Check for web archive captures
Father and daughter arrested protesting world's most
hated weapon, guest post by Mauro Oliveira
By mickielynn on 2014-11-03 08:12:16
[caption id="attachment_6374" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
ie ek Mahai'a and Mauro Oliveira
singing Lakota songs right before their arrest at Beale Air Force Base on October 28, 2014[/caption] By Mauro Oliveira
10/28/2014 It was a familiar and warm exchange of greetings and spirited talk. The small group of activists I was with had
called out to the military gate guards with a question concerning the spider web like substance that seemed to be everywhere
around the base; on cars, vegetation telephone poles, fences, floating in the air and across the land. Men with sidearms and
radios in camo fatigues approached us. It was just then getting dark with the officer-in-charge and us each on our legal side
of the white line that marked base property and certain arrest should we cross it. With U2s and fighter jets flying around
overhead, the officer in charge cheerfully insisted we were looking at spider webs. He then asked if we intended to cross the
line at which we answered "not tonight". I was there with My daughter Mahai'a, not quite 18, and we were the new faces on
the line. We are no strangers to protest- my daughter’ s conscientious objector file goes back to her crib and stroller. Soon,
after light chat, we all said our good nights and a handful of us retreated to a makeshift campsite just yards away in the
shadows of the desert vegetation. Barry Binks, a Veterans For Peace foot soldier, has been religiously showing up here at
Beale Air Force base, east of Sacramento, month after month. With him is an incredible affinity group of mostly Elder
citizens, who have been setting up information outlets, banners, signage and even blockading the entrance to the base,
triggering their arrest by the MPs. The dedicated dozen seasoned peace activists there with us this morning, I learned later,
collectively had many arrests from Washington DC to California. The primary issue that brings them and us together is
drone assassinations but all the activists make no bones about the war machine in general. Beale is the site where Global
Hawk reconnaissance drones are piloted from. The drone itself is near its target, most notably the Mid East through
Pakistan where hundreds of well publicized strikes have blown to pieces children and entire families. We recognized these
drone pilots by their black eagle patches displayed on their shoulders as they pass through the gate of the base. Barry
explained that these pilots find the targets that reaper and predator drones then strike with a missile. Many of those terror
aircraft are flown from Creech Air Force base near Las Vegas, the site of planned protests and actions starting November 9-
15, 2014. This group will be meeting up with well known peace activist and former Ambassador to Afghanistan Lt. Colonel
Anne Wright and other activists from across the nation to spotlight what we all believe to be the war crimes taking place at
Creech Air Force Base. Almost two years ago Senator Lyndsey Graham had revealed that over 4,700 had been killed by
drone strikes and the White House has suggested that few if any civilians have been killed. The same White House that
classified every male of combat age a terrorist. Furthermore, the White House's word eroded long ago. Since 911 my wife
and I, and eventually our children as well, have witnessed one immoral act after the other by Washington in the name of
"America(ns)"....in the name of you and me. One lie after the other, from who committed and what acts were committed on
9-11, to the non-existent link to Saddam Hussein, to weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist, a nuclear hoax, a promise
of a fast war, that we would be greeted as liberators, that we would leave the Iraqis better off. That's just the start...the patriot
act, depleted uranium and phosphorous weapons, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and torture. And more torture. There was the
anthrax letters shell game, Blackwater, Halliburton and pallets of money that disappeared much like Iraqi treasure. The
greed and slaughter continued with Obama, presidential ordered secret assassinations, the NSA, telecoms, banks and other
corporations conspiring against and committing crimes against US Citizens and the Militarization of the every day cop. But
it is the drone strike that makes Americans the most hated people and nation on Earth. It is a cowardly act that disregards
whatever rules of war that ever existed in the however misguided "honor" of men. These bombs not only have killed
children, teenagers, mothers, fathers grandparents, neighbors and entire wedding parties; they have created a level of
anxiety and fear across vast regions. Mentally they are a torture of mass destruction. The pictures, eye witness accounts and
journalist verifications on the ground are infinitely more believable than ANY White House in my lifetime. Drone strikes are
not a Christian act or the act of any other religion for that matter, except one perhaps and that would be most easily classified
simply as evil. Drone strikes are terrorist acts and the United States is the terrorist. The hypocrisy of fighting terrorism with
terrorism as a moral detour from the Law of God is so fundamentally flawed that it paves the way for billions of people to
easily and justifiably call us Satanic. Before the sun rose our banners greeted the rapid flow of vehicles, including drone
pilots, entering the base. We sang spirited songs as wild horses ran ecstatically in the distance. We then all moved into the
road and blockaded the entrance and exit. State Highway moved in and huddled with the base MPs. [caption
id="attachment_6376" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Part of occupy Beale
demonstration on the morning of October 28th[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6381" align="alignleft" width="600"]
|». ‘Some of the early morning banners at Beale AFB, October 28, 2014 Some of the early morning banners at Beale AFB,
October 28, 2014[/caption] My daughter has stood against war all her life and today was no different. As the guards
attempted to avert an arrest and close the gate, effectively completing our blockade, my daughter and I slid thru and
triggered our military arrest. We want drones to end and until THAT day, my family wants it to be clear to the victims of
drone strikes and to the entire world, that we believe in Peace, not war and consider drone strikes as a war crime against
humanity and an act against the Creators greatest gift, the Children of the world, of which we all are. We face a federal judge
and she or he will face our Truth. Please Pray for us. [caption id="attachment_6379" align="aligncenter" width="400"]
[/caption] For the original article and for:more photos you can visit this link. To Join Code Pink and Col Ann Wright Drone
Protest at Creech AFB, Nov. 9-15, Where the U.S. military does the dirty targeted killing for the CIA please contact: Toby
Blome ratherbenyckeling@comcast.net Editor's note: In the midst of the Drone Quilts Exhibits here in the New York
Capital District the victims of our extrajudicial drone attacks are front and center. We also had an outstanding panel
discussion with three active resisters of the Hancock Air National Guard Base long running protests this past Friday
afternoon at the RPI Chapel + Cultural Center.Where students, and faculty and community members learned more about
their large demonstrations, arrests and trials. We are now living with a 1/5 scale drone replica of the Reaper MQ9. All of
these things moved me to share this heartfelt and eloquent article about the most recent protest at Beale Air Force Base, and
the announcement of another to take place at Creech AFB this coming week.
