Lambert to Clergy: On Drones, "Silence is Betrayal"

Indiana antiwar activist Dave Lambert threw down the gauntlet in an opinion piece published Friday in the Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel:

On April 4, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his antiwar speech at Riverside Church to an audience of Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam. You can read it on the Web at www.tinyurl.com/mlk1967. In that speech, entitled “Beyond Vietnam,” he said that “silence is betrayal.” He was imploring members of the clergy, as well as lay people, to speak out against the war, which he considered obscene and “an enemy of the poor.”

Today, we have no one of his prominence speaking out against the war in Afghanistan, now in its 12th year, nor against the illegal use of drones. Unfortunate.

Lambert continued: "Dr King, at Riverside, said 'the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today (is) my own government.' It would be wonderful, in my estimation, if caring clergy and lay people could heed Dr. King’s message and speak out against the slaughter in the name of 'fighting terrorism.' (Emphasis added.)

(Read the full opinion piece here: Speak out against the slaughter inflicted by 'fighting terrorism'.)

Dave Lambert is a member of Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, and for the past few months, he has been transporting a one-fifth model of a Reaper drone from Know Drones to towns and cities throughout Indiana, and handing out information leaflets, "in an effort to educate people about what their tax dollars are paying for as well as the wanton destruction this machine of war causes." You can see more of Dave Lambert's work on the Indiana Drones Project blogsite:

Veterans Day in Angola, Indiana: STOP THE DRONES NOW!

Indianapolis: Hoosiers Protest Raytheon Role in Drone Killings

Veterans Day in Angola, Indiana: STOP THE DRONES NOW!

This latest demonstration takes place in the small conservative town of Angola, Indiana, hosted by Women in Black. If they can do it there, you can do it anywhere.

"STOP THE DRONES NOW!"
Veterans Day, 2012, Demonstration
Angola, Indiana

War - What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

What are YOU prepared to do?

In Indiana, Manchester U Peace Studies Takes on the Drone Issue

The Peace Studies program at Manchester University (North Manchester, IN) has taken on the issue of drones.

With the help of the Indiana Drones Project, Hoosiers for Peace and Justice, and local activist Cliff Kindy, leaders at Manchester arranged to bring the drone replica supplied by Know Drones and hold a series of presentations and discussions. As reported in the Manchester University Oak Leaves,

According to peace studies coordinator Becca Creath, the model drone was intended to “spark a conversation” about the use of drones domestically and internationally. “The purpose of the model drone is partly to raise awareness about the fact that the U.S. government is using drones,” she said. “We wanted it to be an opportunity to spark a conversation about how we use [drones] and why we use them."

According to the Oak Leaves report, "Three classes dedicated class time to visiting the drone—two international politics classes and one first-year seminar—and many students took time out of their busy schedules to chat about the drone."

In addition to bringing home the effect of drone killings on victims abroad, the discussions about drones at Manchester helped bring attention to another of the "dirty secrets" of the U.S. drone war: the psychological damage done to the people operating them:

Both Creath and Kindy stressed that drone operators still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder despite operating from a remote location. This was an issue that hit close to home for Manchester’s student body. According to Kindy, four students had friends or family members that operated a drone, and three of those suffered from post-traumatic stress.

Before the drone left North Manchester, the town had a chance to join in on the conversation when the drone appeared at the local farmer’s market.

Day Eight in Pakistan: Our Final Day - Farewell Islamabad!

Continued from Day Seven in Pakistan: October 9 - Day of Fasting to remember the Children killed by Drone Attacks - JoAnne Lingle reporting on her trip.

11:00am - Meeting with the Islamabad Bar Association

Our delegation was invited by Nisar Shah of the Democratic Lawyers Association (DLA) to discuss peace. Meanwhile, another group of "black coats" was waiting in the wings to disrupt us.

A discussion over drone attacks was cut short after speeches were disrupted by right-wing lawyers from the Namoos-e-Risalat Forum (NRF) who were not so friendly. When they began shouting, "Go, America!", we at first thought this was a rallying cry - something like "Go, team!" We quickly learned, however, that it was anything but that when we heard, “Down with America”, “We hate you”, “We hate Americans” being chanted by NRF members who entered the room in the middle of the speeches and tried to disrupt the program.

