<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://thesouthern.com/news/local/drone-use-just-with-secrecy-come-doubts-group-says/article_5dffe23c-a329-11e2-a836-0019bb2963f4.html" target="_blank">http://thesouthern.com/news/local/drone-use-just-with-secrecy-come-doubts-group-says/article_5dffe23c-a329-11e2-a836-0019bb2963f4.html</a><br>
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<div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>Drone use just? With secrecy come doubts, group says</div><div><a href="http://thesouthern.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=BY%20D.W.%20NORRIS%2C%20THE%20SOUTHERN" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:13px;line-height:18px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(31,31,31)" target="_blank">D.W. NORRIS, THE SOUTHERN</a></div>
<div><span style="color:rgb(125,125,125);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:18px">8 hours ago</span><span style="color:rgb(125,125,125);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:18px"> </span></div>
<div><font color="#7d7d7d" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:18px"><br></span></font></div><div><p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">
CARBONDALE — More than three dozen people attended a teach-in at SIU’s Lesar Law Building on Thursday to rally support for greater transparency in the U.S. policy of targeted killings by drone aircraft overseas.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">
Robert Naiman, policy director of the independent Just Foreign Policy group, spoke for about an hour on what he sees as constitutional, moral and ethical problems with the nation’s policy of targeted killings. He also said describing the killings as targeted was inaccurate.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The secrecy surrounding U.S. policy was particularly troubling and makes it impossible to have an informed debate and congressional oversight, Naiman said.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">“There is a black hole in our democracy and this policy is the black hole,” he said.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The gathering, part of the Maggie Parker Teach-In series, was held in advance of Saturday’s nationwide protests of U.S. drone policy in the Middle East and Africa.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">The Southern Illinois Peace Coalition will hold a vigil at noon Saturday at Carbondale’s Town Square Pavilion. A march to Gaia House at the corner of South Illinois Avenue and Grand Avenue will follow.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">U.S. drone policy will also come under scrutiny April 16 when Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, chairs a Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing on the issue.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Naiman implored attendees to contact Durbin’s offices with questions they would like the senator to ask.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">“In this particular case of drone strike policy, Dick Durbin is going to be key,” Naiman said.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Later, Naiman said, “This is a key moment of opportunity to try to get information (on drones) into the public debate.”</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Carbondale’s Ben Begley said he has a son on active duty with the Army and he supports the drone program up to a point.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">“I think there is some value in the drone itself as a weapon because of my concern for American lives,” Begley said during a question-and-answer period after Naiman’s presentation.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">However, Begley said he was concerned because he believed the program has expanded beyond its initial intent and was being used indiscriminately.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">“I think it is important to get the policy out in the open and have a frank, open discussion about all the aspects of it,” he said.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Razia Sami and her husband Abdus Sami are U.S. citizens from Pakistan and still have family living there. Razia Sami said she was concerned for the safety of Pakistani civilians.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:14px;line-height:22px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">“It’s very traumatic and we can’t do anything,” she said. “There are hundreds and hundreds of kids who are disabled. Who’s going to take care of those kids?”</p>
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>-- <br>Robert Naiman<br>Policy Director<br>Just Foreign Policy<br><a href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
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