For Immediate Release: November 12th, 2009

Activists Stage Fast Outside of Creech Air Force Base Calling for an End to U.S. Drone Strikes in the Middle East

MEDIA ADVISORY

For contact information:
Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK coordinator, (415) 342-6409, codepink.nancy@gmail.com
Jim Haber, Nevada Desert Experience coordinator, (415) 828-2506, haber.jim@gmail.com

Las Vegas, Nevada - Activists with peace groups CODEPINK and Nevada Desert Experience will Fast outside of Creech Air Force Base against U.S. drone strikes on Afghanistan and Pakistan over the Thanksgiving Holiday, November 26th through November 29th. After learning about the brutal assaults on innocent bystanders in those countries, the activists decided to Fast as a way to show to the global community and the U.S. government that we do not support the drone strikes.

According to an October 2009 New Yorker article "The Predator War" written by Jane Mayer, the Predator drones strikes continue at a fast pace -- "a rate of approximately one bombing a week." The pilot program is housed at various military installations in the United States with Creech Air Force Base, just north of Las Vegas, as the headquarters of the Air Force's Predator and Reaper "hunter-killer" UAV squadron, the 432nd Flight Wing. Young Air Force pilots commute into the base everyday to fly the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), referred to as drones, to scout over Pakistan and Afghanistan and launch Hellfire missiles onto the region as part of a controversial C.I.A. targeted international killing program; and at times missing their intended targets, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people including children. The non-violent peace activists call for a stop to U.S. drone strikes and call on our government to stop spending American tax dollars on C.I.A. classified covert drone programs.

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CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. CODEPINK rejects foreign policies based on domination and aggression, and instead calls for policies based on diplomacy, compassion and a commitment to international law.

Nevada Desert Experience (NDE) is to stop nuclear weapons testing through a campaign of prayer, education, dialogue, and nonviolent direct action. NDE mobilizes people of faith to work toward nuclear abolition and nonviolent social change. We are committed to providing support for communal and personal renewal in the desert tradition. Our immediate attention focuses on ending sub-critical tests and other war-making preparations at the Nevada Test Site and preventing the return of full scale nuclear testing.