The DLA had expected the disruption; however, we delegates had not.

“We passed a resolution against the Americans and held several protests against them, how could we allow them to come to the court premises?’’ said NRF Chairman Rao Abdur Rahim. “Americans follow double standards; they kill innocent civilians through drone attacks while sending a peace delegation to Pakistan,” said Abdur Rahim.

On the other hand, DLA Chief Co-ordinator Nisar Shah said they had invited our delegation to the district court to have a discussion about the drone attacks with the lawyers.

"It was embarrassing when a few right-wing lawyers tried to disrupt the event as the delegation was invited by us, Shah said. “What message are we conveying to the world through this kind of act?” He added, “At least we should have the courage to listen to their point of view.’’

In spite of the disruption, we did receive some positive responses. One young man said, "Thank you for standing up for what you believe in and risking your lives to come to Pakistan to protest the drone attacks that are killing us."

Not only did we stay to the end, we interacted with several of the lawyers afterwards, including the women lawyers who extended an invitation to join them for tea. One delegate said she received a letter of apology later with the hope that the delegation would continue our mission of peace from one of the lawyers she spoke with as we were leaving.

1:00pm - invitation to lunch at CNN Studios

Our delegation was invited by Reza Sayah, CNN Correspondent, to their studios for a lovely lunch. We enjoyed meeting the staff and spending time talking with them. Reza was planning to leave that evening to visit his family in Pennsylvania. This was a very special treat!

5:00pm - A Rally for Malala at the Islamabad Press Cub

The delegation attended a Rally to support Malala Yousufzai who was shot in the head and neck when gunmen fired on her while in a school bus in the Swat valley two days ago. We heard she was in stable condition but could not be moved. CodePink had extended all help to her but were told the Pakistani government was taking the initiative for her care. Imran Khan conveyed thanks to CodePink for their offer to fly Malala to the U.S. for further medical care if needed.

7:00pm - Dinner and Bittersweet Good-byes

We enjoyed a lovely Farewell Dinner at an outdoor restaurant with an after dinner closing of our circle. Awards were given to every member of the delegation in zip lock bags that included candy and other treats. The awards had special significance for each recipient - all in good humor, of course.

This has been a delegation I will never forget - a humbling experience to be among so many committed and dedicated peace activists who are striving to make this a more peaceful, loving world. With the understanding that our work has just begun, we made a list of things we would do when we returned home.

How could we possibly forget the people we met who had lost so much - those who were putting themselves at risk by telling us their stories. And how could we forget this message one of our delegates received, "And thank you. Every Pashtun in Pakistan loves you for standing with us in solidarity. When we have been pretty much forsaken by our own government. I had relatives that saw your peace march through DI khan, and it brought us hope for the first time in many years of insanity."

And, finally, the big question: are we made safer by drone warfare?

“I will never forget what the American soldiers did to my country, my tribe and my family. They violated our national sovereignty and our Islamic laws. They killed my son and my younger brother. They destroyed my home. If I see the soldiers who are responsible for this – if I have the opportunity — I will kill them.” (translated from Pashtoun)

These are the chilling words of Kareem Khan, a Pakistani journalist from a tribe in Northern Waziristan, whose compound was destroyed by a Hellfire missile from an American drone on Dec. 24, 2009. They starkly illustrate the concept of “blowback.” What you sow today, you will reap tomorrow."

Although the U.S. announced shortly after the strike on Khan’s compound that a “militant target” named Al Juma had been killed, no one by that name was present. Several months later, yet another strike allegedly killed the same man. “I think probably he is still alive today,” Khan said with graveyard humor.

“Tell your president he must stop using drones to kill innocent people, and tell your fellow Americans they must join you in protesting,” pleaded Kareem Khan. “We are proud of our culture and our way of life, and you are destroying it.”

Without adequate words to express my gratitude for your support and love....

Blessings to each and every one,

JoAnne


Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Day Seven in Pakistan: October 9 - Day of Fasting to remember the Children killed by Drone Attacks

Continued from Day Six in Pakistan: October 8 - Day after the Peace March - JoAnne Lingle reporting on her trip.

