Tuesday, April 30, 2013

April 29 action at Boeing's annual stockholder's meeting in Chicago




Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune

On April 29 the Antiwar Committee held a protest at Boeing's annual stockholder's meeting at the Field Museum in Chicago. The purpose was to shed light on Boeing's part of drone warfare and to let the stockholder's know that they were a part of this warfare.

We recieved some pretty good mentions from the mainstream media, including the Chicago Tribune and WLS Channel 7-TV.
Click here to read the Tribune's story.
Click here to see the story on WLS-TV

This even found it's way into Stars and Stripes! Check it out here.
Thanks to John at Firedog Lake for this great video on the action. To see it, click here.

And thanks to all who participated and supported this action.

AntiWar Committee contingent on May Day 2013


Join us on May 1, 2013 as we support our friends in the immigrants rights march on May 1. 
We'll gather starting at 2:00 behind the fence at the softball field near the corner of Washington and Ashland in Union Park.  Look for the "Peace Now" banner. The march steps off at 3:00 to go to Federal Plaza.

Our slogans will include No Drone Wars, No Drones on the Border.  

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Protest at Boeing Stockholders Meeting

Monday, April 29th, 9:30 am at the Field Museum, South Entrance

No Killer Drone for Boeing

Join the Anti-War Committee (AWC) of Chicago to oppose Boeing CEO James McNerney’s plan to make the next combat drone for the US military. 

Boeing is competing with the other top arms manufacturers for the growing budget for unmanned aircraft for the military.   This year, the Navy is asking for designs for a new combat drone.   Boeing is expected to propose its “Phantom Ray.”

Boeing’s stockholders meeting will take place at the Field Museum on Monday, April 29th.  Members of the AWC, including Sarah Simmons and Newland Smith, have purchased Boeing stock and will hold a press conference at the Field Museum to condemn the plans for the new killer drone.

After years of denial by the Obama administration, Senator Lindsey Graham of the Armed Services Committee recently admitted the number of casualties from killer drones.  “We've killed 4700,” he told a pro-drone crowd.  This is the estimated number of casualties in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, but including drone strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq would result in a much higher number.

There is growing controversy around the US drone wars.  Earlier this month, McClatchy News Service released a top secret paper from the White House which proves that the administration statements about who is targeted by the drones are lies.  Most of the drone strikes are not Al Qaeda leaders.  In Pakistan, as many as 881 deaths in the past decade were civilians, including 176 children.  Almost all the rest are “alleged combatants.”

AWC has taken a number of measures to oppose the drone wars, including submitting a statement to Senator Richard Durbin’s hearing this week on the topic.  Our main campaign is to target Boeing, headquartered in Chicago, for their role.  Boeing, the number two arms manufacturer, wants to keep the profits they make from producing arms.  While the budget for manned aircraft will decline in the Pentagon strategy, the budget for drone warfare is only going to increase.  The key element in Boeing’s plans for capturing war spending is to build the Phantom Ray.

Money for Schools, Not for War
In addition to the deaths caused by their products, Boeing received over $60 million in tax breaks to move to Chicago.  It’s not acceptable that our public schools and city streets are crumbling, while tax breaks are given to a company which has $25 billion in defense contracts.
We also recognize that drone pilots are victims of drone warfare, as they experience a rate of PTSD and suicide higher than combat veterans.

Join us to say:  It’s time to end the drone wars, not prepare to build another generation of more deadly weapons.


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Mourning the Loss of AFSC's Midwest Regional Director Michael McConnell

We are sadden to learn of the death of  AFSC's Midwest Regional Director Michael McConnell. Michael  was passionate, funny, sensitive, and creative. He was a giant among us, and it's hard to imagine that he's gone.




The visitation for Michael will be Thursday (4/11/13) from 4:00 PM till 9:00 PM at the John E. Maloney Funeral Home 1359 West Devon Avenue - Chicago, Illinois 60660, located between Clark and Ridge.

The Memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM Friday (4/12/13) Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ 615 W. Wellington Ave. - Chicago, Illinois 60657 followed by a reception.


In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be sent to American Friends Service Committee or Wellington Ave. United Church of Christ.

For more information on this amazing man, click here. Our hearts go out to his family and AFSC. We mourn with them. He will be missed by all of us. 

April 6 Anti-Drone Action Against Boeing

The month of April has been chosen by anti-war activists nationally as a coordinated month of protests against drones and the threat of new wars. In Chicago, the marchers went to the headquarters of the Boeing Company. Boeing CEO James McNerney is competing with the other top arms manufacturers for the growing budget for unmanned aircraft for the military. This year, the Navy is asking for designs for a new combat drone. Boeing is expected to propose its “Phantom Ray.”

Over 150 people joined the protest. Kait McIntyre of the Anti-War Committee of Chicago told the crowd, “We don’t want Chicago to be remembered as the birthplace of the next killer drone.”

2013 WLS-TV/DT

 2013 Fight Back! News/Vince Emanuelle



For media coverage, check out the following:
ABC Local News
CBS Local News
Fight Back! News
Sun-Times
WGN Radio