Saturday, April 6:
Alternate Focus has produced three 1/2 hour films about drones. We will be showing these at the Peace Resource Center, 3850 Westgate Place, SD 92105 after the demonstration at the Midway. All are invited to come and see the films, or to rest/hang out/network in the Church of Brethren sanctuary which is also on the property and the venue for the evening program and dinner starting at 6 p.m. We will have both the PRC and Church Sanctuary open starting at 3 p.m.

3:45 p.m.
Drone Warfare, Part One: The Drone Landscape Drone warfare has increased dramatically since 2008 and there are over 60 bases across the globe engaging in a US drone missions. US drones are currently deployed in the skies of over 14 different countries, some for surveillance and others for attacking ground targets. The area of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, known as Waziristan is the locus of much of the drone operati ons. But are these weapons keeping us safe, or do they just incite further terrorist attacks? And is their use a violation of the Geneva Conventions?

4:30 p.m.
Drone Warfare, Part Two: The Drone Economy The forerunners of the drones that are currently targeting people on the ground were once themselves targets. They have since evolved into reconnaissance vehicles, and more recently as weapons platforms. Predator drones are manufactured in Poway, near San Diego, where over 4,000 people are employed at General Atomics at the taxpayers’ expense. We examine the implications of this kind of warfare, and the loop of finance that rewards contractors and the politicians they support.

5:15 p.m.
Drone Warfare, Part Three:The Drone Morality Who bears responsibly for lethal action when weapons are fully automated? Can a machine have a code of ethics? While their accuracy might, in theory, minimize innocent deaths, drones also enable illegal political assassinations, and by keeping US troops out of harm’s way they also make war easier. A serious debate on these topics is long overdue.