We planned this to be a public fast, a Ramadan Fast with no food or liquid from sunrise to sunset, to atone for the U.S. killer drone strikes.

6:00 am - up before sunrise to eat and get ready to get on the bus that would transport us to the Islamabad Press Club where we would spend the day fasting and talking with passers-by. When we got there, we discovered the street in front of the Press Club had little to no traffic and saw nary a soul walking by.

So, back on the bus to find another public place. Ah, the shopping mall where there are lots of stores and an area with benches and even a Gazebo. We scurried to cover the Gazebo with our signs of "No Drones", "When Drones Fly, Children Die" and "Code Pink Delegation for Peace". It wasn't long before a crowd gathered and we began to have conversations with lots of people. Some even began to fast with us.

Next the media came for interviews. One of our fasters was invited to go to the CNN studio for an interview.

At sunset when we heard the Call to Prayer, we asked one of the Pakistani men to say a prayer. Then, with others joining, we broke our fast with the traditional eating of dates and drinking water.

Later, we were devastated to hear news of the Taliban attack on the 14-year-old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai, who is an outspoken advocate for girls to attend school. We began to collect funds to send to Malala's school and we are reaching out to global community to find medical help for her neurological needs. We condemn this violence and understand that American drone attacks increase extremism. We are praying for Malala's quick recovery and return to school.

A day filled with gratitude for the fast and filled with sorrow for the tragic shooting of Malala Yousufzai, a courageous young girl who spoke out for justice while knowing she was risking her life in doing so. May her family and the larger community be comforted in their time of need.

"Healer of our every ill, Light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear, and hope beyond our sorrow.
You who know our fears and sadness, grace us with your peace and gladness.
Spirit of all comfort, fill our hearts."

Continued at: Day Eight in Pakistan: Our Final Day - Farewell Islamabad!

Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.
 

Day Six in Pakistan: October 8 - Day after the Peace March

Continued from Days Four/Five in Pakistan: To the Tribal Areas! - JoAnne Lingle reporting on her trip.

10:00 am - Report back from the March

Our peace march made international headlines on CNN (see CNN video), the New York Times, the Washington Post, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and over 100 major news outlets as well as Pakistani newspapers, Dawn and The News.

Although we were disappointed to have been prevented by the Pakistani government from going into the Tribal Areas of Waziristan, we were heartened to hear the drone issue had been pushed forward by the Peace March. As one Pakistani woman said to us, "Your coming to Pakistan has touched so many hearts that you cannot even imagine! You were able to do what hundreds of millions of dollars spent by USAID in TV ads to win hearts and minds in Pakistan has failed to achieve!"

3:00 pm - Afternoon meeting at MEASAC Research Center in Rawalpindi with Pakistan with General Hamid Gul, a retired high ranking officer in the Pakistan Army, who served as the Director General of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) during the brutal regime of the Dictator Zia al Haq (whose name means Light of the Truth).

The General said he was the darling of the Reagan Administration (and the CIA, my words) during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but now he's on the terrorist list as an acknowledged member of banned militant organization Ummah Tameer-e-Nau.


According to Wikipedia, General Gul worked closely with the CIA during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when he was the ISI chief. But, he became passionately anti-American after the United States turned its back on Afghanistan following the 1989 Soviet withdrawal, as the United States had promised to help build a prosperous Afghanistan.

As for the drone attacks, he said, "They must be stopped. Pakistanis have suffered for eight years from drones invading Pakistan's air space and sovereignty." He said the U.S. should offer compensation to the victims. He admitted, however, that the Pakistani government is complicit with the U.S. in not counting deaths of civilians by drones and not compensating the victims of drone attacks. He also complained about Blackwater contractors in Pakistan and said they should leave.

He feels the U.S. Embassy should not act as a military base and mentioned the CIA and 2,000 marines that are stationed at the Embassy with plans to expand the Embassy on an additional 84 acres, constructing it to have eight floors with three of the floors underground.

