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Will We Ever Stop the Drones?
Almost a year after the 2012 election, Florida congressman Alan Grayson decided to hold a hearing. The number of drone attacks were going up not down; sparse news reports from mostly military sources weren't making much of an impact on the American public.
In October 2013, Grayson decided to invite a Pakistani family who'd experienced an attack themselves to Capitol Hill to address congress directly. On October 29, they came to Washington, including thirteen year old Zubair who was gravely hurt in a U.S. drone attack on his home community.
Jul 24, 2015
Almost a year after the 2012 election, Florida congressman Alan Grayson decided to hold a hearing. The number of drone attacks were going up not down; sparse news reports from mostly military sources weren't making much of an impact on the American public.
In October 2013, Grayson decided to invite a Pakistani family who'd experienced an attack themselves to Capitol Hill to address congress directly. On October 29, they came to Washington, including thirteen year old Zubair who was gravely hurt in a U.S. drone attack on his home community.
Zubair had been reluctant to make the journey to the States, for fear he wouldn't be welcomed here, but the strike that maimed Zubair also killed his beloved grandmother, so welcomed or not, he decided it was important to tell the story. "My grandmother and I used to share a love of bright blue skies," he began. The sky in their village of Ghundi was particularly blue on Oct. 24, 2012, the day before Eid, the biggest festival of the year, he explained. He and his grandmother were finishing their work in the fields before celebrating. They could see and hear a drone hovering over their heads but they didn't worry, said Zubair. "Why would I worry? Neither my grandmother nor I were militants."
When the drone fired the first time the whole ground shook and black smoke rose up. "We ran but several minutes later, the drone fired again," testified Zubair. He spent Eid as it turned in agony in the hospital. It would take his family months to save for the specialist care that was able to remove the shrapnel from his leg. The drone killed his grandmother in front of him.
As Zubair told the legislators: "I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer gray skies. The drones do not fly when the skies are gray, and for a short period of time, the mental tension and fear eases... I know that Americans think that drones are the answer," continued Zubair. "I wish they could understand how I and other children in my community see drones. We used to play outside all the time....now people are afraid to even leave their houses....children have stopped going to the few schools that exist....education isn't possible as long as the drones circle overhead."... "I hope by telling you about my village and my grandmother, I can convince you that drones are not the answer, concluded Zubair.... And then he added, " I hope I can return home with a message... that Americans listened, that America's not just drones that terrorize us from above but a country that listens and maybe - just maybe - America may soon stop the drones."
Was Zubair's trip worth it? Is any body listening? It's been almost two years. What message do you think is getting to his village?
We'll post a link to the full transcript of the Rehmans' remarks at our website. You can watch my interview with Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain, this week on The Laura Flanders Show on KCET/LINKtv and TeleSUR and find all my interviews and reports at GRITtv.org. To tell me what you think, write to: Laura@GRITtv.org.
See all of this week's episode of GRITtv in the video below:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
Almost a year after the 2012 election, Florida congressman Alan Grayson decided to hold a hearing. The number of drone attacks were going up not down; sparse news reports from mostly military sources weren't making much of an impact on the American public.
In October 2013, Grayson decided to invite a Pakistani family who'd experienced an attack themselves to Capitol Hill to address congress directly. On October 29, they came to Washington, including thirteen year old Zubair who was gravely hurt in a U.S. drone attack on his home community.
Zubair had been reluctant to make the journey to the States, for fear he wouldn't be welcomed here, but the strike that maimed Zubair also killed his beloved grandmother, so welcomed or not, he decided it was important to tell the story. "My grandmother and I used to share a love of bright blue skies," he began. The sky in their village of Ghundi was particularly blue on Oct. 24, 2012, the day before Eid, the biggest festival of the year, he explained. He and his grandmother were finishing their work in the fields before celebrating. They could see and hear a drone hovering over their heads but they didn't worry, said Zubair. "Why would I worry? Neither my grandmother nor I were militants."
