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Anti-drone demonstrators march in 2013. (Photo: Debra Sweet/flickr/cc)
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:
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
© 2023 GRITtv
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:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
LATEST NEWS
In Pictures: Anti-Trump 'Hands Off' Demonstrations Nationwide
"Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country who are standing up and speaking out for our voting rights, fundamental freedoms, and essential services like Social Security and Medicare."
Apr 05, 2025
In communities large and small across the United States on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people collectively took to the streets to make their opposition to President Donald Trump heard.
The people who took part in the organized protests ranged from very young children to the elderly and their message was scrawled on signs of all sizes and colors—many of them angry, some of them funny, but all in line with the "Hands Off" message that brought them together.
"Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country who are standing up and speaking out for our voting rights, fundamental freedoms, and essential services like Social Security and Medicare," said the group Stand Up America as word of the turnout poured in from across the country.
A relatively small, but representative sample of photographs from various demonstrations that took place follows.
A Day in Pictures... 'Hands Off!' Rallies Nationwide
Demonstrators gather on Boston Common, cheering and chanting slogans, during the nationwide "Hands Off!" protest against US President Donald Trump and his advisor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in Boston, Massachusetts on April 5, 2025. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP)
'They Must Be Prosecuted': Video Found on Phone of Murdered Gaza Medic Refutes IDF Claims
"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left."
Apr 05, 2025
A video presented to officials at the United Nations on Friday and first made public Saturday by the New York Times provides more evidence that the recent massacre of Palestinian medics in Gaza did not happen the way Israeli government claimed—the latest in a long line of deception when it comes to violence against civilians that have led to repeated accusations of war crimes.
The video, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), was found on the phone of a paramedic found in a mass grave with a bullet in his head after being killed, along with seven other medics, by Israeli forces on March 23. The eight medics, buried in the shallow grave with the bodies riddled with bullets, were: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Muhammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Libda, Muhammad Al-Hila, and Raed Al-Sharif. The video reportedly belonged to Radwan. A ninth medic, identified as Asaad Al-Nasasra, who was at the scene of the massacre, which took place near the southern city of Rafah, is still missing.
The PRCS said it presented the video—which refutes the explanation of the killings offered by Israeli officials—to members of the UN Security Council on Friday.
"They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives," Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN's humanitarian affairs office in Palestine, said last week after the bodies were discovered. Some of the victims, according to Gaza officials, were found with handcuffs still on them and appeared to have been shot in the head, execution-style.
The Israeli military initially said its soldiers "did not randomly attack" any ambulances, but rather claimed they fired on "terrorists" who approached them in "suspicious vehicles." Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said the vehicles that the soldiers opened fire on were driving with their lights off and did not have clearance to be in the area. The video evidence directly contradicts the IDF's version of events.
As the Times reports:
The Times obtained the video from a senior diplomat at the United Nations who asked not to be identified to be able to share sensitive information.
The Times verified the location and timing of the video, which was taken in the southern city of Rafah early on March 23. Filmed from what appears to be the front interior of a moving vehicle, it shows a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck, clearly marked, with headlights and flashing lights turned on, driving south on a road to the north of Rafah in the early morning. The first rays of sun can be seen, and birds are chirping.
In an interview with Drop Site News published Friday, the only known paramedic to survive the attack, Munther Abed, explained that he and his colleagues "were directly and deliberately shot at" by the IDF. "The car is clearly marked with 'Palestinian Red Crescent Society 101.' The car's number was clear and the crews' uniform was clear, so why were we directly shot at? That is the question."
The video's release sparked fresh outrage and demands for accountability on Saturday.
"The IDF denied access to the site for days; they sent in diggers to cover up the massacre and intentionally lied about it," said podcast producer Hamza M. Syed in reaction to the new revelations. "The entire leadership of the Israeli army is implicated in this unconscionable war crime. And they must be prosecuted."
"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left," said journalist Ryan Grim of DropSite News.