There was more the General talked about regarding U.S. foreign policy, most of which we agreed with; however, we were constantly reminded of his complicity with the brutal regime of the Dictator Zia al Haq, who ruled Pakistan 1977-1988.

General Hamid Gul ended by saying he fears that Pakistan may be heading the way of the Iranian Revolution.

5:00 pm - Around Islamabad - The rest of the day was spent visiting the Faisal Mosque and scouting for a place for tomorrow's fast.

Later that night, we heard of the first drone attack since we left Tank, our last stop on the Peace March. (See BBC story on U.S. drone attack on Tank.)

Tomorrow, the Fast: Dedicated to the Memory of the Children who have been killed by U.S. Drone Attacks.


Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Days Four/Five in Pakistan: To the Tribal Areas!

"Go to Places that scare you." - Alice Walker

Continued from Day Three in Pakistan: October 5, Preparing to March - JoAnne Lingle reporting on her trip.

9:00am - Peace March to Waziristan

Long before we departed our hotel, Code Pink's tireless Tighe Barry had taped enlarged photos of children who had been killed by drones on both sides of our two buses. An even larger photo was taped on each roof.

We were on our way! Two buses with a total of thirty-one North American peace activists were going to South Waziristan despite warnings from the U.S. Embassy and the Pakistani government. Our first scheduled stop was Imran Khan's headquarters for a rally. With security cars leading and Imran's bullet proof car directly behind, our buses were to follow Imran and his posse.

Everything changed as soon as we pulled out from our hotel - this would be the first of many changes along the way We didn't go to Imran's headquarters for the rally. We were told to go ahead because journalists and media had completely swamped Imran Khan's headquarters. Now our buses would trail behind all the other vehicles. At the least, we were promised security in front and at the read of our buses.

All along the road we traveled, people were lined up with banners that said "Welcome" and "No Drones" in English. It was apparent people knew who were in the buses. Rallys were held at every town and bus stop. Traffic was jammed, often causing us to be at a stand still and turning the 6 hr journey into 13 hrs with only two restroom stops.

When one of the fixers came on our bus to tell the women to close the curtains and cover their heads, it was obvious we were in a place that was not very welcoming to Americans.

Our bus got lost! We had noticed for some time that we were not keeping up with the other bus - cars were getting in between us. Soon we realized we were totally alone on the road. Our bus was in the middle of nowhere without security. Another unplanned adventure!

An hour or so later, the driver turned around and we saw our convoy; however, all the security was up front near Imran Khan's car.

Richard Leiby, correspondent for the Washington Post, was imbedded on our bus and sitting right next to me. Richard interviewed me and wrote an article about our journey, quoting my story about having a drone replica in our church one Sunday. The article was published in the Post the following day: Imran Khan and Codepink are blocked from Pakistan’s tribal area.

Imran Khan and Codepink are blocked from Pakistan’s tribal area

At 10:30 p.m., we arrived at our overnight destination, a compound called "The Farm", a stone's throw from South Waziristan where we were to be the next morning! We had a late night supper of beans, rice and beef before finding our sleeping quarters. Exhausted from our long day's travel, our twenty plus women went to the three rooms assigned to us to discover a woman journalist had taken one of the rooms and locked us out. Fortunately, we found enough mats to lay on the floors of the two remaining rooms and flopped on the floor exhausted, placing our bodies "head to toe".

The next morning, we were awaken by a loud knock on the door at 6am telling us we must clear the room in 15 minutes. Breakfast was to be served in this room. With amazing speed, we did it.

After breakfast, Imran Khan came to our room to thank us for coming. He told us the Pakistani government had closed the roads into South Wazaristan and we would not be able to go further. He said it didn't matter that we could not continue. The fact that we had come this far was inspiring to the people in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA.

At 10am, a huge rally was held in a tent at the Farm to welcome Imran Khan and our delegation. After speeches by Imran Khan and Medea Benjamin, we said our goodbyes, packed up and headed back to Islamabad. On the way back, Imran had arranged a lunch for us at a lovely place beside a lake with a breathtaking view of the mountains.

We were back at our home away from home, the Chancery Hotel, in less than six hours and welcomed by the staff, who had by now become our friends, with cups of steaming hot tea.

