air Force facility in Europe, on a rainy Saturday.

Activists, calling for the base to be closed, described their protest as the biggest ever action against the US base, insisting that public support against the drone issue was growing.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Resistance to the drone program (killing) is growing. More at the link.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/11/germany-thousands-surround-us-air-base-protest-use-drones

[yeoman6987]

1. They know the military didn't make this decision I hope

[Rex]

6. So they should go protest at the embassy?

I think they are trying for public attention and protesting at a military base is a time honored tradition.

[yeoman6987]

12. I only look for results

I don't see anything coming from this. Is the commander of the base going to write an email to the president requesting the drone's stop? Yes he has the email of the president as most commanders of overseas bases do. I mean I like the passion but will it come to anything?

[Rex]

15. We that is just you then, we are talking about the rest of the planet.

It already has you talking about it and you don't seem to care much so what does that say about it being successful PR?

[yeoman6987]

18. The only reason I'm talking about it at all is its a story on DU

Do you think the other 330 million Americans know this is going on? No! Maybe 1 percent....maybe.

[Rex]

19. We have no idea so speculation won't get us very far.

Maybe, no, yes...time will tell.

[Gomez163]

2. So much better to send soldiers to those places to be killed.

[JEB]

4. My friend's son commited suicide after his stint with the CIA.

She doesn't know what he did, but was involved with the drone program. It ain't all that clean. And it ain't making many friends.

[Gomez163]

5. I'm sure its tough even there but thank god we aren't sending them all over there.

[JEB]

8. Our actions seem to cause more problems

than they solve. These wars are bleeding us dry in more ways than one.

[Rex]

13. I wish more people cared when GWB purposely let 5000 plus military professionals die

over money. Nobody seemed to care much back then did they? Just us few here saying what we've said year after year, just to get ignored in favor of sloganeering.

[Rex]

7. Go tell it to the Germans, go on you go and tell them how they should behave in their country.

[Gomez163]

9. There's a reason we have bases there. See Nazi Germany 1939-1945

[Rex]

10. Oh how sad.

What year is this, oh right 2016. That was a lame retort.

[Gomez163]

21. The country that gave us the V1 and V2 rockets cant stand drones. Kinda funny

[glowing]

11. It's not good to be using drones for military warfare anyway.

Many, many times, they are striking innocent people. Weddings, children... And what happens when the rest of the world decides to start using them?

We have absolutely NO congressional over site of this program. The CIA and military are making these decisions and there seems to be little in the way of the public knowing who they are hitting in these operations. The kids they have piloting these drones are suffering from PTSD. The drones cause more terrorism; not less. There was essentially no approval when Bush started the program and its been only ramped up under Obama and includes more countries. The program was also responsible for killing an American Citizen and his son, who had nothing to do with terrorism, was just looking for his father.

Germans showing up to protest outside of a US military base is probably the closest they can come to making a statement regarding the use of drones... It's not exactly like DC is at easy access to them. The international community doesn't look at the program as favorably as Americans don't even pay attention to the issue at all.

[Gomez163]

14. The sad reality is we dont care as long as it isnt us getting killed.

[mwrguy]

3. US military should leave Europe

Drones are just a small part.

[yeoman6987]

16. That is the LAST thing Europe wants

They are seeing ISIS going into Europe and these countries don't have a military so they rely on ours. If president Obama said Monday, we were leaving Europe, the outrage would be defining from Europeans.

[JEB]

17. And a lot of other places. Looks like world domination.

Overseas
Afghanistan

Bagram Airfield
Herat International Airport
Jalalabad Airport
Kabul International Airport
Kandahar International Airport
Mazar-i-Sharif Airport
Shindand Air Base

Bahrain

Bahrain International Airport
Sheikh Isa Air Base

Germany

Ansbach
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Geilenkirchen
Ramstein Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Wiesbaden

Denmark (Greenland)

Thule Air Base

Honduras

Soto Cano Air Base

Italy

Aviano Air Base
Camp Darby (Pisa-Livorno)
Sigonella Naval Air Station

Japan

Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Prefecture
Misawa Air Base, Misawa, Aomori
Yokota Air Base, Tokyo

Kuwait

Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base
Ali Al Salem Air Base

Oman

Masirah Air Base
Thumrait Air Base

Portugal

Lajes Field, Azores

Qatar

Al Udeid Air Base

Singapore

Paya Lebar Air Base

South Korea

Kunsan Air Base
Osan Air Base

Spain

Morón Air Base, Andalucia

Turkey

Incirlik Air Base

United Arab Emirates

Al Dhafra Air Base

United Kingdom
RAF Alconbury, Huntingdonshire
RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire
RAF Lakenheath, Brandon, Suffol


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases

[Rex]

20. Shhhh...reality bothers some folks or maybe it is their paycheck.

Sometimes both.

[philosslayer]

22. I support President Obama on this issue

N/t

[JEB]

23. On this issue, I don't. nt