Millions March Against Trump-Musk in Nationwide 'Hands Off' Protests
"They're dismantling our country. They're looting our government. And they think we'll just watch."
Apr 05, 2025
In communities across the United States and also overseas, coordinated "Hands Off" protests are taking place far and wide Saturday in the largest public rebuke yet to President Donald Trump and top henchman Elon Musk's assault on the workings of the federal government and their program of economic sabotage that is sacrificing the needs of working families to authoritarianism and the greed of right-wing oligarchs.
Indivisible, one of the key organizing groups behind the day's protests, said millions participated in more than 1,300 individual rallies as they demanded "an end to Trump's authoritarian power grab" and condemning all those aiding and abetting it.
"We expected hundreds of thousands. But at virtually every single event, the crowds eclipsed our estimates," the group said in a statement Saturday evening.
"Hands off our healthcare, hands off our civil rights, hands off our schools, our freedoms, and our democracy."
"This is the largest day of protest since Trump retook office," the group added. "And in many small towns and cities, activists are reporting the biggest protests their communities have ever seen as everyday people send a clear, unmistakable message to Trump and Musk: Hands off our healthcare, hands off our civil rights, hands off our schools, our freedoms, and our democracy."
According to the organizers' call to action:
They're dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we'll just watch.
On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off!
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way. They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam.
They're handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich. If we don't fight now, there won’t be anything left to save.
The more than 1,300 "Hands Off!" demonstrations—organized by a large coalition of unions, progressive advocacy groups, and pro-democracy watchdogs—first kicked off Saturday in Europe, followed by East Coast communities in the U.S., and continued throughout the day at various times, depending on location. See here for a list of scheduled "Hands Off" events.
"The United States has a president, not a king," said the progressive advocacy group People's Action, one of the group's involved in the actions, in an email to supporters Saturday morning just as protest events kicked off in hundreds of cities and communities. "Donald Trump has, by every measure, been working to make himself a king. He has become unanswerable to the courts, Congress, and the American people."
In its Saturday evening statement, Indivisible said the actions far exceeded their expectations and should be seen as a turning point in the battle to stop Trump and his minions:
The Trump administration has spent its first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us, to make us feel powerless, so that we will fall in line, accept the ransacking of our government, the raiding of our social safety net, and the dismantling of our democracy.
And too often, the response from our leaders and those in positions to resist has been abject cowardice. Compliance. Obeying in advance.
But not today. Today we've demonstrated a different path forward. We've modeled the courage and action that we want to see from our leaders, and showed all those who've been standing on the sidelines who share our values that they are not alone.
Citing the Republican president's thirst for "power and greed," People's Action earlier explained why organized pressure must be built and sustained against the administration, especially at the conclusion of a week in which the global economy was spun into disarray by Trump's tariff announcement, his attack on the rule of law continued, and the twice-elected president admitted he was "not joking" about the possibility of seeking a third term, which is barred by the constitution.
"He is destroying the economy with tariffs in order to pay for the tax cuts he wants to push through to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies," warned People's Action. "He has ordered the government to round up innocent people off of the streets and put them in detention centers without due process because they dared to speak out using their First Amendment rights. And he is not close to being done—by his own admission, he is planning to run for a third term, which the Constitution does not allow."
Live stream of Hands Off rally in Washington, D.C.:
Below are photo or video dispatches from demonstrations around the world on Saturday. Check back for updates...
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Belgium:
Massachusetts:
Maine:
Washington, D.C.:
New York:
Minnesota:
Michigan:
Ohio:
Colorado:
Pennsylvania:
North Carolina:
The protest organizers warn that what Trump and Musk are up to "is not just corruption" and "not just mismanagement," but something far more sinister.
"This is a hostile takeover," they said, but vowed to fight back. "This is the moment where we say NO. No more looting, no more stealing, no more billionaires raiding our government while working people struggle to survive."
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