With gratitude and appreciation for your love and support and with hope for a more Peaceful world.

JoAnne

Continued at: Day Six in Pakistan: October 8 - Day after the Peace March
 
Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Day Three in Pakistan: October 5, Preparing to March

Continued from Day Two in Pakistan: October 4 Press Conference - JoAnne Lingle reporting on the Code Pink "Stop the Drones!" delegation to Pakistan.

FRIDAY, October 5, 2012

9:00 Debrief - rumors begin to fly high and low warning us not to go on the Peace March. We heard from the Embassy's American Citizen Services head security guy that there were credible sources we might be attacked. He said he wanted to help us in any way he could; however, when asked about the sources, he said he couldn't reveal them. A different answer would have surprised us.

10:00 - Visit to U Meed-e-Noor Orphanage (Hope and Enlightenment) - center for special needs children. This orphanage cares for 68 special needs children, ages from infants to early twenties. Services offered at U Meed-e-Noor include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy and language development.

The children suffer from a host of impairments including hearing loss, Autism, stammering, Down's Syndrome, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, Polio, Muscular Dystrophy, Muscular Skeletal and Neuro-Muscular Disorders.

As we visited the classrooms, we were amazed at the visual and tactile aids available for the children - even Dr. Seuss and Sesame Street books in English! As the children matched colors, letters and sounds, it was a joy to watch them when they picked the correct one and the teacher gave them a High-Five.

A list of the orphanage's partners included the Embassy of Japan, Korea, The High Commission of Canada, UNICEF, Austrian Development Agency, British High Commission. Notably absent on the list were the U.S. Embassy, USAID or other U.S. organizations.

11:00 - Scouting for a public venue for a one-day Fast to be held after the Peace March in memory of children killed by drone strikes. This turned out to be quite an adventure! Our plan was to get as close as possible to the U.S. Embassy. It took some time to discover that this was not to be. Our bus tried every road leading to the U.S. compound. Several hours passed before we realized we were stuck at a checkpoint with Pakistani soldiers not allowing us to go forward or backward since it was now after Friday prayers. Turns out, we were stuck by containers protecting the U.S. compound. These containers were like those overturned the previous Friday during riots in response to the infamous film.

While the Pakistani soldiers continued making phone calls to get permission to free us from our predicament, we noticed children in a field flying kites. Not to miss an opportunity to connect with kids and have some fun, we got off the bus. Just when we were enjoying ourselves with the kids, a call came from the Embassy, inviting us to the compound.

Upon reaching the Embassy , we were told by security, "Don't get off the bus!!" Pleading to use the restrooms, we hopped off to use the outside facilities; then we scattered to take photos in front of the Embassy complete with security personnel.

For all the obvious reasons, we scratched the Embassy as a place for our Fast.

2:30 - At the Hotel: Jennifer Gibson, of the Stanford research team - Living Under Drones: Death, Injury, Trauma to Civilians from U.S. Drone Practices in Pakistan, spoke to our delegation. We were to appreciate, much later during the Peace March, the tremendous help she was to us.

Jennifer brought seven drone victims from Waziristan to tell their stories. We listened as we heard about their every day terror - how collaborators put chips on door steps to mark victims, causing distrust in communities. Because drones usually attack groups of people, Waziris are afraid to go to funerals and weddings. Most family compounds consist of 60-70 people so when a drone hits, many are killed.

After a drone strike, several more follow, keeping rescuers from the scene. Children are suffering from depressions and are afraid to go outside to play or go to school. In one month, there have been 17 suicides because of tension from living under drones. Families have even stopped sitting together.

5:30 - Rally and Candlelight Vigil at Jennah Market with PTI Students: This was a great opportunity to rally with young people. Our Code Pink delegation carried banners and signs: No Drones! When Drones Fly, Children Die! We are Delegates for Peace!

CNN was among the many TV and print media. Reza Sayah, CNN correspondent, asked my opinion about mainstream media which led to a lively discussion. He said the interview would air in the U.S. that night around 9pm. We saw it in Pakistan at midnight. Reza gave me his card and asked that I call him when we get back from the Peace March. I did - more about that later.


