Talk Back to Drones

I have every hope that Rep. Lois Capps will be reelected and sent back to Congress in November. I am grateful for all she does on behalf of everyone, liberals and conservatives alike, in our district.

One thing I sincerely hope she will do for all of us when she returns to Washington is speak out openly and frequently against our country’s use of pilotless aircraft and “smart” missiles in our very misguided “war on terror.” As a recent Los Angeles Times article explains, only about 2% of the victims of these attacks could be classified as Al Qaeda or Taliban leaders. The rest are innocent civilians, including children, and low-level insurgents.

Hopefully she took to heart the recent remarks from newly-elected Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi when he said that, as a result of the U.S. having supported dictatorial regimes for so long in the Muslim world, we are already viewed in many countries as an enemy of freedom and democratic ideals. It is truly time we stepped back from the region and reassessed our goals and options.

As she’s traveled the district in her reelection campaign, she’s told us about all the different interest groups she’s listening to and trying to help. I hope she will listen to the voices of our communities’ peace activists and their many, many less vocal supporters. Across the political spectrum, her constituents want to live in a nation that’s genuinely respected and appreciated worldwide. We ask her to use her voice in our capitol to speak out against brutal, indiscriminate assassinations. –