When the drone fired the first time the whole ground shook and black smoke rose up. "We ran but several minutes later, the drone fired again," testified Zubair. He spent Eid as it turned in agony in the hospital. It would take his family months to save for the specialist care that was able to remove the shrapnel from his leg. The drone killed his grandmother in front of him.
As Zubair told the legislators: "I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer gray skies. The drones do not fly when the skies are gray, and for a short period of time, the mental tension and fear eases... I know that Americans think that drones are the answer," continued Zubair. "I wish they could understand how I and other children in my community see drones. We used to play outside all the time....now people are afraid to even leave their houses....children have stopped going to the few schools that exist....education isn't possible as long as the drones circle overhead."... "I hope by telling you about my village and my grandmother, I can convince you that drones are not the answer, concluded Zubair.... And then he added, " I hope I can return home with a message... that Americans listened, that America's not just drones that terrorize us from above but a country that listens and maybe - just maybe - America may soon stop the drones."
Was Zubair's trip worth it? Is any body listening? It's been almost two years. What message do you think is getting to his village?
We'll post a link to the full transcript of the Rehmans' remarks at our website. You can watch my interview with Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain, this week on The Laura Flanders Show on KCET/LINKtv and TeleSUR and find all my interviews and reports at GRITtv.org. To tell me what you think, write to: Laura@GRITtv.org.
See all of this week's episode of GRITtv in the video below:
Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people about the key questions of our time on The Laura Flanders Show, a nationally syndicated radio and television program also available as a podcast. A contributing writer to The Nation, Flanders is also the author of six books, including "Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man" (2005). She is the recipient of a 2019 Izzy Award for excellence in independent journalism, the Pat Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing women's and girls' visibility in media, and a 2020 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship for her reporting and advocacy for public media. lauraflanders.org
Almost a year after the 2012 election, Florida congressman Alan Grayson decided to hold a hearing. The number of drone attacks were going up not down; sparse news reports from mostly military sources weren't making much of an impact on the American public.
In October 2013, Grayson decided to invite a Pakistani family who'd experienced an attack themselves to Capitol Hill to address congress directly. On October 29, they came to Washington, including thirteen year old Zubair who was gravely hurt in a U.S. drone attack on his home community.
Zubair had been reluctant to make the journey to the States, for fear he wouldn't be welcomed here, but the strike that maimed Zubair also killed his beloved grandmother, so welcomed or not, he decided it was important to tell the story. "My grandmother and I used to share a love of bright blue skies," he began. The sky in their village of Ghundi was particularly blue on Oct. 24, 2012, the day before Eid, the biggest festival of the year, he explained. He and his grandmother were finishing their work in the fields before celebrating. They could see and hear a drone hovering over their heads but they didn't worry, said Zubair. "Why would I worry? Neither my grandmother nor I were militants."
When the drone fired the first time the whole ground shook and black smoke rose up. "We ran but several minutes later, the drone fired again," testified Zubair. He spent Eid as it turned in agony in the hospital. It would take his family months to save for the specialist care that was able to remove the shrapnel from his leg. The drone killed his grandmother in front of him.
As Zubair told the legislators: "I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer gray skies. The drones do not fly when the skies are gray, and for a short period of time, the mental tension and fear eases... I know that Americans think that drones are the answer," continued Zubair. "I wish they could understand how I and other children in my community see drones. We used to play outside all the time....now people are afraid to even leave their houses....children have stopped going to the few schools that exist....education isn't possible as long as the drones circle overhead."... "I hope by telling you about my village and my grandmother, I can convince you that drones are not the answer, concluded Zubair.... And then he added, " I hope I can return home with a message... that Americans listened, that America's not just drones that terrorize us from above but a country that listens and maybe - just maybe - America may soon stop the drones."
Was Zubair's trip worth it? Is any body listening? It's been almost two years. What message do you think is getting to his village?
We'll post a link to the full transcript of the Rehmans' remarks at our website. You can watch my interview with Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain, this week on The Laura Flanders Show on KCET/LINKtv and TeleSUR and find all my interviews and reports at GRITtv.org. To tell me what you think, write to: Laura@GRITtv.org.
See all of this week's episode of GRITtv in the video below:
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