Continued at: Days Four/Five in Pakistan: To the Tribal Areas!

Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Day Two in Pakistan: October 4 Press Conference

Continued from Day 1 in Pakistan: Report from Code Pink Delegation - JoAnne Lingle reporting on her trip.

Day Two - Thursday, October 4, 2012

Morning meeting at Shahzad's office, Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FFR). We heard stories from Waziri survivors: Kareem Khan (a journalist for Al Jazeera and Pakistani newspapers), Mohammed Yusef, and Ejad Ahmed.

Kareen's house was totally destroyed when hit by a drone strike Dec. 31, 2009. Killed in the attack were Kareem's 16 year old son, Kareen's younger brother and a construction worker, both were government workers. The U.S. claimed that three militants were killed in the strike.

Kareem said, "We are not Taliban, Al Quaeda or terrorists. Our culture, education, everything is disturbed. Many have left for other cities. They should arrest the criminals, not kill seven civilians for every militant. When 40 elders were killed by drone strikes during a jirga (a decision making body) in Datta Khel, March 17, 2011, the fire lasted one week. To this day, U.S. officials insist that all those killed were militants."

"The U.S. Embassy will not allow us to talk with them. When one of us tried to go, the Pakistani army and police beat him in front of the Embassy."

Other testimony from the Waziris of those killed by drone attacks: a mother and her 10 month old baby killed when their home was struck; a father and his two sons, ages eight and ten; and, the headmaster of a school.

Kareem ended by thanking us for coming to listen to their stories. He said of the U.S., "The blood shed of Muslim people has no value."

At 3:30pm, we attended a Press Conference at the Marriott for Imran Khan and the Peace March scheduled for Sunday, October 7. Although there were hundreds in attendance, it appeared there were an equal number of journalists present as well.

Speakers included Shahzad Akbar, Code Pink's Medea Benjamin, Clive Stafford Smith of Reprieve, and finally, Imran Khan who ended his talk speaking to our delegation: "You've come to see their pain," and "You'll be surprised to see the welcome you'll get." He didn't tell us anything we didn't already know - we've seen their pain and the welcome we've received thus far has been beyond any and all expectations!

After the speakers finished, there were lots and lots of photo-ops, including groups photos of our delegation. After the photos, we cut loose and sang, inviting others to join in with "We shall not be moved" and other Civil Rights songs. When we began a line dance, even some of the WILFP and PTI women joined us!

A final meeting in the evening that was not on the day's schedule: (this, we discovered would become a regular occurrence during the coming week :-)

Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), a non-profit law firm providing support to those prisoners who are the most vulnerable in the criminal justice system, presented "Families of Bagram Detainees"

There are 50 Third Country Nationals at Bagram, 37 of which are Pakistani. We met with the family members of ten of them.

These prisoners have been held indefinitely without access to lawyers and without having been informed of the evidence against them. Some have been held for years, some abused, one arrested two years ago when he was fourteen. Another not permitted to speak to his family for six years and is believed to be in grievous physical and psychological condition.

As each family member told the story of their loved one, we were implored to contact the Obama administration which has attempted to legitimize Bagram Prison, claiming that in the last year conditions and procedures have been improved.

Finally, after a long day, heavy on our emotions but feeling grateful for the opportunity to listen to our brothers and sisters who willingly share their burdens and sorrows with us, we rest... looking forward to another day in Pakistan.

Blessings to all,
JoAnne
- writing from Istanbul

Continued at: Day Three in Pakistan: October 5, Preparing to March

Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Day 1 in Pakistan: Report from Code Pink Delegation

The letter below was received from JoAnne Lingle on October 17. See also JoAnne's article, written September 21, in anticipation of her departure for Pakistan to participate in the Code Pink delegation.

Dear Friends and Family,

Words cannot fully express how privileged I feel to have been part of the recent Peace Delegation to Pakistan - 30 U.S. citizens and 1 Canadian.

Arriving in Islamabad: 10 of us arrived on the same plane from Abu Dhabi. Benazir Bhutto International Airport is old, small and run down. A sad legacy to the airport that bears her name.

The immigration lines were long. When we finally got to the man at the desk, he handed us forms to fill out, then took our photos. When I stood in the place for my photo, he waved me on. I smiled and asked, "You're not taking photos of old women today?" He laughed and said, "No, No! It's OK, we have you in our system." No one else had the same response. Interesting!

As we stepped outside the terminal, we were greeted by hordes of well wishers shouting, "WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME! We were showered with rose petals, serenaded and presented with two lovely bouquets of roses. This warm welcome was unexpected and overwhelming. After all the hoop-la, we were whisked to our hotel where we were warmly welcomed with refreshments. At 3:30am we were ready for a short rest before beginning our first day of an awesome 7-day journey seeing Pakistan through new eyes.

October 3 - First day: After getting to bed at 5am and told our 1st meeting was scheduled for 10:30am, I set my alarm clock for 9. Neither my room mate nor I heard the alarm and were awaken with a phone call at 9:45!

Our first meeting was with Shahzad Akbar and his team from the Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FFR), our host organization. Shahzad gave a general orientation about the people in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and how drones endanger U.S. National Security. Most information from this orientation can be found in the Stanford/NYU Report: Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from U.S. Drone Practices in Pakistan.

Our 2nd meeting was with the Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Richard Hoagland, who came to meet with us at our hotel. After he was introduced, Amb. Hoagland walked around our table, shaking hands with each one as we introduced ourselves to him. He shared with me that he was from Ft. Wayne IN. Later I heard that he was also a Mennonite and that we could call him "Dick" :-)

Amb. Hoagland was very cordial but forthright in his request that we not participate in the Peace March to Waziristan. When asked if the U.S. would attack Waziristan with drone strikes during the march, he said, "I will guarantee 100% that Code Pink will not be targeted," not fully answering our question.

In the afternoon, we went to a shopping area to exchange money and shop. Women bought Pakistani dresses and head coverings while the men bought shirts and hats. Everything is quite reasonably priced here. Some of us found a wonderful book store that had everything from Chomsky to Guevara. I purchased two books: one on Islamophobia and one titled: Fatal Faultlines: Pakistan, Islam and The West.

Later that evening, those of us newly arrived were invited to dinner at the home of the head of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). There we were greeted by other women and engaged in lively conversation. Although they are against the U.S. drone attacks, they were not supporting Imran Khan who they said was right of center when it came to economic issues. Instead, they were supporting a coalition of small progressive parties.

During the after dinner conversation, they were delighted to hear that a large part of my financial support had come from Muslim friends of Al Huda Mosque in Indiana.

A local and well known musician played and sang several Pakistani songs, ending with Bob Marley's "Stand Up for Your Rights" and a rousing "Ain't Gonna Study War No More".

With gratitude for your love and support for the people of Pakistan.

With Hope for a more Peaceful World,

JoAnne
- from a hostel in Istanbul, overlooking the beautiful Blue Mosque


Continued at: Day Two in Pakistan: October 4 Press Conference

Read the full story of JoAnne Lingle's participation in the Code Pink peace delegation to Pakistan.

For more photos see the Code Pink delegation photo site.

Say NO! to Drones in Indianapolis on August 31

The Indiana Drones Project drone replica from Know Drones will be displayed at the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center (IPJC) anti-war vigil on Friday, August 31, 2012, in front of the Federal Building, North and Pennsylvania, Indianapolis. The IPJC vigil has had a presence across from the Federal Building since 9-11.

Our drone replica has been touring Indianapolis every week since it arrived July 15, at sites including:

Broad Ripple Park
Mass Ave shopping district
Harrison Art Center's 1st Friday event
First Mennonite Church
Indiana Fairgrounds (across from the main gate)

The groups in the area working together to stop drone killing and drone warfare include the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center (IPJC), Veterans for Peace (VFP) #49 and Pax Christi Indianapolis.

JOIN US to protest the drones:

Date: Friday, August 31, 2012
Time: 4:30-5:30 pm
Location: front of the Federal Building, North and Pennsylvania
For more info: phone Gilbert Kuhn at 926-3068 or email Ron Haldeman at ronjane [at] igc.org

Sponsored by the Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center (IPJC). Bring an appropriate sign or have one provided.